Finnmark (Northern Sami: Finnmárku; Kven: Finmarku; Finnish: Ruija) is a former county in the northern part of Norway, scheduled to become a county again on 1 January 2024, when it will be demerged back to the counties Finnmark and Troms. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland (Lapland region) to the south, and Russia (Murmansk Oblast) to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea (Atlantic Ocean) to the northwest, and the Barents Sea (Arctic Ocean) to the north and northeast. Since 2002, it has had two official names: Finnmark (Norwegian) and Finnmárku (Northern Sami). It is part of the Sápmi region, which spans four countries, as well as the Barents Region, and is the largest and least populated county of Norway. Situated at the northernmost part of continental Europe, where the Norwegian coastline swings eastward, Finnmark is an area “where East meets West,” in culture as well as in nature and geography. Vardø, the easternmost municipality in Norway, is located farther east than the cities of Saint Petersburg and Istanbul.
Why Finnmark matters now: Finnmark is not only a landscape — it is also a geopolitical frontier. This is Norway’s “Arctic doorstep”: a region where NATO presence, Russian proximity, and Arctic shipping routes turn everyday geography into strategic reality. For travellers, that translates into a destination with a rare sense of scale and edge: here, Europe doesn’t fade out — it changes into the Arctic.
Alta, Tana, Berlevåg and Loppa municipalities had population increases during Q1 in 2021. The name Finnmark derives from the Old Norse form of the name Finnmǫrk: the first element is finn(ar), the Norse name for the Sámi people. The last element is mǫrk which means “woodland” or “borderland”. In Norse times the name referred to the land of the Sami people, or any places where Sámi people lived. The coat of arms is black with a gold-colored castle tower: the design is from 1967 and shows the old Vardøhus Fortress, historically on the eastern border with Russia. As Svalbard is not considered a county, Finnmark is the northernmost and easternmost county in Norway; it is Norway‘s largest county and, with a population of about 75,000, it is also the least populated of all Norwegian counties. A frontier culture, not a periphery: In southern Scandinavia, “north” often means snow and winter romance. In Finnmark, north means something else: minority languages, Arctic survival knowledge, and a long memory. The region’s identity is layered — Norwegian coastal life, Sámi traditions, and the Kven/Finnish-speaking communities. Finnmark is not a postcard: it’s a living cultural meeting point. Finnmark has a total coastline of 6,844 kilometres, including 3,155 kilometres of coastline on the islands. Nearly 12,300 people or 16.6% of the county’s population in 2000 was living in the 100-meter belt along the coastline. The nature varies from barren coastal areas facing the Barents Sea, to more sheltered fjord areas and river valleys with gullies and tree vegetation: about half of the county is above the tree line, and large parts of the other half are covered with small Downy birch. The interior parts of the county are part of the great Finnmarksvidda plateau, with an elevation of 300 to 400 m, with numerous lakes and river valleys. The plateau makes up 36% of the county’s area and is famous for its tens of thousands of reindeer owned by the Sami, and swarms of mosquitos in mid-summer. Stabbursdalen National Park ensures protection for the world’s most northern pine forest.
What Finnmark feels like: Finnmark is a region of horizontal drama: wide skies, coastal winds, tundra plateaus, and silence you can almost hear. The colour palette shifts by season — midnight sun gold in summer, blue-and-white minimalism in winter — but the atmosphere is always Arctic: open, austere, and unexpectedly poetic. The Tana River, which partly defines the border with Finland, gives the largest catch of salmon of all rivers in Europe, and also has the world record for Atlantic salmon, 36 kg. In the east, the Pasvikelva defines the border with Russia. There are eleven airports, but only Alta Airport, Lakselv-Banak Airport, and Kirkenes-Høybuktmoen Airport have direct flights to Oslo. In addition, Lakselv-Banak Airport in Porsanger is used for training by the Royal Norwegian Air Force and other NATO allies, in conjunction with the nearby Halkavarre shooting range.
How to travel Finnmark (without underestimating distances): Finnmark is deceptively huge. When planning, think in “Arctic logic” rather than European logic: weather changes fast, roads are long, and villages are far apart. A trip here rewards travellers who build in buffer time — and who treat the journey itself (coast roads, fjords, plateaus) as the main attraction. People have lived in Finnmark for at least 10,000 years (see Komsa, Pit-Comb Ware culture and Rock carvings at Alta). The destiny of these early cultures is unknown, but three ethnic groups have a long history in Finnmark: the Sami people, the Norwegian people, and the Kven people. Of these, the Sami probably were the first people to explore Finnmark.
Finnmark as “European Arctic heritage”: Finnmark is one of the last places in continental Europe where you can still experience the Arctic as a true environment — not as a theme. From prehistoric settlement traces to modern-day Sámi reindeer herding, it’s a region where nature and culture remain tightly intertwined.
🧭 ATN Travel Tips Box — Visiting Finnmark
Best time to go:
Feb–Mar: peak winter (aurora, snow activities, dry cold)
May–July: midnight sun, hiking, birdlife, coastal road trips
Sep–Oct: autumn colours + aurora returns, fewer tourists
Don’t miss:
• Vardø & Vardøhus Fortress — Norway’s far east edge
• Finnmarksvidda plateau — the “big Arctic interior”
• Stabbursdalen National Park — the world’s northernmost pine forest
• Alta rock carvings — deep time in the Arctic North
How to get there:
Fly to Alta, Lakselv (Banak), or Kirkenes (limited direct Oslo routes). Consider combining flights with a road-trip loop.
Weather warning:
Finnmark is wind-dominated. Even moderate temperatures can feel brutal due to the Barents Sea wind chill.
ATN packing tip:
Layer like a local: thermal base + windproof shell + insulated mid-layer. The windproof layer matters more than you think.
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