Hammerfest : Norway
Hammerfest is a city and municipality in the county of Finnmark, Norway.
Located at 70 39’ 48” N, it claims to be the northernmost town in the world, although the title is disputed by Honningsvg, Norway and Barrow, Alaska. The validity of the claim depends upon one’s definition of a city; Hammerfest is the northernmost settlement of more than 5,000 inhabitants in the world. It is also the oldest city in northern Norway.
The city offers sport and commercial fishing, both sea and freshwater, including scuba diving. The northernmost glacier on the Norwegian mainland is a popular hiking destination. The town is a popular starting point for northern tours. There is a daily boat to the spectacular North Cape (Nordkapp), northernmost point on the continent of Europe.
Hammerfest is also a center of Sami culture.
Many gravesites dating back to the Stone Age can be found here. It had already been an important fishing and Arctic hunting settlement for a long time before it was recognized as a town in 1789.
