North Cape (Norway)
North Cape | |
|---|---|
 Midnight sun at the North Cape | |
| Offshore water bodies | Barents Sea |
| Elevation | 307 m (1,007 ft) |
North Cape (Template:Lang-no; Template:Lang-sme) is a cape on the northern coast of the island of Magerøya in Northern Norway. The cape is in Nordkapp Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The European route E69 highway has its northern terminus at North Cape, since it is a popular tourist attraction. The cape includes a 307-metre (1,007 ft) high cliff with a large flat plateau on top where visitors can stand and watch the midnight sun or the views of the Barents Sea to the north. A new visitor center was built in 1988 on the plateau with panoramic views, a cafe, restaurant, post office, souvenir shop, and a so-called super video cinema.[1]
Geography
.jpg)
The steep cliff of North Cape is often (mistakenly) referred to as the northernmost point of Europe, located at 71°10′21″N 25°47′40″E / 71.17250°N 25.79444°E, about 2,102.3 kilometres (1,306.3 mi) from the North Pole. However, the neighbouring Knivskjellodden point, just to the west actually extends 1,457 metres (4,780 ft) farther to the north.
Regardless, both of these points are situated on an island, which technically means the northernmost point of mainland Europe is in fact located at Cape Nordkinn (Kinnarodden) which lies about 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) farther south and about 70 kilometres (43 mi) to the east. That point is located near the village of Mehamn on the Nordkinn Peninsula.
The North Cape is the point where the Norwegian Sea, part of the Atlantic Ocean, meets the Barents Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean. The midnight sun can be seen from 14 May to the 31st of July. The sun reaches its lowest point from 12:14 - 12:24 a.m. during those days.
Transportation
The North Cape is reached by the European route E69 highway through the North Cape Tunnel, an undersea tunnel connecting the island of Magerøya to the mainland. Regular buses run from the nearby town of Honningsvåg to the North Cape (36 kilometres (22 mi)), and coaches meet the many cruise ships that call at the port of Honningsvåg. The nearest airport is Honningsvåg Airport, Valan (IATA code: HVG). The Norwegian airline Widerøe services the airport with flights to Tromsø. From Tromsø Airport there are connecting flights to destinations such as Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and London-Stansted.
The EuroVelo bicycle route EV1 runs from North Cape to Sagres, Portugal—a 8,196 kilometres (5,093 miles) distance by land and sea.
History
The North Cape was named by the Englishman Steven Borough, captain of the Edward Bonaventure, which sailed past in 1553 in search of the Northeast Passage.[1]
World War II
In 1943, the Battle of North Cape was fought in the Arctic Ocean off this cape, where the Kriegsmarine battleship Scharnhorst was eventually sunk by gunfire from the HMS Duke of York and torpedoes from Norwegian Navy destroyer HNoMS Stord, and other ships of the British Navy.
Admission fee controversy
Norway's Government demanded in 2011 that the admission fee to the plateau be reduced. At the time, an adult tickets cost between 160 and 235 kr.[2]
Media gallery
-
Midnight sun and clouds at the North Cape -
In the neighbourhood of Nordkapp -
Stereoscopic anaglyph picture from the North Cape, Norway
References
- ^ a b Store norske leksikon. "Nordkapp fjell" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2013-02-13.
- ^ "Krangel om 235 kroner". e24 (in Norwegian). Oslo. September 11, 2011. Retrieved 2012-10-26.
