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North Cape (Norwegian: Nordkapp) is a cape on the island of Magerøya in northern Norway, in the municipality of Nordkapp. Its 307 m high, steep cliff is often referred to as the northernmost point of Europe, located at 71°10′21″N 25°47′40″E / 71.1725°N 25.79444°E / 71.1725; 25.79444, 2102.3 km from the North Pole. However, the neighbouring point Knivskjellodden is actually 1,457 metres further north. Moreover, both of these points are situated on an island, which means the northernmost point of mainland Europe is in fact Cape Nordkinn (Kinnarodden), about 20 km from the village of Mehamn on Nordkinn Peninsula.
North Cape Honningsvåg at 70° 58' N, in Nordkapp North Cape municipality, claims to be the northernmost city in Norway and even in the world, although the title is disputed by Hammerfest, Norway; Barrow, Alaska; and Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Legislation effective from 1997 states that a Norwegian city must have 5,000 inhabitants, but Honningsvåg with its population of 2,575 was declared a city in 1996. It is situated at a bay on the southern side of Magerøya island, while the famous North Cape and its visitors center is on the northern side. It is a port of call for cruise ships, especially in the summer months. Honningsvåg Airport, Valan is located 4 km outside the town, with flights to mainly Tromsø.
The North Cape is the point where the Norwegian Sea, part of the Atlantic Ocean, meets the Barents Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean[1].
North Cape was named by English explorer Richard Chancellor in 1553 when he passed the cape in the search for a Northeast passage. From then on, it was occasionally visited by daring explorers who climbed the steep cliff face to the plateau; famous visitors include King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway in 1873 and Thailand's King Chulalongkorn in 1907. A road was opened to the North Cape in 1956. Today, the North Cape is a major tourist attraction. Access to the final few hundred metres leading to the North Cape itself requires purchase of a ticket costing 215 NOK per person (the Knivskjellodden can be reached free of charge on foot). Inside the restricted area is the Nordkapphallen, an extensive commercial tourist centre that houses a number of exhibits on the Cape's history.
The North Cape is reached by road through the North Cape Tunnel. Regular buses run from the nearby town of Honningsvåg to the North Cape (36 km), and coaches meet the many cruise ships which call at Honningsvåg. The nearest airport is Honningsvåg Airport, Valan (IATA code: HVG). The Norwegian airline Widerøe services the airport with flights to Tromsø. From Tromsø Airport there are connecting flights to destinations such as Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and London-Stansted.
