Honningsvåg is the largest town and administrative center of the Nordkapp municipality. It is located in the southeast of the island of Magerøya in the Norwegian county of Finnmark. The Nordkapp municipality has a total population of approximately 3,200, three-quarters of whom live in Honningsvåg. The next largest town is Nordvågen with around 400 inhabitants. The rest is spread across the villages of Kamøyvær, Skarsvåg, Valan, and Gjesvær, all located on the island of Magarøya. There is also the small town of Kåfjord, located on the mainland near the entrance to the Nordkapp Tunnel. Besides tourism, the most important source of income for the Nordkapp municipality is fishing. Therefore, Honningsvåg is also the training center for the Finnmark fishing industry. In 1944, all the houses on the island, except for the church from 1885, were destroyed by the German Wehrmacht. Reconstruction lasted until 1960. Honningsvåg has called itself the northernmost town in the world since 1996. It lies further north than Hammerfest, which, however, is entitled to the title of northernmost town in Europe due to an agreement. This is because, by law, towns in Norway must have at least 5,000 inhabitants, but Honningsvåg invoked a legal clause stating that town charters, once granted, remain valid. More than 110 cruise ships visit Honningsvåg every year, as passengers wish to visit the North Cape. In Norway, only Bergen and Geiranger are visited more frequently by cruise ships.
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