, , or 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 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

Olderdalen , , or is the administrative centre of the municipality of Kåfjord Municipality (also known as ''Gáivuotna Municipality'' and ''Kaivuono Municipality'') in Troms county, Norway. Olderdalen is located in the Olderdalen valley along the Kåfjor ...

. Other notable villages include Løkvollen, Manndalen,

Birtavarre , , or is a village in Gáivuotna Municipality (also known as ''Kåfjord Municipality'') in Troms county, Norway. The village is located along the Kåfjordelva river () at the end of the Kåfjorden in the Kåfjorddalen valley. The whole area ...

, Trollvik, Samuelsberg, Nordmannvik, and

Djupvik Djupvik is a small village on the island of Öland, Sweden. It lies next to the road between Borgholm (15 km) and Byxelkrok. It belongs to the municipality of Borgholm Borgholm () is a city and the seat of Borgholm Municipality, Kalmar Co ...

. The municipality is the 116th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Kåfjord is the 283rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,974. 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 11.1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Kåfjord was established by a royal resolution that was approved on 21 June 1929 when the large

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- ...

was divided into three: Lyngen in the northwest, Kåfjord in the northeast, and

Storfjord Municipality , (Northern Sami; ), or is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hatteng. Other villages in Storfjord include Elvevoll, Oteren, and Skibotn. The municipality is the 54th l ...

in the south. The initial population of Kåfjord was 2,482. Then on 1 January 1992, the Nordnes area along the

Lyngen Lyngen may refer to: Places * Lyngen Municipality, a municipality in Troms county, Norway *Lyngen (fjord) , , or is a fjord in Troms county, Norway. The long fjord is the longest fjord in Troms county and it is often used as the dividing line ...

fjord in Lyngen Municipality (population: 38) was transferred to Kåfjord 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 is named after the local Kåfjorden (). The meaning of the name is uncertain. One explanation is that the first element is derived from the word which means "side-chamber", here in the sense that this fjord is a smaller branch off of a main fjord. The last element is which means "

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

". Another interpretation is that the name is a Norwegianized form of the

Sámi language 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 ...

name . The first element of the Sami name has an unknown meaning. The last element is which means "

". Thus its semi-translated name is something like "Gai-fjord" which could sound like the Norwegian name "Kåfjord". The name of the municipality was simply ''Kåfjord'' from its establishment in 1926 until 2 May 1994 when the name was changed to ''Gáivuotna–Kåfjord.'' This new name combined the Sami and Norwegian names into one. It was the fifth municipality in Norway to get a Sami name. In 2005, the name was again changed such that either the Sami name () or the Norwegian name () could be used interchangeably. In 2016, the name was changed again. This time, the

Kven language Kven ( or ; or ; or ; ) is a Finnic language or a group of Finnish dialects spoken in the northernmost parts of Norway by the Kven people. For political and historical reasons, it received the status of a minority language in 2005 within the ...

name was added to the list of official names. All three names are equal and parallel names for the municipality. The spelling of the Sami and Kven language names change depending on how they are used. In Sami, it is called when it is spelled alone, but it is when using the Sami language equivalent to "Kåfjord municipality". In Kven, it is called when it is spelled alone, but it is when using the Kven language equivalent to "Kåfjord municipality".

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 20 January 1989. 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 ''"

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

, a spinning wheel

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 red

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 a

spinning wheel A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from fibres. It was fundamental to the textile industry prior to the Industrial Revolution. It laid the foundations for later machinery such as the spinning jenny and spinning frame, ...

. The spinning wheel 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 spinning wheel was chosen because it is a timeless symbol. Handicrafts have long and particular traditions in Kåfjord. It is also a unifying symbol for Kåfjord's population since many residents (at the time of the adoption of the arms) had had a spinning wheel in their homes while they were growing up. It also is meant as a symbol of frugality, self-sufficiency, and an industrious people. The arms were designed by Harald O. Lindbach.

Churches

The

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 ...

has one parish () within the municipality. It is part of the Nord-Troms prosti (

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 ...

History

In 1945, the villages of Kåfjord were burned to the ground during the retreat of German forces from

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and

Finnmark Finnmark (; ; ; ; ) is a counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland's Lapland (Finland), Lapland region to the south, and Russia's Murmansk Oblast to the east, and by water, the Norweg ...

. This was as far west as the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

used their

scorched earth A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy of destroying everything that allows an enemy military force to be able to fight a war, including the deprivation and destruction of water, food, humans, animals, plants and any kind of tools and i ...

tactics.

Government

Kåfjord 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 Kåfjord 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

mayors 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 ...

() of Kåfjord: *1929-1942: Anton D. Meedby ( LL) *1942-1943: Leif Caroliussen ( NS) *1943-1945: Edvard A. Manndal ( NS) *1945-1946: Anton D. Meedby ( LL) *1946-1959: Anton Antonsen ( Ap) *1960-1963: Peder Sandbukt ( Ap) *1964-1967: Andor Sandvoll ( LL) *1968-1971: Hans Berg ( Ap) *1972-1975: Halfdan Hansen ( LL) *1976-1977: Peder Sandbukt ( LL) *1978-1987: Einar Storslett ( LL) *1988-1989: Ansgar Hansen ( LL) *1990-1991: Einar Storslett ( LL) *1991-1993: Terje Solberg ( LL) *1993-1999: Åge B. Pedersen ( Ap) *1999-2003: Kristin Vatnelid Johansen ( LL) *2003–2015:

Bjørn Inge Mo Bjørn Inge Mo (16 March 1968 – 10 July 2022) was a Norwegian politician. A member of the Labour Party, he was mayor of Kåfjord Municipality from 2003 to 2015 and served in the Sámi Parliament of Norway The Sámi Parliament of Norway ...

( Ap) *2015-2019: Svein O. Leiros ( Sp) *2019–present: Bernt Eirik Isaksen Lyngstad ( Ap)

Geography

The municipality is situated on the eastern side of the

fjord, and around its eastern arm, the Kåfjord. The municipal centre is Olderdalen. Other villages include

, Kåfjorddalen,

, Nordmannvik, and Manndalen, where the international indigenous peoples' festival ''

Riddu Riđđu Riddu Riđđu () is an annual Sami people, Sámi music and culture festival held in Olmmáivággi (Manndalen) in the Gáivuotna Municipality (also known as Kåfjord Municipality) in Norway. The goal of the festival is to bring forward both Sámi ...

'' is hosted each year. On the border with Finland, is the mountain Ráisduattarháldi which has a height of . The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Isfjellet.

Economy

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, ...

and small-scale

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

have been the most important sources of income. Now many people work in

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

and other

public services A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service (economics), service intended to address the needs of aggregate members of a community, whether provided directly by a public sector agency, via public financing availab ...

. The population has declined for many years, but the decline is now less rapid than earlier.

Population

The majority of the population is of

Sami 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 ne ...

origin. Due to assimilation pressure from the Norwegian State, the language was largely lost in the 20th century. Efforts are being made to reintroduce 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 ...

which is largely concentrated in the municipality's largest village, Manndalen/Olmmáivággi.

Notable people

* Erik Johnsen, (Norwegian Wiki) (1844 in Kåfjord i Lyngen – 1941), a

Laestadian Laestadianism (; ; ; ), also known as Laestadian Lutheranism and Apostolic Lutheranism, is a pietistic Lutheran revival movement started in Sápmi in the middle of the 19th century. Named after Swedish Lutheran state church administrator and ...

preacher who received the

King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

() in 1938 for his work for the salvation of the soul. * Rolf Ketil Bjørn (1938 in Kåfjord – 2008), a businessperson and politician * Jan Lindvall (born 1950 in Kåfjord), a retired cross-country skier who competed at the

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian language, Serbo-Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) and commonly known as Sarajevo '84 (Serbian Cy ...

Gallery

Shed with green roof at Lyngen fjord, 2012 June.jpg, Shed with green roof at Lyngen fjord A view from the northeast coast of Kåfjorden, 2012 March.jpg, A view from the northeast coast of Kåfjorden Fossheim.jpg, Fossheim

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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaivuotna Kaafjord Kaivuono Municipalities of Troms Sámi-language municipalities Populated places of Arctic Norway 1929 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 1929