Arctic Norway Arctic Norway Arctic Norway () comprises the northernmost parts of Norway that lie above the Arctic circle. Norway, being one of the most stretched-out countries in the world, reaches from approximately 58°N to 81°N, so large parts lie north of the Arctic circle at 66°33′. Arctic Norway consists of four geographically separated parts: The Arctic circle crosses mainland Norway at Saltfjellet, which separates Helgeland from the northern part of Nordland county. Thus about half of the county lies north of the Arctic circle, along with the whole of Troms and Finnmark counties. The total area of mainland Norway above the
Tromsø side of the Tromsøya island — over north of the Arctic Circle at . Suburban areas include Kroken, Tromsdalen (on the mainland, east of Tromsøya), the rest of the Tromsøya island, and the eastern part of the large Kvaløya, west of the Tromsøya island. The Tromsø Bridge and Tromsøysund Tunnel both cross the Tromsøysundet strait connecting the mainland with Tromsøya by road. On the western side of the city, the Sandnessund Bridge connects Tromsøya island with Kvaløya island. There are many tall mountains within the municipality including Hamperokken, Jiehkkevárri, Store Blåmann, Store Fornestinden, and Tromsdalstinden. The Lyngen Alps mountain range Kirkenes crossing is at Storskog, southeast of Kirkenes. In the city centre of Kirkenes is "Andersgrotta", a vast underground bunker built during World War II which provided shelter to the town's residents. Tours of the bunker are available. Kirkenes is one end of the route of the Hurtigruten, which cruises daily up and down the Norway coast to and from Bergen. Kirkenes is served by Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen. There are non-stop flights to Oslo, Vadsø, Vardø, Alta and Tromsø. The European route E06 has its northern terminus at Kirkenes. The northern terminus of the European route E105 highway is located in Abisko National Park As its location is 195 km north of the Arctic Circle, summer hikers enjoy the midnight sun, while winter visitors may find the light pollution-free location ideal for viewing the aurora borealis. Daily passenger electric trains run by SJ AB connect Stockholm with the Norwegian city of Narvik, stopping at both the Abisko village (the name of that railway station is "Abisko Östra" [east]) and the Abisko Turiststation. Additional regional trains provide links within the Kiruna-Narvik stretch. Abisko is also reachable by car via the highway E10 which links Kiruna and Narvik since early 1980s. Other local forms of local Pytheas through the sign of the Crab (at the summer solstice), a reaffirmation that it is on the Arctic Circle. He adds that the crossing to Thule starts at the island of "Berrice", "the largest of all", which may be Lewis in the outer Hebrides. If "Berrice" was in the outer Hebrides, the crossing would have brought Pytheas to the coast of Møre og Romsdal or Trøndelag, Norway, explaining how he managed to miss the Skagerrak. If this is his route, in all likelihood he did not actually circumnavigate Britain, but returned along the coast of Germany, accounting for his somewhat Norway–Russia border Norwegian border police issued an announcement in 2016 that it is forbidden to cross the border on land, water and in air, including at border markers (except with permission or at the border station), or to have contact with people across the border or throw things over the border. This is already written in the law. There is only one legal border crossing point, with stations on both sides, at Storskog in Norway and Borisoglebsky in Russia, located on the E105 highway some 15 km east of Kirkenes. Crossing time at both stations is unpredictable and depends of the amount Inlandsvägen of road after Gothenburg is motorway.Most parts of Inlandsvägen have just two lanes with two-way-traffic; a wide asphalted road that follows the terrain. About south of Jokkmokk Inlandsvägen crosses the Arctic Circle at . Inlandsvägen Syd ("The Inland Road South") is a term used about Riksväg 26 ("National Road 26") that begins in Halmstad in the south and ends in Mora in the midst of Sweden, The most parts of Inlandsvägen Syd also just have two lanes with two-way-traffic. The name is related to the famous Inland Line ("Inlandsbanan"), a railroad line that used to run almost parallel between Kristinehamn Tromsø the Arctic Circle anywhere in the world (following Murmansk and Norilsk). Most of Tromsø, including the city centre, is located on the island of Tromsøya, north of the Arctic Circle. In 2017, the city of Tromsø had a population of about 65,000 people spread out over Tromsøya and parts of Kvaløya and the mainland. Tromsøya is connected to the mainland by the Tromsø Bridge and the Tromsøysund Tunnel, and to the island of Kvaløya by the Sandnessund Bridge. The municipality is warmer than most other places located on the same latitude, due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. Storskog far northeastern part of Norway, about east of the town of Kirkenes in Norway and about north of Nikel. In 2013, 320,000 (in 2010, 141,000) crossings were made across the border at the Storskog border station. Storskog Storskog is a border crossing station on the Norwegian side of the Norway-Russia border, along the European route E105 highway. The crossing is located in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county on the Norway side of the border. The Russian side is in Boris Gleb in Pechengsky District in Murmansk Oblast. There is a border crossing station on the Russian side also, and both Polar Line Drag, from Fauske. From Bjørnfjell, the line would have hugged the Norway–Sweden border into the county of Troms, before running down the Salangsdalen valley. It would pass through the villages of Setermoen and Andselv before running west of the lake of Takvatnet. It would then have reached Balsfjorden, which it would have hugged until reaching Nordkjosbotn. It would cross across Balsfjordeidet to Storfjorden, which is would follow on the east shore of. There it would have passed through the village of Skibotn and run around the Kåfjorden and through Kåfjordbotn. It would then have run along Rotsundet and reach Nordreisa, Arctic Circle Circle is divided among 8 countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States (Alaska), Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut), Denmark (Greenland) and Iceland (where it passes through the small offshore island of Grímsey). The climate inside the Arctic Circle is generally cold, but the coastal areas of Norway have a generally mild climate as a result of the Gulf Stream, which makes the ports of northern Norway and northwest Russia ice-free all year long. In the interior, summers can be quite warm, while winters are extremely cold. For example, summer temperatures in Norilsk, Russia will sometimes reach as high Storskog Storskog Storskog is a border crossing station on the Norwegian side of the Norway-Russia border, along the European route E105 highway. The crossing is located in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county on the Norway side of the border. The Russian side is in Boris Gleb in Pechengsky District in Murmansk Oblast. There is a border crossing station on the Russian side also, and both have to be passed to enter the opposite country. There is a tax-free shop in Russia between the stations. Storskog is the only legal land border crossing between Norway and Russia. The station lies in the Tysfjord is commonly seen in winter and late autumn. Tysfjord is the only location in Norway where the European route E06 highway depends on a car ferry. There are ferry connections from Bognes to Skarberget (route E6) and from Bognes to Lødingen (connecting to route European route E10 and Lofoten). There is also a ferry connecting Drag south of the fjord with Kjøpsvik on the northern shore. Kjøpsvik is connected to the E6 highway and Narvik by Norwegian National Road 827, with no ferry crossings. This might be an alternative to route E6, and is also the route of choice to Sørfold electricity. This has provided a major source of income for the community. The Church of Norway has one parish "(sokn)" within the municipality of Sørfold. It is part of the Salten prosti ("deanery") in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland. Sørfold municipality is located about north of the Arctic circle. The total land area of Sørfold is , of which is covered with permanent ice and snow, and only lies below the contour line. The total length of coastline is . In 1987, only of land was being actively farmed. To the north of Sørfold is the municipality of Hamarøy and to Nordkinnhalvøya the northernmost point of mainland Norway and Europe. The peninsula is connected to the mainland by the wide Hopseidet isthmus. The peninsula is situated between the Tanafjorden to the east and the Laksefjorden to the west. They both empty into the Barents Sea. Norwegian County Road 888 connects the villages of Gamvik, Mehamn, and Lebesby to the European route E6 highway at the base of the peninsula, and from there it continues on to the towns of Kirkenes in the east and Alta in the west. The Hurtigruten coastal ship stops in Mehamn and Kjøllefjord, both on this peninsula. Mehamn Sør-Varanger regional airports throughout Finnmark. The Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line is a railway, until 2010 the world's northern-most, which runs between Kirkenes and Bjørnevatn; The European route E06 highway has its northern endpoint in the town of Kirkenes. This highway heads west and then south to the rest of Norway. The European route E105 highway has its northern endpoint in the village of Hesseng, just south of Kirkenes. That highway heads south into Russia through the Storskog border crossing, the only legal public crossing on the Norway-Russia border. The Church of Norway has one parish "(sokn)" within the municipality of Sør-Varanger. It is Norway–Soviet Union relations bilateral agreement was made permitting Svalbard Airport, Longyear. The Soviet Union also protested Kongsfjord Telemetry Station and the production of the 1985 action film "Orion's Belt". The two countries retained a land border between Sør-Varanger and Murmansk Oblast. There was only one legal crossing point, at Storskog (Norway) and Boris Gleb (Russia), on the E105 road some 15 km east of Kirkenes. The border between Norway and the Soviet Union in the Varangerfjord was agreed upon in a treaty from 1957. Negotiations on the outside marine border were initiated in 1970. Norway claimed, in accordance with the United Nations Convention Kirkenes were returned to their homesteads. The majority of the inhabitants of Kirkenes are of a Norwegian background, and a minority is Sami. Others are originally from Finland, either members of the Kven population or of a newer influx of more or less recent Finnish immigrants. Also, about 500 people are relatively recent Russian immigrants. For several months in 2015, the town served as a border crossing point for Syrian refugees, with hundreds per week crossing the border on bicycles. Kirkenes is located in the extreme northeastern part of Norway on the Bøkfjorden, a branch of the Varangerfjorden, which is a Sagesund circumnavigation of the world from Sagesund in 1994. "Nor Siglar", with half the crew from Sagesund, also included Sagesund as a natural stop on its way around the globe. Sagesund Sagesund is a small village in the municipality of Tvedestrand in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located on the shore of the Oksefjorden and along the Norwegian County Road 411. Sagesund is located about southeast of the town of Tvedestrand and about west of the villages of Dypvåg and Kråkvåg. There is also bus service from the town of Tvedestrand. Approximately 50 people live there on a permanent basis. It Cross Link will reduce travel time towards Bergen, and a road package which involves upgrading part of the county road network in the area. Cross Link Cross Link () is a proposed fixed link which would connect Øygarden, northern Askøy, Meland and Radøy in Hordaland, Norway. The road is planned to give better transport within Nordhordland and from there to Askøy and Øygarden. Specifically, the proposal includes a ferry from the Kollsnes area of Øygarden to somewhere south of Herdla in Askøy, a subsea road tunnel from the same area to Meland, and road across the island and then a new subsea European route E134 Vassum at road E6. The highway runs near several places of interest: When driving along the road, one may see many of the following words on signs or road condition web sites: European route E134 European highway E 134 () is a European highway that crosses Norway starting near the city of Haugesund on the west coast, heading over Haukeli, passing the city of Drammen, and ending in the municipality of Frogn near the national capital of Oslo. With the highest point at above sea level, the road is sensitive to snow conditions and foul weather during the winter season, Svalbard Svalbard Svalbard (; ; prior to 1925 known by its Dutch name Spitsbergen) is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Situated north of mainland Europe, it is about midway between continental Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range from 74° to 81° north latitude, and from 10° to 35° east longitude. The largest island is Spitsbergen, followed by Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. Administratively, the archipelago is not part of any Norwegian county, but forms an unincorporated area administered by a governor appointed by the Norwegian government. Since 2002, Svalbard's main settlement, Longyearbyen, has had an elected Mo i Rana of the caves are open to the public, Grønligrotta and Setergrotta. Mo i Rana is situated about south of the Arctic Circle. Mo i Rana's climate is usually classified as subarctic (Köppen "Dfc"), with long, cold winters, and short, warm summers. However it's very mild compared to Oymyakon, Russia and Verkhoyansk, Russia which are continental subarctic climates. The Norwegian Current (extension of Gulf Stream), follows the coastline of Norway all the way north. The stream has a heavy influence on the climate, helping to keep the temperatures from getting too low in the winter, despite the city being located about European route E134 European route E134 European highway E 134 () is a European highway that crosses Norway starting near the city of Haugesund on the west coast, heading over Haukeli, passing the city of Drammen, and ending in the municipality of Frogn near the national capital of Oslo. With the highest point at above sea level, the road is sensitive to snow conditions and foul weather during the winter season, during which the mountainous sections may be closed in short periods. The stretch of road through the mountains is called Haukelifjell. A road over the mountain along this route was opened first Pole to Pole He also meets some avid Norwegian football fans. In the town of Karasjok, he meets up with the Sami people and pans for gold in the Karasjoka River. From there, Palin travels by bus and crosses the border from Norway to Finland, where he visits Santa Claus at the Santa Claus Village on the Arctic Circle near Rovaniemi. He takes an overnight Finnish train to Helsinki; he relaxes in a sauna near Helsinki with Neil Hardwick and Lasse Lehtinen. Then Palin catches a ferry to Tallinn, his first stop in the Soviet Union. He visits Estonians who sing a song, Finland–Norway border done. In 1852, the border Norway–Finland/Russia was closed, causing trouble for the Sami, who needed the Finnish forests for reindeer winter grazing. The Finland–Norway border is open as both countries are part of the Schengen Area. It is legal to cross the border anywhere if no customs declaration or passport check is needed. There is an wide clear-cut zone along the land border. Almost half of the border follows the rivers Anarjohka and Tana. There are 57 original cairns north of Treriksröset from until 1766, numbered 293-342 west of Anarjohka river and 343-349 east of Tana river. Later further cairns Pytheas has to rotate Scotland by 90°. The 5000 stadia must be discounted: it crosses the Borysthenes upriver near Kiev rather than at the mouth. It does place Pytheas on the Arctic Circle, which in Norway is south of the Lofoten islands. It seems that Eratosthenes altered the base line to pass through the northern extreme of Celtica. Pytheas, as related by Hipparchus, probably cited the place in Celtica where he first made land. If he used the same practice in Norway, Thule is at least somewhere on the entire northwest coast of Norway from Møre og Romsdal to the Lofoten Thomas Nilsen deputy head. From 2009 to 2015 he was editor of the "BarentsObserver," a Norwegian Arctic online newspaper based in Kirkenes, published by NBS. Kirkenes is in the extreme northeastern part of Norway, on the edge of a vast bay connected to the Barents Sea, near the Russian–Norwegian border. The town is about north of the Arctic Circle. According to the BBC it is a "tiny bubble of cross-border friendship in a Nato country". In 2014 Mikhail Noskov, the Russian consul-general (Russian government representative in Norway) who was also based in Kirkenes, criticised Nilsen’s writing and warned that it might damage Cross Link Cross Link Cross Link () is a proposed fixed link which would connect Øygarden, northern Askøy, Meland and Radøy in Hordaland, Norway. The road is planned to give better transport within Nordhordland and from there to Askøy and Øygarden. Specifically, the proposal includes a ferry from the Kollsnes area of Øygarden to somewhere south of Herdla in Askøy, a subsea road tunnel from the same area to Meland, and road across the island and then a new subsea section across to Radøy. Although not in any public proposals, there have been private proposals to develop Mjølkevikvarden in Askøy as a Norsk Polar Navigasjon line of action. The following day, a meeting took place between the Norwegian Ambassador and Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On 22 February, the Pdersen brothers suggested to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that they instead build a smaller airport at Kapp Mitra, across the fjord from Ny-Ålesund. This was rejected by the ministry, stating that the fundamental issue was that Norway had no way of hindering the Soviet Union from occupying the airports in case of war. Two additional locations were later proposed by the Pedersen brothers, at Kapp Guissez near Ny-Ålesund and Adventdalen. These were planned built sufficiently European route E6 the capital Oslo. North of this, it passes by Gardermoen, Hamar, Lillehammer, Dombås, Oppdal, Melhus to Trondheim. Beyond Trondheim, the E6 meets Stjørdal, Verdal, Steinkjer, Grong, Mosjøen, Mo i Rana, Saltdal, Fauske and Hamarøy towards Bognes, where there is a ferry crossing over the Tysfjorden to Skarberget. It then runs through on via Narvik, Setermoen, Nordkjosbotn, Skibotn and Alta to Olderfjord, where European route E69 continues north towards Nordkapp. The E6, meanwhile, turns south towards Lakselv and Karasjok, then runs on the west bank of the Anarjohka, which forms the border with Finland. Beyond the border, it passes through Varangerbotn, Abisko the park as part of its longer passage. The "Abisko Turiststation", run by the Svenska Turistföreningen (STF), houses many visitors to the park and provides lodging, food, and other amenities, and is one of many similar facilities located periodically along the Kungsleden trail. The national park is known for its Cross-country skiing opportunities, snowshoeing, and other winter sports (Mount Nuolja and nearby Björkliden provides Backcountry skiing and freeriding opportunities). As its location is 195 km north of the Arctic Circle, summer hikers enjoy the midnight sun, while winter visitors may find the light pollution-free location ideal for viewing the aurora Geography of Norway is colder than in Brønnøysund. Some areas of Vestlandet and southern Nordland are Europe's wettest due to orographic lift, particularly where the moist westerlies first are intercepted by high mountains; this occurs slightly inland from the outer skerry guard. Brekke in Sogn og Fjordane has the highest annual precipitation with ; annual precipitation can exceed in mountain areas near the coast. Lurøy, near the Arctic Circle, gets 2,935 mm on average, a remarkable amount of precipitation for a polar location. Precipitation is heaviest in autumn and early winter along the coast, while April to June is the driest. The innermost Otta, Norway merges into Gudbrandsdalslågen North-east lies the massif "Rondane", which areas became the first national park in Norway in 1962, and has several mountains over 2,000 metres. Otta sits at roughly the midway point between Oslo and Trondheim along the (E6)European route E06, and the Rv15 starts here connected to the E6, heading west along Ottadalen and over the mountains to Stryn, along the Nordfjord, finally terminating in Måløy Otta is also an important link on the Dovre Line, since Otta Station is the only station in the valley where every single passing passenger train stops. Otta as a place name Kangerlussuaq of the Royal Arctic Line, and unusable in winter. Cruise ships, such as Norway's Hurtigruten, navigate the fjord, anchoring outside the port. There are plans to build a new deep port, around 10 km west of the present one. As of today, the long journey and lack of ports and other infrastructure make cruise ship lines avoid Greenland. Kangerlussuaq has the largest road network outside any settlement in Greenland (not counting streets inside the settlement). A gravel road through Isunngua connects Kangerlussuaq with the ice sheet, initially serving as venue for car endurance experiments. Since then it has been mainly North ("night"), since above the Tropic of Cancer, the Sun never shines from the north, except inside the Arctic Circle during the summer midnight sun. The direction north is often associated with colder climates because most of the world's land at high latitudes is located in the Northern Hemisphere. The Arctic Circle passes through the Arctic Ocean, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States (Alaska), Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut), Denmark (Greenland) and Iceland (where it passes through the small offshore island of Grímsey). By convention, the top side of a map is often north. To go north using a Riksgränsen Riksgränsen Riksgränsen, "The National Border" in Swedish, is a ski-resort in Kiruna Municipality, Lappland, Sweden, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. The skiing season is from February to June. From end of May the lifts operate under the midnight sun. Riksgränsen is a popular location for the winter testing of pre-production cars by various European manufacturers. Photo-snipers are prevalent, attempting to get the first spy-shots of new models, though their activities are frowned upon by local hoteliers who value the custom of the manufacturers. The same manufacturers frequently use the location for winter launches, bringing journalists from across the Fjord skerries (called a "); many of the cross fjords are so arranged that they parallel the coast and provide a protected channel behind an almost unbroken succession of mountainous islands and skerries. By this channel one can travel through a protected passage almost the entire route from Stavanger to North Cape, Norway. The Blindleia is a skerry-protected waterway that starts near Kristiansand in southern Norway, and continues past Lillesand. The Swedish coast along Bohuslän is likewise skerry guarded. The Inside Passage provides a similar route from Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, to Skagway, Alaska. Yet another such skerry protected Norway–Russia border Norway–Russia border The border between Norway and Russia (, , "Rossiysko-Norvezhskaya Granytsa") consists of a land border between Sør-Varanger, Norway, and Pechengsky District, Russia, and a marine border in the Varangerfjord. It further consists of a border between the two countries' exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. Between 1944 and 1991 the border was between Norway and the Soviet Union. There is a single border crossing, on E105, located at Storskog in Norway and Borisoglebsky (Boris Gleb) in Russia. The Norwegian side is patrolled by the Garrison of Sør-Varanger and is under the jurisdiction Nansen's Fram expedition fort and the cheers of thousands of well-wishers. This was the first of a series of farewells as "Fram" sailed round the coast and moved northward, reaching Bergen on 1 July (where there was a great banquet in Nansen's honour), Trondheim on 5 July and Tromsø, north of the Arctic Circle, a week later. The last Norwegian port of call was Vardø, where "Fram" arrived on 18 July. After the final provisions were taken on board, Nansen, Sverdrup, Hansen and Blessing spent their last hours ashore in a sauna, being beaten with birch twigs by two young girls. The first Alta, Norway birch and pine. Precipitation is low, with a yearly average precipitation of only . The frequent clear skies are the reason why Alta early was chosen as an excellent location for studying the aurora borealis. The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from 18 May to 27 July, lasting a bit longer than the polar night from 26 November to 16 January. Alta is a transportation center in Finnmark. Alta Airport served 334,132 passengers in 2009. There are direct flights to Oslo, Tromsø, Vadsø, and Kirkenes. The town of Alta also has port facilities in the town center, and European Lyngen by the Sami and Kven people. During the Cold War the Norwegian Army planned to abandon Finnmark and halt the Soviets along the European route E06 highway at the choke point between the Lyngen fjord and the mountains. However, there were always great worries that the Soviets would also advance through Finland and the very sparsely defended extreme north of Sweden (north of Kiruna, south of Treriksröset) and attack the Lyngen position from the rear via Signaldalen. The municipality is situated on the Lyngen peninsula, with the Lyngen fjord to the east and Ullsfjorden to the west. The municipal centre Kvitøya Kvitøya Kvitøya (English: "White Island") is an island in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, with an area of . It is the easternmost part of the Kingdom of Norway. The closest Russian Arctic possession, Victoria Island, lies only to the east of Kvitøya. The island is almost completely covered by Kvitøyjøkulen, an ice cap with an area of with a classical, hourglass-shaped dome, which has given it its name. The few ice-free land areas are each only a few square kilometres large and very barren and rocky, the largest being Andréeneset on the southwest corner of the island. Harstad of on Hinnøya; it is the only city on the island, and is popularly known as "Vågsfjordens perle" (The pearl of Vågsfjorden). The highest mountain in Harstad is Sætertinden, which is above sea level. It is located near the village of Sandtorg in southern Harstad. The tall mountain, Nupen, is located in the northwestern part of the municipality on the border with Kvæfjord. Despite being located north of the Arctic Circle, Harstad features a subarctic climate ("Dfc"), with relatively mild winters and cool summers. Harstad does not have the brutal winters that most locations north of the Arctic Circle experience, European route E6 European route E6 European route E6 (, , or simply E6) is the main north-south road through Norway, and the west coast of Sweden. It is 3 088 km (1.919 mi) long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and through almost all of the country north to the Arctic Circle and Nordkapp. The route ends in Kirkenes close to the Russian border. From south to north, E6 runs through Trelleborg, Malmö, Helsingborg, Halmstad, Gothenburg, Svinesund in Sweden, before crossing the border at the Svinesund Bridge into Norway. It then passes Halden, Sarpsborg, Moss to Kirkenes vast bay connected to the Barents Sea near the Russian–Norwegian border. The town is situated about north of the Arctic Circle. Kirkenes is located just east of the 30th meridian east. As a result, it is further east than Istanbul, which marks one of the European borders with Asia. The easternmost point of Norway and the municipality is also at a point further east than Saint Petersburg. Unlike the vast majority of Norway, Kirkenes is located east of the neighbouring country of Finland. Because of this, travelling directly west from Kirkenes actually changes the time zone forward instead of backward, Isfjorden (Svalbard) Isfjorden (Svalbard) Isfjorden is the second longest fjord in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. It lies on the west side of Spitsbergen, an island in the Arctic Ocean about midway between Norway and the North Pole, and the largest in the archipelago. The mountain of Alkhornet stands on the northern side of the entrance to the fjord, as does the coastal plain of Daudmannsøyra. A portion of Isfjorden is included in the national parks of Norway as Nordre Isfjorden Land National Park. Around the fjord lie many of the largest settlements in Svalbard: Barentsburg, Longyearbyen (on the Adventfjorden) and Pyramiden. Barneo the Russian Geographical Society and normally lasts for the month of April. Ice Camp Barneo should not be confused with the sequential Soviet/Russian "North Pole" drifting ice stations established by the Russian Academy of Sciences Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI). From 2002 to 2017, the starting and final point of all expeditions to Barneo has been Longyearbyen, the capital of the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. The town has necessary facilities including an airport, hotels of different levels, restaurants, a post office, a bank, and a supermarket. In 2016, following military exercises by Chechen paratroopers on Barneo, Norway enacted a Tromsø (city) "Mørketid" (polar night) and "Seinvinter" (late winter). It is possible to observe aurora borealis (northern lights) from Tromsø, as northern Norway is located in the auroral zone. As it is always light in the summer, no aurora is visible between late April and mid August. Additionally, due to the coastal location, Tromsø is often subject to cloudy conditions which prevents aurora being seen, even if they are present. The compact city centre has the biggest concentration of historic wooden houses north of the city of Trondheim, and they co-exist with modern architecture. The houses date from 1789 to 1904, when North Cape (Norway) lies about further south and about to the east. That point is located near the village of Mehamn on the Nordkinn Peninsula. The northernmost point of Europe including islands is hundreds of kilometres further north, either in Russia's Franz Josef Land or Norway's Svalbard archipelago, depending on whether Franz Josef Land is considered to be in Europe or in Asia. The North Cape is the point where the Norwegian Sea, part of the Atlantic Ocean, meets the Barents Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean. The midnight sun can be seen from 14 May to 31 July. The sun reaches its Svalbard citing the 1978 bilateral agreement on air traffic between Finland and Norway. Lufttransport provides regular corporate charter services from Longyearbyen to Ny-Ålesund Airport and Svea Airport for Kings Bay and Store Norske; these flights are in general not available to the public. There are heliports in Barentsburg and Pyramiden, and helicopters are frequently used by the governor and to a lesser extent the mining company Arktikugol. The climate of Svalbard is dominated by its high latitude, with the average summer temperature at and January averages at . The West Spitsbergen Current, the northernmost branch of the North Atlantic Current system, Narvik best known location in northern Norway for alpine skiing. There are lifts, and several of the slopes are floodlit. There is also a cable car to Fagernesfjellet, with a view and the possibility to walk even higher up in the mountains. Narvik Winter Festival () takes place in early March. Mountain hiking is very popular in the area, and the mountain area near the Swedish border has several places of accommodation. A signed mountain bike route is also available. Wreck diving attracts divers to Narvik, as there are a lot of wrecks in or near the harbour, and more spread Kvitøya – the Bokmål form would have been "Hvitøyen" or "Hvitøya". Kvitøya Kvitøya (English: "White Island") is an island in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, with an area of . It is the easternmost part of the Kingdom of Norway. The closest Russian Arctic possession, Victoria Island, lies only to the east of Kvitøya. The island is almost completely covered by Kvitøyjøkulen, an ice cap with an area of with a classical, hourglass-shaped dome, which has given it its name. The few ice-free land areas are each only a few square kilometres large and very barren and rocky, the Norsk Polar Navigasjon service from the mainland to Svalbard. The discussions resulted in the intention to establish Norsk Arktis Flyselskap ("Norwegian Arctic Airline") to serve Spitsbergen, Bjørnøya, Jan Mayen and East Greenland. To generate revenue, the Pedersen brothers proposed establishing the Roald Amundsen Institute in Ny-Ålesund. It would act as a hotel during the summer and provide cheap accommodation for researchers during the winter, while generating patronage for the airport. An agreement was struck with Hilton Hotels to build the hotel. The brothers secured some political support, particularly from Bjarne Støtvig of the Conservative Party, but also other parliamentarians bought shares in the Skjomen the many beautiful mountains surrounding the fjord. The highest point around Skjomen is the tall mountain Storsteinfjell. The Frostisen glacier, which is one of the larger plateau glaciers in Norway is located just west of the fjord. Frostisen covers an area of about and it is located at an elevation of above sea level. Skjomen Skjomen () is a fjord arm that branches off from the Ofotfjorden. It is located in the Ofoten district in Northern Norway, located just south of the city of Narvik. The European route E06 highway crosses the Skjomen fjord over the Skjomen Bridge, just south Haukelifjell one of the oldest road tunnels in Norway, the Old Dyrskartunnel was opened in 1900. European route E134 over Haukelifjell is the most important transport link between Haugesund and Oslo. In the winter, column driving through the mountain pass and occasionally closed roads is not uncommon, due to a lot of snow and heavy winds. Haukelifjell Ski Resort and Haukeliseter Fjellstue Hostel (Norwegian Trekking Association) are in the mountain area. The mountain range is a popular destination for skiing in the winter and hiking in the mountains in the summer. Haukelifjell Haukelifjell is a mountain area and a mountain pass Tromsø Bridge of the Arctic Cathedral, the Tromsdalstinden mountain, and the Tromsø Bridge. In 2000, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage protected the bridge against modifications. In 2005, the fencing was raised by two and a half meters, and seven years later, Norway's road authority planned on adding extra fencing onto many bridges to help prevent suicide. Tromsø Bridge The Tromsø Bridge () is a cantilever road bridge in the city of Tromsø which is located in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It crosses the Tromsøysundet strait between Tromsdalen on the mainland and the island of Tromsøya. The bridge has 58 spans, Fiann Paul Arctic ice pack (79°55'50 N) and from ice pack to Jan Mayen. It was the first complete, recorded man-powered crossing of the Barents Sea and of the Greenland Sea, some of the world's northernmost waters, which had long been called by sailors of the past, the ""Devil's dance floor"". Upon completion of Polar Row I and arrival to Longyearbyen, Fiann was asked by Norwegian TV2 how a rower would name the Barents Sea. Fiann responded that he would call it “"Devil's Jaw"”, adding that the winds you constantly battle are the breath from the devil's nostrils while he holds you Vardø and is the site of Vardø Lighthouse. The mouth of the Varangerfjorden lies along the municipality's eastern coast. The port of Vardø, on the Barents Sea, remains ice-free all year round thanks to the warm North Atlantic drift. Vardø has a tundra climate (Köppen: "ETf"). that borders on a subarctic climate (Köppen: "Dfc"). Excluding high mountain areas, it is the only town in Norway proper that has polar climate. As its warmest month does not reach 10 °C, the minimum temperature required for tree growth, the land is tundra and is treeless. The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from Polar Line Straumen, in addition to a section of the right-of-way past Torkilseng. The road also used tunnels built at Asp, Eva, Espenes, Kobbvatnet and north of Tømmerneset. Polar Line The Polar Line (, ) is an incomplete and abandoned railway line from Fauske, Norway, to Narvik and, if finished, ultimately would have run to Kirkenes. The railway was constructed by the "Wehrmacht" in occupied Norway during the Second World War as part of "Festung Norwegen". At Fauske, the line connected with the Nordland Line, and construction stretched as far north as Drag, Tysfjord. After the war, the plans were abandoned by Trondheim Fjord of the fjord. The narrow "Skarnsundet" is crossed by the Skarnsund Bridge. The part of the fjord to the north of the strait is referred to as the "Beitstadfjorden". The main part of the Trondheimsfjord is ice-free all year; only Verrasundet, a long and narrow fjord branch in the northern part of the fjord, might be ice covered in winter. The Beitstadfjorden might also freeze over in winter, but only for a few weeks. The towns of Stjørdalshalsen, Levanger, and Steinkjer are found on the eastern and northeastern shores of the fjord. Aker Verdal in Verdal produces large offshore installations Steigen on a gold background. The Church of Norway has three parishes "(sokn)" within the municipality of Steigen. It is part of the Salten prosti ("deanery") in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland. The municipality is located along the coast of the Vestfjorden, about north of Bodø, well inside the Arctic Circle. The road to Steigen departs from European route E06 and makes use of the long Steigentunnelen (see World's longest tunnels). Steigen borders Hamarøy municipality in the north and Sørfold municipality to the south. The Vestfjorden and Lofoten are located west of Steigen. The Sagfjorden lies on the north and the Folda Murmansk Kola Motorway. Murmansk Airport provides air links to Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as an international connection to Tromsø, Norway. Buses and trolleybuses provide local transport. Murmansk is set to be the Russian terminus of the Arctic Bridge, a sea route linking it to the Canadian port of Churchill, Manitoba. Even though the passage has not been fully tested for commercial shipping yet, Russian interest in this project (along with the Northwest Passage) is substantial, as the bridge will serve as a major trade route between North America, Europe and Asia. Murmansk is home to Murmansk State Technical University, Polar Line there would be a connection northwards towards Kirkenes. The second alternative—the Fjord Line—would run via Tømmerneset, Innhavet and Musken, around the southern end of Tysfjorden and then followed the shoreline to Ballangen to Narvik. The third—the Mountain Line—would follow an inland route from Kobbvatnet up Gerdalen and then through a long tunnel to Tysfjorden. The Fjord Line was longer than the Mountain Line, but considerably cheaper to build. A fourth proposal, launched by the "Wehrmacht", was to build a ferry crossing of Tysfjorden, but otherwise build closely to that of the Fjord Line. The alternatives were considered by Vienna-based Ladislaus Tromsø two seasons: "Mørketid" (polar night) and "Seinvinter" (late winter). It is possible to observe aurora borealis (northern lights) from Tromsø, as northern Norway is located in the auroral zone. As it is always light in the summer, no aurora is visible between late April and mid August. Additionally, due to the coastal location, Tromsø is often subject to cloudy conditions which prevents aurora being seen, even if they are present. Tromsø municipality includes these villages: The compact city centre has the biggest concentration of historic wooden houses north of Trondheim, and they co-exist with modern architecture. The houses date from Øvre Pasvik National Park of flowering plants. The national park covers an area of . It is located in the southernmost part of Sør-Varanger and covers the southwestern part of the valley of Pasvikdalen. The park's western border is identical to the Finland–Norway border. The eastern border crosses through the lakes of Ivergammevatnet, Revsaksfjellet and Ødevatn. Treriksrøysa, the tripoint cairn located at the intersection of the Finland–Norway–Russia border, is within the park. To the east is Øvre Pasvik Landscape Protection Area and Pasvik Nature Reserve, which both lie along the Norway–Russia border. The park is part of Pasvik–Inari Trilateral Park, which in addition to Børge Ousland Børge Ousland Børge Ousland FRSGS (born 31 May 1962) is a Norwegian polar explorer, photographer and writer. He started his career as a Norwegian Navy Special Forces Officer with Marinejegerkommandoen, and he also spent several years working as a deep sea diver for the oil industry in the North Sea. In 1994, he made the first solo and unsupported journey to the North Pole from cape Arktichevsky in Russia. As of 2016, that feat has never been successfully repeated. He made the first unassisted Antarctic solo crossing, between 15 November 1996 and 17 January 1997. The ski journey was made Domen, Norway Domen, Norway Domen is a mountain on the Varanger Peninsula in eastern Finnmark county, Norway. The tall mountain is located near the coast between the small fishing village Kiberg and the island of Vardøya. Domen is bare and flat-topped, with a steep slope towards the Barents Sea below. The European route E75 highway which runs along the western side of the mountain from Svartnes to Kiberg. The road is often closed in the winter due to bad weather. The Old Norse name of the Arctic Sea was "Dumbshaf". This sea ("haf") was named after the mountain "Dumbr" (an old form Abisko Abisko Abisko () is a village in Sápmi (Lapland), in northern Sweden, roughly 250 km within the Arctic Circle, and near Abisko National Park, located 4 km west of the village. It had 85 inhabitants as of 2005. Permafrost is common around the village albeit this low altitude permafrost is disappearing because of global warming and increased snowfall. Daily passenger electric trains run by SJ AB connect Stockholm with the Norwegian city of Narvik, stopping at both the Abisko village (the name of that railway station is "Abisko Östra" [east]) and the Abisko Turiststation. Additional regional trains provide links along Hammerfest Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society (); a museum displaying the history of Arctic hunting. The newspaper "Hammerfestingen" is published in Hammerfest. American author Bill Bryson begins his European travels in 1990, documented in his book "", with a visit to Hammerfest in order to see the Northern Lights, calling it “an agreeable enough town in a thank-you-God-for-not-making-me-live-here sort of way”. Hammerfest is connected to the main road network by Norwegian national road 94 which branches off from European route E6 at Skaidi in the neighbouring municipality of Kvalsund. The town is a port of call for the Hurtigruten ship Jacob Bjerknes front, integrated with the cyclone model, provided the major mechanism for north-south heat transport in the atmosphere. For this and other research, Jacob Bjerknes was awarded the Ph.D. from the University of Oslo in 1924. In 1926, Jacob Bjerknes was a support meteorologist when Roald Amundsen made the first crossing of the Arctic in the airship Norge. In 1931, he left his position as head of the National weather service at Bergen to become professor of meteorology at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Bergen. Jacob Bjerknes lectured at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the 1933-1934 school year Molde popular rock climbing, ice climbing, bouldering, glacier and basejumping areas in the immediate surroundings of Molde. The "Atlantic road" was voted the Norwegian Construction of the Century in 2005. It is built on bridges and landfills across small islands and skerries, and spans from the small communities of Vikan and Vevang to Averøy, an island with several historic landmarks, such as the Bremsnes cave with Mesolithic findings from the Fosna culture, the medieval Kvernes stave church, and Langøysund, now a remote fishing community, but once a bustling port along the main coastal route. Langøysund was the site of the compromise Domen, Norway Domen to meet the devil for sabbath. Domen, Norway Domen is a mountain on the Varanger Peninsula in eastern Finnmark county, Norway. The tall mountain is located near the coast between the small fishing village Kiberg and the island of Vardøya. Domen is bare and flat-topped, with a steep slope towards the Barents Sea below. The European route E75 highway which runs along the western side of the mountain from Svartnes to Kiberg. The road is often closed in the winter due to bad weather. The Old Norse name of the Arctic Sea was "Dumbshaf". This sea ("haf") was named Northern Norway Seven road sections in the region are National Tourist Routes in Norway due to their scenic surroundings, from Helgeland in the south to the Varanger Peninsula in the northeast, including two sections of the Norwegian County Road 17. Airports with long runways and direct flights to Oslo airport are located in Tromsø, Bodø, Evenes (near Harstad), Alta, Kirkenes and Bardufoss, and there are also directs flights connecting Brønnøysund and Sandnessjøen with Oslo. There are smaller airports with regional flights near most towns. For Bodø, Fauske, Mo i Rana and Mosjøen the Nordland Line provides railway connection south to Trondheim (and European route E16 and E18 in Belfast, the E5 in Glasgow, the E15 in Edinburgh. European routes are not signposted in the UK. There is no ferry anymore between the United Kingdom and Norway. The E16 is the main road between Norway's two largest cities Oslo and Bergen, and the only mountain pass between Oslo and Bergen that is rarely open due to snowstorms and blizzards (it goes below the tree line). Outside winter, route 7 is at least as popular between Oslo and Bergen, since it is shorter. There are some other options such as the road through Hemsedal. The E16 is Svinesund Bridge Svinesund Bridge The Svinesund Bridge (, ) is a through arch bridge crossing Iddefjord at Svinesund, and joining Sweden and Norway. Svinesund is a sound separating the Swedish municipality of Strömstad from the Norwegian municipality of Halden, and thus it is the border between Norway and Sweden in this region. The bridge is the westernmost border crossing (and one of the southernmost) between the two countries and carries the European route E6 which is a major traffic route in the area, connecting Oslo and the rest of Norway with Gothenburg, Malmö, Copenhagen and the rest of Europe. The New Svinesund Expedition to Lapland Old Piteå, passing Old Luleå where he received a Sami woman's cap on the way. From Luleå he again traveled inland, following the Lule River via Jokkmokk on the arctic circle and Kvikkjokk (then Hyttan), into the Scandinavian Mountains, crossing the border into Norway, arriving in Sørfold on the coast and making a trip to nearby Rörstadt. He then returned the way he came, approximately back to Luleå. Linnaeus then continued his travel along the coast to Tornio (Torneå in Swedish), from which he made his third and final inland incursion, along the Torne River as far as Vittangi. He Andøya Andøya Andøya is the northernmost island in the Vesterålen archipelago, situated about inside the Arctic circle. Andøya is located in the municipality of Andøy in Nordland county, Norway. The main population centres on the island include Andenes, Bleik, and Risøyhamn. The island has an area of , making it the tenth largest island in Norway. The island is connected to the neighboring island of Hinnøya using the Andøy Bridge. The Andfjorden lies to the east of the island, the Risøysundet strait lies to the south and east side of the island, and the Gavlfjorden lies to the southwest side. The Extreme points of Norway points are bordering the sea; due to the geographic nature of the coastline, all extremities are located on islands. Therefore, extreme points of the Norwegian mainland are also included in the list. The northernmost point is Knivskjellodden, located in Magerøya in Finnmark. The northernmost mainland point is Cape Nordkinn, located in Lebesby, Finnmark; this is also the northernmost location of mainland Europe. Both border the Barents Sea. The southernmost location of Norway proper is Pysen, while the southernmost mainland location is Lindesnes; both border Skagerrak. The easternmost point is Hornøya, with Kibergsneset being the easternmost mainland location. Both are in Nordkalottruta Nordkalottruta Nordkalottruta or Arctic Trail (Finnish: "Kalottireitti", Swedish: "Nordkalottleden") is a marked hiking trail in the Arctic region of the Nordic countries. It has a total length of 800 km and lies along the border of Norway, Sweden and Finland. It begins at Kautokeino (located in Finnmark, Northern Norway) and of the 800 km, 380 km of the trail lies in Norway, 350 km in Sweden and 70 km in Finland. The trail crosses international borders 15 times and ends in the south in Sulitjelma (Norway) or alternately Kvikkjokk (Sweden). The trail was originally planned in 1977. It passes through Cross-country skiing included specialized skiing battalions from 1747—details of military ski exercises from 1767 are on record. Skis were used in military exercises in 1747. In 1799 French traveller Jacques de la Tocnaye recorded his visit to Norway in his travel diary: Norwegian immigrants used skis ("Norwegian snowshoes") in the US midwest from around 1836. Norwegian immigrant "Snowshoe Thompson" transported mail by skiing across the Sierra Nevada between California and Nevada from 1856. In 1888 Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen and his team crossed the Greenland icecap on skis. Norwegian workers on the Buenos Aires - Valparaiso railway line introduced skiing in South Mo i Rana a part of the Norwegian STOLport network. Mo i Rana is connected to the Nordland Line railway. This is a railway line between Trondheim and Bodø. The main north-south road in Norway, European route E6, passes through the city. The European route E12 begins in Mo i Rana and connect the city to Sweden and Finland. A bus network runs throughout most of the city and its suburbs. An international tourist route Blue Highway (in Norwegian: "Blå vegen") begins in Mo i Rana. The route goes via Sweden and Finland to Russia. "Havmann" () is a sculpture made from Arctic Norway–Sweden border if having goods needing declaration. Heavy trucks can be allowed to use them by pre-declaration. They are surveilled by video and temporary checks. There are four railway crossings. All four serve both passenger and freight trains. All border stations except Kornsjø Station are located in Sweden. Norway has right hand traffic and Sweden has left hand traffic on double track railways. All four crossings are single track so the difference is no problem. Stone cairns, known as the and , mark many parts of the border. Animals, notably wolves and brown bear, have been known to wander across the border. Salekhard as Salekhard Urban Okrug. Yamal Airlines has its head office in Salekhard. By 2015, about from the airport, near the Arctic circle, authorities plan to build a large polar resort "Center of the Arctic tourism." The town is served by the Salekhard Airport. The nearest railway is at Labytnangi (on the Salekhard–Igarka Railway) on the opposite side of the river Ob. A long-awaited bridge across the Ob between Labytnangi and Salekhard is being built. , cars and trucks can cross the river by driving across the frozen river ice for 9–10 months a year. In the summer a ferry operates, North Pole Pole on foot (albeit with the aid of dog teams and airdrops). They continued on to complete the first surface crossing of the Arctic Ocean – and by its longest axis, Utqiagvik, Alaska to Svalbard – a feat that has never been repeated. Because of suggestions (later proven false) of Plaisted's use of air transport, some sources classify Herbert's expedition as the first confirmed to reach the North Pole over the ice surface by any means. In the 1980s Plaisted's pilots Weldy Phipps and Ken Lee signed affidavits asserting that no such airlift was provided. It is also said that Brekkestø post office, located near the waterfront, was closed in 2002. Justøy Chapel is located just north of the village. The small village of Åkerøyhamn lies about to the southwest on the small, nearby island of Ågerøya. The nearest town is Lillesand, accessible by road via a network of bridges, and the closest international airport is Kjevik Airport near Kristiansand. Brekkestø is also reached via the Blindleia strait, which passes nearby. Brekkestø has a reputation for being both rustic yet exclusive, and as such, it is a popular destination for summer vacationing. Brekkestø is often cited as an “idyllic pearl” of Hardangervidda National Park thousands of years; several hundred nomadic stone age settlements have been found in the area, most likely related to the migration of the reindeer. Ancient trails cross the plateau, linking western and eastern Norway. One example is the "Nordmannsslepa" linking Eidfjord and Veggli in the Numedal valley with Hol and Uvdal. It is still a key transit route between Oslo and Bergen. The Bergen Line and the main Highway 7 cross the plateau. Hardangervidda is accessible all year round. June/July to September/October is great for hiking, fishing, wildlife viewing, cycling, horseback riding, canoeing, hunting and other summer activities. Hiking is Norsk Polar Navigasjon aerodrome for intercontinental flights, and proposed that the Norwegian trunk airline service be extended to Svalbard and that his airport be established as a hub. He first published the idea in "Polarboken 1954". The brothers, Einar Sverre Pedersen and Gunnar Sverre Pedersen, went on an expedition to Spitsbergen in 1956 to conduct further surveys. Their initial observations concluded with that Kvadehussletta, the outermost part of Brøggerhalvøya, outside Ny-Ålesund, was the best-suited places for a major airport. The initially planned for a long runway, which could easily be expanded to . Hotellneset and Adventdalen, both close to Longyearbyen, were rejected because Paul Walker (Arctic explorer) Arctic Circle before the discovery of Gunnbjørnsfjeld 3693m. In 1996 he climbed a number of the main summits of the Crown Prince Frederick Range together with members of the Tangent British East Greenland Expedition. In 1999 he led the first British guided ski crossing of the Greenland Icecap using kites. In 2001 he headed to Svalbard to lead the "Polestar" team to make the first British south-north ski traverse of Spitsbergen. In 2004 Paul organized and led the US Navy Air Crash Recovery Expedition to the Kronborg Glacier, east Greenland. This expedition was commissioned by the US Navy to recover Northern Norway The wettest areas are generally the Helgeland region; Lurøy on the west coast of Saltfjell averages /year. The extreme northeastern coast, from Nordkapp to Vardø, is situated in the arctic climate zone due to lack of summer warmth — July average in Vardø is only . However, to the south, in the Pasvik valley south of Kirkenes, 24 July-hr average is up to . No other parts of Norway experience such large differences in lowland summer temperatures in such a relatively short distance. The coldest temperature recorded is in Karasjok, and the warmest recorded is in Sihcajavri in Kautokeino. Ranked Geography of Norway Maud Land is Norway's claim in Antarctica. This large, sectorial area stretches to the South Pole and are completely dominated by the world's largest ice sheet, but with some impressive nunataks penetrating above the ice. The Troll Research Station manned by Norway is located on a snow free mountain slope, the only station in Antarctica not to be located on the ice. Areas in Norway located north of the Arctic Circle will have midnight sun and corresponding winter darkness, the length of both depends on the latitude. In Longyearbyen, the upper part of the sun disc is above the horizon European route E4 and on 30% of the road. North of Gävle there are varying speed limits, with , and as the most common. The speed limits on the main roads in Sweden were changed on many stretches in October 2008, which saw the introduction of the 120 km/h limit. The E 4 is the fastest road to go from Germany/Denmark to areas north of the Arctic Circle, including places in Norway such as Tromsø or the North Cape. The route passes through or nearby the cities Tornio, Haparanda, Luleå, Piteå, Skellefteå, Umeå, Örnsköldsvik, Härnösand, Sundsvall, Hudiksvall, Söderhamn, Gävle, Uppsala, Stockholm, Södertälje, Nyköping, Hardangervidda age settlements have been found in the area, most likely related to the migration of the reindeer. Ancient trails cross the plateau, linking western and eastern Norway. One example is the "Nordmannsslepa" linking Eidfjord and Veggli in the Numedal valley with Hol and Uvdal. It is still a key transit route between Oslo and Bergen. The Bergen Line and the main Highway 7 cross the plateau. In 1981, much of the Hardangervidda was designated a national park, Norway's largest at . The park's boundaries stretch from Numedal and Uvdal in the east and Røvelseggi and Ullensvang in the west. The Lofoten some long, and high. In March, 1941 the islands were raided by British Commandos during Operation Claymore, and in a subsequent diversionary attack to support the Vaagso raid in December. As of 2017, the islands attract one million tourists a year. Lofoten is located at the 68th and 69th parallels north of the Arctic Circle in North Norway. It is known for its natural environment within Norway. Lofoten encompasses the municipalities of Vågan, Vestvågøy, Flakstad, Moskenes, Værøy, and Røst. The principal islands, running from north to south are: Further to the south are the small and isolated islands of Værøy Troms Tromsø (university hospital and main hospital for North Norway) and Harstad. The busiest airport is Tromsø Airport. The southern part of Troms is served by Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes and Bardufoss Airport, and in northeast there is Sørkjosen Airport. The E6 cuts through the county from Nordland into Gratangen in the south to Kvænangen in the north and then into Finnmark. The E8 road runs from Tromsø to Finland via Nordkjosbotn and the Skibotn valley. There are several large bridges; some of the largest are Tjeldsund Bridge, Mjøsund Bridge, Gisund Bridge, Tromsø Bridge and Sandnessund Bridge. There are several undersea road Nordland survived since the Ice age. "Climate statistics provided by Norwegian Meteorological Institute; 1961–1990 base period unless otherwise stated. Data for Glomfjord last 10 years by Storm Weather Center." The light conditions vary considerably from north to south; Andenes in the north will have midnight sun from 22 May to 20 July, and the sun is below the horizon from 28 November to 16 January (Narvik daylight). In Bodø, the sun is above the horizon from 3 June to 8 July. Helgeland is situated south of the Arctic Circle: At winter solstice the sun is above the horizon approximately 3 hours Northern Norway Northern Norway Northern Norway (, ; ) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the three northernmost counties Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the largest towns in Northern Norway (from south to north) are Mo i Rana, Bodø, Narvik, Harstad, Tromsø and Alta. Northern Norway is often described as the land of the midnight sun and the land of the northern lights. Further north, halfway to the North Pole, is the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, traditionally not regarded as part of Northern Norway. The region is multi-cultural, housing not just Norwegian Maritime Museum the Northwest Passage in the 1903-06 Arctic expedition of Roald Amundsen. In 2009, the Norwegian Maritime Museum and the Fram Museum signed an agreement for the Fram Museum to take over the exhibition of the "Gjøa". It is currently displayed in a separate building at Fram Museum. Norwegian Maritime Museum The Norwegian Maritime Museum () is located at Bygdøynesveien on the Bygdøy peninsula, on the western side of Oslo, Norway. The Norwegian Maritime Museum is situated near several other museums, including the Fram Museum; the Kon-Tiki Museum; the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History; and the Viking Ship Museum. The Norwegian Arctic Circle level, although in mountainous regions there is often no direct view of the true horizon. Only four million people live north of the Arctic Circle due to the severe climate; nonetheless, some areas have been settled for thousands of years by indigenous peoples, who today make up 10% of the region's population. Tens of thousands of years ago, waves of people migrated from eastern Siberia across the Bering Strait into North America to settle. The largest communities north of the Arctic Circle are situated in Russia, Norway and Sweden: Murmansk (population 307,257), Norilsk (175,365), Tromsø (71,295), Vorkuta (59,231) and Kiruna Lavik (village) into a transportation hub along the European route E39 highway, the main highway from Bergen to Trondheim. Lavik is the northern point of the Lavik to Ytre Oppedal ferry served by Fjord1 Nordvestlandske that crosses the Sognefjorden as part of the E39 highway. There are several services in the small harbour area: a snackbar, a pizzeria, a hotel and restaurant on the Sognefjorden. There is also a supermarket, a bank, a service station, and several other shops in Lavik. The village is also home to Lavik Church and it was historically the administrative centre of the old municipality of Lavik Tromsø (city) is the largest urban area in Northern Norway and the third largest north of the Arctic Circle anywhere in the world (following Murmansk and Norilsk). The city's largest workplaces are the University of Tromsø (UiT) and University Hospital of North Norway. The Norwegian Polar Institute also has its headquarters in Tromsø. The Northern Lights Observatory was established in 1928, and two companies affiliated with the Kongsberg Gruppen collect satellite data from space using the observatory. The fishing industry is very important. Norway's Norges Råfisklag and Norges sjømatråd (seafood council) both have their headquarters in Tromsø. Sparebanken Nord-Norge also has its