FINNMARK

fylke (county), northern Norway, located above the Arctic Circle. It is bordered by Finland (south) and Russia (southeast), with the Arctic Ocean to the north and northeast. Long, broad fjords indent the coast; in the west they are protected by islands. North Cape, on the Barents Sea of the Arctic Ocean, is the northernmost point on the European mainland. Vads is the county seat, but the tourist trade is centred in Hammerfest (q.v.), the northernmost town in Europe. Finnmark contains the important Sr-Varanger iron-ore mines as well as copper deposits along Alte Fjord and Varanger Fjord. There is year-round commercial fishing along the coast. Finnmark is the homeland of groups of Sami (Lapps) who live by herding reindeer and fishing. Area 18,779 square miles (48,637 square km). Pop. (1995 est.) 76,668.