North Cape (Norway)

The steep cliff of the North Cape is located at , about from the North Pole. Nordkapp is often inaccurately referred to as the northernmost point of Europe. However, the neighbouring Knivskjellodden Cape actually extends further north. Furthermore, both of these points are situated on an island (Magerøya), albeit one connected by road to the mainland. The northernmost point of mainland Europe is located at Cape Nordkinn () which lies about further south and about to the east. That point is located near the village of Mehamn on the Nordkinn Peninsula. The northernmost point of Europe including islands, is hundreds of kilometers further north, either in Russia's Franz Josef Land or Norway's Svalbard archipelago, depending on whether Franz Josef Land is considered to be in Europe or in Asia. The North Cape is the point where the Norwegian Sea, part of the Atlantic Ocean, meets the Barents Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean. The midnight sun can be seen from 14 May to 31 July. The sun reaches its lowest point between 12:14 am and 12:24 am (00:14 and 00:24) during those days. '' at Nordkapp ==Transport==

The North Cape is reached by European route E69 highway through the North Cape Tunnel, an undersea tunnel connecting the island of Magerøya to the mainland. The EuroVelo bicycle routes EV1, EV7 and EV11 connect the North Cape to Sagres, Portugal, Malta and Athens, respectively. Several cruise ships visit the North Cape every year. Honningsvåg is one of the main stops of the Hurtigruten coastal ships. Regular buses run from the nearby town of Honningsvåg to the North Cape (), and coaches meet the many cruise ships that call at the port of Honningsvåg. The nearest airport is Honningsvåg Valan Airport (HVG), which offers several flights to and from Tromsø Langnes International Airport (TOS). Winter It is possible to visit the North Cape during winter, but there is often heavy snow and wind and the last stretch of road is only open for convoys at certain times. Before this, E69 was the only winter-closed E-route in Europe. ==History==

The North Cape was named by the Englishman Steven Borough, captain of the Edward Bonaventure, which sailed past in 1553 in search of the Northeast Passage. Regular coastal steamer routes from Germany to Northern Norway established in this period facilitated these visits, and Thomas Cook & Son began arranging tours to the destination as early as 1875. (The courtcase started in 2021.) As of 2022, admission to the North Cape visitor centre cost per adult [16 years and older] - and 90 for child between 7-years old and 15-years old. Often there is fog (since the plateau is above the common cloud base), which obscures the view. There is no discount for this situation, but the full price ticket is valid for multiple entries within 24 hours. In 2000, and again in 2011, the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment responded to pressure from interest groups and asked Nordkapps VEL, the company that maintains the site, to reduce the admission fee to the plateau. ==Sport and leisure==

The 2009 Trans Europe Foot Race started in Bari, Italy and finished at North Cape. The total distance was . The NorthCape4000 is a bicycle race that finishes at the North Cape. The total distance is around . The first stage of the 2014 Arctic Race of Norway was held on the North Cape on 14 August 2014. The bicycle race started in Hammerfest, finishing on the North Cape and was won by Norwegian, Lars Petter Nordhaug for in a time of 4 hours 51 minutes 3 seconds. Norge På Langs is a classic ski route, which stretches from Lindesnes, the most southerly tip of Norway to Nordkapp in the far north. The record of cycling this distance is 4 days, 22 hours, and 18 minutes which was performed by a group of five men from Rye in Oslo, in July 2003. The E1 European long distance path begins in the North Cape and extends for 7,114 km south to the Mediterranean Sea. ==References==