Gamvik Municipality

Gamvik Municipality
Gamvik kommune

Gáŋgaviikka gielda (Northern Sami)
View of Mehamn on New Year's Day (during the polar night)
View of Mehamn on New Year's Day (during the polar night)
Flag of Gamvik Municipality
Coat of arms of Gamvik Municipality
Finnmark within Norway
Finnmark within Norway
Gamvik within Finnmark
Gamvik within Finnmark
Coordinates: 71°02′28″N 27°51′05″E / 71.04111°N 27.85139°E / 71.04111; 27.85139
CountryNorway
CountyFinnmark
DistrictØst-Finnmark
Established1 Jan 1914
 • Preceded byTana Municipality
Administrative centreMehamn
Government
 • Mayor (2023)Ragnhlid Vassvik (Ap)
Area
 • Total1,416.55 km2 (546.93 sq mi)
 • Land1,355.08 km2 (523.20 sq mi)
 • Water61.47 km2 (23.73 sq mi)  4.3%
 • Rank#65 in Norway
Highest elevation672.3 m (2,205.7 ft)
Population
 (2024)
 • Total1,070
 • Rank#331 in Norway
 • Density0.8/km2 (2/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −2.6%
DemonymsGamviking
Gamvikværing[2]
Official language
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-5626[4]
WebsiteOfficial website

Gamvik (Northern Sami: Gáŋgaviika) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mehamn. The other notable villages in Gamvik include Gamvik 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 1,416-square-kilometre (547 sq mi) 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 is 0.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (2.1/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 2.6% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]

  1. ^ "Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune" (in Norwegian). Kartverket. 16 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  3. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  4. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  5. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).