( se, Kárášjohka ; fkv, Kaarasjoki) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

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 t ...

. 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, L ...

of the municipality is the village of Karasjok. Other villages include

Dorvonjárga Dorvonjárga is a village in the municipality of Karasjok in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located in the eastern part of the municipality. It is also the location of an official border crossing between Dorvonjárga and Karigas ...

Šuoššjávri or is a village in Karasjok Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located in the western part of the municipality, just inside the border with Kautokeino. The small village is home to Suosjavrre Chapel. The vill ...

, and

Váljohka Váljohka is a village in Karasjok Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located at the confluence of the rivers ''Váljohka'' and ''Tana River (Norway), Tana''. The village lies right along the Norway-Finland border i ...

. The municipality is the second largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Karasjok is the 247th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,584. 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 6.6% over the previous 10-year period. Wildlife: 16 bears are in the municipality (as of Q4 2022).

General information

The municipality of Karasjok was established on 1 January 1866 when it was separated from the old

Kistrand Kistrand ( sme, Čuđegieddi; fkv, Ryssämarkka) is a village in Porsanger Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the eastern side of the Porsanger Peninsula, along the western shore of the Porsangerfjorden. The vi ...

municipality. Initially, the population of Karasjok was 515. The municipal borders have not changed since that time. 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.

Name

''Karasjok'' is a Norwegianized form of the

Northern Sami language 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 ''Kárášjohka''. The meaning of the first element could be ''káráš'' from

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 ...

which could mean "food plate of wood", or from

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

, ''kara'', "something that sticks". The last element is ''johka'' which means "river", whose equivalent in Finnish is ''joki''. The name of the municipality was ''Karasjok'' until 1990 when it was changed to ''Kárášjohka-Karasjok''. It was the third municipality in Norway to get a Sami name. In 2005, the name was again changed, such that either ''Kárášjohka'' or ''Karasjok'' 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 it ...

was granted on 27 June 1986. The three gold-colored flames on a red background. The flames were chosen as a symbol for the importance of fire to the local (nomadic) Sami people. The

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

brings both heat and thus survival during the harsh winters, but it is also a major threat, both in the tents as well as in the large

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s. The fire is also the point around which people gather and it is a guard against dangers. The flag contains three flames also because Kárásjoga-Karasjok is a place where three peoples live: the Sami,

Norwegians Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the ...

, and

Kvens Kvens (; fi, kveeni; no, kvenar, kvener; sv, kväner; se, kveanat) are a Balto-Finnic ethnic minority in Norway. They are descended from Finnish peasants and fishermen who emigrated from the northern parts of Finland and Sweden to Northe ...

History

In 2015 the second edition of

Sápmi Pride Sápmi Pride is a pride festival with Sápmi focus arranged annually since 2014. History The festival, organised by Queering Sápmi, took place for the first time in 2014 in Kiruna, in Lapland. The festival, which went on for four days, featu ...

, was held in Karasjok.

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 Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. ...

has one parish () within the municipality of Karasjok. It is part of the

Indre Finnmark prosti Indre (; oc, Endre) is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administr ...

(

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 reside ...

) 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 Troms� ...

Transportation

There is an official border crossing between

(Norway) and

Karigasniemi Karigasniemi ( se, Gáregasnjárga) is a village in the municipality of Utsjoki in Finland. It lies at the foot of Mount Ailigás. The village is situated on the border between Norway and Finland south-east of the Norwegian village of Karasj ...

(Finland), over the

Anarjohka Anarjohka ( se, Anárjohka, no, Anarjokka or ''Anarjohka'', fi, Inarijoki, sv, Enare älv) is a tributary of Tana River. It is about long, with a drainage area of about .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 ...

highway passes through the municipality from

Lakselv ( sme, Leavdnja; fkv, Lemmijoki) is the largest village and administrative centre of Porsanger Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village lies at the southern end of the large Porsangerfjorden. The village has a population ...

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 populat ...

and

Kirkenes Kirkenes (; ; Skolt Sami: ''Ǩeârkknjargg;'' fi, Kirkkoniemi; ; russian: Киркенес) is a town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town lies on a peninsula along the Bøk ...

in the east. The nearest airport is

Lakselv Airport Lakselv Airport ( no, Lakselv lufthavn; ) is an international airport located at Banak, north of Lakselv, in the municipality of Porsanger, Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Co-located with the military Station Group Banak, the airport is ...

, about from Karasjok village.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Karasjok, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profes ...

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 usag ...

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 refer ...

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 adminis ...

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 s ...

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 a ...

, 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 coun ...

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 as ...

. 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 Karasjok 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 feature ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Geography

The municipality is situated along the upper river basin of the Deatnu / Tana river and its tributaries: Anárjohka and Kárášjohka. It includes large tracts of the high

Finnmarksvidda Finnmarksvidda ( sme, Finnmárkkoduottar; en, Finnmark plateau/highland) is Norway's largest plateau, with an area greater than . The plateau lies about above sea level. Approximately 36% of Finnmark lies on the Finnmarksvidda. Geography Fr ...

plateau. Lakes in the region include

Čorotjávri Čorotjávri is a lake in Karasjok Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The lake lies on the Finnmarksvidda plateau about north of the small village of Šuoššjávri, just east of the municipal boundary with Kautokeino Municipalit ...

Gásadatjávri Gásadatjávri is a lake in Karasjok Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The lake lies on the Finnmarksvidda plateau, about northeast of the large lake Iešjávri in the northwestern part of the municipality. See also *List of la ...

Iešjávri Iešjávri (or IesjavriVarious Sami and Norwegian language terms distinguish different types of lakes. The name ''Jávrre'': (Lule Sami) or ''jávri'' (Northern Sami) is used as a suffix for larger lakes.) is a large lake on the border of the th ...

, and

Idjajávri or is a lake in Karasjok Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The lake lies about north of the village of Karasjok. The European route E06 highway crosses a bridge over the lake at the narrowest part of the lake. See also *Lis ...

. The river valley, unlike the plateau, is covered with

and

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

forests. The southern part of the municipality is part of the

Øvre Anárjohka National Park Øvre Anárjohka National Park ( no, Øvre Anárjohka nasjonalpark, se, Anárjoga álbmotmeahcci) is a national park that lies in Karasjok and Kautokeino municipalities in Finnmark county, Norway. The park was opened in 1976 and is in area. ...

Climate

Karasjok has a typical subarctic climate with cold, long and dry winters, and short summers that can see warm periods. In this far northeastern part of Norway, the climate is much more continental and dry compared to the typical coastal climate in Norway. Situated in a river valley on this plateau, Karasjok has recorded the coldest official temperature ever in Norway: on 1 January 1886. The warmest temperature ever recorded is recorded July 1914 at an earlier weather station.https://www.adressa.no/vaeret/2007/08/09/Varmerekorder i Finnmark
/ref> The warmest month on record was July 2014 with mean and average daily high . The coldest month on record was February 1966 with a mean of . The coldest month in more recent decades is February 2007 with mean and average daily low .

Birdlife

The birdlife to be found in this municipality is characteristic for the region. The inland

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 ...

s of Finnmarksvidda are known for their rich bird life with species like

Bluethroat The bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica'') is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It, and similar small Europea ...

preferring areas with scrub. The Tana river also flows through Karasjok and many of the species found in higher areas use it as a migration route.

Economy

Most people live in the village of Karasjok (Kárášjohka). The village is the seat of the , the

Sami Parliament of Norway 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 net ...

, as well as of the Sami broadcasting, and several Sami institutions (public and private) are found here, including

Davvi Girji Davvi Girji (''Northern book'') is a Sámi publishing house and media company located in Karasjok, Norway. It is the largest Sámi publishing house, specializing in fiction and text books. In addition, it publishes large Northern Sámi- Norwegian ...

, the largest Sámi publisher. About 80% of the population is Sami speaking, and Sami and Norwegian have equal status in the municipality.

Tourism

The attractions include the Sami parliament, ''Samediggi'', the Sami museum, and the

Old Karasjok Church Old Karasjok Church ( no, Karasjok gamle kirke) is a former parish church of the Church of Norway in Karasjok Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Karasjok. It used to be the main church for the Karasj ...

, dating from 1807. The Sami parliament was opened in 1989, by

King Olav V Olav V (; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Nor ...

, the first Sami parliament president was Ole Henrik Magga, from

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 ...

. He was the president for more than eight years. The

is the oldest

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

church in Finnmark county. The church is today too small, so a new, larger, wooden

Karasjok Church Karasjok Church ( no, Karasjok kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Karasjok Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Karasjok. It is the main church for the Karasjok parish which is part o ...

, inspired by Sami architecture, has been built. Karasjok is also the place to look for

duodji {{Peacock, date=May 2022 Duodji is a traditional Sami handicraft, dating back to a time when the Sami were far more isolated from the outside world than they are today. Duodji tools, clothing and accessories are intended to primarily be functiona ...

, Sami handicraft.

Notable people

Samuel Balto Samuel Johannesen Balto (May 5, 1861 – 1921) was a Northern Saami explorer and adventurer. Balto skied with Fridtjof Nansen across Greenland in 1888–89. Biography Samuel Johannesen Balto was born in Karasjok in Finnmark county, Norway. He h ...

(1861 in Karasjok – 1921) a Norwegian–Sami explorer and adventurer in Alaska, Greenland and Canada * Ole Ravna (1841 in Karasjok - 1906) a Norwegian-Sami explorer and adventurer. Ravna and Balto were members of the

Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 186113 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, and humanitarian. He led the team t ...

's Greenland expedition. * Matti Aikio (1872 in Karasjok - 1929) a Norwegian Sami writer *

Iver Jåks Iver Jåks (25 October 1932 – 17 March 2007) was a Norwegian Sami artist, sculptor and illustrator. Iver Iversen Jåks was born in Karasjok in Troms og Finnmark, Norway. He was awarded a place at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Ar ...

(1932 in Karasjok – 2007) a Norwegian Sami artist, used Sami culture and mythology in his artistic works *

Inga Ravna Eira Inga Ravna Eira (born 30 May 1948) is a Northern Sami language poet, children's writer, translator and schoolteacher from Norway. Career Eira was born in Karasjok Municipality (), in Finnmark, Norway. A schoolteacher, her first children's book ...

(1948 in Karasjok) a Norwegian Northern Sami language poet, children's writer, translator and schoolteacher *

Mari Boine Mari Boine (born Mari Brit Randi Boine, 8 November 1956) is a Norwegian Sámi singer. She combined traditional Sámi joik singing with rock. In 2008, she became a professor of musicology at Nesna University College. Biography Mari Boine w ...

(born 1956 in Gámehisnjárga) a Norwegian singer *

Tor Mikkel Wara Tor Mikkel Wara (born 27 December 1964) is a Norwegian politician from the Progress Party, who has served as Justice and Immigration Minister from 2018 to 2019 after the resignation of Sylvi Listhaug. Biography Early career Wara was born in Kara ...

(born 1964 in Karasjok) a Norwegian former politician *

Ragnhild Vassvik Kalstad Ragnhild Vassvik Kalstad (born 21 June 1966 in Gamvik) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. She served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Finnmark during the term 2009–2013. From 2012 to 2013 she served ...

(born 1966) politician, former member of Karasjok municipal council *

Anita Nergaard Anita Nergaard (born December 16, 1967) is a Norwegian diplomat. She served as the Norwegian ambassador to Singapore from 2017 to 2021. Life Anita Nergaard is a member of Norway's Sámi community and grew up in Karasjok Municipality. She earne ...

(born 1967), a Norwegian Sami diplomat * Susanne Guttorm, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1996 in Karasjok) a Norwegian model and

Miss Norway Miss Norway (formerly known as "Frøken Norge") is a national beauty pageant in Norway The pageant was founded in 1950, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe. History Miss Norway was held for first time in 1950 by Dagbladet Magazine. T ...

2018

Sport

Jan Egil Brekke Jan Egil Brekke (born 14 June 1974) is a Norwegian football midfielder who most recently played for Alta IF. He has played in the Norwegian Premier League for FK Bodø/Glimt and Tromsø IL. He grew up in Karasjok, and is the brother of fell ...

(born 1974) a Norwegian footballer, grew up in Karasjok *

Leif Arne Brekke Leif Arne Brekke (born 12 March 1977) is a Norwegian football defender who most recently played for Modum FK. He has played in the Norwegian Premier League for Tromsø IL.Hans Norbye (born 1987 in Karasjok) a Norwegian footballer

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 ye ...

Karasjok on VisitNorway.comPictures from Karasjok
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karasjok Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark Sámi-language municipalities Populated places of Arctic Norway 1866 establishments in Norway