Mehamn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mehamn
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Village
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 Mehamn
Location in Finnmark
Mehamn
Location in Norway
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| 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)
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| • 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
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Mehamn is a small village in Norway. It is the main town of Gamvik Municipality in Finnmark county. The village is located on a small piece of land called the Vedvik peninsula. This peninsula is part of the larger Nordkinn Peninsula. Mehamn sits at the end of Mehamnfjorden, which is a bay connected to the Barents Sea.
The village of Gamvik is about 16 kilometers (10 miles) to the east. The village of Kjøllefjord is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) to the southwest. Mehamn has its own church, called Mehamn Chapel. In 2023, about 703 people lived in Mehamn. The village is quite small, covering only 0.59 square kilometers (0.23 square miles).
Contents
Mehamn's Past: A Look at Its History
Whaling in Mehamn
A man named Svend Foyn started a whaling station in Mehamn. It was built between 1884 and 1885. This station began operating in the spring of 1885. It became the largest whaling station in the Finnmark County area. After Svend Foyn passed away in 1894, his whaling company continued to run the station. Svend Foyn also built a chapel in Mehamn in 1887, which was named after him.
The Mehamn Protest of 1903
The Mehamn protest happened because fishermen were having a very hard time. There were not many cod and capelin fish to catch. The fishermen believed that the whaling stations were to blame. They thought that whales chased the fish closer to the shore. With fewer whales around, the fish stayed far out at sea, making it hard to catch them.
People became very frustrated in the spring of 1903. By a holiday called Whitsunday, about 2,000 angry fishermen were in the harbor at Mehamn. At that time, only 123 people lived in the village permanently.
The fishermen became even angrier when the new manager of the whaling station refused to help a fishing boat with a broken steering part. On June 2, 1903, many fishermen gathered outside the factory. Over the next two days, some parts of the factory were damaged. Machines were broken, chimneys were pulled down, and large steam boilers were sunk. The guards and the only police officer could not stop them. Soldiers from Vardø and Harstad were called in. However, they arrived after the factory was damaged and the situation had calmed down.
Some people involved in the protest were later caught. They received light sentences. That autumn, new elections were held. The Labour Party, which supported protecting whales, entered parliament for the first time. They had four members of parliament, all from northern Norway. People said they had "ridden to Parliament on a whale’s back." In December, a law was passed to protect whales in Norwegian waters off the coast of Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark.
1982 Air Accident
On March 11, 1982, a Widerøe airplane, a Twin Otter, crashed into the sea. This happened as it was trying to land at Mehamn Airport. Everyone on board sadly lost their lives. There were some questions about what caused the crash. However, the official reason was strong, swirling winds called clear-air turbulence over the Mehamnfjorden.
Mehamn's Weather: A Subarctic Climate
Mehamn has a boreal (subarctic) climate. This means it has short, cool summers. The winters are long and can be windy. However, the nearby open sea helps to keep the winter temperatures from getting too cold for how far north Mehamn is. Sometimes, Mehamn can even experience very warm weather, known as heat waves. For example, in 2018 and 2022, temperatures went above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).
| 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) |
| Average precipitation mm (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 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 79 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 75 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 79 | 81 | 81 | 79 | 79 |
| Average dew 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 | |||||||||||||
Getting Around: Transportation in Mehamn
Norwegian County Road 888 connects Mehamn to a major highway called European route E6. This highway leads to towns like Kirkenes in the east and Alta in the west. Mehamn is also a stop for the Hurtigruten coastal ship. This ship travels along the coast of Norway. You can also fly to Mehamn! It has its own airport, Mehamn Airport. The airline Widerøe offers flights from Mehamn to the nearby city of Tromsø.
See also
In Spanish: Mehamn para niños
