Andøya

Andøya is the northernmost island of Vesterålen in Norway Fylke Nordland and part of the municipality Andøy. At the same time, the island is the tenth- largest in the country, with the largest contiguous marsh area of 263 km ². The wealth of cloudberries is proverbial for the island.

General

In addition to the fishing and tourism ( whale watching ), and peat extraction is an important industry. He was in the old days the only fuel on the barren islands of the North.

Connected to Hinnøya and thus the mainland Andøya is over the bridge on the Andøybru Riksvei 82 The bridge spans the Risøysundet near the village of Risøyhamn in the southeast, there also keep the ships of the Hurtigruten. Andenes, which is also administrative center of the commune is located on the northern tip of the island.

Geology

Geologic best known Andøya is for the coal reserves in the Fjell Ramsåfeltet, the only one in Scandinavia with the exception of. Svalbard These deposits come from the time 250 years ago and 90 million years; thus it includes the Triassic and the Cretaceous. The Fjell is also very rich fossil record. As a particular example of this is true of the discovery of a 3 m long ichthyosaur, the so-called ichthyosaurs, from the Jura.

Climate

History

Andøya was inhabited during the Stone Age around what remains of charcoal testify that 11,000 years old. The almost ubiquitous rock paintings along the coast suggest a variety of human activities in the Early Bronze Age.

In the village of Åse, about 40 km south of Andenes, further military Ringwallanlage from the early Iron Age has been unearthed. After Engeløya and Borg, another chief Sits Hålogalands.

Research stations

The strategic location of that time is like today apparently. On the Oksebasis, a rocket launching station, the so-called Andøya Rakettskytefelt also research stations are located, examine the polar lights and the atmosphere. There is even an observatory was built, which penetrates the atmosphere with a particularly strong laser beam and so will always lead to more recent findings. It is also thought to shoot from here small satellites into orbit.

The bases for research and military is also affiliated to an airfield. Everything is located 6 km southwest of Hanford.

From the main town of the midnight sun from 19 May to watch until July 25.