is a municipality in Troms og Finnmarkcounty, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mehamn. The other main villages in Gamvik include Gamvik and Skjånes. Gamvik is known as one of the poorest and most undeveloped municipalities in Norway. The number of inhabitants rose at one moment in 2012, but in 2014, after the fish factory closed, the population declined dramatically with the departure of the eastern European fishermen. Most people live in the village of Mehamn, which has an airport, Mehamn Airport, and is also a port of call of the hurtigruten coastal boats. The Slettnes Lighthouse near the village of Gamvik is the northernmost lighthouse on the mainland of Europe. Nervei and Langfjordbotn are two very small villages in southern Gamvik that are only accessible by boat. Finnkongkeila is an abandoned village along the Tanafjorden. The municipality is the 65th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Gamvik is the 326th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,132. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 12.2% over the last decade.
General information
The municipality of Gamvik was established on 1 January 1914 when the old Tana Municipality was divided into three municipalities: Tana in the south, Berlevåg in the northeast, and Gamvik in the northwest. The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county.
Name
The Old Norse form of the name may have been Gangvík. The first element is then gangr which means "path" and the last element is vík which means "cove" or "wick".
Coat of arms
The coat of arms is from modern times. They were granted on 28 September 1990. The arms show three gold/yellow fishing netsewing needles set diagonally on a red background. These needles are a characteristic maritime tool used for making and mending the fishing nets used by local fishermen. These arms were chosen to emphasize the importance of fishing in the area.
On 12 March 1982, a WiderøeTwin Otter, registration number LN-BNK, crashed into the sea near Mehamn, killing all fifteen on board. More than twenty years and four rounds of investigation later, this incident remains highly controversial in Norway.
The municipal council of Gamvik is made up of 13 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:
The municipality consists of the eastern half of the Nordkinn Peninsula. Kinnarodden, located in Gamvik, is the northernmost point of mainland Europe. The Tanafjorden flows along the eastern coast of Gamvik. Lebesby Municipality is located to the west and Tana Municipality is located to the south. Across the fjord to the east is Berlevåg Municipality.
Climate
Birdlife
The area surrounding the lighthouse at Slettnes is also an interesting locality for those interested in birds and birdwatching. There is a nature reserve and bird observatory.
