Hammerfest Municipality

Hammerfest Municipality
Hammerfest kommune
Hámmerfeastta suohkan
View of Hammerfest in mid-June 2005
Finnmark within Norway
Hammerfest within Finnmark
Coordinates: 70°39′45″N 23°41′00″E / 70.66250°N 23.68333°E / 70.66250; 23.68333
CountryNorway
CountyFinnmark
DistrictVest-Finnmark
Established1 Jan 1838
  Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centreHammerfest
Government
  Mayor (2023)Terje Rogde (H)
Area
  Total
2,692.81 km2 (1,039.70 sq mi)
  Land2,557.83 km2 (987.58 sq mi)
  Water134.98 km2 (52.12 sq mi)  5%
  Rank#19 in Norway
Highest elevation
1,078 m (3,537 ft)
Population
 (2024)
  Total
11,338
  Rank#103 in Norway
  Density4.2/km2 (11/sq mi)
  Change (10 years)
 no change%
DemonymHammerfesting
Official language
  Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-5603
WebsiteOfficial website

Hammerfest (pronunciation; Northern Sami: Hámmerfeasta [ˈhaːmmerˌfea̯sːta]) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality being the town of Hammerfest which is considered the northernmost town in the world with more than 5,000 inhabitants (see: Hammerfest). Some of the main villages in the municipality include Rypefjord, Kvalsund, Forsøl, Hønsebybotn, Akkarfjord i Kvaløya, Akkarfjord i Sørøya, and Kårhamn.

The 2,693-square-kilometre (1,040 sq mi) municipality is the 19th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Hammerfest is the 103rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,338. The municipality's population density is 4.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (11/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0% over the previous 10-year period.

The municipality encompasses parts of three large islands: Kvaløya, Sørøya, and Seiland. Other small islands such as Håja, Lille Kamøya and Kamøya are also located here. Most parts of the municipality do not have a road connection with the rest of Norway; only Kvaløya island is connected to the mainland, via the Kvalsund Bridge.

The town of Hammerfest is considered to be one of the northernmost city/towns in the world. For more information, see Hammerfest.