or 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 A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of

Tana bru Tana bru ( sme, Deanušaldi) is the administrative centre of Deatnu-Tana Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village lies on the western bank of the Tana River, along the European route E6 highway. The village has a popul ...

. Among the other villages in the municipality are Austertana, Bonakas,

Polmak Polmak ( and ) is a village in Tana Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county in Norway. The village is located on the south shore of the river Tana, just east of the border with Finland (and the northernmost point of Finland). The village ...

Rustefjelbma Rustefjelbma ( sme, Ruostefielbmá) is a village in Deatnu-Tana Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located along the Tana River, about south of the mouth of the river at the Tanafjorden. The village of Bonakas ...

, and

Skiippagurra Skiippagurra is a village in Deatnu-Tana Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located to the east of the Tana River, approximately south of the municipal centre, Tana bru Tana bru ( sme, Deanušaldi) is the admi ...

. The municipality is the 5th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Deatnu-Tana is the 236th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,821. 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 decreased by 2.6% over the previous 10-year period. Regarding the

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''Biota (ecology ...

- in 2022 there had been at least one bear; one bear was eliminated (by government order) because deaths of sheep were attributed to at least one bear.

Name

''Tana'' is a Norwegianized form of the

Northern Sami Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

name ''Deatnu''. The Sami name is identical with the Sami word ''deatnu'' which means "great

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

" or "main river", referring to the main river ( Tana River) which runs through the municipality. Prior to 1918, the name was written "Tanen". On 1 September 1992, the name of the municipality was changed to "Deatnu-Tana" to symbolize the two official languages in the municipality. Then in 2005, the name was again changed such that either ''Deatnu'' or ''Tana'' can be used.

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 granted on 11 May 1984. The arms show three typical low

riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury un ...

s used for centuries in the area. The three boats symbolise the Sami, Finns, and Norwegians that live in this border municipality. The colours are the Norwegian colours.

History

The municipality of Tana was established on 1 January 1864 when the eastern part of the large municipality of

Lebesby Lebesby ( sme, Davvesiida and fkv, Lebespyy) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kjøllefjord. Other villages in the municipality include Ifjord, Kunes, Lebesb ...

was separated to become a new municipality with a population of 1,388. The original municipality included all the land on both sides surrounding the

Tanafjorden The Tanafjord or Tanafjorden ( sme, Deanuvuotna) is a large fjord in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the municipalities of Tana, Gamvik, and Berlevåg. Its orientation is mainly north–south, reaching approximately from the sm ...

and the Tana River. On 1 January 1914, the municipality of Tana was divided into three parts. The southern part (population: 1,426) remained as (a smaller) Tana Municipality. The northern part of the municipality was divided by the Tanafjorden with the western side becoming

Gamvik Municipality ( sme, Gáŋgaviika) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mehamn. The other main villages in Gamvik include Gamvik and Skjånes. Gamvik is known as one of the ...

(population: 1,374) and the eastern side becoming Berlevåg Municipality (population: 784). On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipality of

(population: 1,072), which had separated from

Nesseby Municipality or (also unofficially ''Uuniemi'' in Kven language, Kven) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Varangerbotn ...

on 1 January 1903, was merged into Tana. Tana Municipality marks the furthest Soviet advance into Nazi-occupied Norway. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed

county. Previously, it had been part of the old

Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024. On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...

county.

Economy

In 2013, 29% of the work force was employed in retail, hotels/restaurants and finance; 23% in the

healthcare industry The healthcare industry (also called the medical industry or health economy) is an aggregation and integration of sectors within the economic system that provides goods and services to treat patients with curative, preventive, rehabilitative, ...

and the

social sector The voluntary sector, independent sector, or civic sector is the realm of social activity undertaken by organizations that are non-governmental nonprofit organizations. This sector is also called the third sector, community sector, and nonprofit ...

; 16% in the Secondary sector of the economy; 11% in the

primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any Industry (economics), industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portio ...

; 9% worked in the education sector; the work force totaled 1,401. The most important conomicresources are farmland and oastal areas, mountains and forests or''utmark''; the use of these gives ignificant results relating toagriculture. The world's northernmost dairy is '' Tine Tana'', and it employs around 30 people.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes () within the municipality of Tana. It is part of the Indre Finnmark prosti ( 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 Deatnu-Tana, 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 ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect 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

Indre Finnmark District Court Indre Finnmark District Court ( no, Indre Finnmark tingrett or sme, Sis-Finnmárkku diggegoddi) was a district court in Finnmark county, Norway. The court was based in the village of Tana Bru. The court existed from 2004 until 2021. It served th ...

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 Deatnu-Tana is made up of 19 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

Deatnu-Tana is situated along the lower river basin of the Tana River, which borders

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

along most of its course. People live in small settlements along the river, notably Sirma,

Seida Sociedad Española de Importación y Distribución de Automóviles (S.E.I.D.A. or, more commonly, Seida) was a Spanish cars and trucks dealer and coachbuilder that later evolved into making integral chassisless motorcoaches. In 1998, it was subsume ...

, Austertana, and

. Most inhabitants of Tana are Sami people, and the

Sami language Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

and culture are today promoted by the municipality and the schools. The river Tana has represented a mainstay in the economy, as it is one of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

's main

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...

rivers, and it empties into the

. River transportation is traditionally done by long, narrow river boats, that are still in use, albeit motorized. Lakes in this area include Geassájávri, Nissojávri, and Sundvatnet. At Tana bru, the

Tana Bridge The Tana Bridge ( no, Tana bru) is a bridge that crosses the Tana River in Troms og Finnmark, Norway. It is located in a village also called ''Tana bru''. The bridge was opened for traffic on 15 September 2020. It is a 260 meter long cable-staye ...

(part of European route E6 and

European route E75 European route E 75 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe. The E 75 starts at the town of Vardø in Norway by the Barents Sea and it runs south through Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, ...

) crosses over the Tana River. The nearest airports are Vadsø Airport (about away) and

Kirkenes Airport Kirkenes Airport ( no, Kirkenes lufthavn; ) is an international airport located at Høybuktmoen, west of the town of Kirkenes, in the municipality of Sør-Varanger, Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, the ai ...

(about away). Kirkenes Airport (but not Vadsø) has direct flights to

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

Birdlife

With the Tana River flowing through wild and spectacular

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

, the municipality of Tana has one of the most spectacular gatherings in Norway. As many as 25,000

goosander The common merganser (North American) or goosander (Eurasian) (''Mergus merganser'') is a large seaduck of rivers and lakes in forested areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. The common merganser eats mainly fish. It nests in holes in trees. ...

s can accumulate along the Tana waterway system. Add to this, thousands of

common eider The common eider (pronounced ) (''Somateria mollissima''), also called St. Cuthbert's duck or Cuddy's duck, is a large ( in body length) sea-duck that is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia. It breed ...

and

long-tailed duck The long-tailed duck (''Clangula hyemalis''), formerly known as oldsquaw, is a medium-sized sea duck that breeds in the tundra and taiga regions of the arctic and winters along the northern coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is th ...

, then you have one of the largest concentrations of wildfowl in Norway.

Climate

Tana has a subarctic climate ( Dfc) with long, cold winters and short cool summers.

Notable people

* Halvdan Wexelsen Freihow (1883 in Tana – 1965) a Norwegian priest and culturist * Per Fokstad (1890 in Tana – 1973) a teacher, politician, and intellectual of Sami origin *

Kathrine Johnsen Kathrine Johnsen (22 October 1917–25 June 2002) was a Norwegian Sámi teacher and employed at public broadcasting service NRK Sápmi. She is a pivotal figure in the promotion and support of Sámi languages and culture in the post-World War I ...

(1917 in Tana – 2002) a Sámi teacher and worked for

NRK Sápmi NRK Sápmi (previously NRK Sámi Radio) is a unit of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) that streams news and other programs in the Sami language for broadcast to the Sami people of Norway via radio, television, and internet. Regular r ...

Kristen Kyrre Bremer Kristen Kyrre Bremer (12 July 1925 – 16 May 2013) was a Norwegian theologian and bishop in the Church of Norway. Education and career Bremer was born in Tana, Norway in 1925. Bremer received his cand.theol. degree in 1953 in the Faculty of T ...

(1925 in Tana – 2013) theologian and bishop in the Church of Norway *

Nils Utsi Nils Reidar Utsi (22 July 1943 – 1 January 2019) was a Norwegian Sámi actor, stage director and film director. Biography He worked for the theatres Den Nationale Scene in Bergen, Hålogaland Teater, which he also cofounded, and Beaivváš S� ...

(1943 in Tana – 2019) a Norwegian Sámi actor, stage director and film director IMDb Database
retrieved 16 August 2020 * Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen (born 1998 in Tana) a Norwegian Sami musician

Writers

* Reidar Hirsti (1925 in Tana – 2001) a newspaper editor, politician and author of books about historical or Sami topics *

Nils Jernsletten Nils Johannes (Juho-Niillas) Jernsletten (14 September 1934; Tana, Norway – 20 May 2012) was a professor of Sámi at University of Tromsø, and editor of Sámi newspaper Ságat (1964-1966.) In 2005, he was made a Commander of the Royal Norweg ...

(1934 in Tana – 2012) a professor of Sámi at

University of Tromsø The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (Norwegian: ''Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet''; Northern Sami: ''Romssa universitehta – Norgga árktalaš universitehta'') is a state university in Norway an ...

and editor of Sámi newspaper

Ságat ''Ságat'' is a Sámi newspaper written in Norwegian that is published in Leavdnja, Finnmark, Norway. History and profile ''Ságat'' was founded in Vadsø in 1957 and moved to Leavdnja in 1981, where it still is based today. It maintains office ...

* Marry A. Somby (born 1953 in Tana) a Sami author * Hanne Ørstavik (born 1969 in Tana ) is a Norwegian writer *

Siri Broch Johansen Siri Broch Johansen (born 9 March 1967) is a Sami author, singer, and textbook author from Tana, Finnmark. She is also language leader at the Samisk Nærings- og Utredningssenter in Tana. She trains teachers and teaches Sami language and has a ...

(born 1967 in Tana) a Sami author, singer, and textbook author

Sport

Martin Schanche Martin Schanche (born 1 January 1945), nicknamed ''"Mister Rallycross"'', is a Norwegian former racing driver and politician. Biography Schanche was born in Trondheim, as the son of a German WW2 airplane pilot, who lost his life in a plane cr ...

(born 1945), nicknamed ''Mister Rallycross'', a former racing driver and politician, brought up inTana * Sigleif Johansen (born 1948 in Tana) a former Norwegian biathlete * Signe Trosten (born 1970 in Tana) a former Norwegian biathlete * Signe Marie Store (born 1995 in Tana) a Norwegian freestyle wrestler

References

External links

*
Deatnu-Tana
Statistics Norway {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark Sámi-language municipalities 1864 establishments in Norway Populated places of Arctic Norway