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164-549: Jan Mayen ( Urban East Norwegian: [jɑn ˈmɑ̀ɪən] ) is a Norwegian volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean with no permanent population. It is 55 km (34 mi) long (southwest-northeast) and 373 km (144 sq mi) in area, partly covered by glaciers (an area of 114.2 km (44.1 sq mi) around the Beerenberg volcano ). It has two parts: larger northeast Nord-Jan and smaller Sør-Jan, linked by

328-403: A Köppen classification of ET , sometimes reckoned as EM (maritime polar). Jan Mayen is situated in between the cold East Greenland Current to the west and the warm Gulf Stream to the east of the island, and is the only landmass in the northern hemisphere where warm and cold ocean currents meet. The surrounding seas makes seasonal temperature variations very small considering the latitude of

492-657: A per-capita basis, Norway is the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas outside of the Middle East. The country has the fourth- and eighth-highest per-capita income in the world on the World Bank 's and IMF 's list, respectively. It has the world's largest sovereign wealth fund , with a value of US$ 1.3 trillion. Norway has two official names: Norge in Bokmål and Noreg in Nynorsk . The English name Norway comes from

656-571: A resistance movement which incorporated civil disobedience and armed resistance including the destruction of Norsk Hydro 's heavy water plant and stockpile of heavy water at Vemork , which crippled the German nuclear programme . More important to the Allied war effort, however, was the role of the Norwegian Merchant Marine , the fourth-largest merchant marine fleet in the world. It was led by

820-407: A unitary state with a constitutional monarchy , Norway divides state power between the parliament , the cabinet , and the supreme court , as determined by the 1814 constitution . Norway has both administrative and political subdivisions on two levels: counties and municipalities . The Sámi people have a certain amount of self-determination and influence over traditional territories through

984-471: A 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide isthmus . It lies 600 km (370 mi) northeast of Iceland (495 km [305 mi] NE of Kolbeinsey ), 500 km (310 mi) east of central Greenland , and 900 km (560 mi) northwest of Vesterålen , Norway . The island is mountainous, the highest summit being the Beerenberg volcano in the north. The isthmus is the location of the two largest lakes of

1148-522: A 55 m (180 ft) wooden radiomast. The station was destroyed by Norwegian forces in September 1940, and the crew was sent to Iceland . In 1941 a new radiostation was constructed on the western side of the island, it was moved to a plateau above. In 1962 this station was again moved to "Helenesanden - Norwegian" about 3 km (1.9 mi) north from the Norwegian army 's LORAN -station. In 1984

1312-505: A Norse iron -based culture along the coast from approximately 200 AD. Nordland is regarded as part of Sápmi . The Sami (or Sámi), which are not of Norse origins, have lived in Nordland for at least 2,000 years. Not just inland, but also along the fjords and, in the northern part of Nordland, even on the coast and larger islands, such as Hinnøya . There is a story in Heimskringla about

1476-497: A Viking who became a contender for the throne, Sigurd Slembe . He was on the run from the king and was helped by Sami in what is probably Lødingen Municipality today. The Sami even built him a boat, which the saga mention was made from pine wood ( viking ships were typically made from oak wood, but the oak does not grow naturally this far north). Tysfjord today is a centre for the Lule Sami culture. The current county of Nordland

1640-515: A central role in the peaceful separation of Norway from Sweden on 7 June 1905. A national referendum confirmed the people's preference for a monarchy over a republic. However, no Norwegian could legitimately claim the throne, since none of Norway's noble families could claim royal descent . The government then offered the throne of Norway to Prince Carl of Denmark, a prince of the Dano-German royal house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and

1804-454: A conservative society. Life in Norway (especially economic life) was "dominated by the aristocracy of professional men who filled most of the important posts in the central government". There was no strong bourgeois class to demand a breakdown of this aristocratic control. Thus, even while revolution swept over most of the countries of Europe in 1848, Norway was largely unaffected. Marcus Thrane

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1968-538: A disconnection against Eik Satellite Earth Station in Rogaland Norway . Between the fifth and ninth centuries (400–900 AD), numerous communities of monks originating in Ireland ( Papar ) navigated throughout the north Atlantic in leather boats, exploring and sometimes settling in distant islands where their monastic communities could be separated from close contact with others. Strong indicators exist of their presence in

2132-640: A distant relative of Norway's medieval kings. Following the plebiscite, he was unanimously elected king by the Norwegian Parliament ; he took the name Haakon VII . Throughout the First World War , Norway remained neutral; however, diplomatic pressure from the British government meant that it heavily favoured the Allies . During the war, Norway exported fish to both Germany and Britain, until an ultimatum from

2296-457: A distinct national character. The movement covered all branches of culture, including literature ( Henrik Wergeland , Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson , Peter Christen Asbjørnsen , Jørgen Moe ), painting ( Hans Gude , Adolph Tidemand ), music ( Edvard Grieg ), and even language policy, where attempts to define a native written language for Norway led to today's two official written forms for Norwegian: Bokmål and Nynorsk . King Charles III John came to

2460-618: A few ships from Dunkirk, which came to the island in 1617 and were either driven away or forced to give a third of their catch to the Dutch, only the Dutch and merchants from Hull sent up ships to Jan Mayen from 1616 onward. In 1624 ten wooden houses were built in South Bay . About this time the Dutch appear to have abandoned the temporary stations consisting of tents of sail and crude furnaces, replacing them with two semi-permanent stations with wooden storehouses and dwellings and large brick furnaces, one in

2624-465: A four month long summer. This includes Brønnøysund , Sandnessjøen and some islands north to Skrova . Just inland of this is a narrow area with coldest winter month mean temperature just below 0 °C (32 °F) but still a four month long summer, this area has a humid continental climate (Dfb), and includes the county seat Bodø . On the outer islands from Myken in Rødøy Municipality in

2788-452: A full cargo of whale oil ; the rest left early in August, several filled with oil. That year 200 men were seasonally living and working on the island at six temporary whaling stations (spread along the northwest coast). During the first decade of whaling, more than ten ships visited Jan Mayen each year, while in the second period (1624 and later) five to ten ships were sent. With the exception of

2952-663: A hub for many smaller airports in Nordland. Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes in the north also has non-stop flights to Oslo . The European route E6 runs along the entire length of Nordland. There are many tunnels and bridges; some of the largest are Helgeland Bridge , Gimsøystraumen Bridge , Raftsund Bridge , Skjomen Bridge , Rombak Bridge , Hadsel Bridge , Sortland Bridge , Andøy Bridge , Saltstraumen Bridge , Kjellingstraumen Bridge and Brønnøysund Bridge . Even with improved communications, population numbers in Nordland have actually decreased slightly since 1990, as many young people move to larger cities in Norway. Bodø Municipality

3116-743: A long history of mining. Sulitjelma has the largest copper deposits in the county, as well as pyrite , the latter is also found in several other locations, but the mining here has been discontinued for economic reasons. In earlier days, silver was mined in the Dunderland Valley in Rana, and until 2002 nickel and olivine was mined in Ballangen . There are several limestone, marble, and dolomite rock quarries, dolomite in Vefsn, Fauske, Sørfold, and Ballangen. As of 2008, mining of gold in [[Bindal Municipality[]]

3280-601: A meager 42 were caught by the same number in 1635. The bowhead whale was locally hunted to near-extinction around 1640 (approximately 1000 had been killed and processed on the island), at which time Jan Mayen was abandoned and stayed uninhabited for two and a half centuries. During the International Polar Year 1882–1883 the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition stayed one year at Jan Mayen. The expedition performed extensive mapping of

3444-751: A nurse, are among the military personnel. The military personnel operated a Loran-C base until it closed at the end of 2015. Both the LORAN transmitter and the meteorological station are located a few kilometres away from the settlement Olonkinbyen (Olonkin Town), where all personnel live. Transport to the island is provided by C-130 Hercules military transport planes operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force which land at Jan Mayensfield 's gravel runway. The planes fly in from Bodø Main Air Station eight times

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3608-425: A round shape and is dominated by the 2,277 m (7,470 ft) high Beerenberg volcano with its large ice cap (114.2 km or 44 sq mi), which can be divided into twenty individual outlet glaciers. The largest of those is Sørbreen , with an area of 15 km (5.8 sq mi) and a length of 8.7 km (5.41 mi). South-Jan is narrow, comparatively flat and unglaciated. Its highest elevation

3772-518: A ship each from London and Hull. Heertje Jansz, master of the Hope , of Enkhuizen, wrote a day-by-day account of the season. The ships took two weeks to reach Jan Mayen, arriving early in June. On 15 June they met the two English ships, which Schrobop allowed to remain, on condition they gave half their catch to the Dutch. The ships from Dunkirk were given the same conditions. By late July the first ship had left with

3936-613: A small group had left Norway following their king to Britain. This group included 13 ships, five aircraft, and 500 men from the Royal Norwegian Navy. By the end of the war, the force had grown to 58 ships and 7,500 men in service in the Royal Norwegian Navy, 5 squadrons of aircraft in the newly formed Norwegian Air Force, and land forces including the Norwegian Independent Company 1 and 5 Troop as well as No. 10 Commandos . During German occupation , Norwegians built

4100-537: A speed roughly equal to that of modern yachts. Though quite feasible, there is nevertheless no direct physical trace of medieval landings or settlement on Jan Mayen. The land named Svalbarð ("cold coast") by the Vikings in the early medieval book Landnámabók may have been Jan Mayen (instead of Spitsbergen , renamed Svalbard by the Norwegians in modern times); the distance from Iceland to Svalbarð mentioned in this book

4264-625: A stick, is the oldest known reference of skis being used. The location is somewhat surprising, as this island has unreliable snow cover, and the Scandinavian climate was warmer in the Stone Age. This rock drawing was used as a pictogram in the Lillehammer Olympic Games in 1994. The first agricultural culture has been dated to the Bronze Age . This culture left large burial cairns close to

4428-700: A stronghold along the Helgeland coast, whilst predatory birds like golden eagle , gyrfalcon , and peregrine falcon nest in some inaccessible areas. Orcas are common along the coast and in the Vestfjord area (even in the fjords) in winter, and the world's largest predator, the sperm whale , hunts for prey in the deep waters west of Andøya . Tysfjord and Folda fjord is home to the world's northernmost lobster population. Spruce forest expansion has been blocked by Saltfjell and Kjølen mountains, thus spruce forest naturally grows only in Helgeland, but are commonly planted in

4592-667: A union between the two countries. In 1397, under Margaret I , the Kalmar Union was created between the three Scandinavian countries. She waged war against the Germans, resulting in a trade blockade and higher taxation on Norwegian goods, which led to a rebellion . However, the Norwegian Council of State was too weak to pull out of the union. Margaret pursued a centralising policy which inevitably favoured Denmark because of its greater population. Margaret also granted trade privileges to

4756-618: A united Norway. Harald's realm was mainly a South Norwegian coastal state. Fairhair ruled with a strong hand and according to the sagas, many Norwegians left the country to live in Iceland, the Faroe Islands , Greenland , and parts of Britain and Ireland. Haakon I the Good was Norway's first Christian king, in the mid-10th century, though his attempt to introduce the religion was rejected. Norse traditions were replaced slowly by Christian ones in

4920-442: A well-known colony of puffins. Otters are very common along the coast and fjords, as are harbour porpoises , grey seals and harbour seals . The largest fish in the sea is the basking shark , which used to be hunted. The most frequent birds along the coast, common in all areas including the fjords, are gulls , Eurasian oystercatcher and Arctic terns , and the grey heron has also become common. The Eurasian eagle-owl has

5084-471: A year. Since the airport does not have any instrument landing capabilities, good visibility is required, and it is not uncommon for the planes to have to return to Bodø Airport , two hours away, without landing. For heavy goods, freight ships visit during the summer, but since there are no harbours, the ships must anchor. Tourists arrive with cruise ships which are allowed to bring passengers onshore if weather permits. The island has no indigenous population but

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5248-657: Is Oslo . Norway has a total area of 385,207 square kilometres (148,729 sq mi). The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden , and is bordered by Finland and Russia to the northeast. Norway has an extensive coastline facing the Skagerrak strait, the North Atlantic Ocean, and the Barents Sea . The unified kingdom of Norway was established in 872 as a merger of petty kingdoms and has existed continuously for 1,151–1,152 years. From 1537 to 1814, Norway

5412-865: Is Rudolftoppen at 769 m (2,523 ft). The station and living quarters are located on South-Jan. The island lies at the northern end of the Jan Mayen Microcontinent . The microcontinent was originally part of the Greenland Plate , but now forms part of the Eurasian Plate . The island was identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it is a breeding site for large numbers of seabirds , supporting populations of northern fulmars (78,000–160,000 pairs), little auks (10,000–100,000 pairs), thick-billed guillemot (74,000–147,000 pairs) and black guillemots (100–1,000 pairs). Jan Mayen has an oceanic polar climate with

5576-662: Is an integral part of the Kingdom of Norway . Since 1995, Jan Mayen has been administered by the County Governor ( statsforvalter ) of the northern Norwegian county of Nordland , to which it is closest. However, some authority over Jan Mayen has been assigned to the station commander of the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation, a branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces . The only inhabitants on

5740-405: Is also popular along the coast and in the salmon and trout rivers; there is also Arctic char in some rivers. Saltstraumen has the world record for coalfish using a fishing rod , and Røst has the world record for halibut, 202 kilograms (445 lb) ( [1] ). Farming is another regional economy and consists mainly of dairy farming and livestock such as sheep , and domesticated reindeer graze

5904-548: Is assigned the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code SJ (together with Svalbard ). It uses the Internet country code top-level domain ( ccTLD ) .no ( .sj is allocated but not used) and data code JN. Jan Mayen has telephone and internet connection over satellite, using Norwegian telephone numbers (country code 47). Its amateur radio call sign prefix is JX. It has a postal code, NO-8099 JAN MAYEN, but delivery time varies, especially during

6068-498: Is estimated that the amount of copper could amount to 21.7 million tonnes, but other estimates are around 7 million tonnes. License for deep sea mining is now under consideration. A dispute between Norway and Denmark regarding the fishing exclusion zone between Jan Mayen and Greenland was settled in 1988 granting Denmark the greater area of sovereignty. Geologists suspect significant deposits of petroleum and natural gas lie below Jan Mayen's surrounding seafloors . Jan Mayen Island

6232-467: Is in Nordland, as is the third-largest island, Langøya . In the fjords, the coastal brim is much less developed: There might be a more gradual slope, with hills, towards the mountains, or no lowland at all. There are often valleys at the head of fjords (the fjord is an extension of the valley), usually with a river at the centre of the valley. Mo i Rana , Mosjøen , and Rognan are situated in such valleys. Norway's second-largest glacier , Svartisen ,

6396-578: Is in testing stages ( [2] ). The port of Narvik has a direct rail connection to the well-known and profitable Kiruna - Gällivare iron -ore fields in Sweden . There are many dams for hydroelectric power. Nordland has an increasingly diverse economy, with fledgling research and development in aerospace and space exploration at the Andøya Rocket Range , which primarily is known for its satellite launches. This vast province, Norway's second largest, almost

6560-454: Is little archaeological evidence dating to the early Iron Age (the last 500 years BC). The dead were cremated, and their graves contained few goods. During the first four centuries AD, the people of Norway were in contact with Roman-occupied Gaul ; about 70 Roman bronze cauldrons, often used as burial urns, have been found. Contact with countries farther south brought a knowledge of runes ; the oldest known Norwegian runic inscription dates from

6724-687: Is on Andøya , also known for its fossils of dinosaurs and other life forms. As the land was depressed by the ice sheet in the ice age, substantial areas in the lowest altitudes was beneath the surface of the sea for thousands of years acquiring marine deposits. Due to post-glacial rebound , this is now dry land, reaching 120 metres (390 ft) above sea level today in Saltdal, 100 metres (330 ft) in Narvik and Brønnøysund , and 30 metres (98 ft) to 50 metres (160 ft) in Lofoten and Vesterålen. Limestone

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6888-464: Is one of very few endemic trees in Norway and only grows in Bindal Municipality in Nordland. In the mountain areas in the interior, reindeer can be seen (these have Sami owners), hunted by the indigenous wolverine. There are also a few brown bears in the interior. The Arctic fox is now in danger of extinction on the mainland, but a few are left in these mountain areas, particularly in

7052-480: Is roughly 800 kilometres (500 mi). Nordland has a rugged coastline, with many fjords . From south to north, the main fjords are Bindalsfjord, Vefsnfjorden , Ranfjorden , Saltfjorden - Skjerstadfjorden , Folda , Tysfjorden , Ofotfjorden (the longest) and Andfjorden , which is shared with Troms county. The best-known is perhaps the Vestfjorden , which is not really a fjord, but an open stretch of sea between

7216-645: Is seen in winter, as the interior inland away from the fjords, as well as mountains, have much colder winters than the coast. Large fjords bring with them significant oceanic moderation in winter temperatures to the surrounding land area, as seen in Fauske Municipality and Narvik Municipality . Temperatures will generally drop 0.7 °C (1.3 °F) as elevation increases by 100 metres (330 ft). Snow cover can persist all year at altitudes above 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). Annual snow accumulation can exceed 5 metres (16 ft) in

7380-443: Is situated in Saltdal. The key industries are fisheries and offshore petroleum exploration. Nordland is well known for the fishing of codfish and fish farming of salmon . Main export markets are Germany , Scandinavia , Britain , Netherlands , Italy , Spain , France , Russia and Japan . Tourism is important, mainly in the summer season, although there are some winter visitors looking for good skiing or wanting to see

7544-480: Is the only municipality in the county with significant growth in population. There are local hospitals in Mosjøen , Sandnessjøen , Mo i Rana , Bodø (the largest), Gravdal , Narvik and Stokmarknes . There is evidence of human settlement in Nordland as far back as 10,500 years ago, about as early as in southern Norway. These Stone Age people lived near the coast, often on islands and typically along straits near

7708-450: Is two days' sailing (with favorable winds), consistent with the approximate 550 km (340 mi) to Jan Mayen and not with the minimum 1,550 km (960 mi) to Spitsbergen. However much Jan Mayen may have been known in Europe at that time, it was subsequently forgotten for some centuries. In the 17th century, many claims of the island's rediscovery were made, spurred by the rivalry on

7872-792: Is very common in Nordland, with many caves throughout the county, such as Grønligrotta in Rana. There are more caves in Rana Municipality than any other area in northern Europe. In August 2006 the Tjoarvekrajgge cave in Sørfold Municipality was explored and verified as the longest cave in Scandinavia 22 kilometres (14 mi) long); Raggejavreraige in Tysfjord is the deepest in Scandinavia and Svarthamarhola in Fauske Municipality has

8036-538: The Arctic Ocean . In 1959 NATO started building the LORAN-C network in sites on the Atlantic Ocean; one of the transmitters was to be on Jan Mayen. By 1961 the new military installations, including a new airfield, were operational. For some time scientists doubted that the Beerenberg volcano would become active, but in 1970 it erupted for about three weeks, adding another 3 km (1.2 sq mi) of land mass to

8200-515: The Faroe Islands and Iceland before the arrival of the Vikings , and medieval Gaelic chronicles such as the famous Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot testify to the extensive interest in exploration at the time. A modern-day trans-Atlantic journey proved the ability of the early navigators to reach all lands of the north Atlantic even further from Ireland than Jan Mayen – and, given favourable winds, at

8364-571: The German invasion of France . King Haakon and the Norwegian government escaped to Rotherhithe in London. Throughout the war they sent radio speeches and supported clandestine military actions against the Germans. On the day of the invasion, the leader of the small National-Socialist party Nasjonal Samling , Vidkun Quisling , tried to seize power, but was forced by the German occupiers to step aside. Real power

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8528-779: The Kingdom of Norway , is a Nordic country in Northern Europe , situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula with a population of 5.5 million as of 2024. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of Norway. Bouvet Island , located in the Subantarctic , is a dependency , and not a part of the Kingdom; Norway also claims the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land . The capital and largest city in Norway

8692-479: The Labour Party held an absolute majority in the parliament. The government, led by prime minister Einar Gerhardsen , embarked on a programme inspired by Keynesian economics , emphasising state financed industrialisation and co-operation between trade unions and employers' organisations . Many measures of state control of the economy imposed during the war were continued, although the rationing of dairy products

8856-481: The Lofoten island group and the mainland. The Raftsundet strait , with its famous branch Trollfjorden , is the shortest waterway connecting Lofoten and Vesterålen. The continental shelf is very narrow west of Andenes, nowhere else in Norway is the deep ocean only a few kilometres from shore. Saltstraumen whirlpool is just south-east of Bodø , and Moskenstraumen is located in southern Lofoten. Steep mountains near

9020-479: The Nordic welfare model with universal health care and a comprehensive social security system, and its values are rooted in egalitarian ideals. The Norwegian state has large ownership positions in key industrial sectors, having extensive reserves of petroleum, natural gas, minerals, lumber, seafood, and fresh water. The petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). On

9184-576: The Old English word Norþweg mentioned in 880, meaning "northern way" or "way leading to the north", which is how the Anglo-Saxons referred to the coastline of Atlantic Norway. The Anglo-Saxons of Britain also referred to the kingdom of Norway in 880 as Norðmanna land . There is some disagreement about whether the native name of Norway originally had the same etymology as the English form. According to

9348-428: The Scandinavian peninsula in Northern Norway . Due to the large distance to the densely populated parts of Europe, this is one of the least polluted areas in Europe. Nordland extends about 500 kilometres (310 mi) from Trøndelag to Troms county. The distance by road from Bindal Municipality in the far south of the county to Andenes on the northern tip of Andøy Municipality in the northern edge of Nordland

9512-414: The Syttende mai (Seventeenth of May) holiday. Norwegian opposition to the decision to link Norway with Sweden caused the Norwegian–Swedish War to break out as Sweden tried to subdue Norway by military means. As Sweden's military was not strong enough to defeat the Norwegian forces outright, and Norway's treasury was not large enough to support a protracted war, and as British and Russian navies blockaded

9676-507: The Sámi Parliament and the Finnmark Act . Norway maintains close ties with the European Union and the United States . Norway is a founding member of the United Nations , NATO , the European Free Trade Association , the Council of Europe , the Antarctic Treaty , and the Nordic Council ; a member of the European Economic Area , the WTO , and the OECD ; and a part of the Schengen Area . The Norwegian dialects share mutual intelligibility with Danish and Swedish . Norway maintains

9840-465: The cod fisheries in Lofoten have lasted for more than 1,000 years. In addition to cod, coalfish , haddock , herring , wolf fish and halibut are all common along the coast and in the fjords. Nordland also features many lakes. The largest deep water coral reef ( Lophelia pertusa ) in the world, the Røst Reef , 40 kilometres (25 mi) long, is located west of Røst Municipality , and protected from trawling since 2003. The coast of Nordland has

10004-417: The introduction of Protestantism in 1536, the archbishopric in Trondheim was dissolved; Norway lost its independence and effectually became a colony of Denmark. The Church's incomes and possessions were instead redirected to the court in Copenhagen. Norway lost the steady stream of pilgrims to the relics of St. Olav at the Nidaros shrine, and with them, much of the contact with cultural and economic life in

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10168-410: The union with Sweden . Under this arrangement, Norway kept its liberal constitution and its own independent institutions, though it shared a monarch and foreign policy with Sweden. Following the recession caused by the Napoleonic Wars , economic development of Norway remained slow until 1830. This period also saw the rise of Norwegian romantic nationalism , as Norwegians sought to define and express

10332-404: The Amsterdam-financed Gouden Cath . Blaeu made the first detailed map of the island in his famous "Zeespiegel" atlas of 1623, establishing its current name. From 1615 to 1638, Jan Mayen was used as a whaling base by the Dutch Noordsche Compagnie , which had been given a monopoly on whaling in the Arctic regions by the States General in 1614. Only two ships, one from the Noordsche Compagnie , and

10496-517: The Arctic whaling grounds, and the island received many names. According to Thomas Edge , an early 17th-century whaling captain who was often inaccurate, "William [ sic ] Hudson" discovered the island in 1608 and named it "Hudson's Touches" (or "Tutches"). However, the well-known explorer Henry Hudson could only have come by on his voyage in 1607 (if he had made an illogical detour) and he made no mention of it in his journal. According to William Scoresby (1820: p. 154), referring to

10660-436: The Beerenberg). A regulation dating from 2010 renders the island a nature reserve under Norwegian jurisdiction. The aim of this regulation is to ensure the preservation of a pristine Arctic island and the marine life nearby, including the ocean floor. Landings at Jan Mayen can be done by boat. However, this is permitted only at a small part of the island, named Båtvika (Boat Bay). As there is no commercial airline operating at

10824-414: The British government and anti-German sentiments as a result of German submarines targeting Norwegian merchantmen led to a termination of trade with Germany. 436 Norwegian merchantmen were sunk by the Kaiserliche Marine , with 1,150 Norwegian sailors killed. Norway once more proclaimed its neutrality during the Second World War , but was invaded by German forces on 9 April 1940. Although Norway

10988-464: The Danish kingdom was on the losing side in 1814, it was forced by the Treaty of Kiel to cede Norway to Sweden, while the old Norwegian provinces of Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands remained with the Danish crown. Norway took this opportunity to declare independence, adopted a constitution based on American and French models, and elected the Crown Prince of Denmark and Norway, Christian Frederick , as king on 17 May 1814 – celebrated as

11152-525: The Danish-employed Basque whalers from Spitsbergen. In revenge, the latter sailed to Jan Mayen, where the Dutch had left for the winter, to plunder the Dutch equipment and burn down the settlements and factories. Captain Outger Jacobsz of Grootebroek was asked to stay the next winter (1633/34) on Jan Mayen with six shipmates to defend the island. While a group with the same task survived the winter on Spitsbergen, all seven on Jan Mayen died of scurvy or trichinosis (from eating raw polar bear meat) combined with

11316-403: The Hanseatic merchants of Lübeck in Bergen in return for recognition of her rule, and these hurt the Norwegian economy. The Hanseatic merchants formed a state within a state in Bergen for generations. The " Victual Brothers " launched three devastating pirate raids on the port (the last in 1427). Norway slipped ever more to the background under the Oldenburg dynasty (established 1448). There

11480-423: The Italians were taken south to Bergen. The largest ship disaster ever in Norway took place in 1944 when Rigel transporting German prisoners was bombed by British Fleet Air Arm aircraft near Sandnessjøen ( Alstahaug Municipality ), with more than 2,500 casualties. The ship was grounded on Rosøya, where it remained, half sunk until it was demolished in 1970. Petter Dass lived in Alstahaug Municipality , and

11644-421: The Nobel laureate author Knut Hamsun grew up in Hamarøy Municipality after his family moved there when he was 3 years old. Nordland County is identical to the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland . A county (fylke) is the chief local administrative area in Norway . The whole country is divided into 15 counties (from 2024). A county is also an election area, with popular votes taking place every 4 years. In Nordland,

11808-569: The Northern Lights, especially from February to April. Tourists are attracted by the scenic coast, especially Lofoten, which is also visited by many cruise ships in the summer, while the rest of the county often is ignored by tourists. Mountain hiking is popular among natives and some tourists. Whale watching attracts tourists to Andøy Municipality and the Hamarøy Municipality / Lødingen Municipality / Vågan Municipality area. Fishing

11972-573: The Norwegian coast, the belligerents were forced to negotiate the Convention of Moss . Christian Frederik abdicated the Norwegian throne and authorised the Parliament of Norway to make the necessary constitutional amendments to allow for the personal union that Norway was forced to accept. On 4 November 1814, the Parliament (Storting) elected Charles XIII of Sweden as king of Norway, thereby establishing

12136-651: The Norwegian shipping company Nortraship under the Allies throughout the war and took part in every war operation from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the Normandy landings . Every December Norway gives a Christmas tree to the United Kingdom as thanks for the British assistance during the war. Svalbard was not occupied by German troops, but Germany secretly established a meteorological station there in 1944. From 1945 to 1962,

12300-433: The United Kingdom instead of Norway. The British codenamed Jan Mayen 'Island X' and attempted to reinforce it with troops to counteract any German attack. On 8 November 1940 the Norwegian patrol boat HNoMS  Fridtjof Nansen ran aground on Nansenflua , one of the islands' many uncharted lava reefs, and the 68-man crew abandoned ship and joined the Norwegian team on shore. The British expedition commander, prompted by

12464-540: The above-mentioned South Bay and the other in the North Bay . In 1628 two forts were built to protect the stations. Among the sailors active at Jan Mayen was the later admiral Michiel Adriaensz de Ruyter . In 1633, at the age of 26, he was for the first time listed as an officer aboard de Groene Leeuw (The Green Lion). He again went to Jan Mayen in 1635, aboard the same ship. In 1632 the Noordsche Compagnie expelled

12628-404: The annual temperature above freezing. Jan Mayen is featured as an easter egg in several grand strategy video games published by Paradox Interactive , such as Europa Universalis IV . In Europa Universalis IV , typing "bearhaslanded" into the command console will spawn Jan Mayen as a country in a random location. Players can also specify where Jan Mayen will spawn by including a province ID in

12792-452: The area, their maps being of such quality that they were used until the 1950s. The Austrian polar station on Jan Mayen Island was built and equipped in 1882 fully at Count Wilczek's own expense. Polar bears appear on Jan Mayen, although in diminished numbers compared with earlier times. Between 1900 and 1920, there were a number of Norwegian trappers spending winters on Jan Mayen, hunting Arctic foxes in addition to some polar bears. But

12956-536: The coast of Nordland, while April–June on average is the driest. The strongest winds occur in late autumn and winter, as the Atlantic low-pressure systems are strongest then. High-pressure weather can occur in all seasons, and in summer this brings 24-hour sunshine north of the Arctic Circle. Lurøy Municipality 115 metres (377 ft), west of Saltfjell, averages 3,066 millimetres (120.7 in) precipitation annually;

13120-586: The coast, where the huge ice shelf of the last ice age first melted between 11,000 and 8000 BC. The oldest finds are stone tools dating from 9500 to 6000 BC, discovered in Finnmark ( Komsa culture ) in the north and Rogaland ( Fosna culture ) in the southwest. Theories about the two cultures being separate were deemed obsolete in the 1970s. Between 3000 and 2500 BC, new settlers ( Corded Ware culture ) arrived in eastern Norway . They were Indo-European farmers who grew grain and kept livestock, and gradually replaced

13284-641: The command. In Hearts of Iron IV , also published by Paradox Interactive, players can play as Jan Mayen during the Second World War. In Victoria 2 , set in the nineteenth century, certain decisions will see polar bears take charge of Jan Mayen's military. In the video game Uboat , the player can be assigned a mission where he has to set-up a weather station in an uninhabited part of the island. Norway in Europe  (green and dark grey) Norway ( Bokmål : Norge , Nynorsk : Noreg ), officially

13448-480: The control of Queen Margaret when the country entered into the Kalmar Union . After Sweden broke out of the Kalmar Union in 1521, Norway tried to follow suit, but the subsequent rebellion was defeated, and Norway remained in a union with Denmark until 1814. This period was by some referred to as the "400-Year Night", since all of the kingdom's intellectual and administrative power was centred in Copenhagen . With

13612-590: The crew struggled ashore and were taken prisoner by a landing party from the destroyer. The Allies returned to the island on 10 March 1941, when the Norwegian ship Veslekari , escorted by the patrol boat Honningsvaag , dropped 12 Norwegian weathermen on the island. The team's radio transmissions soon betrayed its presence to the Axis , and German planes from Norway began to bomb and strafe Jan Mayen whenever weather permitted, but did little damage. Soon supplies and reinforcements arrived, and even some anti-aircraft guns, giving

13776-476: The death of Haakon in 1379, his 10-year-old son Olaf IV acceded to the throne. As Olaf had already been elected to the throne of Denmark in 1376, Denmark and Norway entered a personal union . Olaf's mother and Haakon's widow, Queen Margaret, managed the foreign affairs of Denmark and Norway during Olaf's minority. Margaret was on the verge of achieving a union of Sweden with Denmark and Norway when Olaf IV suddenly died. Denmark made Margaret temporary ruler on

13940-434: The death of Olaf. On 2 February 1388, Norway followed suit and crowned Margaret. Queen Margaret knew that her power would be more secure if she were able to find a king to rule in her place. She settled on Eric of Pomerania , grandson of her sister. Thus at an all-Scandinavian meeting held at Kalmar, Erik of Pomerania was crowned king of all three Scandinavian countries, bringing the thrones of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden under

14104-486: The economy, because of the loans the Hansa had made to the royals and the large debt the kings were carrying. The League's monopolistic control over the economy of Norway put pressure on all classes, especially the peasantry, to the degree that no real burgher class existed in Norway. From the 1040s to 1130, the country was at peace. In 1130, the civil war era broke out on the basis of unclear succession laws , which allowed

14268-611: The end of the century. Throughout the High Middle Ages , the king established Norway as a sovereign state with a central administration and local representatives. In 1349, the Black Death spread to Norway and within a year killed a third of the population. Later plagues reduced the population to half the starting point by 1400. Many communities were entirely wiped out, resulting in an abundance of land, allowing farmers to switch to more animal husbandry . The reduction in taxes weakened

14432-479: The expense of Sweden and Russia. The famine of 1695–1696 killed roughly 10% of Norway's population. The harvest failed in Scandinavia at least nine times between 1740 and 1800, with great loss of life. After Denmark–Norway was attacked by the United Kingdom at the 1807 Battle of Copenhagen , it entered into an alliance with Napoleon , with the war leading to dire conditions and mass starvation in 1812. As

14596-449: The exploitation soon made the profits decline, and the hunting ended. Polar bears in this region of the Arctic are genetically distinguishable from those living elsewhere. The League of Nations gave Norway jurisdiction over the island, and in 1921 Norway opened the first meteorological station. The Norwegian Meteorological Institute annexed the middle part of the island for Norway in 1922 and

14760-583: The government of the county is the Nordland County Municipality . It includes 45 members who are elected to form a county council (Fylkesting) . Heading the Fylkesting is the county mayor (fylkesordførar) . Since October 2023, the Nordland County Municipality has been led by Eivind Holst, the county mayor. The County Municipality elects a County Cabinet, which is the executive body of Nordland County Council. Since October 2023 Svein Øien Eggesvik

14924-525: The harsh conditions. During the first phase of whaling the hauls were generally good, some exceptional. For example, Mathijs Jansz. Hoepstock caught 44 whales in Hoepstockbukta in 1619, which produced 2,300 casks of whale oil. During the second phase the hauls were much lower. While 1631 turned out to be a very good season, the following year, due to the weather and ice, only eight whales were caught. In 1633 eleven ships managed to catch just 47 whales; while

15088-529: The highest density of white-tailed eagles in Europe . Just off the coast, the islands of Røst Municipality have the largest colonies of seabirds in Norway. Røst offers a range of habitats and serves as a stop-over point for many birds that are migrating even further north. The municipality is home to one of the largest bird cliffs in the North Atlantic , where birdwatchers can find puffin , shag , kittiwake , and cormorant colonies. Lovund also has

15252-561: The highlands and mountains belong to the Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands ecoregion. Other common trees in Nordland are birch , rowan , willow , grey alder , bird cherry , aspen and Scots pine , more rarely seen is wych elm and common hazel (elm north to Beiarn Municipality , hazel north to Steigen Municipality , small-leaved lime north to Brønnøy Municipality, forest apple north to Moskenes Municipality ). The Nordland whitebeam ( Nordlandsasal )

15416-542: The hunting-fishing population of the west coast. From about 1500 BC, bronze was gradually introduced. Burial cairns built close to the sea as far north as Harstad and also inland in the south are characteristic of this period, with rock carving motifs that differ from those of the Stone Age , depicting ships resembling the Hjortspring boat , while large stone burial monuments known as stone ships were also erected. There

15580-399: The inland highlands. There is also some forestry, particularly in the Helgeland district, but also further north. In earlier days, grain was grown in Nordland (mostly barley , some oats ). Nordlandshest is the smallest of the three Norwegian horse breeds. The Norwegian Lundehund was bred to hunt puffins and was only saved from extinction due to a few remaining dogs in Lofoten. There is

15744-461: The island Sanna in Træna Municipality ; the oldest house was oval, 6 metres (20 ft) by 4.5 metres (15 ft), and is dated to 4000 BC. A 65 metres (213 ft) long stone paved " trail " from the house down to a small harbour, today 23 metres (75 ft) above sea level, is still visible. The 4,600-year-old rock drawings at Rødøy Municipality , which depict a man on skis holding

15908-444: The island a garrison of a few dozen weathermen and soldiers. By 1941, Germany had given up hope of evicting the Allies from the island and the constant air raids stopped. On 7 August 1942, a German Focke-Wulf Fw 200 "Condor", probably on a mission to bomb the station, crashed into the nearby mountainside of Danielssenkrateret in fog, killing its crew of nine, and at an unknown date another German plane with four crew members crashed on

16072-596: The island are personnel working for the Norwegian Armed Forces and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute . Eighteen people spend the winter on the island, but the population may roughly double (35) during the summer, when heavy maintenance is performed. Personnel serve either six months or one year and are exchanged twice a year in April and October. The support crew, including mechanics, cooks, and

16236-582: The island on 28 June and named it "Isabella". In January the Noordsche Compagnie (Northern Company), modelled on the Dutch East India Company , had been established to support Dutch whaling in the Arctic. Two of its ships, financed by merchants from Amsterdam and Enkhuizen , reached Jan Mayen in July 1614. The captains of these ships— Jan Jacobszoon May van Schellinkhout (after whom the island

16400-527: The island only in 1616 (see below). As with the previous claim made by Edge, there is no cartographical or written proof for this supposed discovery. The first verified discoveries of Jan Mayen, by three separate expeditions, occurred in the summer of 1614, probably within one month of each other. The Dutchman Fopp Gerritsz, whilst in command of a whaling expedition sent out by the Englishman John Clarke, of Dunkirk , claimed (in 1631) to have discovered

16564-587: The island since 1980 encompassing more than a quarter of a million square kilometers. The Norwegian Coast Guard is responsible for conducting fishery and other maritime surveillance and enforcement in these waters. Norway has found large deposits of minerals along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Jan Mayen and southern Svalbard/ Bear Island , including copper , zinc , cobalt , gold and silver . The expeditions have also discovered high concentrations of lithium and rare earth metal scandium . In total, it

16728-542: The island when they arrived. They had assumed the latter, who named the island Maurits Eylandt (or Mauritius) after Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange , would report their discovery to the States General . However, the Delft merchants had decided to keep the discovery secret and returned in 1615 to hunt for their own profit. The ensuing dispute was only settled in 1617, though both companies were allowed to whale at Jan Mayen in

16892-471: The island, Sørlaguna (South Lagoon) and Nordlaguna (North Lagoon). A third lake is called Ullerenglaguna (Ullereng Lagoon). Jan Mayen was formed by the Jan Mayen hotspot and is defined by geologists as a microcontinent. Although administered separately, in the ISO 3166-1 standard, Jan Mayen and Svalbard are collectively designated as Svalbard and Jan Mayen , with the two-letter country code "SJ". It

17056-446: The island, one cannot get there by plane except by chartering one . Permission for landings by a charter plane has to be obtained in advance. Permission to stay on the island has to be obtained in advance, and is generally limited to a few days (or even hours). Putting up a tent or setting up camp is prohibited. There is a separate regulation for the stay of foreigners. Jan Mayen consists of two geographically distinct parts. Nord-Jan has

17220-471: The island, with ranges from around 6 °C (43 °F) in August to −4 °C (25 °F) in March, but also makes the island extremely cloudy with little sunshine even during the continuous polar day. The deep snow cover prevents any permafrost from developing. As a result of warming, the 1991-2020 temperature normal shows a mean annual temperature 1.9 °C (3.4 °F) warmer than during 1961-1990, pushing

17384-399: The island. It also erupted in 1973 and 1985. During an eruption, the sea temperature around the island may increase from just above freezing to about 30 °C (86 °F). Historic stations and huts on the island are Hoyberg, Vera, Olsbu, Puppebu (cabin), Gamlemetten or Gamlestasjonen (the old weather station), Jan Mayen Radio, Helenehytta, Margarethhytta, and Ulla (a cabin at the foot of

17548-416: The island. Jan Mayen has one unpaved airstrip , Jan Mayensfield , which is about 1,585 m (5,200 ft) long. The 124.1 km (77.1 mi) coast has no ports or harbors , only offshore anchorages. There are important fishing resources, and the existence of Jan Mayen establishes a large exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around it. Norway has asserted a 200-nautical-mile (370-kilometre) EEZ around

17712-416: The islands off the coast and some of the easternmost areas along the border with Sweden are made up of hard bedrock (usually granite ). In some areas, as in Hamarøy Municipality and Sørfold Municipality , the bedrock is a mix of soft bedrock and hard granite. Much of the Lofoten mountains are of precambrian eruptive origin and 3.5 billion years old, among the oldest on earth. The youngest rock in Norway

17876-530: The king's position, and many aristocrats lost the basis for their surplus. High tithes to church made it increasingly powerful and the archbishop became a member of the Council of State . The Hanseatic League took control over Norwegian trade during the 14th century and established a trading centre in Bergen . In 1380, Olaf Haakonsson inherited both the Norwegian (as Olaf IV) and Danish thrones (as Olaf II), creating

18040-419: The king's sons to rule jointly. The Archdiocese of Nidaros was created in 1152 and attempted to control the appointment of kings. The church inevitably had to take sides in the conflicts. The wars ended in 1217 with the appointment of Håkon IV Håkonsson , who introduced clear laws of succession. From 1000 to 1300, the population increased from 150,000 to 400,000, resulting both in more land being cleared and

18204-437: The kings of Sweden and of Denmark were elected to the throne by their respective nobles. Thus Sweden and Norway were united under King Magnus VII. In 1349, the Black Death killed between 50% and 60% of Norway's population and led to a period of social and economic decline. Although the death rate was comparable with the rest of Europe, economic recovery took much longer because of the small, scattered population. Even before

18368-499: The largest cavity. There are more than 900 caves in Nordland, one of these have a 70 metres (230 ft) high waterfall. Marble is found in several locations. Fauske is sometimes referred to as the marble capital , and has exported marble worldwide (one customer being the UN building in New York City ). The largest area of Nordland, including fjord areas, inland areas and highlands below

18532-507: The late 10th and early 11th centuries. This is largely attributed to the missionary kings Olaf I Tryggvasson and Olaf II Haraldsson (St. Olaf). Olaf Tryggvasson conducted raids in England, including attacking London. Arriving back in Norway in 995, Olaf landed in Moster where he built a church which became the first Christian church in Norway. From Moster, Olaf sailed north to Trondheim where he

18696-416: The loss of the gunboat, decided to abandon Jan Mayen until the following spring and radioed for a rescue ship. Within a few days a ship arrived and evacuated the four Norwegians and their would-be reinforcements, after demolishing the weather station to prevent it from falling into German hands. The Germans attempted to land a weather team on the island on 16 November 1940; the German naval trawler carrying

18860-628: The meantime. In 1615, the English whaler Robert Fotherby went ashore. Apparently thinking he had made a new discovery, he named the island "Sir Thomas Smith's Island" and the volcano "Mount Hakluyt". On a map of c. 1634, Jean Vrolicq renamed the island Île de Richelieu . Jan Mayen first appeared on Willem Jansz Blaeu 's 1620 edition map of Europe, originally published by Cornelis Doedz in 1606. Blaeu, who lived in Amsterdam, named it "Jan Mayen" after captain Jan Jacobszoon May van Schellinkhout of

19024-853: The men, Pietro Querini , gives one of the very few descriptions of life in Nordland in this time period ( Querini - Norw txt ). Querini sees the people of Røst (in all 120 people) as very trusting and good Catholics , the inner circle of paradise . He also mentions a German priest, which they could talk to in Latin . People lived from fishing cod and halibut, which they traded for other goods (like grain) in Bergen —the cod as stockfish . Each family also had about 5 cows and collected eggs from semi-domesticated ducks . The shipwrecked men did not lack food during their winter stay, usually fish, but Querini also mentions milk, meat, butter, and pancakes. The people of Røst lived in round, wooden houses, and mostly used clothes made of wool . By late May, sailing in 24-hour daylight,

19188-419: The mistaken belief that the Dutch had discovered the island in 1611, Hull whalers discovered the island "about the same time" and named it "Trinity Island". Muller (1874: pp. 190–191) took this to mean they had come upon Jan Mayen in 1611 or 1612, which was repeated by many subsequent authors. There were, in fact, no Hull whalers in either of these years, the first Hull whaling expedition having been sent to

19352-412: The mountains of Børgefjell National Park . Red foxes , moose , hares , red squirrels , small rodents , pine marten (inland valleys) and stoats are all common in the forests. As of 2008, there were a minimum of 50 European lynx in Nordland residing in the forests in all Nordland except Lofoten and Vesterålen. In lowland areas, roe deers now occur in most of Nordland, and red deers are seen in

19516-466: The mountains, this is the main reason for the many glaciers in Nordland. With mountains in almost all areas, alpine tundra is common in Nordland. Easterly winds give dry, sunny weather (the air must climb the Kjølen mountains), with warmth in summer and cold, clear air in winter. Southwesterly winds are common, bringing moist and mild air from the Atlantic Ocean. Autumn and winter is the wettest season along

19680-415: The national high for July. On the same day, Laksfors south of Mosjøen recorded 35.6 °C (96.1 °F) but this recording was not approved due to too much vegetation and gravel near the weather station. Also on the same day, Saltdal Municipality recorded 34.6 °C (94.3 °F), this is the warmest temperature ever recorded in Norway north of the Arctic Circle. The warmest month recorded in Nordland

19844-558: The ninth century when heading for the Faroe Islands , and eventually came across Vinland , known today as Newfoundland , in Canada. The Vikings from Norway were most active in the northern and western British Isles and eastern North America isles . According to tradition, Harald Fairhair unified them into one in 872 after the Battle of Hafrsfjord in Stavanger , thus becoming the first king of

20008-417: The north will have midnight sun from 22 May to 20 July, and the sun is below the horizon from 28 November to 16 January ( Narvik daylight ). In Bodø, the sun is above the horizon from 3 June to 8 July. Helgeland is situated south of the Arctic Circle; at the winter solstice the sun is above the horizon approximately 3 hours a day ( Mosjøen daylight ). There is not a true midnight sun in Helgeland, although

20172-508: The open sea, with a rich provision of marine resources. Such archeological evidence has been found on Vega , in the Leirfjorden , and along the Saltstraumen . There are at least 15 locations with prehistoric rock carvings in Nordland, from Helgeland in the south to Narvik in the north (see Fosna-Hensbacka culture ). Some of the oldest houses known in Norway were excavated on Langhågan on

20336-414: The other from the Delft merchants, were off Jan Mayen in 1615. The following year a score of vessels were sent to the island. The Noordsche Compagnie sent eight ships escorted by three warships under Jan Jacobsz. Schrobop; while the Delft merchants sent up five ships under Adriaen Dircksz. Leversteyn, son of one of the above merchants. There were also two ships from Dunkirk sent by John Clarke, as well as

20500-465: The overnight low does not fall below 20 °C (68 °F). The warmest night ever recorded in Norway was July 29, 2019 at Sømna-Kvaløyfjellet 302 metres (991 ft) in Sømna Municipality near Brønnøysund with overnight low 26.1 °C (79.0 °F). The warmest temperature recorded in Nordland is 35 °C (95 °F) recorded July 27, 2019 at Mosjøen Airport , this is also a tie with

20664-440: The plague, the population was only about 500,000. After the plague, many farms lay idle while the population slowly increased. However, the few surviving farms' tenants found their bargaining positions with their landlords greatly strengthened. King Magnus VII ruled Norway until 1350, when his son, Haakon, was placed on the throne as Haakon VI . In 1363, Haakon married Margaret , daughter of King Valdemar IV of Denmark . Upon

20828-489: The reign of Charles III John brought some significant social and political reforms. In 1854, women won the right to inherit property. In 1863, the last trace of keeping unmarried women in the status of minors was removed. Furthermore, women were eligible for different occupations, particularly the common school teacher. By mid-century, Norway's democracy was limited; voting was limited to officials, property owners, leaseholders and burghers of incorporated towns. Norway remained

20992-418: The rest of Europe. Eventually restored as a kingdom (albeit in legislative union with Denmark) in 1661, Norway saw its land area decrease in the 17th century with the loss of the provinces Båhuslen , Jemtland , and Herjedalen to Sweden, as the result of a number of disastrous wars with Sweden. In the north, its territory was increased by the acquisition of the northern provinces of Troms and Finnmark , at

21156-458: The sea and an almost flat lowland area in between the mountains and the sea ( Strandflaten , coastal brim) is very typical for the long coastline in Nordland, and Strandflaten often continues out from the shore, the result is numerous islands (skerries), of which Helgeland have thousands; these islands are usually mountainous, but with smaller or larger strandflate areas. The southern part of Norway's largest island (apart from Svalbard ), Hinnøya

21320-487: The sea, for instance in Steigen Municipality and Vestvågøy Municipality , and the northernmost location is around Harstad Municipality in southern Troms. These locations have significant areas of lowland suited for agriculture, they are close to the sea and they have many natural harbours. The oldest remains of a boat ever found in Norway were discovered in a bog in Sømna Municipality . Known as Haugvikbåten ,

21484-566: The sea, while the eastern part of the mountains is more gentle and rounded, with some forested valleys, and is well suited for hiking. The interior of Nordland, towards the border with Sweden , is dominated by the Kjølen Mountains ( Scandinavian Mountains ). The highest mountain in Nordland is Oksskolten 1,915 metres (6,283 ft) in Okstindan range, the second-highest is Suliskongen 1,907 metres (6,257 ft) in Fauske Municipality , and

21648-463: The seabed on top of the existing bedrock, today forming the bedrock from Dovrefjell and Trollheimen south of Trondheim stretching north in Trøndelag and through Nordland to just north of Tromsø . This Cambrian — Silurian bedrock, much of it mica schist , is by far the largest area in Norway with soft bedrock rich in nutritions good for plant growth. It forms the bedrock in the fjord areas, while

21812-577: The second-largest lake, Røssvatnet , and the second-deepest fjord, Tysfjorden (897 m) are all located in Nordland. The largest river (waterflow) is Vefsna which forms the Laksforsen waterfall. The Saltfjellet mountain range forms a natural border between Helgeland and Salten, and is where the Arctic Circle cuts through the county. The western part of this mountain range is dominated by steep mountains and fjord inlets, with glaciers stretching towards

21976-413: The size of Denmark , traditionally was very important for NATO, and the Royal Norwegian Air Force has two squadrons of F-16 fighters stationed at Bodø Airport and all its P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft stationed at Andøya Air Station . The decommissioning of closing military bases has led to a regional shift towards a new knowledge-based economy. Bodø Airport is the busiest airport and

22140-452: The south and north including most of Lofoten and Vesterålen , the summers become slightly shorter; winter months are still relatively mild (above −3 °C (27 °F); some areas above 0 °C (32 °F) like Værøy Municipality and Bø Municipality ), making this an area with subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc). Towns within this area includes Leknes , Stokmarknes , Sortland and Andenes . The strongest climate gradient in Nordland

22304-741: The southern part of Nordland. The badger and the common viper have their most northerly habitat in southerly coastal areas of Nordland. Grey wolves have been observed in inland areas of Helgeland . There are few species of amphibians , although the common frog is common in all Nordland except mountain areas and the smooth newt has its most northerly habitat in the world in the river Vefsna . There are seven national parks in, or partly in, Nordland. From south to north, these are Børgefjell National Park , Lomsdal–Visten National Park , Saltfjellet–Svartisen National Park , Junkerdal National Park, Rago National Park , Sjunkhatten National Park and Møysalen National Park . The national park centre for Nordland

22468-557: The southwest side of the island, this crash only becoming public knowledge when the crash site was discovered in 1950. In 1943, the Americans established a radio locating station named Atlantic City in the north to try to locate German radio bases in Greenland . After the war, the meteorological station was located at Atlantic City, but moved in 1949 to a new location. Radio Jan Mayen also served as an important radio station for ship traffic in

22632-465: The station was moved to the Norwegian army's station. In 1989 there was an VHF -receiver installed, and later in October 1994 the local control of the radio station was terminated. Before the local control was terminated a MF-Digital- Selcall -receiver was installed and controlled remotely from Bodø-Radio. The station is still (Jan 2024) controlled remotely via satellite , but can be taken in local control by

22796-530: The subdivision of farms. While in the Viking Age farmers owned their own land, by 1300, seventy per cent of the land was owned by the king, the church, or the aristocracy, and about twenty per cent of yields went to these landowners. The 14th century is described as Norway's golden age , with peace and increase in trade, especially with the British Islands, although Germany became increasingly important towards

22960-529: The summer climate in Nordland was up to 2.5 °C (4.5 °F) warmer 9,000 to 6,000 years ago, and then slowly cooled—it was 0.5 °C (0.90 °F) warmer 2,000 years before present (see Holocene climatic optimum ). This research also concluded that the eastern Okstind Glacier did not melt completely during this warm period, the first glacier in Norway known to have survived since the Ice age . The light conditions vary considerably from north to south; Andenes in

23124-597: The team crashed on the rocks just off Jan Mayen after a patrolling British destroyer had picked them up on radar. The detection was not by chance, as the German plan had been compromised from the beginning with British wireless interceptors of the Radio Security Service following the communications of the Abwehr (the German Intelligence service) concerning the operation, and the destroyer had been waiting. Most of

23288-571: The third century. By the time of the first historical records of Scandinavia, about the 8th century, several small political entities existed in Norway. It has been estimated that there were nine petty realms in Western Norway during the early Viking Age . Archaeologist Bergljot Solberg on this basis estimates that there would have been at least 20 in the whole country. In the Viking period, Norwegian Viking explorers discovered Iceland by accident in

23452-603: The third is Storsteinfjellet 1,894 metres (6,214 ft) in Narvik Municipality . Stetinden in Narvik has been voted as Norway's national mountain. There are many glaciers in the mountains, like Blåmannsisen , Okstindbreen , the Sulitjelma Glacier , and Frostisen —7 of the 15 largest glaciers in continental Norway are located in Nordland. In the geological past, a collision with Greenland pushed long slices of

23616-452: The throne of Norway and Sweden in 1818 and reigned to 1844. He protected the constitution and liberties of Norway and Sweden during the age of Metternich . As such, he was regarded as a liberal monarch. However, he was ruthless in his use of paid informers, secret police and restrictions on the freedom of the press to put down public movements for reform—especially the Norwegian national independence movement. The Romantic Era that followed

23780-494: The traditional dominant view, the first component was originally norðr , a cognate of English north , so the full name was Norðr vegr , "the way northwards", referring to the sailing route along the Norwegian coast, and contrasting with suðrvegar "southern way" (from Old Norse suðr ) for (Germany), and austrvegr "eastern way" (from austr ) for the Baltic . The earliest traces of human occupation in Norway are found along

23944-484: The treeline, the area is dominated by the boreal climate (Dfc), but an atypical oceanic variant with relatively mild winters, lack of permafrost, and often with autumn as wettest season. Towns with this climate include Mosjøen , Mo i Rana , Rognan , Fauske and Narvik . Along the coast and on islands (including Vega) along the southern and middle part of Nordland is a warmer, temperate oceanic climate ( Cfb ) with winter mean temperature above 0 °C (32 °F) and

24108-468: The upper part of the sun disc will be above the horizon all night in June as far south as Mosjøen. With the transitional period with a short dusk included, there are three full months (from early May to early August) without darkness in Nordland. In Laukvik is the polarlightcenter , with lots of information about the Aurora Borealis ( polarlight ). The sea along the coast has a rich marine life, and

24272-671: The well-preserved piece, kept in the Museum of Science ( Vitenskapsmuseet ) in Trondheim, has been dated to 800–400 BC—the Nordic Bronze Age ( [3] ). For many generations, Hålogaland had been the northernmost area of Norse settlement. The remnants of large longhouses near Borg (Vestvågøy) and in Steigen are dated to the Merovinger period (ca 600 AD). There is substantial archeological evidence of

24436-490: The wettest location in North Norway and in the world at such high latitude. Some of the wettest areas along the coast (a narrow band) north to Glomfjord fulfills the climatic criteria for a temperate rainforest . East of the mountains, upper part of Saltdal Municipality has an annual precipitation less than 300 millimetres (12 in). Many locations in Nordland have recorded what Norwegians know as "tropical nights" when

24600-495: The whole county for economic reasons, sparking some debate. Sitka spruce is also commonly planted in Nordland, particularly in coastal areas. The coastal areas belong to the Scandinavian coastal conifer forests ecoregion ; some small areas have been classified as rainforests using botanical criteria as well as precipitation data. Inland areas up to the conifer treeline belong to the Scandinavian and Russian taiga ecoregion, while

24764-406: The whole island in 1926 when Hallvard Devold was head of the weather observations base on the island. On 27 February 1930, the island was made de jure a part of the Kingdom of Norway. During World War II , continental Norway was invaded and occupied by Germany in spring 1940. The four-man team on Jan Mayen stayed at their posts and in an act of defiance began sending their weather reports to

24928-628: The winter. There are no exploitable resources on Jan Mayen, except fish in the surrounding waters of the Island and gravel. The economic activity is limited to the operation of the station that is staffed by the Norwegian Cyberdefence and the Meteorological Agency of Norway . There has also been established a reference station for EGNOS . There is also a reference station for the satellite navigation system Galileo on Jan Mayen. There

25092-587: Was July 2014 with mean 19.3 °C (66.7 °F) at Mosjøen airport and Mo i Rana airport, while the warmest average daily high was at Laksfors with 26.6 °C (79.9 °F) the same month. The coldest low ever recorded in Nordland is −44.5 °C (−48.1 °F) on December 30, 1978 in Svenningdal valley in Grane Municipality . Research using sediment in lakes near the Okstind Glacier has shown that

25256-626: Was a Utopian socialist who in 1848 organised a labour society in Drammen . In just a few months, this society had a membership of 500 and was publishing its own newspaper. Within two years, 300 societies had been organised all over Norway, with a total membership of 20,000 drawn from the lower classes of both urban and rural areas. In the end, the revolt was easily crushed; Thrane was captured and jailed. In 1898, all men were granted universal suffrage , followed by all women in 1913. Christian Michelsen , Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907, played

25420-401: Was also an earlier Jan Mayen LORAN-C Transmitter , but the transmitter is now decommissioned and demolished. Jan Mayen Radio was a Norwegian coastal radio station on Jan Mayen. The first radiostation was built in 1921 on a part of the island called "Eldsmetten - Norwegian" on the eastern side of the Island. The radiostation consisted of a 3 kW Telefunken spark-gap transmitter and

25584-482: Was also given the web domain of .sj . However, the domain is not in use and Norway's .no is used in its place. Jan Mayen is home to Beerenberg , which is the northernmost subaerial active volcano in the world. Jan Mayen Island has one exploitable natural resource, gravel , from a site located at Trongskaret. Other than this, economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio communications and meteorological stations located on

25748-414: Was lifted in 1949, while price controls and rationing of housing and cars continued until 1960. Nordland The county is divided into traditional districts. These are Helgeland in the south (south of the Arctic Circle ), Salten in the centre, and Ofoten in the north-east. In the north-west lie the archipelagoes of Lofoten and Vesterålen . Nordland is located along the northwestern coast of

25912-408: Was one revolt under Knut Alvsson in 1502. Norway took no part in the events which led to Swedish independence from Denmark in the 1520s. Upon the death of King Haakon V in 1319, Magnus Eriksson , at just three years old, inherited the throne as King Magnus VII. A simultaneous movement to make Magnus King of Sweden proved successful (he was a grandson of King Magnus Ladulås of Sweden), and both

26076-522: Was part of Denmark–Norway , and, from 1814 to 1905, it was in a personal union with Sweden. Norway was neutral during the First World War , and in the Second World War until April 1940 when it was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany until the end of the war. Harald V of the House of Glücksburg is the current King of Norway . Jonas Gahr Støre has been Prime Minister of Norway since 2021. As

26240-524: Was part of the petty kingdom of Hålogaland in the Viking era . This kingdom also included the southern part of Troms . In January 1432, an Italian trade ship going from Crete to Flanders was hit by a storm and taken far north where it was wrecked; some of the crew survived and came ashore on a small island in Røst Municipality . They were taken care of by the people of Røst. The story, told by one of

26404-623: Was proclaimed King of Norway by the Eyrathing in 995. One of the most important sources for the history of the 11th century Vikings is the treaty between the Icelanders and Olaf II Haraldsson, king of Norway circa 1015 to 1028. Feudalism never really developed in Norway or Sweden, as it did in the rest of Europe. However, the administration of government took on a very conservative feudal character. The Hanseatic League forced royalty to cede to them greater and greater concessions over foreign trade and

26568-433: Was ultimately named) on the Gouden Cath (Golden Cat), and Jacob de Gouwenaer on the Orangienboom (Orange Tree)—named it Mr. Joris Eylant after the Dutch cartographer Joris Carolus who was on board and mapped the island. The captains acknowledged that a third Dutch ship, the Cleyn Swaentgen (Little Swan) captained by Jan Jansz Kerckhoff and financed by Noordsche Compagnie shareholders from Delft , had already been at

26732-401: Was unprepared for the German surprise attack (see: Battle of Drøbak Sound , Norwegian Campaign , and Invasion of Norway ), military and naval resistance lasted for two months. Norwegian armed forces in the north launched an offensive against the German forces in the Battles of Narvik , but were forced to surrender on 10 June after losing British support which had been diverted to France during

26896-401: Was wielded by the leader of the German occupation authority, Josef Terboven . Quisling, as minister president , later formed a collaborationist government under German control . Up to 15,000 Norwegians volunteered to fight in German units, including the Waffen-SS . Many Norwegians and persons of Norwegian descent joined the Allied forces as well as the Free Norwegian Forces . In June 1940,

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