Karlsøy () is an island

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 Troms (; ; ; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. It borders Finnmark county to the northeast and Nordland county in the southwest. Norrbotten Län in Sweden is located to the south and further southeast is a shorter border with ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the municipality is the village of

Hansnes Hansnes is the administrative centre of Karlsøy Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The village is located on the northeast side of the island of Ringvassøya, along the Langsundet strait. By car, it is about northeast of the city of Tromsø ...

. Other villages include Dåfjord, Hessfjord, Karlsøya,

Torsvåg Torsvåg is a fishing village on the far northwestern coast of Vannøya island in Karlsøy Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The nearest city is Tromsø about southwest of Torsvåg. There is much archeological evidence that show that there ...

Vannvåg Vannvåg is a village in Karlsøy Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The village is located along the Ullsfjorden on the southeastern shore of the island of Vannøya. The Vannvåg School is the primary school for the eastern part of Vannøya ...

, and Vannareid. The municipality is made up of many islands including

Ringvassøya or is a large island in Troms county, Norway. It is divided between Tromsø Municipality and Karlsøy Municipality. Several islands surround Ringvassøya including Kvaløya to the south; Reinøya and Karlsøya to the east; Vannøya, Helgøy ...

, Reinøya,

Vannøya or is a rocky island in Karlsøy Municipality in Troms county, Norway. At , Vanna is the 17th largest island in Norway by area. The highest peak is the mountain Vanntinden at a height of above sea level. The population of the island (2017) is ...

, Karlsøya, and

Rebbenesøya or ) is an island in Troms county, Norway. The southern third of the island is part of Tromsø Municipality while the northern (larger) portion of the island is part of Karlsøy Municipality. There is a regular ferry connection from Bromnes on ...

plus several uninhabited islands (many of which were formerly inhabited). Some of the currently uninhabited islands include Helgøya,

Nordkvaløya or is an island in Karlsøy Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The island is situated north of the islands of Ringvassøya and west of Helgøya. The Norwegian Sea borders to the northwest. The island of Nordkvaløya is very rugged and mou ...

, Grøtøya, and

Nordfugløya or is an uninhabited island in Karlsøy Municipality in Troms, Norway. The highest mountain is the tall Fugløykallen. Fugløykalven Lighthouse is located north of the island. Nature reserve The whole island is protected as a nature reserv ...

. The municipality is the 103rd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Karlsøy is the 268th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,237. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

is and its population has decreased by 4.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Karlsøy has been a

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

for many years. Many immigrants, mostly from Finland, resided in Karlsøy as evidenced by the 1801 census. The analysis of the census data revealed that the family names of these people such as Aderup,

Blix Blix is an old noble lineage from Norway and surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Arne Blix (born 1954), Norwegian journalist *Brynjulf Blix (born 1951), Norwegian pianist * Elias Blix (1836-1902), Norwegian poet, musician, and a poli ...

and Rosenlund were foreign-sounding. The

of Karlsøy was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see the

formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...

law). On 1 January 1867, the southern district of Karlsøy (population: 862) was transferred from Karlsøy to the neighboring

Lyngen Municipality Lyngen (; ) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lyngseidet. Other notable villages include Furuflaten, Lattervika, Nord- ...

(that area later became part of

Ullsfjord Municipality Ullsfjord (historically: ''Sørfjord'') is a Former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1902 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in what is now the ...

). On 1 September 1886, the western island district of Karlsøy (population: 828) was separated from Karlsøy to become the new

Helgøy Municipality Helgøy is a former municipality in Troms county, Norway. The island municipality existed from 1886 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in the western part of the present-day Karlsøy Municipality. The municipality included the islan ...

. This left Karlsøy with 1,334 inhabitants. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee () was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a ...

. On 1 January 1964,

was merged back into Karlsøy Municipality. At the same time, all of the mainland areas of Karlsøy (the northern part of the Lyngen

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

, with 1,001 inhabitants) was transferred from Karlsøy to neighboring

. After all the changes, the new Karlsøy had 3,414 residents. On 1 January 2008, the southern part of the island of Reinøya was transferred from

Tromsø Municipality Tromsø Municipality is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø. Other notable settlements in the municipality include the vi ...

to Karlsøy Municipality. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; ; ; ) was a county in northern Norway that existed from 2020 to 2023. The county was established on 1 January 2020 as the result of a regional reform. It was the largest county by area in Norway, encompassing about , and w ...

county. Previously, it had been part of the old

county. On 1 January 2024, the

county was divided and the municipality once again became part of

county.

Name

The municipality (originally the

) is named after the small Karlsøya island () since the first

Karlsøy Church Karlsøy Church () is a historic parish church of the Church of Norway in Karlsøy Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located on the island of Karlsøya (Troms), Karlsøya. It is the former main church for the Karlsøy parish which is par ...

was built there. The first element is the

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 ca ...

of the male name . The last element is which means "

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled ''Karlsø''. On 6 January 1908, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to ''Karlsøy''. The letter ''y'' was added to the end of the word to "Norwegianize" the name ( is the Danish word for "island" and is the Norwegian word).

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted on 12 December 1980. The official

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''"

Azure Azure may refer to: Color * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 * ...

, an eagle head erased

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

"'' (). This means the arms have a blue

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

(background) and the

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is the head of a

white-tailed eagle The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), sometimes known as the 'sea eagle', is a large bird of prey, widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which also ...

. The eagle head has a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The blue color in the field symbolizes the importance of the sea to the island community. The eagle head was chosen since one of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

's largest colonies of these birds is found on the island of Nord-Fugløya in the municipality. Furthermore, the eagle symbolizes the importance of

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

for the municipality. The arms were designed by Hallvard Sandvik.

Churches

The

has one parish () within Karlsøy Municipality. It is part of the Tromsø domprosti (arch-

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland Nord-Hålogaland () is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers the Church of Norway churches in Troms and Finnmark counties as well as in the territory of Svalbard. The diocese is seated in the city of Tromsø at the Tromsø Cathedral, t ...

Economy

Karlsøy is among the world's most important

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is a ...

ers of

dried and salted cod Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish or salt dolly, is cod which has been preserved by drying after salting. Cod which has been dried without the addition of salt is stockfish. Salt cod was long a major export of ...

, with

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

among the main markets. The population is almost totally dependent on fishing. There are also goat herding businesses and some musicians that live on the island. There is also some tourism, including a festival that runs in the Summer. There are plans for 50 holiday homes to be built on the isle.

Geography and nature

The municipality consists of islands only. Ringvassøya, Norway's sixth largest island, is the largest island in the municipality.

, Helgøya, Karlsøya,

, Reinøya, and

are the other major islands. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Soltindan on the island of Ringvassøy. The islands of Rebbenesøya and Ringvassøya are split (as was Reinøya before 2008), with the southern part belonging to neighboring

. The reason is that the borders were drawn when boat was the only means of transportation; then it made sense that the southern parts of the islands belonged to Tromsø while the northern parts belonged to Karlsøy. Today, when roads have replaced the boats, the situation is different which is why the Norwegian government transferred all of the island of Reinøy to the Karlsøy Municipality on 1 January 2008. Karlsøya, the little island after which the municipality is named, has a village with the 19th century

. The inhabitants include the original inhabitants,

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

s, and

Norwegian Muslims Islam is the second largest religion in Norway after Christianity. As of 2020, the number of Muslims living in Norway was 182,607 (3.4% of the total population). The majority of Muslims in Norway are Sunni, with a significant Shia minority. ...

. The island of Helgøya, the former seat of the old

, in the western part of Karlsøy Municipality, is today a more or less an abandoned village of wooden houses and the old

Helgøy Church Helgøy Church () is a historic parish church of the Church of Norway in Karlsøy Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located on the small unpopulated island of Helgøya. It is a little-used annex church for the Karlsøy parish which is p ...

. The island can only be reached when services are celebrated in the church, and ferry rides are organized. Lake Skogsfjordvatn, in the centre of

, is a lake with some fishing, surrounded by sub-Arctic

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s. This is Norway's largest lake in an island. The island of

has several villages, including Burøysund and

, the latter offering views of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

from the

Torsvåg Lighthouse Torsvåg Lighthouse () is a coastal lighthouse located in Karlsøy Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The lighthouse is in the village of Torsvåg on a small island connected to the main island of Vannøya by a short causeway. History The ...

Climate

Karlsøy mostly has a cool oceanic climate (

subpolar oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

) using the -3°C isotherm, or a very mild

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental 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 ...

using the 0°C isotherm. Spring and summer is the driest season, while autumn and winter is much wetter. Torsvåg lighthouse has been recording temperature since 1933, and is situated on the northwestern tip of Vanna island. The eastern and inland part of the islands will have slightly warmer summers and slightly colder winters. The record low at Torsvåg is recorded January 1979. The record high is from July 1966. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below ) in spring is 6 May and average date for first freeze in autumn is 25 October giving a frost-free season of 171 days (1981-2010 average for Torsvåg).

Government

Karlsøy Municipality is responsible for

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

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. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

economic development In economics, economic development (or 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 object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. 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, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the

Nord-Troms og Senja District Court Nord-Troms og Senja District Court () is a district court located in Troms county, Norway. This court is based at two different courthouses which are located in Tromsø and Finnsnes. The court is subordinate to the Hålogaland Court of Appeal. Th ...

and the

Hålogaland Court of Appeal The Hålogaland Court of Appeal () 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 well as the island territor ...

Municipal council

The

of Karlsøy is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, 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 oft ...

Mayors

The

() of Karlsøy is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position: *1838–1841:

Nils Jønsberg Nils Jønsberg (12 August 1808 – 28 April 1885) was a Norwegian priest and politician. Biography Nils Simensen Jønsberg was born on the Jønsberg farm in Romedal parish in Hedmark county, Norway. He was the son of parish priest (''sognepres ...

*1841–1845: Ole Ulrich Berg *1846–1849: Hans Julius Knudsen *1850–1855: Anders Selquist *1856–1860: Fredrik Altmann *1861–1862: Anders Selquist *1863–1864: Ole Rasmussen Bræk *1865–1866: Ole Jørgen Falch *1867-1867: Hans Martin Høegh *1869–1873: Stener Johannes Tandberg *1874–1898: Adolf Martin Helberg *1899–1903:

Alfred Eriksen Alfred Eriksen (nicknamed "Karlsøypresten", 30 August 1864 – 4 May 1934) was a Norwegian priest, politician, newspaper editor, and non-fiction writer. Personal life He was born as Alfred Eriksen in Christiania as the son of the watch ...

( V) *1904–1919: Martin Simonsen ( Ap) *1920–1922: Peder Dahl ( V) *1923–1924: Martin Simonsen ( Ap) *1925–1928: Anton B. Haugjord ( Ap) *1929–1931: Mikal Petersen ( Ap) *1932–1934: Anton B. Haugjord ( Ap) *1935–1937: Sivert Nordeide ( Ap) *1937–1941: Arthur Sandvik ( V) *1941–1944: Sverre Hoel ( NS) *1945-1945: Alv Gaasland ( NS) *1945–1947: Arthur Sandvik ( V) *1947–1950: Olav Simonsen ( Ap) *1950–1960: Birger Aspenes ( Ap) *1960–1961: Johannes Johnsen ( Ap) *1961–1969: Harald Larsen ( LL) *1969–1983: Otto Klemetsen ( Ap) *1983–1987: Jan Hugo Sørensen ( Ap) *1987–1999: Thor Tøllefsen ( Sp) *1999-2003: Hanny Ditlefsen ( Ap) *2003-2007: Thor Tøllefsen ( Kp) *2007-2011: Bent Gabrielsen ( Ap) *2011-2015: Hanny Ditlefsen ( Ap) *2015–2019: Mona Pedersen ( LL) *2019-present: Mona Benjaminsen ( Ap)

Transportation

The municipal centre is at Hansnes, which can be reached through an

undersea tunnel An underwater tunnel is a tunnel which is partly or wholly constructed under the sea or a river. They are often used where building a bridge or operating a ferry link is unviable, or to provide competition or relief for existing bridges or ferry l ...

from Tromsø, and the drive is about one hour. From here

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

depart to Vannøya, Reinøya, and Karlsøya. The Langsund Tunnel is under construction and was planned to be completed by 2015, but it is currently on hiatus. It is expected to connect the islands of Reinøya and

. The few inhabitants of Rebbenesøya are served by a ferry from Mikkelvik on the western side of Ringvassøya.

Attractions

Karlsøy attractions include: * The island of

, one of Norway's major

bird cliff Bird cliffs, or nesting cliffs, are steep cliffs with numerous small shelves which serve as nesting locations for bird colonies. Bird cliffs are found on islands in the North Atlantic and Arctic, such as the Faroe Islands, Iceland, the Svalbard a ...

s, including

puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

colonies. *

Fugløykalven Lighthouse Fugløykalven Lighthouse () is a coastal lighthouse in Karlsøy Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The lighthouse is located on the small island Fugløykalven northwest of the island Nord-Fugløya. This was considered one of the most isola ...

, northwest of Nord-Fugløya * There is a flat high

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

on Nordfugløya, above sea level, where

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

cloudberries ''Rubus chamaemorus'' is a species of flowering plant in the rose family. Its English common names include cloudberry, Nordic berry, bakeapple (in Newfoundland and Labrador), knotberry and knoutberry (in England), aqpik or low-bush salmonberry ( ...

grow. The island can only be reached in the

cloudberry ''Rubus chamaemorus'' is a species of flowering plant in the rose family. Its English common names include cloudberry, Nordic berry, bakeapple (in Newfoundland and Labrador), knotberry and knoutberry (in England), aqpik or low-bush salmonberry ...

season, when picking expeditions are organized from Burøysund.

Notable people

* Karl Marthinsen (1896 in Karlsøy – 1945), the Norwegian commander of

Statspolitiet (; shortened STAPO) was from 1941 to 1945 a National Socialist armed police force that consisted of Norwegian officials after Nazi German pattern. It operated independently of the ordinary Norwegian police. The force was established on 1 June 1 ...

during the Nazi occupation in WWII * Solvejg Eriksen (1903 in Karlsøy – 1993), a journalist, author, and women's rights activist *

Marthe Kristoffersen Marthe Kristoffersen (born 11 August 1989 in Karlsøy Municipality, Karlsøy, Norway) is a Norway, Norwegian cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skier who has competed since 2006. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, she finished 21st in the and ...

(born 1989 in Vannøya), a cross-country skier who competed at the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, 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 year on its web site. All rele ...

Karlsøy Festival
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karlsoy Municipalities of Troms 1838 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 1838