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Lapland
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The North Cape is an international meeting placeNorth CapeTo get to the North Cape by car, you must take the E-69 from Olderfjord on the E-6. You have to go through the 6800 metres long North Cape Tunnel which is 212 metres below seabed. The North Cape is a cape on the island of Magerøya in northern Norway, in the municipality of Nordkapp. The cliff is 307 m high. It is very steep cliff which is often referred to as the northernmost point of Europe. Its position is 71°10'21"North and 25°47'40"East. The cape is 2102.3 km from the North Pole. (Photo: Wikimedia commons)
But the North Cape is not really the northenmost point of Europe. The neighbouring point to the west, Knivskjellodden, is actually 1,457 metres further north. The North Cape, however, is famous because of its height and its shape. Both of these points are on an island, the Mageroya (The Meagre Island).
HistoryThe North Cape was named by the English explorer Richard Chancellor in 1553 when he rounded the cape looking for a Northeast passage to East Asia and Pacific America. After Mr. Chancellor described the cape, some famous people climbed the steep cliff from sea level. The most famous were King Oscar II of Sweden/Norway in 1873 and Thailand's King Chulalongkorn in 1907. In 1943, the Battle of North Cape was fought in the Arctic Ocean off this cape.Major attractionThe North Cape itself is a major attraction of Lapland. Inside the Nordkapphallen (North Cape Hall) built inside the cliff. From there you'll have a panoramic view towards the north. Hopefully you'll see the midnight sun from there. There are exhibits of the history of the Cape, including a Thai museum commemorating King Chulalongkorn's voyage to the cold shores of Norwegian Lapland. The supervideograph is well worth watching even if it is quite expensive. Inside the cliff there is even an ecumenical chapel called St. John's Chapel.BirdwatchingAt Gjesvar you can go on a boat trip to the Gjesvarstappan, where you can observe one of Norway's largest groups of puffins and kittiwakes. The puffins are easily recognized by their colourful bills and nests in holes in grassy hills. Read more about birdwatching at Gjesvar in the North Cape's neighbouring village. See Gjesvar map.ResourcesRead more about what to do and see once you are in the North Cape area. Take a look at some pictures from the North Cape.
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