Magerøya
| Magerøya | |
|---|---|
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| Waters | Atlantic Ocean |
| Geographical location | 71 ° 3 ' N , 25 ° 42' E |
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| length | 35.4 km |
| width | 28.7 km |
| surface | 436.4 km² |
| Highest elevation |
Gråkallfjellet 417 m |
| Residents | 3100 (2009) 7.1 inhabitants / km² |
| main place | Honningsvåg |
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The island Magerøya ( norwegian for "barren island") is a Norwegian island in the North Atlantic , about six kilometers from the mainland. It forms the main part of the municipality of Nordkapp in the province of Troms og Finnmark . The main town on the island is Honningsvåg on the south coast with a population of 2367 (2009). The main tourist attraction is the North Cape in the north of the island . Other places on the island are:
- Kamøyvær (70 inhabitants)
- Skarsvåg (60 inhabitants)
- Nordvågen (415 inhabitants)
- Gjesvær (130 inhabitants)
There are also some individual farms . The island has a total of around 3100 inhabitants. In 2004 it was around 4,000, and in 1960 around 5,300.
If you cross the island of Magerøya from the main town in the direction of the North Cape, on the left, about halfway to the North Cape, is the highest point on the island, the 417 meter high Gråkallfjellet . The island's three main industries are the fishing industry , tourism and various services.
history
In the 16th century there were nine fishing villages and a total of six churches on the island. At that time the residents lived from fishing and the transport and sale of dried fish to Bergen . Fish prices fell in the 17th century. The population also fell significantly. At the end of the 17th century, the idea of building a town on Magerøya existed in order to counteract the negative economic development. However, the proposal was not implemented. In the 19th century, fishing experienced a new boom. The population increased due to immigration, with a concentration on the somewhat larger towns. From 1853, places on the island were also called by steamboats. At the end of the 19th / beginning of the 20th century, several road construction projects were implemented on Magerøya. In 1908 the lighthouse Helnes fyr was built. Also telegraph and telephone were introduced. In 1929 the entire island was placed under nature protection. In the short polar summers, around 400 different plants sprout on Magerøya, such as flowering plants, lichens , mosses and grasses. One of these plants, reindeer lichen , is the main food of the reindeer who graze on the island during the short summer period. They are Sami reindeer from the town of Karasjok , near the Norwegian-Finnish border. Today, the reindeer are transported to the island in spring with trucks and landing boats of the Norwegian Navy. In autumn the animals have gained enough strength that they can swim the approx. 1.8 km long distance to the mainland.
During the Second World War , the island was occupied by German troops. A German base was established in Honningsvåg. Batteries and coastal artillery were also stationed elsewhere on the island. In the area of today 's Valan Airport, for example, a beach defense with points for close combat defense and mines was installed. Honningsvåg has been the target of British and Soviet air raids on several occasions . During the withdrawal of the German troops, almost all of the island's buildings were destroyed by the German occupation as part of the Northern Lights company , and the population was forcibly relocated to southern parts of Norway.
The island has been connected to the mainland via the North Cape Tunnel since 1999 . The tunnel is 6,875 meters long and passes under Magerøysund with a maximum depth of 212 meters . It is one of the deepest and steepest tunnels - the tube has inclines of 9% in places. The tunnel has been toll-free for all vehicles since June 30, 2012.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kjersti Skavhaug , To the North Cape, Famous journeys from the Viking Age to the year 1800 , Nordkapplitteratur A / S, Honningsvåg, 2nd edition 1994, ISBN 82-7579-006-9 , page 15
- ↑ Kjersti Skavhaug, To the North Cape, Famous journeys from the Viking Age to the year 1800 , Nordkapplitteratur A / S, Honningsvåg, 2nd edition 1994, ISBN 82-7579-006-9 , page 31
- ^ The End of the Toll Booth to Magerøya / North Cape. In: visitnordkapp.no. June 2012, accessed on July 23, 2012 .