People have lived in this area as far back as 10,300 years ago. The sea was probably the main food supplier for this prehistoric settlement. Indeed, the ice-free ocean (southwestern part of the Barents Sea) provides rich fisheries even today, and tourism is also important. Even at 71�N, many private gardens in Honningsv�g have trees, although rarely more than 3 � 4 m tall.
Hurtigruten has one of its main stops in Honningsv�g on its lengthy route along the Norwegian coast from Kirkenes in the north to Bergen the south. From 12:45 am to 05:15 pm the ships dock in the port of Honningsv�g, generating heavy tourist activity in the city. The famous dog Bamse came from Honningsv�g.
The Norse form of the name was probably *Hornungsv�gr. The first element is then the genitive case of a disappeared name of a mountain: *Hornungr. This (hypothetical) name could have been an older name of the mountain Storefjell (literally just 'big mountain' - a tall and hornlike mountaintop near Honningsv�g), and it is then derived from the word horn 'horn'. The last element is v�gr 'bay'. The full meaning of the name is then 'the bay lying beneath the mountain *Hornungr '.
The status of Honningsv�g as a city is a point of contention between the inhabitants of Honningsv�g and Hammerfest which many foreigners may find strange, given the small size of both of these places. In Norwegian the word 'by' can mean both town and city and Norwegian does not distinguish between the terms in the same way as English or other languages do. The translation of the word into English is thus ambiguous and can be chosen as one sees fit. If both Hammerfest and Honningsv�g were to be defined according to British tradition, neither of them would be considered cities, as neither has a university or a cathedral. Both of them would, however, be considered towns, given the status of both settlements as economic hubs of the surrounding areas and the status as municipal centers
