Mehamn
Mehamn | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 | |
 | |
  Mehamn  Mehamn | |
| Coordinates:71°02′08″N27°50′57″E/ 71.03556°N 27.84917°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Northern Norway |
| County | Finnmark |
| District | Øst-Finnmark |
| Municipality | Gamvik Municipality |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.59 km2(0.23 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
| • Total | 703 |
| • Density | 1,198/km2(3,100/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00(CEST) |
| Post Code | 9770 Mehamn |
Mehamn(Northern Sami:Donjevuotna;Kven:Meehamina) is theadministrative centreofGamvik MunicipalityinFinnmarkcounty,Norway.The village is located on the small Vedvik peninsula, itself part of the greaterNordkinn Peninsula,at the southern end of theMehamnfjorden,a bay off of theBarents Sea.The village ofGamviklies about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) to the east and the village ofKjøllefjord(inLebesby Municipality) lies about 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the southwest.Mehamn Chapelis located in this village. The 0.59-square-kilometre (150-acre) village has a population (2023) of 703 which gives the village apopulation densityof 1,198 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,100/sq mi).[1]
History[edit]
Whaling[edit]
Svend Foynestablished thewhalingstation in Mehamn that was built in 1884-1885. It was put into use starting in the spring of 1885, and it became the largest of its kind in Finnmark County. After Foyn’s death in 1894, the whaling station was run by Foyn’s whaling company. Svend Foyn also established the Svend Foyn Chapel, in Mehamn starting in 1887.[3]
Mehamn Rebellion[edit]
The background for the Mehamn rebellion was a period of miserablecodandcapelinfishing. The fishermen blamed the local whaling. They believed that the whales chased the fish towards the shore. With few whales left, the fish stayed out of reach. Frustrations were growing by the day during the spring of 1903. ByWhitsunday,about 2000 angry fishermen were in the harbor in Mehamn. At the time, the village had 123 permanent residents.[4]
When the new manager of the whaling station denied help to a fishing boat that came from the sea with a broken helm, the fishermen had had enough. On 2 June 1903, a large number of them gathered outside the factory. During the following two days, machinery was destroyed, chimneys were torn down, and the large steam boilers were sunk. The guard and the single police officer could do nothing but watch. Military forces fromVardøandHarstadwere mobilized, but did not reach Mehamn before the factory was completely destroyed and the situation was calm again.[4]
Some of the vandals were caught and convicted. They received very light sentences in jail and then the following autumn, general elections were held, and theLabour Party,which had fought for the protection of the whales, enteredparliamentfor the first time with fourMPs.They all represented the three northernmost counties of Norway. They were said to have "ridden to Parliament on a whale’s back." In December, a law was passed ensuring the preservation of the whales in Norwegian waters off the coast of Nordland, Troms and Finnmark.[4]
1982 air crash[edit]
On 11 March 1982, aWiderøeTwin Ottercrashed into the sea on approach to Mehamn Airport during the flight fromBerlevåg Airport,killing all on board. Despite controversies regarding the cause of the crash,clear-air turbulenceover the Mehamnfjorden was determined as the official cause.[5]
Climate[edit]
Mehamn has aboreal (subarctic) climate(Köppen:Dsc), with short and cool summers. The winters are long and sometimes windy, but winter temperatures are moderated by the nearby open sea and mild for the latitude. Mehamn is also sometimes affected byheat waves,the heat waves in2018[6]and2022[7]both saw high temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F).
| Climate data for Mehamn, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2003–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 7.0 (44.6) |
7.0 (44.6) |
7.8 (46.0) |
11.7 (53.1) |
20.7 (69.3) |
30.8 (87.4) |
31.2 (88.2) |
28.4 (83.1) |
22.4 (72.3) |
15.0 (59.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
8.0 (46.4) |
31.2 (88.2) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 4.7 (40.5) |
4.5 (40.1) |
4.5 (40.1) |
7.5 (45.5) |
14.3 (57.7) |
19.9 (67.8) |
24.9 (76.8) |
23.2 (73.8) |
17.5 (63.5) |
10.9 (51.6) |
6.8 (44.2) |
5.5 (41.9) |
26.2 (79.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.2 (29.8) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
2.8 (37.0) |
7.0 (44.6) |
10.5 (50.9) |
14.6 (58.3) |
13.7 (56.7) |
10.6 (51.1) |
5.2 (41.4) |
2.2 (36.0) |
0.7 (33.3) |
5.3 (41.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.1 (24.6) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
3.6 (38.5) |
7.5 (45.5) |
11.0 (51.8) |
10.5 (50.9) |
7.7 (45.9) |
2.9 (37.2) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
2.4 (36.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.2 (19.0) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
1.7 (35.1) |
5.5 (41.9) |
8.6 (47.5) |
7.9 (46.2) |
5.3 (41.5) |
0.8 (33.4) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | −14.7 (5.5) |
−14.6 (5.7) |
−12.3 (9.9) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
1.7 (35.1) |
4.6 (40.3) |
2.3 (36.1) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−16.9 (1.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −19.0 (−2.2) |
−21.4 (−6.5) |
−16.8 (1.8) |
−13.4 (7.9) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−13.4 (7.9) |
−17.0 (1.4) |
−21.4 (−6.5) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 78.9 (3.11) |
70.4 (2.77) |
85.4 (3.36) |
70.7 (2.78) |
48.7 (1.92) |
26.1 (1.03) |
58.8 (2.31) |
70.9 (2.79) |
66.4 (2.61) |
88.0 (3.46) |
56.3 (2.22) |
47.9 (1.89) |
768.6 (30.26) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 48 (19) |
46 (18) |
45 (18) |
39 (15) |
15 (5.9) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
17 (6.7) |
24 (9.4) |
26 (10) |
50 (20) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 19 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 172 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 79 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 75 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 79 | 81 | 81 | 79 | 79 |
| Averagedew point°C (°F) | −7.6 (18.3) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
0.1 (32.2) |
3.5 (38.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
7.0 (44.6) |
4.5 (40.1) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
| Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[8][9][10] | |||||||||||||
Transportation[edit]
Norwegian County Road 888connects Mehamn to theEuropean route E6highway at the base of the Nordkinn Peninsula, and from there on to the towns ofKirkenesin the east andAltain the west. Mehamn is aport of callfor theHurtigrutencoastal ship.[11]Mehamn is also connected by air viaMehamn Airport,with services byWiderøeto the nearby city ofTromsø.[12]
References[edit]
- ^abcStatistisk sentralbyrå(1 January 2017)."Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
- ^"Mehamn"(in Norwegian).yr.no.Retrieved22 February2013.
- ^200 years since the birth of Svend Foyn(Kystmuseene)Archived2011-07-24 at theWayback Machine
- ^abc"Whaling through the ages".Kystmuseene.Retrieved22 February2013.
- ^"Aviation Safety Network".
- ^"Mehamn LH Meteorological station, Gamvik, Troms og Finnmark (Norway), elevation 13m (July 2018)".yr.no(in Norwegian).Norwegian Meteorological Institute.Archived fromthe originalon 16 October 2023.
- ^"Mehamn LH Meteorological station, Gamvik, Troms og Finnmark (Norway), elevation 13m (June 2022)".yr.no(in Norwegian).Norwegian Meteorological Institute.Archived fromthe originalon 16 October 2023.
- ^"Observations and weather statistics (SN96310 Mehamn Lufthavn)".Norwegian Meteorological Institute.Retrieved21 September2023.
- ^"Temperaturnormaler per måned og år (Temperature norms per month and year)"(in Norwegian).Norwegian Meteorological Institute.Archived fromthe originalon 9 October 2023.Retrieved9 October2023.
- ^"Nedbørnormaler per måned og år (Precipitation per month and year)"(in Norwegian).Norwegian Meteorological Institute.Archived fromthe originalon 12 October 2023.Retrieved12 October2023.
- ^"Ports".Hurtigruten.us. Archived fromthe originalon 15 February 2013.Retrieved22 February2013.
- ^"Mehamn Airport".avinor.no. Archived fromthe originalon 7 March 2013.Retrieved22 February2013.
External links[edit]
Media related toMehamnat Wikimedia Commons
