Where in the World is Asking Dr. LJ?

[bluegargantua]

Hey,

Before I break down and suffer the shame of asking a real person from Sweden (which is just like asking a guy from Norway), I wonder if my latte-sipping NPR's The World Geo-Quiz listening audience might have a suggestion.

I'm looking for an actual human settlement that meets the following criteria:

1.) Is North of the arctic circle (or right close to it).
2.) Has been inhabited since the Viking period right up to the present day (so we're probably talking about a place in modern-day Norway or one of its territories).
3.) Can only be reached by boat or plane, but usually boat and not terribly frequently even then. (i.e. wicked isolated)
4.) Fairly small population (although given the previous criteria, that's almost a given).

I was looking at Gamvik, but you can actually drive there. There are some islands north of Norway (that are owned by it) that might suffice, but a wikipedia/google search is a bit thin on details about what might be up there.

DO IT ROCKAPELLA!
Tom

Comments

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

The continuous inhabitation thing is tricky, though the other things seem pretty easy to identify.

[bluegargantua]

Well...yes and no. Most places I've looked at appear to have had continuous inhabitation (or close to it). One town was burned to the ground by the Nazis when they evacuated at the close of WWII. Norway wanted to resettle the inhabitants, but they refused and built shelters out of the wooden planks used in the construction of the runway. Tough people the Norse.

later
Tom

[agthorr.livejournal.com]

Iceland is too big, I take it?

How about the Faroe Islands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faroe_Islands)? Too far south? (62 degrees N)

[bluegargantua]

Yeah, Iceland is too connected.

The Faroe's might do in a pinch, I've considered them.

later
Tom

[satyrgrl.livejournal.com]

Are you looking for a place to build your zombie apocalypse survival compound?

[spiritseeker.livejournal.com]

Sur-Pellinki, Finland is too far south and is now connected to the mainland by a roadway, though some other islands in the archipelago might work. Oland, Sweeden is a little more remote, but still too far south. Hailuto, Finland would work, but it isn't quite above the Arctic circle. Vega, Donna, Meloy and some of the other Norweigan coastal islands are all good possibilities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vega,_Norway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel%C3%B8y

Good luck. Most people don't want to live full time on tiny isolated islands above the arctic circle.

[spiritseeker.livejournal.com]

There is also Vaeroy and Rost:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A6r%C3%B8y
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B8st

Evidence for continuous habitation is sketchier, but exists.