Fauske (town)

{{short description|Town in Fauske Municipality, Nordland county, Norway}}

{{Infobox settlement

|official_name = {{native name list|tag1=no|name1=Fauske|tag2=smj|name2=Fuossko}}

|other_name =

|native_name =

|nickname =

|settlement_type = Town/CityIn the Norwegian language, the word by can be translated as "town" or "city".

|image_skyline = Fauske og Finneid fra fly.jpg

|image_caption = View of the town

|image_map = {{Infobox mapframe|zoom=9|marker=town}}

|pushpin_map = Nordland#Norway

|pushpin_label = Fauske

|pushpin_label_position = top

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_type1 = Region

|subdivision_name1 = Northern Norway

|subdivision_type2 = County

|subdivision_name2 = Nordland

|subdivision_type3 = District

|subdivision_name3 = Salten

|subdivision_type4 = Municipality

|subdivision_name4 = Fauske Municipality

|timezone1 = CET

|utc_offset1 = +01:00

|timezone1_DST = CEST

|utc_offset1_DST = +02:00

|established_title = Established as

|established_date =

|established_title1 = Town ({{lang|no|By}})

|established_date1 = 1998

|area_footnotes =

|area_total_km2 = 4.64

|population_as_of = 2023

|population_footnotes =

|population_total = 6252

|population_density_km2 = 1347

|population_demonym = Fauskværing
Fauskeværing

|postal_code_type = Post Code

|postal_code = 8200 Fauske

|coordinates = {{coord|67.2594|15.3933|region:NO_type:city|display=inline,title}}

|elevation_m = 9

|elevation_footnotes = {{Cite web |title=Fauske (Nordland) |url=https://www.yr.no/place/Norway/Nordland/Fauske/Fauske/ |access-date=2019-01-26 |publisher=yr.no}}}}

{{native name|no|{{Audio-nohelp|Fauske.ogg|Fauske}}|italics=off}} or {{native name|smj|Fuossko}}{{Cite web |title=Informasjon om stadnamn |url=https://stadnamn.kartverket.no/fakta/805748 |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=Norgeskart |publisher=Kartverket |language=no}} is a town in Fauske Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is also the administrative centre of Fauske Municipality. The town is located on the shore of the Skjerstad Fjord, about {{convert|60|km}} east of the town of Bodø and about {{convert|40|km}} west of the border with Sweden. The lake Nervatnet lies on the southeast side of the town.{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Fauske – tettstedet |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |url=https://snl.no/Fauske_-_tettstedet |access-date=2019-01-26 |date=2018-09-12 |editor-last=Thorsnæs |editor-first=Geir |language=no}}

The {{convert|4.64|km2|acre|adj=on}} town has a population (2023) of 6,252 and a population density of {{convert|1347|PD/km2}}.{{Cite web |last=Statistisk sentralbyrå |author-link=Statistics Norway |date=2023-12-23 |title=Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality |url=https://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/folketall/statistikk/tettsteders-befolkning-og-areal}}

Fauske was established as a town in 1998 when the municipal council of Fauske Municipality designated it as such. It is the site of the local municipal government. Fauske Church and the Fauske Upper Secondary School are both located in the town as well. A historic area in the town is also part of the Nordland Museum. here are various types of industry in Fauske, especially industries related to the local mining of marble.

Name

The town (originally the municipality and historic Church of Norway parish) is named after the old Fauske farm ({{langx|non|Fauskar}}) since the first Fauske Church was built there in 1867. The name is the plural form of {{lang|non|fauskr}} which means "old and rotten tree".{{Cite book |last=Rygh |first=Oluf |author-link=Oluf Rygh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K21BAAAAIAAJ |title=Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt |publisher=W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri |year=1905 |edition=16 |location=Kristiania, Norge |page=225 |language=no}}

Transportation

The town is a centre of transportation for the region. The junction of the European route E06 and Norwegian National Road 80 highways is located in the town. The Nordlandsbanen railway line also runs through the town, stopping at Fauske Station. Norwegian County Road 830 begins at Fauske and heads southwest to the Sulitjelma area.

Climate

Fauske is located inside the Arctic Circle and it has 24 hours of daylight from early May to the beginning of August, with midnight sun from the beginning of June to the second week of July. The town nearly experiences polar night in December because it has sunrise at 11 am and sunset before noon. Average 24-hour temperatures in Fauske are below freezing from mid-November to the last part of March, but the ice-free Skjerstad Fjord moderates winter temperatures. Summer starts in June with moderate summer temperatures lasting until early September.

Precipitation is heaviest from September to December (usually as snow in December); average annual precipitation is {{convert|1040|mm}}. Daytime temperatures are usually significantly warmer than the 24-hr average from March to September, while there is very little diurnal temperature variation from November to early February as the sun is very low or below the horizon all day. However, temperatures vary considerably with the weather; there might be cool westerly winds with temperatures of {{convert|10|C}} and rain both night and day in July, and the next day might be sunny with daytime temperature reaching {{convert|25|C}}. Southwesterly winds can bring thaws anytime in winter, but not in the mountains, which usually get large amounts of snow in winter—the main reason for the large glaciers and the hydropower in the area.

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|location = Fauske

|Jan mean C=-4.2

|Feb mean C=-3.6

|Mar mean C=-1.7

|Apr mean C=2.1

|May mean C=7.4

|Jun mean C=11.2

|Jul mean C=13.0

|Aug mean C=12.5

|Sep mean C=8.5

|Oct mean C=4.4

|Nov mean C=-0.5

|Dec mean C=-3.0

|year mean C=3.8

|Jan precipitation cm= |Jan precipitation mm=98

|Feb precipitation cm= |Feb precipitation mm=81

|Mar precipitation cm= |Mar precipitation mm=75

|Apr precipitation cm= |Apr precipitation mm=53

|May precipitation cm= |May precipitation mm=45

|Jun precipitation cm= |Jun precipitation mm=53

|Jul precipitation cm= |Jul precipitation mm=78

|Aug precipitation cm= |Aug precipitation mm=79

|Sep precipitation cm= |Sep precipitation mm=110

|Oct precipitation cm= |Oct precipitation mm=147

|Nov precipitation cm= |Nov precipitation mm=105

|Dec precipitation cm= |Dec precipitation mm=116

|year precipitation cm= |year precipitation mm=1040

|source 1= Met.no{{Cite web |title=Temperaturnormaler for Fauske i perioden 1961 - 1990 |url=http://met.no/observasjoner/nordland/normaler_for_kommune_1841.html?kommuner |access-date=4 April 2012 |publisher=Met.no}}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}|date=May 2012}}