Skjervøy kommune ( sme, Skiervvá suohkan; fkv, Kieruan komuuni) 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 town of Skjervøy on the island of Skjervøya, where most of the inhabitants live. The main industries are fishing and

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...

. The municipality is the 212th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Skjervøy is the 237th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,804. 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.

General information

The municipality of ''Skjervøe'' (later spelled ''Skjervøy'') was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1863, the southeastern (inland) part of the municipality (population: 1,677) was separated to form the new Kvænangen Municipality. This left 2,785 people in Skjervøy. Then on 1 January 1886 the southern part of the municipality (population: 1,057) was separated from Skjervøy to form the new

Nordreisa Municipality Nordreisa ( se, Ráisa ; fkv, Raisi) 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 Storslett. Other villages include O ...

. This left 2,096 inhabitants in Skjervøy. On 1 January 1890, the Trætten and Loppevolden farms (population: 32) were transferred from Skjervøy to Nordreisa. On 1 January 1965, the Meilands area (population: 12) was transferred to Kvænangen. On 1 January 1972, the parts of Skjervøy lying on the mainland (population: 1,556) were transferred from Skjervøy to Nordreisa, and the uninhabited Mannskarvik farm was transferred to Kvænangen. Then on 1 January 1982 the southern part of the island of Uløya (population: 128) was transferred from Skjervøy to Nordreisa. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed

county. Previously, it had been part of the old

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.

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

) is named after the small

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 ...

of Skjervøya (

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 ...

: ''Skerføy''), since the first Skjervøy Church was built there. The first element is ''skerf'' which means "rocky ground" and the last element is ''øy'' which means "island". Before 1909 the name was written ''Skjervø'', and earlier it was spelled ''Skjervøe''.

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 27 March 1987. The arms show the black head of a cormorant on a silver background, partly

canting ' (IPA: , VOS Spelling: ''tjanting'', jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦛꦶꦁ, Tjanting) is a pen-like tool used to apply liquid hot wax ( jv, ) in the batik-making process in Indonesia, more precisely ''batik tulis'' (lit. "written batik"). Traditional '' ...

since ''skarf'' means cormorant. The cormorant also symbolizes the coastal municipality, which (like the bird) is dependent on

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

for its living. The cormorant is also a common

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the area.

Churches

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

History

Skjervøy Church dates back to 1728 and it is the oldest wooden church in Troms county. The village of Maursund is an old trading post with well-preserved 19th-century houses.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Skjervøy, 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 Nord-Troms 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 Skjervøy 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

The island municipality is 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 north,

Ullsfjorden or is a fjord in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The fjord runs through the municipalities of Tromsø, Karlsøy, and Lyngen. The fjord flows from the village of Sjøvassbotn northwards along the west side of the Lyngen Peninsula (where the f ...

to the west,

Lyngenfjorden Lyngen (also known as , , or ) is a fjord in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The long fjord is the longest fjord in Troms and it is often used as the dividing line between "northern Troms" and "southern Troms". The fjord is located within the ...

to the southwest, Reisafjorden to the southeast, and

Kvænangen Kvænangen ( sme, Návuotna; fkv, Naavuono) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Burfjord. The European route E6 highway goes through the municipality and ove ...

fjord to the east. The municipality consists of several islands, the major one being Arnøya, with the villages of Årviksand, Akkarvik, and Arnøyhamn. Most people, however, live on the relatively small island of Skjervøya, where more than 2,316 people live in the central village of Skjervøy with its sheltered harbour. The other islands include Haukøya, Kågen, Laukøya, Vorterøya, and the northern half of Uløya. Kågen and Skjervøya are connected by the Skjervøy Bridge. Kågen is connected to the mainland by the Maursund Tunnel.

Climate

Transportation

The

Hurtigruten ''Hurtigruten'' (), formally Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes ("coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes"), is a Norwegian public coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports no ...

(coastal cruise and cargo ship service) stops at the village of Skjervøy. There is also a schedule
express ferry
operated b

with intermediate stops between the village of Skjervøy and the city of Tromsø. The

undersea The underwater environment is the region below the surface of, and immersed in, liquid water in a natural or artificial feature (called a body of water), such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, reservoir, river, canal, or aquifer. Some characterist ...

Maursund Tunnel connects this island with the mainland to the south. There are also ferry connections between the islands of Arnøya and Laukøya offered by bot
Boreal Transport Nord AS
an
Torghatten Nord AS
Sørkjosen Airport offers flights to

Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the ...

and several destinations in

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 ...

Notable people

Leonhard Seppala Leonhard "Sepp" Seppala (; September 14, 1877 – January 28, 1967) was a Norwegian-American sled dog breeder, trainer and musher who with his dogs played a pivotal role in the 1925 serum run to Nome, and participated in the 1932 Winter Olympi ...

(1877 - 1967) Norwegian-Kveni dog musher, brought up in Skjervøy * Knut Werner Hansen (born 1951 in Skjervøy) a Norwegian politician, county Mayor of Troms * Hanne Grete Einarsen (born 1966) Norwegian-Sami artist, brought up in Skjervøy * Odd-Karl Stangnes (born 1968 in Skjervøy) a Norwegian football coach and former player *

Kristina Torbergsen Kristina Torbergsen (born 24 January 1987) is a Norwegian politician representing the Labour Party. Torbergsen was elected to the county parliament in Troms in the 2007 local elections and served as Deputy County Mayor from 2007 to 2011. She is ...

(born 1987 in Skjervøy) a Norwegian politician

Media gallery

Skervoytown2.jpeg, Part of Skjervøy village Skervoytown.jpeg, Part of Skjervøy village Skjervøy kyrkje.jpeg, Old photo of Skjervøy Church Skjervoey Norwegen Kirche.jpg, Skjervøy Church

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway
41 kg cod caught on fishing rod
April 2010 (with pictures)
Visit Tromso
January 2018 list of Express Boats and Ferry service for Tromso.

January 2018 list for ferry routes by ferry operator for Troms county {{DEFAULTSORT:Skjervoy Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark 1838 establishments in Norway