Hammerfest Municipality

Hammerfest Municipality
Hammerfest kommune
Hámmerfeastta suohkan
View of Hammerfest in mid-June 2005
View of Hammerfest in mid-June 2005
Flag of Hammerfest Municipality
Coat of arms of Hammerfest Municipality
Finnmark within Norway
Finnmark within Norway
Hammerfest within Finnmark
Hammerfest within Finnmark
Coordinates: 70°39′45″N 23°41′00″E / 70.66250°N 23.68333°E / 70.66250; 23.68333
CountryNorway
CountyFinnmark
DistrictVest-Finnmark
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centreHammerfest
Government
 • Mayor (2023)Terje Rogde (H)
Area
 • Total
2,692.81 km2 (1,039.70 sq mi)
 • Land2,557.83 km2 (987.58 sq mi)
 • Water134.98 km2 (52.12 sq mi)  5%
 • Rank#19 in Norway
Highest elevation1,078 m (3,537 ft)
Population
 (2024)
 • Total
11,338
 • Rank#103 in Norway
 • Density4.2/km2 (11/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Steady no change%
DemonymHammerfesting[2]
Official language
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-5603[4]
WebsiteOfficial website

Hammerfest (pronunciation; Northern Sami: Hámmerfeasta [ˈhaːmmerˌfea̯sːta]) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality being the town of Hammerfest which is considered the northernmost town in the world with more than 5,000 inhabitants (see: Hammerfest#Northernmost town). Some of the main villages in the municipality include Rypefjord, Kvalsund, Forsøl, Hønsebybotn, Akkarfjord i Kvaløya, Akkarfjord i Sørøya, and Kårhamn.[5]

The 2,693-square-kilometre (1,040 sq mi) municipality is the 19th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Hammerfest is the 103rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,338. The municipality's population density is 4.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (11/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0% over the previous 10-year period.[6][7]

The municipality encompasses parts of three large islands: Kvaløya, Sørøya, and Seiland. Other small islands such as Håja, Lille Kamøya and Kamøya are also located here. Most parts of the municipality do not have a road connection with the rest of Norway; only Kvaløya island is connected to the mainland, via the Kvalsund Bridge.

The town of Hammerfest is considered to be one of the northernmost city/towns in the world. For more information, see Hammerfest (town)#Northernmost city.

  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. ^ Askheim, Svein, ed. (28 May 2024). "Hammerfest". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  6. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  7. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).