Hovden is a fishing village in Bø Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located at the northern tip of a peninsula on the island of Langøya, on the west side of the Malnesfjorden. The ocean lies to the north and west of the village. The road that goes to Hovden ends at the village. The habitation of Hovden, on the outermost point on a peninsula of the third-largest island in Norway (Langøya) is because of the closeness to the rich fishing banks off of the Vesterålen archipelago. Fish processing and fishing are the main employment of dwellers in Hovden. Archaeological findings show that Hovden have been populated at least since 400 to 800 CE. The southern and western part of Hovden is referred to as "Malnes". Malnes was the clerical center for the northern part of Bø until Malnes Church was moved from Malnes in 1829 to the village of Eidet. The name of the parish is still called Malnes. History Hovden is a part of a line of old fishing communities in Vesterålen. Between the northern port of Andenes and the southwestern village of Bø there are several communities along the coastline with the common denominator of the closeness to the fishing banks off the Vesterålen archipelago. Hovden is one of these, and have to its advantage good harboring conditions and "clean" seas outside. Most of the coastline has a lot of rocks and skerries, so a good harbor was of vital significance to these communities. Given the long settlement history, to maintain a large population is not possible in Hovden. From the census in 1666, nine men were registered as head of families in Hovden. Including families the total number of people could not have exceeded 60. Agriculture in Hovden has always been limited. The main agricultural activity has been sheep and goat farming. But then as a supplement to the main income source: fishing. Conditions for farming large cattle are poor as the soil does not produce enough grass for larger cattle. Before potatoes came to Northern Norway (before the early 19th century) grains were grown in Hovden, we do not know of the type, but oats and barley have been grown in northern Norway since before the year 1000. The fisheries have been and still are the most important economic activity in Hovden. Several different fisheries are important, but the most significant are the