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Finnmark (Finnmárku in Sami) is a county in the extreme north of Norway, bordering Troms. Externally, it borders to Lapland Province in Finland and Murmansk Oblast in Russia. It is also a part of the Barents Region. In 2002 there were 73,732 inhabitants, which is 1.6% of the total population in Norway. Its area is 48,637 km². The county administration is in Vadsø. Finnmark is a part of the Lapland region which spans over four countries.
Finnmark is the northernmost county in Norway. ( Svalbard is not considered as a county.) The northern and western parts are indented by bays. The nature varies from bare coast to river areas with gullies and tree vegetation. The point Knivskjellodden at Nordkapp is the northernmost point of Europe, although Kinnarodden at Magerøya is the northermost point on the mainland . Furthemore, Finnmark is the largest county by area, at the same time being the less populated. Outdoor life and beach life is widespread in Finnmark all year round. Hammerfest is the centre of Finnmark's tourist trade.
Much of the Sami population of Norway live in Finnmark, and to a certain extent Troms; scholars believe they have been living there for at least two thousand years. Finnmark and the municipalities Kautokeino, KarasjokThe township and municipality Karasjok KaraSjohka in Sami) in the county of Finnmark, Norway, has 2,852 inhabitants as of January 1, 2002. External links Municipalities of Norway., TanaThe municipality Tana Deatnu in Sami) in the county of Finnmark, Norway, has 3,039 inhabitants as of January 1, 2002. Municipalities of Norway., NessebyThe municipality of Nesseby Unjarga in Sami) in the county of Finnmark, Norway, had 966 inhabitants on 1 January 2002. Municipalities of Norway., PorsangerThe municipality Porsanger in the county of Finnmark, Norway, has 4,349 inhabitants as of January 1, 2002. Municipalities of Norway. and KåfjordThe municipality Kafjord Gaivuotna in Sami) in the county of Troms, Norway, has 2,344 inhabitants as of January 1, 2002. The municipal centre is Olderdalen, other major places include Birtavarre, Kafjorddalen, Djupvik, Nordmannvik and Manndalen, where the (in Troms) also have official names in the Sami languageSami is a general name for a group of Finno-Ugric languages spoken in parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, in Northern Europe. Very often Sami is erroneously referred as one language for all Lappic people. Classification The Sami languages belong.
There are archeological findings from the earliest times in Finnmark, belonging to the so called Komsa culture. There are also findings suggesting that the Sami people have been there for a long time. From the middle ages, the place has been populated by ethnic Norwegians and been part of the kingdom.
Finnmark is also the older name for Lapland in Sweden and also used by some inhabitants in this region. The title comes from Linné's expeditions in the northern Nordic during the 1700s.
