Hammerfest (town)
| Hammerfest | |
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| Town | |
View of the town
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 Hammerfest
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| Coordinates: 70°39′48″N 23°40′55″E / 70.66333°N 23.68194°ECoordinates: 70°39′48″N 23°40′55″E / 70.66333°N 23.68194°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Northern Norway |
| County | Finnmark |
| District | Vest-Finnmark |
| Municipality | Kvalsund |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.94 km2 (1.14 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2 m (7 ft) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 7,568 |
| • Density | 2,574/km2 (6,670/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01:00) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+02:00) |
| Post Code | 9600 Hammerfest |
Hammerfest is a town in Hammerfest Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The town is one of the northernmost towns in the world. It is located on the northwestern coast of the island of Kvaløya, just north of Rypefjord and southwest of the village of Forsøl. The 2.94-square-kilometre (730-acre) town has a population (2013) of 7,568, which gives it a population density of 2,574 inhabitants per square kilometre (6,670/sq mi).
The town has an ice-free harbor, including the nearby island of Melkøya which is home to a natural gas processing station. It processes gas from the Snøhvit gas field in the Barents Sea. Rypefjord is a suburb to the south of the town. The main church for the town and municipality is Hammerfest Church. The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from 15 May to 31 July, and the period with continuous daylight lasts a bit longer. Polar night, on the other hand, lasts from 23 November to 19 January.
The municipality of Hammerfest (known as Hammerfest by og landdistrikt / "Hammerfest town and rural municipality") was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). In 1839, the northern district (population: 498) was separated to become the new municipality of Maasø. In 1852, the town and rural municipality were separated to form two separate municipalities: Hammerfest town (population: 1,125) and Hammerfest landdistrikt (population: 1,256). On 1 January 1875, a small area of Hammerfest landdistrikt (population: 20) was transferred to the town of Hammerfest. Again, on 1 January 1963, a small area of Sørøysund (population: 33) was transferred to the town of Hammerfest. On 1 January 1992, the town of Hammerfest was merged with the neighboring municipality of Sørøysund, creating a new, larger Hammerfest Municipality. Prior to the merger, the town of Hammerfest had 6,909 residents.
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Wikipedia