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Gamvik Municipality Gamvik kommune Gáŋgaviikka gielda (Northern Sami)
Municipality
View of Mehamn on New Year's Day (during the polar night)
FlagCoat of arms
Finnmark within Norway
Gamvik within Finnmark
Coordinates: 71°02′28″N 27°51′05″E / 71.04111°N 27.85139°E / 71.04111; 27.85139
Country	Norway
County	Finnmark
District	Øst-Finnmark
Established	1 Jan 1914
• Preceded by	Tana Municipality
Administrative centre	Mehamn
Government
• Mayor (2023)	Ragnhlid Vassvik (Ap)
Area
• Total	1,416.55 km (546.93 sq mi)
• Land	1,355.08 km (523.20 sq mi)
• Water	61.47 km (23.73 sq mi)  4.3%
• Rank	#65 in Norway
Highest elevation	672.3 m (2,205.7 ft)
Population
• Total	1,070
• Rank	#331 in Norway
• Density	0.8/km (2/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	−2.6%
Demonyms	Gamviking Gamvikværing
Official language
• Norwegian form	Neutral
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-5626
Website	Official website
Data from Statistics Norway

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.

General information

The municipality of Gamvik was established on 1 January 1914 when the old Tana Municipality was divided into three municipalities: Tana (population: 1,426) in the south, Berlevåg Municipality (population: 784) in the northeast, and Gamvik Municipality (population: 1,371) in the northwest. The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

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 was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, three net needles Or in bend sinister" (Norwegian: I rødt tre skråstilte gule garnnåler). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three fishing net sewing needles that are arranged diagonally. The net needles have a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. These needles are a characteristic maritime tool used for making and mending the fishing nets used by local fishermen. These arms were chosen to emphasize the importance of fishing in the area.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Gamvik. It is part of the Hammerfest prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

History

In June 1972 construction started for 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 remained highly controversial in Norway.

Government

All municipalities in Norway are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Indre og Østre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Gamvik is made up of 13 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Gamvik:

• 1914-1920: Fredrik Forberg
• 1920-1923: Hans Schanche
• 1923-1926: Andreas M. Irgens (H)
• 1926-1927: Fredrik Forberg
• 1927-1935: Leonhard Grønhaug (Ap)
• 1935-1937: Harald Lunde (Ap)
• 1938-1941: Hjalmar Bellika (Ap)
• 1941-1945: Andreas M. Irgens (H)
• 1945-1947: Hjalmar Bellika (Ap)
• 1947-1964: Ragnvald Mathisen (Ap)
• 1965-1968: Birger Bertheussen (Ap)
• 1968-1979: Bjarne Jensen (Ap)
• 1979-1983: Tora Høgestøl (LL)
• 1983-1987: Bjarne Jensen (Ap)
• 1987-2007: Roger Leif Hansen (Ap)
• 2007-2011: Marius Nilsen (Ap)
• 2011-2015: Inga Manndal (SV)
• 2015-2019: Trond Einar Olaussen (Ap)
• 2019–2023: Alf Normann Hansen (SV)
• 2023-present: Ragnhlid Vassvik (Ap)

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. The highest point in the municipality is the 672.3-metre (2,206 ft) tall mountain Duolbagáisá.

Climate

The inhabited places of Gamvik, such as Mehamn, has a boreal climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfc). The spring is very late to warm up and is among the coldest in Norway. Summers are short and cool. Winters are moderated by the Barents Sea and only slightly colder than in the capital Oslo. However, winds can be strong in winter. Slettnes Lighthouse, located on an exposed headland in the northern part of the municipality, is the only remaining weather station in mainland Norway with a tundra climate with the 1991-2020 normals. The all-time high in Gamvik municipality is 32.2 °C (90.0 °F) recorded at Slettnes Lighthouse in July 1972, and the second warmest is 31.4 °C (88.5 °F) recorded at Slettnes in July 2018. The all-time low in Gamvik is −23.1 °C (−9.6 °F) recorded February 1985 at Slettnes. Overnight freezes are very rare in summer and has never happened in July. The coldest low in August at Mehamn Airport is −0.7 °C (30.7 °F) recorded 2012, while the coldest August overnight low at Slettnes is 1.4 °C (34.5 °F) from 1984.

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.

Notable people

• Tor Henriksen (1933 in Gamvik – 2017), a politician for the Socialist Left Party
• Torgeir Vassvik (born 1963), a Sami musician and composer
• Ragnhild Vassvik Kalstad (born 1966 in Gamvik), a politician for the Labour Party
• Eivind Eriksen (born 1973 in Mehamn), a former footballer with over 150 club caps

References

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).
7. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
8. Mæhlum, Lars, ed. (24 December 2019). "Troms og Finnmark". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
9. "Fylkesinndelingen fra 2024" (in Norwegian). Regjeringen.no. 5 July 2022.
10. Rygh, Oluf (1924). Norske gaardnavne: Finmarkens amt (in Norwegian) (18 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 237.
11. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
12. "Gamvik, Finmark". Flags of the World. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
13. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 9 December 1990. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
14. ^ "Den hemmelige låven". 28 December 2016.
15. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
16. "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Finnmark Finnmárku". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
17. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Troms og Finnmark". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
18. ^ "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
19. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Finnmark". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
21. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
22. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
23. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
24. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
25. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
26. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
27. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
28. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
30. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
31. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
32. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
33. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
34. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
35. "Til offentlig kundgjørelse". Øst-Finmarkens Folkeblad (in Norwegian). 16 February 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
36. "Gamvik nye formandskap". Øst-Finmarkens Folkeblad (in Norwegian). 5 January 1920. p. 2. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
37. "Dag til dag". Finmarken (in Norwegian). 20 January 1923. p. 2. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
38. "Ny ordfører i Gamvik". Finmarksposten (in Norwegian). 24 January 1935. p. 2. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
39. "Øst-Finnmark i det nye fylkesting". Finmarken (in Norwegian). 5 January 1938. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
40. "Gratulerer". Finnmark Dagblad (in Norwegian). 28 July 1964. p. 2. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
41. "Ragnvald Mathisen ny ordfører i Gamvik". Vestfinnmark Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). 29 December 1947. p. 3. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
42. "Ragnvald Mathiesen ville ikke ha gjenvalg". Finmarksposten (in Norwegian). 7 December 1963. p. 16. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
43. "A-partiet fikk ordfører og varaordfører i Gamvik". Finnmarken (in Norwegian). 11 December 1967. p. 1. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
44. "Weather statistics for Mehamn LH as a table - Last 13 months".
45. "Weatheronline climate robot (average high and low)".
46. "eKlima Web Portal". Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Archived from the original on 14 June 2004.

External links

• Official website
• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)
• Mehamnulykken -- NRK's collection of articles about the 1982 air crash. (in Norwegian)
• Mehamn.net: live webcam at Mehamn
• Nordic Safari Wildlife Adventures: Mehamn
• Gamvik Museum

• Definitions from Wiktionary
• Media from Commons
• Travel guides from Wikivoyage
• Data from Wikidata

v t e Finnmark county, Norway
Main article: Finnmark Capital: Vadsø County government: Finnmark County Municipality County lists: County Governors Villages Churches
	Towns and cities	Vardø (1789) Hammerfest (1789) Vadsø (1833) Honningsvåg (1996) Kirkenes (1998) Alta (1999)
	Municipalities	Øst-Finnmark Berlevåg Båtsfjord Deatnu-Tana Gamvik Lebesby Sør-Varanger Unjárga-Nesseby Vadsø Vardø Vest-Finnmark Alta Guovdageaidnu-Kautokeino Hammerfest-Hámmerfeastta Hasvik Kárášjohka-Karasjok Loppa Måsøy Nordkapp Porsanger-Porsángu-Porsanki
	Former Municipalities in Finnmark Alten-Talvig (1838-1863) Kvalsund (1838-2020) Nord-Varanger (1894-1964) Polmak (1903-1964) Sørøysund (1852-1992) Talvik (1863-1964)

• Gamvik
• Municipalities of Finnmark
• Populated places of Arctic Norway
• Barents Sea
• 1914 establishments in Norway
• Populated places established in 1914