Finnmark

county, Norway

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June 26, 2026

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Finnmark is a county in northern Norway, encompassing the vast, swampy plain known as the Finnmarksvidda. This region, characterized by numerous lakes and bogs, is sparsely populated, with the majority of inhabitants being Sami people, many of whom are involved in reindeer herding. The Finnmarksvidda is drained by river systems flowing north to the Arctic Ocean, including the Altaelva and the Anarjohka, which forms part of the border with Finland. The area also includes national parks, such as Øvre Anar River National Park, which features low hills, birch and pine forests, and is a winter grazing ground for domesticated reindeer.1

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Treaty of Novgorod
…was then generally known as Finnmark (including the present Norwegian province of Finnmark and Russia’s Kola Peninsula). The treaty, rather than delimiting a clear frontier between Norway and Novgorod, created a buffer zone, the “common districts.” The buffer zone offered Norway and Novgorod taxing rights over the indigenous Sami and…
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…was then generally known as Finnmark (including the present Norwegian province of Finnmark and Russia’s Kola Peninsula). The treaty, rather than delimiting a clear frontier between Norway and Novgorod, created a buffer zone, the “common districts.” The buffer zone offered Norway and Novgorod taxing rights over the indigenous Sami and…
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Kalmar War
…claimed sovereignty over the old Finnmark region, a strategic point along the Atlantic–White Sea trade route that had long provided the Danish-Norwegian kings with fish and furs. Growing Swedish power in the eastern Baltic and the development of the Swedish port of Gothenburg beyond the Danish Sound (Øresund) were additional…
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…claimed sovereignty over the old Finnmark region, a strategic point along the Atlantic–White Sea trade route that had long provided the Danish-Norwegian kings with fish and furs. Growing Swedish power in the eastern Baltic and the development of the Swedish port of Gothenburg beyond the Danish Sound (Øresund) were additional…
Read More