Sun Won't Set in This Time-Free Norwegian Island Sommarøy for 69 Days; All You Need to Know
With Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice to begin from June 21, Sommarøy, a village in Norway, which means 'Summer Island' wants to replace its watches with flower garlands.
An island in northern Norway could become the world's first time-free zone. With Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice to begin from June 21, Sommarøy, a village in Norway, which means 'Summer Island' wants to replace its watches with flower garlands, thus becoming the world's time-free zone. In this Norwegian island located in the western part of Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, north of the Arctic Circle, the sun doesn't set from May 18 to July 26, for 69 days. From November to January, the sun does not rise at all on this island. 5 Summer Destinations That You Can Visit in This Beautiful Continent Filled With Nature's Bounty!
CNN quoted islander Kjell Ove Hveding as saying in a statement, "There's constantly (sic) daylight, and we act accordingly. In the middle of the night, which city folk might call '2 a.m.,' you can spot children playing soccer, people painting their houses or mowing their lawns, and teens going for a swim."
Locals of the island met for a town hall meeting to sign a petition for a time-free zone. Hveding met with a Norwegian member of parliament and handed over signatures of the locals which details the practical and legal challenges of the initiative. He says, "To many of us, getting this in writing would simply mean formalizing something we have been practising for generations."
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They would be free from traditional opening hours and flexible hours would be introduced in schools. The island has just a little more than 300 people with the main industries being fishing and tourism. Hveding report states that the local fishermen and women spend hours together fishing as the sun does not set.
People who go to the island from the mainland are greeted with padlocks symbolising love locks on bridges. The bridge is covered with watches, as people enter the land to forget time. The Norwegian tourism board are expecting a spike in tourism with the unique natural occurrence of the land.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2019 01:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).