Porsanger komm.svg

Porsanger ( se, Porsáŋgu; fkv, Porsanki) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lakselv. Other villages in the municipality include Børselv, Brenna, Indre Billefjord, Kistrand, Olderfjord, and Skoganvarre.

The municipality is the 3rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Porsanger is the 204th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,904, many of whom have a Kven (Kainu) or Sami background. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 1.1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of ''Kistrand'' (renamed ''Porsanger'' in 1964) was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1851, the southern part of Kistrand (population: 869) was separated to become the new Kautokeino Municipality. On 1 January 1861, the northern part of Kistrand (population: 345) was separated to become the new Kjelvik Municipality. On 1 January 1866, the southern part of Kistrand (population: 515) was separated to become the new Karasjok Municipality.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county.

Name

The municipality was originally named Kistrand, after the farm where the main parish church (Kistrand Church) was located. In 1964, the municipality was renamed ''Porsanger'', after the local Porsangerfjorden.

The Old Norse form of the name was ''Porsangr''. The first element is probably the name of the plant ''pors'' or ''finnmarkspors'' (''Rhododendron tomentosum''). Another theory is that is comes from Sami ''borsi'' which means " waterfall". The last word is ''angr'' which means " fjord".

Since 2004, the municipality has had three official names: Porsanger, Porsáŋgu, and Porsanki, since it has three official languages: Norwegian, Northern Sami, and Kven.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 16 June 1967. Porsanger is one of the largest municipalities in the Northern Norway that are not dependent on fishing. Instead the local people historically farmed reindeer, which is still an importance source of income. The arms thus show three silver leaping reindeer on a red background.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Porsanger. It is part of the Indre Finnmark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

History

The area has been settled by Sami people since time immemorial. In the 18th century, people from Finland, escaping famine and war, settled along the Porsangerfjorden. These people are today known as Kven. Today, three official languages are in use, and the municipality is named ''Porsanger'', ''Porsáŋgu'', and ''Porsanki'' (the name in Norwegian, Northern Sami, and Kven/ Finnish respectively).

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Porsanger, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, 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 Indre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Porsanger is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Economy

Lakselv Airport, Banak is located on the Banak peninsula, just north of Lakselv village, along the coast of the fjord. The airport has connections to Tromsø and Kirkenes and it is operated by Widerøe. There are also charter flights in the summer season. The airport is also used by the Royal Norwegian Air Force's Station Group Banak. The Norwegian Army also has a garrison at Porsangermoen (Garrison of Porsanger), and so the military presence in Porsanger is quite heavy.

The local newspapers are Finnmark Dagblad and Ságat. The northernmost winery is located here, using crowberries instead of grapes.

Geography

Porsanger Municipality is the third largest municipality in Norway by area, with . The municipality surrounds the inner part of the Porsangerfjorden, the fourth longest fjord in Norway and the longest in Northern Norway.

The Porsangerfjorden is a wide, open body of water with many islands. The Porsanger Peninsula lies on the western shore of the fjord and the Sværholt Peninsula lies on the eastern shore. The biggest village (and municipal centre) is the village of Lakselv at the fjord's southern end. There are many smaller villages spread around the fjord on both sides, notably Kistrand, Olderfjord, Børselv, and Indre Billefjord.

Stabbursdalen National Park, with the world's northernmost pine forest, lies just west of the fjord and the village of Lakselv. The Stabburselva river runs through the park. Other notable rivers include the Børselva and Lakselva, both are well known for their salmon fishing. The lakes Gákkajávri and Kjæsvannet are both located in the municipality.

In Porsanger, there is midnight sun from 16 May until 27 July each year and there is polar night from 25 November to 16 January.

Birdlife

Porsanger is an area of rich and varied bird fauna. Here one can find such species as pine grosbeak. Away from the woodlands, it is the surrounding wetlands that have the greatest diversity. During spring, thousands of red knots stop to rest and feed along the shores of Porsangerfjord.

Climate

Lakselv has a boreal climate with modest precipitation and long winters, but still with annual mean well above freezing, ensuring there is no permafrost. The winters are less severe in terms of cold than would be expected for a town at 70 degrees latitude. The all-time high temperature was recorded on 5 July 2021. This is the warmest temperature ever recorded north of 70 degrees North in Europe. The all-time low is from January 1986. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below ) in spring is 24 May and average date for first freeze in autumn is 6 September giving a frost-free season of 105 days.
The weather station (recording since Aug 1945) is located at Banak Airport, from the town.

Notable people

* John Persen (1941–2014) a Norwegian composer, he grew up in Ráigeadja
* Synnøve Persen (born 1950 in Beavgohpis) a Norwegian Sámi artist, author and activist
* Ivar Thomassen (1954 in Russenes – 2016) a Norwegian folk singer, songwriter and jazz pianist
* Arnljot Elgsæter (born 1944 in Kistrand) a physicist and academic
* Kåre Olli (born 1959) a Sami Arbeiderparti politician

References

External links

*
Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway
Activities & tourism in PorsangerAngling in Porsanger

{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022

Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark
Populated places of Arctic Norway
1838 establishments in Norway
Kven language municipalities
Sámi-language municipalities