Karasjok

If you would like to sample the Sami Norwegian culture then Karasjok is the place.

The attractions include the Sami parliament, Samediggi, the Sami museum, and the church, dating from 1807.

The Sami parliament was opened in 1989, by King Olav V, the first Sami parliament president was Ole Henrik Magga, from Kautokeino. He was the president for more than eight years. The church in Karasjok is the oldest Lutheran church in Finnmark, and the only building to survive the World War II damage. The church is today too small, so a big, wooden church, inspired by Sami architecture, has been built. Karasjok is also the place to look for duodji, Sami handicraft.

Sunrise at 07:33 in February; karasjok

Situated far north of the Arctic circle, Finnmark has midnight sun from middle of May until late July. And in two months of the winter, from late November to late January, the county experiences polar nights where the sun is always below the horizon. As a consequence, there is continuous daylight from early May to early August. At midwinter, there is only a bluish twilight for a couple of hours around noon, which can almost reach full daylight if there are clear skies to the south.

Northern lights

Finnmark is situated in the Aurora Borealis zone, and because of the dry climate with frequent clear skies, Alta was early chosen as a location for the study of this strange light phenomenon. For this reason, Alta is sometimes referred to as the city of the northern lights.