Andøy is the northernmost municipality in the county of Nordland, Norway. The municipality is located mainly on Andøya, the northernmost island in the archipelago of Vesterålen - 300 km north of the Arctic Circle. The municipality also consists of smaller islands like Bleiksøya, Vomma and Stavaøyan, and part of Andøy is also mainland, bordering Sortland and Kvæfjord.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Business, science and military
4 Communication

[edit] History

The village of Andenes has been an important fishing village since the iron age, and today it is the starting point of whale safaris (whale watching) to see the sperm whales off the island that migrate here in the summer.

[edit] Geography

The bird cliffs of Bleiksøya, directly on the Atlantic, are spectacular. The midsection of the island consists of marshes, known for their arctic cloudberries. The island is also the only place in continental Norway where coal and fossils from dinosaurs are to be found.

[edit] Business, science and military

Andenes is still a thriving fishing village and enjoys a number of tourists every year.

Andøya Air Station is located next to Andenes. It is the home of 333 Squadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force and houses all P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft in the Norwegian armed forces.

Andøya Rocket Range is a civilian facility for launching sounding rockets, located a few kilometres south of Andenes.