or is an
island in
Troms og Finnmark county,
Norway,
Europe. With an area of ,
it is the
second largest island in
Norway (outside of the
Svalbard
Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...
archipelago). It has a wild, mountainous outer (western) side facing the Atlantic, and a mild and lush inner (eastern) side. The island is located within
Senja Municipality, which was established on 1 January 2020. The island of Senja had 7,864 inhabitants as of 1 January 2017. Most of the residents live along the eastern coast of the island, with
Silsand being the largest urban area on the island. The
fishing village of
Gryllefjord
Gryllefjord is a fishing village in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the island of Senja, along the Gryllefjorden in the northern part of the municipality. The village has a population (2017) of 383 whic ...
on the west coast has a summer-only ferry connection to the nearby island of
Andøya: the
Andenes–Gryllefjord Ferry.
The island sits northeast of the
Vesterålen archipelago, surrounded by the
Norwegian Sea to the northwest, the
Malangen fjord to the northeast, the
Gisundet strait to the east, the
Solbergfjorden
Solbergfjorden is a fjord (or more accurately, a strait) on the southeastern side of the large island of Senja in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It lies in the municipalities of Dyrøy, Sørreisa, and Senja
or is an island in Troms og ...
to the southeast, the
Vågsfjorden to the south, and the
Andfjorden to the west.
Ånderdalen National Park is located in the southern part of the island.
Etymology
The
Old Norse form of the name is believed to have been ''Senja'' or perhaps ''Sændja''. The meaning of the name is unknown, but it might be related to the verb ''sundra'', which means to "tear" or "split apart", possibly because the west coast of the island is torn and split by numerous small fjords. It might also be derived from a
Proto-Norse form of the word ''Sandijōn'', meaning "(area) of sand" or "sandy island".
Geography
The island of Senja is located along the
Troms og Finnmark county coastline with
Finnsnes as the closest town. Senja is connected to the mainland by the
Gisund Bridge. The municipalities located on Senja are
Lenvik (part of which is on the mainland),
Berg,
Torsken, and
Tranøy
Tranøy is a former municipality that was located in the old Troms county, Norway. The municipality is situated on the southern coast of the large island of Senja. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was me ...
.
The northern coasts of Senja face the open sea, the western coast faces the islands of
Andøya and
Krøttøya, and the southern coast faces the islands of
Andørja and
Dyrøya. On the western coast, steep and rugged mountains rise straight from the sea, with some fishing villages (like
Gryllefjord
Gryllefjord is a fishing village in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the island of Senja, along the Gryllefjorden in the northern part of the municipality. The village has a population (2017) of 383 whic ...
and
Husøy) tucked into the small lowland areas between the mountains and the sea. The eastern and southern parts of the island are milder, with rounder mountains, forests, rivers, and agricultural land.
Senja is often referred to as "Norway in miniature", as the island's diverse scenery reflects almost the entire span of Norwegian natural geography. Senja is known domestically for its scenery and is marketed as a tourist attraction.
Climate
Laukhella is near Silsand on Senja island, facing the mainland towards the east. The Eastern part of Senja has an atypical
boreal climate, as the wettest season is autumn and winter, and winters are also milder than typical for this climate. The western part of Senja facing the Norwegian Sea has a more subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) like the Hekkingen lighthouse.
Hekkingen island in Senja municipality is closer to the open sea, has milder winters, and has a subpolar oceanic climate like western Senja.
Older climate data from the village
Gibostad on the eastern shore of the island; facing the mainland, during 1961-1990.
Economy
Naturally, the
fishing industry is dominant on Senja, notably the ''Nergård Group'' at
Senjahopen
Senjahopen or Senjehopen is a village in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Senjahopen is located along the Mefjorden on the northwest part of the large island of Senja, where it is one of the most important fishing village ...
and ''Brødrene Karlsen'' at
Husøy.
Skaland
Skaland is a village in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located on the shores of the Bergsfjorden on the northwest side of the island of Senja, about to the southwest of the village of Senjahopen and abo ...
has some
graphite mining. Another important industry is ArtNord and Tromspotet at Silsand, which specializes in potato and potato products. Sollia has a stair factory and the world's northernmost fibreglass insulation factory, Nicopan AS, which has customers throughout Norway, and exports abroad.
Transportation
The residents of Senja have the
Gisund Bridge as a ferry-free road connection to the mainland across Gisundet to the town of
Finnsnes. The town serves as a trading center for the entire Mid-Troms region, including the island of Senja. The island is also connected with the other towns in the county. At Lysnes on northern Senja, you have a fast boat connection with the
city of Tromsø, a trip that takes about 50 minutes. From the villages of
Flakstadvåg
Flakstadvåg is a village in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located along the Selfjorden on the southwestern part of the island of Senja. It is surrounded by the fjord, mountains, and a marsh. There is one road c ...
and
Skrolsvik
Skrolsvik or Skrollsvika is a village on the southwestern tip of the island of Senja in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located in Senja Municipality, west of the villages of Å and Stonglandseidet. This village has an importa ...
on the west and south side of the island, there are also ferries to the
town of Harstad to the south. During the summer there is a ferry between northern Senja and the island of
Kvaløya, between southern Senja and Harstad, and between
Gryllefjord
Gryllefjord is a fishing village in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the island of Senja, along the Gryllefjorden in the northern part of the municipality. The village has a population (2017) of 383 whic ...
and
Andenes.
Senja has four main roads. The main road is
Norwegian County Road 86
County Road 86 ( no, Fylkesvei 86) is a highway in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The eastern end of the road begins in the village of Andselv (in the Bardufoss area of Målselv Municipality). It then heads west to the Gisund Bridge connecti ...
which crosses the
Gisund Bridge from Finnsnes,
Sørreisa, and
Bardufoss. It extends across the island to
Torsken and
Gryllefjord
Gryllefjord is a fishing village in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the island of Senja, along the Gryllefjorden in the northern part of the municipality. The village has a population (2017) of 383 whic ...
. From
Silsand,
Norwegian County Road 861
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
*Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
*Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including the ...
goes north along Gisundet to
Gibostad and northern Senja.
Norwegian County Road 860 goes from
Stonglandseidet
Stonglandseidet is a village in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village has a population (2001) of 225. The village is home to a grocery store, bank, nursing home, Stonglandet Church, and a public school.
The village ...
to Silsand,
Norwegian County Road 862
County Road 862 ( no, Fylkesvei 862) is a Norwegian county road in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The road is long and it runs between the village of Straumsbotn in Senja Municipality and the city of Tromsø in Tromsø Municipality. Part of ...
goes from Straumsbotn in Berg, via Senjahopen to
Botnhamn in Lenvik.
Governance
In March 2017, the
Parliament of Norway
The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...
voted to merge the municipalities of
Berg,
Torsken,
Lenvik, and
Tranøy
Tranøy is a former municipality that was located in the old Troms county, Norway. The municipality is situated on the southern coast of the large island of Senja. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was me ...
. The new municipality was established on 1 January 2020 as
Senja Municipality ( no, Senja kommune). It is located in the
traditional district of
Hålogaland. The
administrative centre
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located.
In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...
of the municipality became the town of
Finnsnes. The municipality includes all of the islands of Senja, the smaller surrounding islands, and part of the mainland between the
Gisundet strait and the
Malangen fjord.
Attractions
Among the sights of the island are
Ånderdalen National Park, with coastal
pine forests and mountains, traditional fishing communities, and previously the
Senja Troll
The Senja Troll ( no, Senjatrollet) was a tourist attraction in Finnsæter on the island of Senja in northern Norway. It was completely destroyed in a fire on March 28, 2019. The largest troll statue in the world, it was the centerpiece of a famil ...
, the world's largest
troll statue (which burned down 28 March 2019). The southernmost municipality
Tranøy
Tranøy is a former municipality that was located in the old Troms county, Norway. The municipality is situated on the southern coast of the large island of Senja. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was me ...
also has a number of small museums documenting local history, notably the Halibut Museum ("Kveitmuseet") in
Skrolsvik
Skrolsvik or Skrollsvika is a village on the southwestern tip of the island of Senja in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located in Senja Municipality, west of the villages of Å and Stonglandseidet. This village has an importa ...
.
In popular culture
The island of Senja is mentioned in
David Armine Howarth's
World War II book, and true story, ''We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance''. It has a namesake island in the
MMORPG
A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game.
As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...
Tibia.
The Norwegian musician
Moddi comes from the island and his music is said to have been influenced by its beauty.
The Norwegian musician
Biosphere lives in Senja (as of 2018-19) and his album ''The Senja Recordings'',
which was recorded in Senja, refers to several places in Senja (Bergsbotn, Steinfjord, etc.).
Gallery
Bergsfjorden on Senja.jpg, Bergsfjorden, Senja
Senjahusoy.jpg, Husøy, Northern Senja
View from a ridge between Segla and Hesten, Senja, Norway, 2014 August.jpg, View from a ridge between Segla and Hesten, Senja
Kistefjellet i Lenvik (3).jpg, View from Gibostad towards Kistefjellet on the mainland
Senja(4).jpg, Seashore on Senja
Okshornan Senja.JPG, Ersfjorden
Ersfjorden is a fjord in the Tromsø municipality of Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandina ...
and nearby mountains
Silsand1.JPG, Silsand
Okshornan from Tungeneset, 2015 September - 3.jpg, Okshornan peaks viewed from Tungeneset
See also
*
List of islands of Norway
References
External links
*
*
Alpin moro på eventyrøya Senja
{{authority control
Islands of Troms og Finnmark