The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Finmark

FINMARK, a bailiwick of Norway, forming the N. E. division of the province of Tromsö, and the northernmost region of the continent of Europe, formerly including also what is now the bailiwick of Tromsö; area, 18,306 sq. m.; pop. in 1872, 20,329. It lies wholly within the arctic circle. Its northernmost point is the North cape, in lat. 71° 10′. Its coasts are thickly indented by long winding inlets, and are bordered by a vast number of irregular islands. It has important cod fisheries. The principal rivers are the Alten and Tana, the valleys of which are fertile and well cultivated. The climate of the coasts is so mild that some of the fiords never freeze. Hammerfest, an active trading place, is one of the principal towns.