Country Norway District Øst-Finnmark Area rank 60 in Norway Local time Friday 7:38 AM Official language form Norwegian Language | County Finnmark Administrative centre Mehamn Area 1,415 km² Administrative center Mehamn | |
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Demonym(s) Gamviking or
Gamvikværing Weather -3°C, Wind SW at 24 km/h, 84% Humidity | ||
Gamvik (Northern Sami: Gáŋgaviika) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mehamn. The other main villages in Gamvik include Gamvik and Skjånes. Gamvik is known as one of 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 East European fishers.
Contents
- Map of 9775 Gamvik Norway
- General information
- Name
- Coat of arms
- Churches
- History
- 1982 air crash
- Government
- Municipal council
- Geography
- Birdlife
- References
Map of 9775 Gamvik, Norway
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.
General information
The municipality of Gamvik was established on 1 January 1914 when the old Tana Municipality was divided into Tana, Berlevåg, and Gamvik. Initially, Gamvik had 1,371 inhabitants. The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time.
Name
The Old Norse form of the name may have been Gangvík. The first element is then gangr which means "path" and the last element is vík which means "cove" or "wick".
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 28 September 1990. The arms show a characteristic maritime tool to emphasize the importance of fishing: three needles for the making and mending fishing nets. Three of these yellow-colored needles are set diagonally on a red background.
Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Gamvik. It is part of the Hammerfest deanery in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
History
In June 1972 construction started for [a landside terminal and] running a SOSUS 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 remains highly controversial in Norway.
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Gamvik, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.
Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Gamvik is made up of 13 representatives that are elected to every four years. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:
Geography
The municipality consists of the eastern half of the Nordkinn Peninsula. Kinnarodden, located in Gamvik, is the northernmost point of mainland Europe (the more well-known North Cape is located nearby on Magerøya island). The Tanafjorden flows along the eastern coast of Gamvik. Lebesby Municipality is located to the west and Tana Municipality is located to the south. Across the fjord to the east is Berlevåg Municipality.
Birdlife
The area surrounding the lighthouse at Slettnes is also an interesting locality for those interested in birds and birdwatching. There is a nature reserve and bird observatory.