Nuorgam | Exploring Finland

The village of Nuorgam lies in the far north of Finland, far within the Arctic Circle. Well, this is as far north as you will be able to go in Finland. The village is at the northernmost point of Finland, which also makes it the northernmost village in the European Union. Just on the other side of the Tana River is Norway.

It is a part of Utsjoki Municipality in Finnish Lapland, a bilingual area of Finland. It is not only Finnish being spoken here, but also Northern Sámi. The village name in Northern Sámi is Njuorggán. This is an active village with a population of around 210 inhabitants, living along a stretch of around four kilometers of the road leading up to the border crossing with Norway. The number of raindeers is, however, a lot higher.

The village has become known as a commercial center along the border. There are plenty of services and shops located here, especially considering the number of inhabitants. Numbers from 2011 provide some insight into how important cross-border trade is for the village. The village had at the time the highest alcohol sales per capita for the whole of Finland, five times the national average.

A Short History of Nuorgam

The first known settlers of Nuorgam came from Polmak in northern Norway in the 18th century. The village location on the Swedish side of the Sweden-Norway border was established in 1751, making the village the northernmost point of Sweden until 1809. It became the northernmost point of Finland when the country lost the Petsamo Province to the Soviet Union in 1944. With Finland joining the European Union in 1995 the village of Nuorgam became the northernmost village within the union.

Things to Do and See

Nuorgam is one of those extreme points in Europe that might not look like much to the naked eye. Instead, it is the feeling of knowing that you have reached the furthestmost point of something. In this case, it is the furthestmost point of a country and a union. But it is at the same time also a gateway to the Arctic even further north. There are more than the Aurora, the Northern Lights, that attract this far north.

In addition to Arctic adventures, there is a lot to explore in Nuorgam. Hiking is one of the possibilities, fishing is another. Along the road towards Utsjoki, there is also the open-air museum of Välimaa for anyone wanting to learn more about the Sámi people. There is also the cultural road between Nivajoki and Alajalve, classified as a museum road in Finland, that was once used to get passed the rapids of the Tana River.

How to Get to Nuorgam

• Flights: The nearest airport is Vadsø Airport (VDS) in Norway, but there is Ivalo Airport (IVL) to the south in Finland.
• Car: Nuorgam lies at the eastern end of Road 970, to the east of Utsjoki.

The driving distance from 5 major Finnish cities, according to Google Maps:

• Helsinki – 1388 kilometers (15 h 10 min)
• Turku – 1332 kilometers (15 h 40 min)
• Vaasa – 1033 kilometers (12 h 20 min)
• Oulu – 715 kilometers (8 h 40 min)
• Joensuu – 1043 kilometers (12 h 10 min)

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