Måsøy

Måsøy (Northern Sami: Muosát; Kven: Moseija) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Havøysund. Other villages include Ingøy, Måsøy, Slåtten, and Gunnarnes. The municipality is located on the mainland as well as several islands.

The municipality includes the Fruholmen Lighthouse, the northernmost lighthouse in Norway as well as the Havøysund Bridge, the northernmost bridge in the world. The tallest tower in Scandinavia, the 362-meter (1,188 ft) tall Ingøy radio transmitter is located on Ingøya island.

The Hurtigruten coastal express boat stops at the village of Havøysund daily. There is also a road connection to Måsøy, albeit often blocked by snow in the winter. Norwegian County Road 889 connects the mainland to Havøysund.

General information

The town of Hammerfest and the vast surrounding rural district of Hammerfest was established as the municipality of Hammerfest by og landdistrikt on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Soon after, the northern district (population: 498) was separated to become the new municipality of Maasøe, named after the village on the island of Måsøya where the local church is located. The spelling was later changed to Måsøy.

Måsøya

Måsøya (Northern Sami: Muosáidsuolu) is an island in Måsøy Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The 13.45-square-kilometre (5.19 sq mi) island is located west of the large island of Magerøya and to the east of Hjelmsøya and Havøya. The Porsanger Peninsula on the mainland lies south of the island. The island is only accessible by boat, and there is regular ferry service from Havøysund. The population of the island (2012) is about 40 people.

The only settlement on the island is the small fishing village of Måsøy. It is located on the southern part of the island on an isthmus between two small fjords. Historically, the village was the administrative centre of the municipality and it is where Måsøy Church is located. There is a herd of about 40 reindeer that live on the island.

The notable Norwegian minister and poet Magnus Brostrup Landstad was born here.

See also

References