Finnmark (Sami Finnmárkku, Finnish Ruija) is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway, bordering Troms county to the west, Finland (Lapland) to the south and Russia (Murmansk Oblast) to the east. The county was formely known as Vardøhus amt. Finnmark borders the Norwegian Sea (Atlantic Ocean) to the northwest, and to the north and northeast is the Barents Sea (Arctic Ocean). Finnmark is also part of the Lapland region, which spans four countries, as well as the Barents Region. It is the largest and least populated county of Norway. Situated on top of Europe, where Norway swings eastward, Finnmark has always been an area where east meets west - nature as well as culture.

Geography and Nature

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Finnmark is the northern- and easternmost county of Norway (Svalbard is not considered a county). In area, Finnmark is Norway's largest county, and is larger than Denmark. However, with a population of only 73,000, it is also the least populated.
The coast is indented by large fjords, which in a strict sense are false fjords, as they are not carved out by glaciers. Some of Norway's largest sea birds colonies can be seen on the northern coast, the largest are Hjelmsøystauran in Måsøy and Gjesværstappan in Nordkapp. The highest mountains, including Svartfjell (Black mountain, 1218 m, the highest in the county) and glaciers like Øksfjordjøkelen (Øksfjord glacier, 45 km²) and Seilandsjøkelen (Seiland glacier) are located in the western part of Finnmark. The Øksfjord plateu glacier calved directly into the sea (Jøkelfjorden) until 1900, the last glacier in mainland Norway to do so. The central and eastern part of Finnmark is generally less mountainous, and has no glaciers. The land east of Nordkapp is mostly below 300 m. The nature varies from barren coastal areas facing the Barents Sea, to more sheltered fjord areas and river valleys with gullies and tree vegetation. About half of the county is above the tree-line, and large parts of the other half is covered with small Downy birch. The most lush areas are the Alta area and the Tana (river) valleys (), and in the east is the lowland area in the Pasvik valley in Sør-Varanger, where the pine and Siberian spruce forest is considered part of the Russian taiga vegetation (). This valley has the highest density of Brown bears in Norway, and is the only location in the country with a population of musk-rats. Lynx and elk are common in large parts of Finnmark, but rarely on the coast. In the interior is the Finnmarksvidda plateu, with an elevation of 300 - 400 m, with numerous lakes and river valleys, and famous for its tens of thousands of reindeer owned by the Sami, and swarms of mosquitos in mid-summer. Finnmarksvidda makes up 36% of the county's area. Stabbursdalen national park ensures protection for the world's most northern pine forest (). Tanaelva, which partly defines the border with Finland, gives the largest catch of salmon of all rivers in Europe, and also has the world record for Atlantic salmon, 36 kg. In the east, Pasvikelva defines the border with Russia.

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