Senja is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; sme, Romsa ja Finnmárku ; fkv, Tromssa ja Finmarkku; fi, Tromssa ja Finnmark, lit. Troms and Finnmark in English), is a county in northern Norway that was established on 1 January 2020 as the result of a regional reform. ...

county,

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 Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It was established on 1 January 2020 when the municipalities of

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...

Lenvik Lenvik ( sme, Leaŋgáviika) is a former municipality that was located in the old Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020. The municipality was partly situated on the mainland and partly on the isla ...

, Torsken, and Tranøy were merged into one municipality. It is located in the traditional district of

Hålogaland Hålogaland was the northernmost of the Norwegian provinces in the medieval Norse sagas. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hålogaland was a kingdom extending between the Namdalen valley in Trøndelag county and the Lyngen fjord ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of

Finnsnes Finnsnes () is a small town that is the administrative centre of Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The town is located on the mainland part of Norway, just across the Gisundet strait from the island of Senja. The Gisund ...

. The municipality includes all of the island of Senja, the smaller surrounding islands, and part of the mainland between the Gisundet strait and the Malangen fjord. The municipality is the 40th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Senja is the 84th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 14,738. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

is and its population has increased by 0.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

In March 2017, the Parliament of Norway voted to merge the municipalities of

, Torsken,

, and Tranøy. The new municipality was established on 1 January 2020 as ''Senja Municipality'' ( no, Senja kommune).

Etymology

The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

form of the name must also 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 Proto-Norse (also called Ancient Nordic, Ancient Scandinavian, Ancient Norse, Primitive Norse, Proto-Nordic, Proto-Scandinavian and Proto-North Germanic) was an Indo-European language spoken in Scandinavia that is thought to have evolved as a ...

form of the word ''Sandijōn'' meaning "(area) of sand" or "sandy island".

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was approved for use starting on 1 January 2020. It is blue with a white outline of the Okshornan mountain with a green depiction of the northern lights above the mountain.

Churches

The Church of Norway has four parishes () within the municipality of Senja. It is part of the

Senja prosti 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 archipelago). It has a wild, mountainous outer (western) side facing the Atlantic, and a mild ...

( deanery) in the

Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland Nord-Hålogaland ( no, Nord-Hålogaland bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers the Church of Norway churches in Troms og Finnmark county as well as in the territory of Svalbard. The diocese is seated in the city of Trom ...

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Senja, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

and other social services,

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

representatives, which in turn elects a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The municipality falls under the Senja District Court and the

Hålogaland Court of Appeal The Hålogaland Court of Appeal ( no, Hålogaland lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Tromsø. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark as ...

Municipal council

The

of Senja is made up of 45 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Geography

The island of Senja is located along the

Troms Troms (; se, Romsa; fkv, Tromssa; fi, Tromssa) is a former county in northern Norway. On 1 January 2020 it was merged with the neighboring Finnmark county to create the new Troms og Finnmark county. This merger is expected to be reversed by t ...

county coastline with

as the closest town. Senja is connected to the mainland by the Gisund Bridge. The municipalities located on Senja are

(part of which is on the mainland),

, Torsken, and Tranøy. The northern coasts of Senja faces the open sea, the western coast faces the islands of

Andøya Andøya is the northernmost island in the Vesterålen archipelago, situated about inside the Arctic circle. Andøya is located in Andøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The main population centres on the island include the villages of ...

and

Krøttøya Krøttøya is an island in Harstad Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The island is the northernmost inhabited island in the Andfjorden. It is located in the Meløyvær archipelago, consisting of 365 small islands, with over 20 wh ...

, the southern coast faces the islands of

Andørja Andørja is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1926 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in the northeastern half of the present-day Ibestad Municipality. It encompassed the entire island ...

and Dyrøya. On the western coast, steep and rugged mountains rise straight from the sea, with some fishing villages (like Gryllefjord, 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 agriculture land. Senja is often referred to as "Norway in miniature", as the island's diverse scenery reflects almost the entire span of Norwegian nature. Senja is known domestically for its natural environment, and is marketed as a tourist attraction.

Climate

Climate data from the village of Gibostad on the eastern shore of the island, facing the mainland during the base period of 1961–1990. The western side of the island, facing the Norwegian Sea, will have slightly milder but more windy winters.

Attractions

Among the sights of the island are Ånderdalen National Park with coastal

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

forests and mountains, traditional fishing communities, and 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 A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...

. The southernmost municipality Tranøy also has several small museums documenting local history, among these the Halibut Museum ("Kveitmuseet") in Skrolsvik.

Notable people

* Anders Olsen (1718 on the island of Senja - 1786) a trader, explorer and colonial administrator *

Bjarne Daniel Solli Bjarne Daniel Solli (7 November 1910 – 22 October 1989) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Lenvik. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Troms in 1954, and was re-elected on one occasion. Solli was ...

(1910 in Lenvik – 1989) politician, Mayor of Lenvik 1945-1953 *

Arvid Nergård Arvid Halgeir Nergård (11 April 1923 – 23 November 2006) was a Norwegian bishop in the Church of Norway. He was born in Lenvik, Norway in 1923. He received a degree in agronomy in 1943 and the cand.theol. degree in 1952. He served as cura ...

(1923 in Lenvik – 2006) Bishop of Nord-Hålogaland in Tromsø 1979-1990 * Per Kleiva (1931 in Torsken – 2017) a Norwegian painter and graphic artist * Ottar Brox (born 1932 in Torsken) an authority in social science, academic and politician *

Arvid Hanssen Arvid Hanssen (28 July 1932 – 31 July 1998) was a Norwegian journalist, newspaper editor, poet, novelist and children's writer. Biography Hanssen was born in Vika at Indre Senja in Troms. He completed Finnsnes High School in 1948. He grad ...

(1932–1998) newspaper editor, poet and novelist; his bust stands in Finnsnes * Hans Kristian Eriksen (1933–2014) a non-fiction writer, magazine editor, novelist and short story writer & schoolteacher on the island of Senja 1954-1978 * Geir-Inge Sivertsen (born 1965) an engineer and politician, Mayor of Lenvik 2011-2019 *

Maria Haukaas Mittet Maria Haukaas Mittet (née Storeng, born 3 August 1979) also known as simply Maria is a Norwegian recording artist. She gained national recognition in 2004 for her participation in the ''Idol'' reality television series, and international recogn ...

(born 1979 in Finnsnes) singer at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest * Andreas Amundsen (born 1980 on the island of Senja) a Norwegian jazz bassist * Pål Moddi Knutsen (born 1987 in Senja), stage name ''

Moddi Pål Moddi Knutsen (born 18 February 1987 in Senja), known by the artist name Moddi, is a Norwegian musician, author and activist, whose contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest or social justice. Background Pål Knutsen grew up o ...

'', is a musician, author and activist

Sport

* Harald Vassboten (1893 in Lenvik – 1973) a sport wrestler, competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics * Christer Johnsgård (born 1987 in Silsand) a footballer, with over 175 club caps * Lars Gunnar Johnsen (born 1991 in Silsand) a footballer, with over 200 club caps

Media 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, Norway, Kistefjellet i Lenvik (3).jpg, View from Gibostad towards Kistefjellet on the mainland Senja(4).jpg, Seashore on the Senja island in Norway Okshornan Senja.JPG, Ersfjorden and near mountains Silsand1.JPG, Silsand Okshornan from Tungeneset, 2015 September - 3.jpg, Okshornan peaks viewed from Tungeneset

References

{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark 2020 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 2020