Vardø Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The town Vardø in the extreme northeast of Norway, in the county of Finnmark, has 2,586 inhabitants as of January 1, 2002. The municipality covers 601 km².
The port on the Barents Sea remains ice-free year round due to the warm North Atlantic drift. The town is a stop of Norway's Hurtigruten ferry service. Vardø is the northern termination of European route E75, which starts in Sitia.
Fishing and seafood processing remain Vardø's major income sources, although tourism is starting to become an important economic factor.
Vardø is usually referred to as Norway's only mainland town in the Arctic climate zone, although this is not entirely correct since the town is located on an island about 2km off the coast. The island is connected to the mainland via an undersea tunnel (Norway's first such structure); the town's airport and the settlement of Svartnes are located on the mainland opposite the tunnel entrance. Vardø's tourist attractions include Vardøhus Festning, a fortress dating back to the late 13th century, several bird colonies and remnants of German fortifications from WW2.
Vardøhus Festning is home to two sorbus trees which are diligently nurtured and warmed in winter since these trees cannot normally survive in Vardø's cold climate. Originally, seven trees were planted in 1960; the one that survived managed to blossom two times, in 1974 and 1981. The tree finally succumbed to cold weather in 2002, but two new saplings have been planted in its place.
Since 1998, the town has housed a radar installation called Globus II. Its official purpose is the tracking of space junk; however, due to the site's close proximity to Russia and an alleged connection between the Globus II system and US anti-missile systems, the site has been the basis for hot controversy in diplomatic and intelligence circles.[1]
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