or is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

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 ...

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 ...

. With an area of , it is the second largest island in

(outside of the Svalbard 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 Senja is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It was established on 1 January 2020 when the municipalities of Berg, Lenvik, Torsken, and Tranøy were merged into one municipality. It is located in the traditional district of Hå ...

, 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 Silsand is a village in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the eastern shore of the large island of Senja. The village has a population (2017) of 1,583 which gives the village a population density of . Sil ...

being the largest urban area on the island. The

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

of Gryllefjord on the west coast has a summer-only ferry connection to the nearby island 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 ...

: the

Andenes–Gryllefjord Ferry Andenes–Gryllefjord Ferry is an automobile ferry service connecting the islands of Andøya (in Nordland county) and Senja (in Troms og Finnmark county) in Norway. Operated by Troms fylkestrafikk, the crossing between the villages of Andenes i ...

. The island sits northeast of the

Vesterålen Vesterålen is a district and archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. It is located just north of Lofoten and west of Harstad. It is the northernmost part of Nordland county. Sortland is the largest town, situated near the center of the archipe ...

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...

, surrounded by the

Norwegian Sea The Norwegian Sea ( no, Norskehavet; is, Noregshaf; fo, Norskahavið) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to ...

to the northwest, the Malangen fjord to the northeast, the

Gisundet Gisundet is a strait in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The long strait separates the island of Senja from the mainland. The strait flows into the Malangen fjord in the north and into the Finnfjorden (and later the So ...

strait to the east, the Solbergfjorden to the southeast, the Vågsfjorden to the south, and the

Andfjorden Andfjorden is a fjord on the border of Nordland and Troms og Finnmark counties in Norway. It primarily flows between the large islands of Andøya and Senja. Grytøya and the smaller islands Bjarkøya and Krøttøya are located in the fjord. Th ...

to the west.

Ånderdalen National Park Ånderdalen National Park ( no, Ånderdalen nasjonalpark) is located on the large island of Senja in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The park lies within Senja Municipality. The park was established by royal decree on 6 February 1970 and it w ...

is located in the southern part of the island.

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 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 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".

Geography

The island of Senja is located along the

county coastline with

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 ...

as the closest town. Senja is connected to the mainland by the

Gisund Bridge Gisund Bridge ( no, Gisundbrua) is a cantilever road bridge on Norwegian County Road 86 in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The bridge crosses the Gisundet strait from the town of Finnsnes on the mainland to the village o ...

. The municipalities located on Senja are

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 ...

(part of which is on the mainland),

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 ...

Torsken Torsken is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality that was located on the western coast of the large Senja (island), island of Senja in the old Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1902 u ...

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

, and 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 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 The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

, 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 The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products. It is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization as including ...

is dominant on Senja, notably the ''Nergård Group'' at Senjahopen and ''Brødrene Karlsen'' at Husøy. Skaland has some

graphite Graphite () is a crystalline form of the element carbon. It consists of stacked layers of graphene. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Synthetic and natural graphite are consumed on lar ...

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

. 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

as a ferry-free road connection to the mainland across Gisundet to the town of

. 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 and Skrolsvik 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 and

Andenes is the administrative centre of Andøy Municipality which is located in the Vesterålen district of Nordland county, Norway. The village of Andenes is the northernmost settlement of the island of Andøya (and in Nordland county). To the east ...

. Senja has four main roads. The main road is Norwegian County Road 86 which crosses the

from Finnsnes,

Sørreisa Sørreisa ( sme, Ráisavuona suohkan) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sørreisa. Other villages include Grunnreisa, Skøelva, and Smørsgård. The munic ...

, and

Bardufoss Bardufoss is a town and commercial centre in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The three villages of Andselv, Andslimoen, and Heggelia together form the Bardufoss area. Bardufoss is located in the Målselvdalen val ...

. It extends across the island to

and Gryllefjord. From

, Norwegian County Road 861 goes north along Gisundet to Gibostad and northern Senja. Norwegian County Road 860 goes from Stonglandseidet to Silsand, Norwegian County Road 862 goes from Straumsbotn in Berg, via Senjahopen to Botnhamn in Lenvik.

Governance

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

, and Tranøy. The new municipality was established on 1 January 2020 as

( no, Senja kommune). 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 became the town of

. The municipality includes all of the islands of Senja, the smaller surrounding islands, and part of the mainland between the

strait and the Malangen fjord.

Attractions

Among the sights of the island are

, 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 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 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 ...

statue (which burned down 28 March 2019). The southernmost municipality Tranøy also has a number of small museums documenting local history, notably the Halibut Museum ("Kveitmuseet") in Skrolsvik.

In popular culture

The island of Senja is mentioned in

David Armine Howarth David Armine Howarth (28 July 1912 – 2 July 1991) was a British naval officer, boatbuilder, historian and author. Biography After graduating from the University of Cambridge, he became a war correspondent for BBC radio at the start of Wo ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

book, and true story, ''We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance''. It has a namesake island in the MMORPG

Tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

. The Norwegian musician

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 ...

comes from the island and his music is said to have been influenced by its beauty. The Norwegian musician

Biosphere The biosphere (from Greek βίος ''bíos'' "life" and σφαῖρα ''sphaira'' "sphere"), also known as the ecosphere (from Greek οἶκος ''oîkos'' "environment" and σφαῖρα), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also ...

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 and nearby mountains Silsand1.JPG,

Okshornan from Tungeneset, 2015 September - 3.jpg, Okshornan peaks viewed from Tungeneset

References

External links

* *
Alpin moro på eventyrøya Senja
{{authority control Islands of Troms og Finnmark