Northern Norway (Nord-Norge) is Europe's northernmost region mostly north of the Arctic Circle. Northern Norway has an endless and very rugged coastline, yet landscape varies from incredible jagged island mountains to endless open plateaus. Summers have non-stop daylight (and sun at midnight) while during the darker season there is frequent display of northern lights (aurora borealis). Northern Norway covers 50 % of Norway's area but is generally sparsely populated with only 1/10 of Norway's population.
Together with the corresponding areas in northern Sweden (Norrbotten), Finland (Lappland) and Russia (Murmansk oblast), the entire region is also referred to as Cap of the North. Cap of the North roughly corresponds to the traditional area of the Sami people.
- Alta.
- Bodø.
- Hammerfest.
- Harstad.
- Kirkenes.
- Mo i Rana.
- Narvik.
- Svolvær.
- Tromsø.
Alta.
Bodø.
Hammerfest.
Harstad.
Kirkenes.
Mo i Rana.
Narvik.
Svolvær.
Tromsø.
- Helgeland.
- Jan Mayen.
- Lofoten.
- Lyngen.
- Nordkapp.
- Senja.
- Vega. archipelago, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Vesterålen.
Helgeland.
Jan Mayen.
Lofoten.
Lyngen.
Nordkapp.
Senja.
Vega. archipelago, an [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage Site]].
Vesterålen.
With a low population density, Northern Norway is dominated by nature. Northern Norway is more than half of Norway's length, but only 10 % of the population. The area is about the size of Greece or South-Korea, but with a population of only ½ million. Road E6, Norway's main road, runs 1,700 km (1,000 miles) south-north through Northern Norway.
Since the ice age ended 12,000 years ago, the coast has remained ice free in winter. The coast is protected by islands in most areas (except east of North Cape), and until modern technology helped build good roads, travel by sea was always more practical than across the rugged land. The sea has a rich life, and fishing provided food year round. Fishing in combination with small scale agriculturee as far north as Troms was for centuries the dominant way of life. Today, North Norway has good communications and a more varied economy than ever before. Nature, however, is still dominant in most areas outside the towns, although you might notice small farms along the fjords and on the coastal lowlands.
Northern Norway includes some of the driest and coldest areas in Europe. Because of the mostly low or modest temperatures these places not however turn into desert. The interior of Finnmark (Finnmarksvidda), inner parts of Troms and Saltdal area in Nordland only gets about 300 mm precipitation per year compared for instance to Athens (the driest major city in Europe) that gets 400 mm and parts of western Norway that get 3000 mm per year.
In the middle ages Northern Norway was known as Hålogaland from Trøndelag until somewhere around Lofoten or Tromsø. The land further north was the land of the Sami people, called Finnmark in Norway (the Sami people were called "Finn" by the old Norse people) and Lapland in Sweden/Finland. Finnmark means the land of finns or the borderland of Finns. The Finnish, Kven and Sami languages are of the same language family but completely unrelated to Scandinavian languages (modern Norwegian, Danish and Swedish). Borders were not fixed in the open range of the north and the definition of "Finnmark" was very flexible and variable. In one viking saga Finnmark was described as "enormous" completely surrounded by the endless ocean west and north, covering the entire land north of Trøndelag, Halsingland and Karelia (that is most of northern Norway, Sweden and Finland as well as Russia's Kola Penninsula) - this largely corresponds to Sápmi the traditional area of the Sami people. The southernmost Sami language was spoken in the border region east of Trondheim. It is not clear how much of the north was ruled by Scandinavian kings or if the northernmost areas were largely land without state. Norwegian settlement in Finnmark began around 1300 and coastal villages came under Norwegain/Danish rule. The interior was open range without fixed borders between states until around 1800. The very northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia was largely a common area. The border with Russia was fixed in 1826 and Kirkenes became part of Norway. Kautokeino and Karasjok became part of Norway (itself under Danish rule at that time) when the border with Sweden/Finland was set in 1760.
Northern Sami spoken in Finnmark and Troms is the most common of the Sami languages. Lulesami is spoken largely along the Lule river, Southern Sami is spoken further south in Nordland and Trøndelag, to mention two more. Today only a few thousand people speak the rarer Sami languages.
Norwegian is the official language of Norway and it is the most commonly spoken language in Northern Norway. Norwegian is mutually intelligible with Danish and Swedish. Sami is official in seven municipalities and Kven (close to Finnish) is official in one municipality. Sami names of towns and places are often displayed on road signs together with Norwegian names. In some cases there are only spelling differences for instance when the name has a Sami or Kven/Finish origin for instance Kautokeino (Norwegian), Guovdageaidnu (Sami) and Koutokeino (Kven/Finish). In other cases names are completely different. In the core Sami areas signs for places may be in Sami only.
Russian is a common language in Kirkenes due to immigration, but it is not an official language.
Most Norwegians speak English well. In theory, all Norwegians are also able to speak a third language, usually German or French (but also Spanish, Italian or Russian), as learning a third language is mandatory in the Norwegian school. However, most people's knowledge of their third "school language" is basic at best.
The best views are seen from a little altitude, where amazing views over mountains, fjords and sea can be seen. To reach these, hiking is usually the preferred way.
- In Tromsø and Narvik there are aerial lifts, which easily take you up in the mountains.
- Spildra, a unique remote island in the north. A small cabin is for rent on this paradise of the north. Fishing, hunting and picking eggs are some of the included activities, along with amazing views of the midnight sun in the summer, and the northern lights in the winter! www.banja.no
Six days hiking on Moskenesøy
Spildra, a unique remote island in the north. A small cabin is for rent on this paradise of the north. Fishing, hunting and picking eggs are some of the included activities, along with amazing views of the midnight sun in the summer, and the northern lights in the winter! www.banja.no
Be well dressed, because this is far north and temperatures can be low also in summer.
There's a plethora of activities:
- Experience the amazing northern lights or the midnight sun, depending on the time of year
- Whale watching (in the country which also harvests in these animals)
- Fishing in some of the world's richest fishing waters, such as Lofoten
- Dogsledding
- Reindeer sledding
- Snowmobiling
- Explore the indigenous Sami people and their lifestyles and culture
- Mountain climbing
- Mountain hiking
- Diving
- Boating
- Canoeing
- Kayaking
- Sailing
- Rafting
- Cycling
- Skiing
- Swimming in not well tempered waters (or indoors)
- Hiking
- Golf
- Strolling small towns and villages
Norwegian cuisine is known for eclectic food with a good supply of many local ingredients.
Northern Norway is particularly famous for seafood, lamb, reindeer, and wild berries such as cloudberry.
Local Norwegian beer, aquavit and cider. Or simply clean and fresh tap water.
If you venture outdoors, know what to do! Limited daylight during winter months makes all outdoor activities more challenging. Weather can be rough on the coast and bitterly cold in the interior. Long distances and sparse population mean that one must be able to manage.
There is little crime in the region, but you may end up in trouble if you try really hard.
- North to the North pole (not recommended) or Svalbard,
- east to Russia's Murmansk Oblast
- south or east to Finnish Lapland and the rest of Finland
- south or east to Sweden's Norrbotten County
- Domestic south in Norway, Trøndelag