The port of Hammerfest on Sørøy Sound, Norway. (more) Hammerfest Norway Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/place/Hammerfest Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Fact Monster - World - Hammerfest, Norway Lonely Planet - Hammerfest, Norway CRW Flags - Flag of Hammerfest, Finmark Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot Hammerfest, town, on the barren island of Kvaløya, in Sørøy Sound, off the northwestern coast of Norway. Chartered in 1789, it was bombarded and destroyed by two English brigs in 1809. Between 1816 and 1852 Norway, Sweden, and Russia conducted surveys in the area to establish a meridian arc between Hammerfest and the Danube River at the Black Sea. A meridian stone column at Fuglenes (a section of the town) commemorates the completion of this work. In 1891 most of Hammerfest was destroyed by fire; Norway’s first municipal hydroelectric generating station was included in its reconstruction. From 1940 to 1944 the town was occupied by the Germans, who, upon their withdrawal, blew up the installations and forcibly evacuated the population. Hammerfest has since been rebuilt and is now the commercial centre of western Finnmark.

　　The town has a road connection with the National Highway and with Finland and air services to other parts of Norway. Tourism, fish-oil processing, and livestock raising are the town’s economic mainstays. Despite its northerly latitude, the harbour in Hammerfest is ice-free year-round because of the warming effect of the North Atlantic Current (terminal section of the Gulf Stream), which also causes midwinter temperatures to remain only slightly below freezing. Because the town is so far north, the sun shines continuously from May 17 to July 29, but there is no sunlight from November 21 to January 21. Pop. (2007) mun., 9,391.

　　This article was most recently revised and updated by Chelsey Parrott-Sheffer.