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() is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in
Finnmark Finnmark (; ; ; ; ) is a counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland's Lapland (Finland), Lapland region to the south, and Russia's Murmansk Oblast to the east, and by water, the Norweg ...
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The
administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...
of the municipality is the village of Mehamn. The other notable villages in Gamvik include
Gamvik Gamvik or Gamvika may refer to: Places * Gamvik Municipality, a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway * Gamvik (village), a village in Gamvik Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway * Gamvik Church, a church in Gamvik Municipality in Finnmark cou ...
and Skjånes. Gamvik is known as one of the poorest and most undeveloped municipalities in Norway. The number of inhabitants rose at one moment in 2012, but in 2014, after the fish factory closed, the population declined dramatically with the departure of the eastern European fishermen. Most people live in the village of Mehamn (about 500 inhabitants), which has an airport, Mehamn Airport, and is also a port of call of the hurtigruten coastal boats. The Slettnes Lighthouse near the village of Gamvik is the northernmost lighthouse on the mainland of Europe. Nervei and Langfjordbotn are two very small villages in southern Gamvik that are only accessible by boat. Finnkongkeila is an abandoned village along the Tanafjorden. The municipality is the 65th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Gamvik is the 331st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,070. The municipality's
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
is and its population has decreased by 2.6% over the previous 10-year period.


General information

The municipality of Gamvik was established on 1 January 1914 when the old Tana Municipality was divided into three municipalities: Tana (population: 1,426) in the south, Berlevåg Municipality (population: 784) in the northeast, and Gamvik Municipality (population: 1,371) in the northwest. The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed
Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; ; ; ) was a county in northern Norway that existed from 2020 to 2023. The county was established on 1 January 2020 as the result of a regional reform. It was the largest county by area in Norway, encompassing about , and w ...
county. Previously, it had been part of the old
Finnmark Finnmark (; ; ; ; ) is a counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland's Lapland (Finland), Lapland region to the south, and Russia's Murmansk Oblast to the east, and by water, the Norweg ...
county. On 1 January 2024, the
Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; ; ; ) was a county in northern Norway that existed from 2020 to 2023. The county was established on 1 January 2020 as the result of a regional reform. It was the largest county by area in Norway, encompassing about , and w ...
county was divided and the municipality once again became part of
Finnmark Finnmark (; ; ; ; ) is a counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland's Lapland (Finland), Lapland region to the south, and Russia's Murmansk Oblast to the east, and by water, the Norweg ...
county.


Name

The
Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
form of the name may have been ''Gangvík''. The first element is then ''gangr'' which means "
path A path is a route for physical travel – see Trail. Path or PATH may also refer to: Physical paths of different types * Bicycle path * Bridle path, used by people on horseback * Course (navigation), the intended path of a vehicle * Desir ...
" and the last element is ''vík'' which means "
cove A cove is a small bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creek (tidal), creeks, or recesses in a coast ...
" or "wick".


Coat of arms

The
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
was granted on 28 September 1990. The official
blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...
is ''" Gules, three net needles Or in bend sinister"'' (). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three
fishing net A fishing net or fish net is a net (device), net used for fishing. Fishing nets work by serving as an improvised fish trap, and some are indeed rigged as traps (e.g. #Fyke nets, fyke nets). They are usually wide open when deployed (e.g. by cast ...
sewing needle A sewing needle, used for hand-sewing, is a long slender tool with a pointed tip at one end and a hole (or ''eye'') to hold the sewing thread. The earliest needles were made of bone or wood; modern needles are manufactured from high carbon steel ...
s that are arranged diagonally. The net needles have a
tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. These needles are a characteristic maritime tool used for making and mending the fishing nets used by local fishermen. These arms were chosen to emphasize the importance of fishing in the area.


Churches

The
Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...
has one parish () within the municipality of Gamvik. It is part of the Hammerfest prosti (
deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...
) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.


History

In June 1972 construction started for landside terminal andrunning a
SOSUS Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) was the original name for a submarine detection system based on passive sonar developed by the United States Navy to track Soviet Navy, Soviet submarines. The system's true nature was classified with the name a ...
cable into the sea. The SOSUS station was one of more than twenty worldwide.


1982 air crash

On 12 March 1982, a Widerøe Twin Otter, registration number LN-BNK, crashed into the sea near Mehamn, killing all fifteen on board. More than twenty years and four rounds of investigation later, this incident remained highly controversial in Norway.


Government

All municipalities in Norway are responsible for
primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...
(through 10th grade), outpatient
health services Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...
,
senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...
services, welfare and other
social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...
,
zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...
,
economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...
, and municipal
road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...
s and utilities. The municipality is governed by a
municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...
of directly elected representatives. The
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Indre og Østre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.


Municipal council

The
municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...
of Gamvik is made up of 13 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political
party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...
.


Mayors

The mayors () of Gamvik: *1914-1920: Fredrik Forberg *1920-1923: Hans Schanche *1923-1926: Andreas M. Irgens ( H) *1926-1927: Fredrik Forberg *1927-1935: Leonhard Grønhaug ( Ap) *1935-1937: Harald Lunde ( Ap) *1938-1941: Hjalmar Bellika ( Ap) *1941-1945: Andreas M. Irgens ( H) *1945-1947: Hjalmar Bellika ( Ap) *1947-1964: Ragnvald Mathisen ( Ap) *1965-1968: Birger Bertheussen ( Ap) *1968-1979: Bjarne Jensen ( Ap) *1979-1983: Tora Høgestøl ( LL) *1983-1987: Bjarne Jensen ( Ap) *1987-2007: Roger Leif Hansen ( Ap) *2007-2011: Marius Nilsen ( Ap) *2011-2015: Inga Manndal ( SV) *2015-2019: Trond Einar Olaussen ( Ap) *2019–2023: Alf Normann Hansen ( SV) *2023-present: Ragnhlid Vassvik ( Ap)


Geography

The municipality consists of the eastern half of the
Nordkinn Peninsula Cape Nordkinn ( or ) at is the northernmost point on the Nordkinn Peninsula in county, Norway. It is notable for being the extreme points of Norway, northernmost point of mainland Norway, and by extension the extreme points of Europe, northernm ...
.
Kinnarodden Cape Nordkinn ( or ) at is the northernmost point on the Nordkinn Peninsula in county, Norway. It is notable for being the extreme points of Norway, northernmost point of mainland Norway, and by extension the extreme points of Europe, northernm ...
, located in Gamvik, is the northernmost point of mainland
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
(the more well-known North Cape is located nearby on Magerøya island). The Tanafjorden flows along the eastern coast of Gamvik.
Lebesby Municipality Lebesby ( and ) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kjøllefjord. Other villages in the municipality include Ifjord, ...
is located to the west and Tana Municipality is located to the south. Across the fjord to the east is Berlevåg Municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Duolbagáisá.


Climate

The inhabited places of Gamvik, such as Mehamn, has a boreal climate (
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
: Dfc). The spring is very late to warm up and is among the coldest in Norway. Summers are short and cool. Winters are moderated by the Barents Sea and only slightly colder than in the capital Oslo. However, winds can be strong in winter. Slettnes Lighthouse, located on an exposed headland in the northern part of the municipality, is the only remaining weather station in mainland Norway with a tundra climate with the 1991-2020 normals. The all-time high in Gamvik municipality is recorded at Slettnes Lighthouse in July 1972, and the second warmest is recorded at Slettnes in July 2018. The all-time low in Gamvik is recorded February 1985 at Slettnes. Overnight freezes are very rare in summer and has never happened in July. The coldest low in August at Mehamn Airport is recorded 2012, while the coldest August overnight low at Slettnes is from 1984.


Birdlife

The area surrounding the
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...
at Slettnes is also an interesting locality for those interested in
bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
s and
birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...
. There is a
nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
and bird observatory.


Notable people

* Tor Henriksen (1933 in Gamvik – 2017), a politician for the Socialist Left Party * Torgeir Vassvik (born 1963), a
Sami Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ne ...
musician and composer * Ragnhild Vassvik Kalstad (born 1966 in Gamvik), a politician for the Labour Party * Eivind Eriksen (born 1973 in Mehamn), a former footballer with over 150 club caps


References


External links

*
Municipal fact sheet
from
Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All rele ...

Mehamnulykken
-- NRK's collection of articles about the 1982 air crash.
Mehamn.net
live webcam at Mehamn
Nordic Safari Wildlife Adventures
Mehamn

{{authority control Municipalities of Finnmark Populated places of Arctic Norway Barents Sea 1914 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 1914