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Kvænangen ( sme, Návuotna; fkv, Naavuono) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. 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 is the village of
Burfjord Burfjord ( fkv, Puruvuono; sme, Buvrovuotna) is a village that is the administrative centre of Kvænangen Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is home to the municipal council of Kvænangen. The village has a population (2017) ...
. The
European route E6 European route E6 ( no, Europavei 6, sv, Europaväg 6, or simply E6) is the main north-south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and t ...
highway goes through the municipality and over the
Sørstraumen Bridge Sørstraumen Bridge ( no, Sørstraumen bru) is a cantilever bridge that crosses the Sørstraumen in the inner part of the Kvænangen fjord. The bridge lies just west of the village of Sekkemo in Kvænangen Municipality in Troms og Finnmark c ...
, and many people stop at the
Kvænangsfjellet Kvænangsfjellet ( fkv, Naavuononvaara) is a line of mountains along the border of the municipalities of Kvænangen and Nordreisa in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The European route E6 highway traverses the mountains through a mountain pass be ...
pass to view the scenery of the Kvænangen fjord. The municipality is the 32nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kvænangen is the 323rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,159. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 9.7% over the previous 10-year period.


General information

The municipality of Kvænangen was established in 1863 when it was separated from the large
Skjervøy Municipality Skjervøy kommune ( sme, Skiervvá suohkan; fkv, Kieruan komuuni) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Skjervøy on the island of Skjervøya, where most of the inh ...
. The initial population of Kvænangen was 1,677. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the Meiland area (population: 12) of Skjervøy Municipality was transferred to Kvænangen. On 1 January 1972, the uninhabited area of Mannskarvik was transferred from Skjervøy to Kvænanagen. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Troms county.


Name

The municipality is named after the Kvænangen fjord ( Old Norse: ''Kven(a)angr''). The first element is the plural
genitive case In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...
of '' kven'' and the last element is ''angr'' which means " fjord". The district used to be mostly populated by Sámi people.


Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 13 July 1990. The arms show three blue harebells on a gray or white background. The plant is a typical plant for the area with its harsh and cold climate.


Churches

The
Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...
has one parish () within the municipality of Kvænangen. It is part of the Nord-Troms prosti (
deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...
) 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 Tromsø ...
.


History

The municipality surrounds the Kvænangen fjord, after which it is named. The population is primarily of Sami origin, although the Kven population constitutes a sizeable minority. Archeological finds indicate nomadic activity in the area going back 10,000 years. There is evidence that Kværnangen was the site for a transitional state between nomadic and agricultural society through what was known as "siida" - delimited areas where permanent housing was established and natural resources put under stewardship. The Kvens settled in the area in the 18th century, occupying themselves with fishing,
hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
, and agriculture. Over time, fisheries became a primary industry, and the community exported dried fish to southern areas. Ethnic Norwegians gradually immigrated to facilitate trade and administration. Norwegian public policy in the 1930s and post-war years homogenized the three groups, ethnic Norwegians, Sami, and Kven, considerably, to the point that most residents speak Norwegian at home, regardless of their ethnic heritage. A majority of people in Kvænangen declared themselves Sami or Kven in the 1930 census. In the 1950 census, all but a handful declared themselves Norwegian. During the Nazi occupation during World War II, a temporary work camp was established at Kvænangen. In large part due to the generosity of the local population, prisoners had ample food. As the German Wehrmacht retreated in early 1945, the population was evacuated by force, and all buildings were burned. Today, a local museum shows typical reconstruction houses.


Geography

The municipality has coastal and plains geography, extending into Finnmarksvidda. There are mature pine forests in the valley at the head of the fjord, and there are several rivers, the largest of which is Kvænangselva, which is traditionally a good salmon-fishing river. The Øksfjordjøkelen glacier is located in the northern part of the municipality on the border with
Loppa Loppa ( sme, Láhppi and fkv, Lappea) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Øksfjord. Other villages in Loppa include Andsnes, Bergsfjord, Langfjordhamn, Loppa, ...
. It's the ninth largest glacier in mainland Norway. The lake
Šuoikkatjávri Šuoikkatjávri is a lake in the municipalities of Kvænangen and Kautokeino-Guovdageaidnu in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of ...
is located in the southern part of the municipality on the border with
Kautokeino Kautokeino ( no, Kautokeino; se, Guovdageaidnu ; fkv, Koutokeino; fi, Koutokeino) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino. Other villages ...
. The
Langfjordjøkelen Langfjordjøkelen ( sme, Bártnatvuonjiehkki) is a glacier that is located in Troms og Finnmark county in Norway, making it one of the northernmost glaciers on the mainland of Norway. The glacier is located on the border of Loppa Municipality and ...
is another glacier in northern Kvænangen. There are several islands in the fjord that are part of Kvænangen municipality: Skorpa,
Spildra or is an island in Kvænangen Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The island lies in the middle of the Kvænangen fjord, about north of the island of Skorpa. The island has a population (2021) of 23 people, with everyone living ...
, and Nøklan.


Climate

Kvænangen has a boreal climate with mild winters for this climate type, and very moderate precipitation with little variation between the seasons. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Dfc". (Continental Subarctic Climate).Climate Summary for Nordstraum (closest city on record to Kvænangen)
/ref> The all-time high temperature is recorded 7 July 2021; the all-time low is recorded 6 February 2012. Norwegian Meteorological Institute has been operating a weather station in Nordstraum in Kvænangen since 1965.


Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Kvænangen, are responsible for
primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...
(through 10th grade), outpatient
health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...
, senior citizen services, unemployment and other
social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...
, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the
Nord-Troms District Court Nord-Troms District Court ( no, Nord-Troms tingrett) was a district court located in the city of Tromsø in Troms county, Norway. The court served the part of the county located north of the Malangen fjord, plus the territory of Svalbard. This ...
and the HÃ¥logaland Court of Appeal.


Municipal council

The municipal council of Kvænangen is made up of 15 representatives that are elected every four years. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:


Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Kvænangen include: *
Anders Larsen Anders Larsen (December 2, 1870 – December 10, 1949) was a Sami teacher, journalist, and writer. Larsen was born in Seglvik in the municipality of Kvænangen, Norway. His parents were Sea Sami. After working as a primary school teacher in the ...
(1870–1949), Sami teacher, journalist and author *
Jafet Lindeberg Jafet Lindeberg (September 12, 1874 – November 5, 1962) was a gold prospector and co-founder of the city of Nome, Alaska. Background Jafet Isaksen Lindeberg was born in Kvænangen, Troms county, in Norway. In his youth, he tried prospecti ...
(1873–1962), a gold prospector and co-founder of
Nome, Alaska Nome (; ik, Sitŋasuaq, ) is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of Alaska, United States. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,699 recorded ...
* Gunnar Kaasen (1882–1960), Norwegian-American musher, helped the
1925 serum run to Nome The 1925 serum run to Nome, also known as the Great Race of Mercy and The Serum Run, was a transport of diphtheria antitoxin by dog sled relay across the U.S. territory of Alaska by 20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs across in days, saving th ...
*
Hans Eng Hans Eng (22 March 1907 – 18 May 1995) was a Norwegian physician and Nazi collaborator during World War II. World War II In 1940 he called for Norwegian soldiers in the Norwegian Campaign to lay down their weapons. He volunteered for front ...
(1907–1995) a Norwegian physician and Nazi collaborator during World War II *
Steinar Eriksen Steinar Eriksen (born 22 May 1939) is a Norwegian businessperson and politician for the Conservative Party. He was a two-term MP. He was born in Kvænangen. After taking his realartium at ''Finnmark offentlige gymnas'' in 1958 he studied at BI ...
(born 1939), Norwegian businessperson and politician *
Odd Rikard Olsen Odd Rikard Olsen (18 June 1947 – 10 April 2012) was a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician for the Conservative Party. He was born in Tromsø and grew up in Kvænangen Municipality. After the examen artium he started working as an office ...
(1947–2012), Norwegian newspaper editor and politician *
Eva M. Nielsen Eva Margaret Nielsen (born 7 March 1950 in Kvænangen) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнма ...
(born 1950), Norwegian politician * Torgeir Johnsen, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1967), Norwegian politician


References


External links


Municipal fact sheet
from
Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every yea ...
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kvaenangen Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark Populated places of Arctic Norway 1863 establishments in Norway