text:
Loppa Municipality

Loppa ( and Lappea) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Øksfjord. Other villages in Loppa include Andsnes, Bergsfjord, Langfjordhamn, Loppa, Nuvsvåg, Øksfjordbotn, Sandland, and Sør-Tverrfjord.

The 689 km2 municipality is the 167th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Loppa is the 343rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 864. The municipality's population density is 1.3 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 15.9% over the previous 10-year period.

Most people live in the village of Øksfjord, but smaller communities are spread out along the shores and islands, notably Nuvsvåg, Sandland, Bergsfjord, Brynilen, and the island of Loppa. This island was previously the administrative centre of the municipality (hence the name). There is no airport, but Øksfjord is a port of call for the Hurtigruten boats.

General information
The municipality of Loppen (later spelled Loppa) was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1858, the northern part of Loppa on the island of Sørøya and most of Loppa on the island of Stjernøya (population: 506) was separated to form the new Hasvik Municipality. This left Loppa with 801 residents. The borders of the municipality have not changed since that time.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island of Loppa (Loppa), since it was the former centre of the municipality and the first church (Loppa Church) was located there. The meaning of the name is uncertain, however it is mentioned to be of Norse origin. Historically, the name of the municiaplity was spelled Loppen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Loppa.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 December 1980. The official blazon is "Or a cormorant wings elevated sable" (I gult en svart skarv). This means the arms have a charge that is a great black cormorant in sable. The field (background) has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The cormorant was chosen as a symbol since the municipality has several typical fishing villages which often attract cormorants which are reputed to be good fish-catchers. The yellow color in the field symbolizes the riches from the local fishing industry. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Loppa. It is part of the Alta prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland. In the medieval ages Loppa was its own parish, with traces after an old church in the fishing village of Yttervær, on the island Loppa.

Geography
Loppa is the westernmost municipality of Finnmark and it faces the open stretch of the Norwegian Sea called Lopphavet, and it is mostly coastal with fjords and islands under the gigantic snowcap of the Øksfjordjøkelen glacier. The municipality includes most of the peninsula between the Kvænangen and the Altafjorden. There are also several islands in the municipality, notably Loppa, Silda, and part of Stjernøya. The mountains Lopptinden and Svartfjellet both lie in the municipality along with the glaciers Langfjordjøkelen, Øksfjordjøkelen, and Svartfjelljøkelen. The highest point in the municipality is the 1191 m tall mountain Øksfjordjøkelen.

Government
Loppa Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Vestre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Loppa is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Loppa:

 * 1839–1840: Jens Hjort Stuwitz
 * 1841–1847: Christopher A. Lassen
 * 1848–1849: Johan Axel Rask
 * 1849–1857: Marius Meyer
 * 1858–1859: Nils Hjort Stuwitz
 * 1860–1861: Ove Kristian Brock
 * 1861–1862: Georg Peter Ulich
 * 1863–1869: Wilhelm Henrik Klerck Buck
 * 1869–1875: Peder Olsen Megrund
 * 1876–1877: Petter Steffensen Berg
 * 1878–1880: Jens Rasmussen Kiil
 * 1881–1897: Edvard Buck (H)
 * 1897–1908: Arne Fosnes (V)
 * 1909–1911: Reiel Nybø (H)
 * 1912–1916: Arne Fosnes (V)
 * 1916–1942: Ola Berg (V)
 * 1945–1945: Bendix Berg (LL)
 * 1945–1946: Edvin Pettersen (LL)
 * 1947–1947: Ragnar Lyngmoe (Ap)
 * 1948–1955: Nordahl Johansen (Ap)
 * 1956–1959: Ole Grønnum (Ap)
 * 1960–1961: Harald Samuelsberg (Ap)
 * 1962–1967: Einar Fjelldahl (Ap)
 * 1968–1979: Konrad J. Knutsen (Ap)
 * 1980–1981: Edgar Flåten (Ap)
 * 1982–1987: Torleif Gamst (Ap)
 * 1988–1991: Konrad J. Knutsen (Ap)
 * 1992–1995: Arne Gamst (SV)
 * 1995–2007: Arne Dag Isaksen (Ap)
 * 2007–2015: Jan-Eirik Jensen (K)
 * 2015–2019: Steinar Halvorsen (H)
 * 2019–2023: Stein Thomassen (Ap)
 * 2023–present: Cato Kristiansen (SV)

History
The area of Loppa is suggested to have been inhabited since the Mesolithic times with traces after settlement and scattered findings in both Nuvsvåg, Øksfjord, Sandland, Loppa, Silda and Bergsfjord. The activity of fishing and whaling in the municipality seems to have its origins from ancient times.

Roman Age
Little is known of this period historically and archaeologically in this area. However the discovering of a Roman Age longhouse from 120 AD, at the island of Loppa shows the earliest signs of settlement in the Early Iron Age. Perhaps was this the very beginning of Norse taxation of the Sami peoples in the area and the interaction between the two peoples of trade and commerce in fishing and the industry of the hunting of maritime mammals. The longhouse is also one of the oldest one ever discovered in Northern Norway.

Viking Age
In 1962 a rich female Viking Age grave was discovered on the island of Loppa. It contained luxurious personal objects such as tortoise brooches, a round brooch in the Oseberg style, a whalebone plaque, beads, knife, scissor and an arrowhead. The female grave was dubbed "The Queens Grave" due to the manner in which she was buried. However she was most likely not a queen but a very important person indeed on Viking Age Loppa. Perhaps a housewife of a local chieftain? The wealth of the grave reflects that of the Norse elite's presence in the area. The burial was dated to the 9th century AD.

In 1964 a longhouse from Viking Age was also discovered dated to the end of the 8th century AD. Several other buildings and boathouses was also discovered and dated to the same period as the longhouse and the rich female grave. There is also several burials from Iron Age on the island, where the biggest a burial cairn with the size of 13 meters in diameter. The amount of Iron Age burials and houses suggests that of a more permanent Norse settlement.

Middle Ages
In Middle Ages, the hunting and the production of oil from marine mammals seems to stop, and fishing becomes more important. Along the coast of Northern Norway we see so called farm mounds of ancient settlements, and at Loppa there are at least 6 farm mounds spread out on the island of Loppa, Silda and at mainland Andsnes. However, the farm mounds of Northern Norway seem to have their upbringing already in Early Iron Age, suggesting that fishing was already a commercial trade before the Middle Ages. On the island of Loppa one of the farm mounds was dated to the 1100s AD, with a church site close by. This suggests that Loppa was its own parish already in the Middle Ages.

Notable people

 * Hans E. Kinck (1865 in Øksfjord – 1926), an author and philologist who wrote novels, short stories, dramas, and essays
 * Harald Nicolai Samuelsberg (1911 in Loppa – 1986), a politician who was mayor of Loppa
 * Hallgeir Pedersen (born 1973), a jazz guitarist who was raised in Øksfjord
 * Magnus Andersen (born 1986 in Øksfjord), a Norwegian football midfielder with over 300 club caps

title: Loppa Municipality


text:
Hasvik Municipality

Hasvik (Hasviikan komuuni) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Breivikbotn. Other villages in the municipality include Breivik, Hasvik, and Sørvær. The population of Hasvik has generally been in steady decline due to problems within the fishing industry. Hasvik is an island municipality with no road connections to the rest of Norway. Hasvik Airport is served with regular connections to Tromsø and Hammerfest, and there is a two-hour ferry crossing to the village of Øksfjord on the mainland, providing access by car.

The 555 km2 municipality is the 195th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Hasvik is the 336th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 979. The municipality's population density is 1.8 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 5.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality of Hasvik was established in 1858 when the northern part of Loppa Municipality was separated to form this new municipality. The initial population was 506. The borders of the municipality have not changed since that time.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Hasvik farm since the first Hasvik Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of which means "high" or "tall", likely referring to the nearby mountain Håen (Hár). The last element is which means "cove" or "small bay".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 13 July 1984. The official blazon is "Azure, a gull argent rising" (I blått en oppflygende hvit make). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a seagull that is just taking flight. The seagull has a tincture of argent 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 and the seagull were chosen by the municipality as a symbol for the local fishing and fish processing industry which attracts many seagulls. The design of the arms was proposed by Martha Gamst from Breivikbotn, and it was refined and finalized by Arvid Sveen.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Hasvik. It is part of the Alta prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

History
In 1900, Hasvik was connected to the telegraph system of the rest of Norway.

In June 1944, a Catalina aircraft crashed into a mountain in Hasvik, killing the crew of 6; the crew consisted of Soviet airmen wearing American uniforms; the aircraft was flying from the U.S. to Murmansk, Russia via Iceland. (138 PBN-1s produced by Naval Aircraft Factory served with the Soviet Navy, after the NAF transferred ownership via Project ZEBRA). The remains of the crew members were moved out of Norway after World War II.

Stranded Soviet warship
In the sea off the village of Sørvær, the decommissioned Soviet cruiser Murmansk ran aground on Christmas Eve in 1994. Her towlines had snapped off the nearby North Cape while the vessel was on its way to India to be scrapped. She stayed in Sørvær for 18 years.

In 2012, the operation to removed the vessel started. A breakwater and dry dock was constructed around the vessel to access it from land and demolish it where it rested. The dock around the wreck was sealed in April. By mid-May the dock was almost empty of water and the demolishing of the cruiser began. The project was completed in 2013.

In 2021, a plaque was unveiled in the presence of minister of defence, representatives from embassies of USA and Russia, and a Russian military attaché; 6  Soviet airmen who died in 1944, were honored.

Government
Hasvik Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Vestre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Hasvik is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Hasvik (incomplete list):

 * 1873-1874: Johannes Bull
 * 1886-1887: Ole Mathisen
 * 1890–1907: Andreas Jox
 * 1907-1929: Albert Krane (H)
 * 1929-1934: Thorvald Kristian Gamst Berg (V)
 * 1935-1940: Arthur Gustavsen (Ap)
 * 1940-1941: Einar Nikolaisen
 * 1941-1945: Bjarne Krane (NS)
 * 1945-1947: Arthur Gustavsen (Ap)
 * 1948-1951: Sverre Bakken (Ap)
 * 1952-1955: Hjalmar Jenssen (Ap)
 * 1956-1959: Sverre Bakken (Ap)
 * 1960-1963: Hjalmar Jenssen (Ap)
 * 1964-1965: Edmund Johansen (Ap)
 * 1968-1971: Klemet Olsen (Ap)
 * 1971-1983: Arne Helge Danielsen (Ap)
 * 1983-1991: Bjørnar Roald Hågensen (Ap)
 * 1991-2003: Odd Egil Simonsen (Ap)
 * 2003-2007: Geir Adelsten Iversen (Sp)
 * 2007-2023: Eva Danielsen Husby (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Lars Hustad (LL)

Geography
The municipality of Hasvik is situated on the western side of Sørøya, Norway's fourth largest island (other than Svalbard). Most people in Hasvik are to be found in a string of settlements along the western coast: the three largest being Breivikbotn, Sørvær, and Hasvik. The municipality also includes the very sparsely populated northern part of the island of Stjernøya, including the Sørfjorden area. Stjernøya has no road or ferry connections. The highest point in the municipality is the 958.7 m tall mountain Kjerringa.

Climate
Hasvik, situated on Sørøya island, has an either a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) or a subarctic climate (Dfc), depending on winter threshold used (-3 °C as in the original Köppen climate classification) or 0 °C as used in the US). Winter temperatures hover around freezing, and the short summers are cool. The winters are very mild considering the latitude of more than 70 degrees North. The driest season is April to July, and the wettest season is October to January. The wettest month October get more than twice as much precipitation as the driest month May. The all-time high temperature 28.7 °C was recorded August 2018; the all-time low -17.2 °C recorded in December 2002. The weather station at the small airport close to the village has been operating since January 1984. Extremes available since 2002.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Hasvik Municipality


text:
Kvalsund Municipality

Kvalsund ( and Valasnuora) is a former municipality in Finnmark county in Norway. The area is now part of Hammerfest Municipality. The municipality existed from 1869 until its dissolution in 2020. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Kvalsund. Other villages in the municipality included Áisaroaivi, Kokelv, Oldernes, Oldervik, Revsneshamn, Skaidi.

At the time of its dissolution on 1 January 2020, the 1844 km2 municipality was the 37th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Kvalsund was also the 394th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 988. The municipality's population density was 0.5 PD/km2 and its population had decreased by 5.4% over the previous 10-year period.

The Kvalsund Bridge (Kvalsundbrua) is a suspension bridge that crosses the Kvalsundet strait from the mainland to the island of Kvaløya.

In 2015, the media said that for four years an application has been filed for establishing Norway's largest copper mine, depending on a permit for creating a zone in Repparfjorden for depositing waste from the mine.

General information
The municipality of Kvalsund was established on 1 July 1869 when it was separated from the Hammerfest landdistrikt (the rural municipality surrounding the town of Hammerfest). Initially, Kvalsund had 514 residents. On 1 January 1963, the Kokelv area in southern Måsøy Municipality (population: 34) was transferred to Kvalsund.

On 1 January 2020, Kvalsund Municipality was merged into the neighboring Hammerfest Municipality, a decision that the people of the two municipalities had agreed to in 2017.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Kvalsundet strait (Hvalsund). The first element comes from the name of the island Kvaløya. The island's name comes form the Old Norse word which means "whale". The last element is which means "strait" or "sound". The Sámi name also translates to "whale strait" ( means "whale" and nuorri means strait).

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 27 March 1987. The official blazon is "Azure, three salmon argent in pall heads to center" (I blått tre hvite lakser i trepass med hodene innover). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is three salmon arranged in pall with their heads facing the centre. The salmon have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The blue color in the field and the salmon were chosen to represent fishing in various forms: as a traditional way of living and source of income, as modern fish farming, and as a recreational activity in the area. The arms were designed by Ingunn Bjerkås.

Churches
The Church of Norway had two parishes (sokn) within Kvalsund Municipality. It was part of the Hammerfest prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Aboriginal culture
Until a few hundred years ago, the Coast Sámi culture was completely dominant in Kvalsund. Norwegian and Kven immigration soon made the area multicultural. During Norwegianization much of the traditional culture was lost. Kokelv is the village that has most successfully preserved elements of Sámi culture, and today has a Coast Sámi museum. The gakti of the Kvalsund region is easily recognizable by dots and jags on the collars (for men) and sleeves (for women).

Fægstock
The municipality hosts an annual rock festival known as Fægstock, which takes place in Fægfjord (, meaning "twilight fiord").

Government
While it existed, Kvalsund Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Kvalsund was made up of 15 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Kvalsund:

 * 1869-1870: A. Holmgren
 * 1871-1878: Andreas Nørager Buck
 * 1879-1882: Peder Nilsen
 * 1883-1885: Mathis Abrahamsen
 * 1886-1888: Andreas Nørager Buck
 * 1889-1892: Martin Nilsen
 * 1893-1895: Andreas Nørager Buck
 * 1896-1898: Martin Nilsen
 * 1899-1901: Karl Svendsen
 * 1902-1913: Martin Nilsen
 * 1914-1916: Karl Mölbach Buck
 * 1917-1919: Johannes Olsen
 * 1920-1931: Håkon Pedersen
 * 1932-1934: Edvard Skjeldnes
 * 1935-1935: S. Indrebø
 * 1936-1937: H. Schrøder
 * 1945-1947: Arne Bjørnå
 * 1948-1955: Ole Mathiasen
 * 1956-1959: Hans Arne Arnesen
 * 1960-1967: Erling Nilsen
 * 1968-1974: Henning Bårdsen
 * 1974-1983: Ernst Hokland
 * 1984-1991: Egil Johansen
 * 1992-1995: Svein-Erik Torbergsen
 * 1995-1999: Ragnar Olsen (Ap)
 * 1999-2003: Geir Nesse
 * 2003-2007: Ragnar Olsen (Ap)
 * 2007-2011: Tor Arvid Myrseth (LL)
 * 2011-2015: Ragnar Olsen (Ap)
 * 2015-2019: Terje Wikstrøm (Ap)

Geography
The municipality was mostly located on the mainland, but parts of the municipality were also located on the islands of Kvaløya and Seiland. The Seilandsjøkelen glacier was partially located in Kvalsund, and at 986 m in height, it was the highest point in the municipality. Lakes in the municipality included Bjørnstadvatnet and Doggejávri.

Settlements
The main village in the municipality was called Kvalsund in Norwegian and Ráhkkerávju in Sámi. Historically, that village was called Finnbyen, a name meaning simply "Coast Sámi settlement". Most villages in the municipality had two names: one in Norwegian and one in Sami. Other villages in the municipality included Skáidi ("meeting-place of rivers" in Sámi); Stállugárgu/Stallogargo ("troll beach"); Neverfjord/Návvuotna; and Kokelv/Guoikejohka. Regarding the latter toponyms, the Neverfjord translates to "tinder fjord" and Návvuotna to "cowshed fjord"; while Kokelv is "boiling river" in Norwegian and Guiokejohka means "rushing river" in the Sámi language.

Birdlife
The municipality of Kvalsund had several localities that had a rich and varied bird fauna. One of these was Repparfjordbotn with its large colony of Arctic terns and its autumn numbers of goosander.

Climate
Kvalsund has continental subarctic climate. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Dfc".

title: Kvalsund Municipality


text:
Måsøy Municipality

Måsøy (Moseija) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Havøysund. Other villages include Bakfjord, Gunnarnes, Ingøy, Måsøy, Slåtten, and Snefjord. The municipality is located on the mainland as well as several islands.

The 1137 km2 municipality is the 96th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Måsøy is the 328th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,113. The municipality's population density is 1 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 10.3% over the previous 10-year period.

The municipality includes the Fruholmen Lighthouse, the northernmost lighthouse in Norway as well as the Havøysund Bridge, the northernmost bridge in the world. The tallest tower in Scandinavia, the 362 m tall Ingøy radio transmitter is located on Ingøya island.

The Hurtigruten coastal express boat stops at the village of Havøysund daily. There is also a road connection to Havøysund, albeit often blocked by snow in the winter at the pass between Snefjord and Bakfjord. Norwegian County Road 889 connects the mainland to Havøysund. Bus services between Havøysund and Olderfjord (bus hub), operates twice a day. The nearest airport is Lakselv Banak Airport.

General information
The town of Hammerfest and the vast surrounding "rural district of Hammerfest" was established as the municipality of Hammerfest by og landdistrikt on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). Soon after (the same year), the northern district (population: 498) was separated to become the new Maasøe Municipality, named after the village on the island of Måsøya where the local Måsøy Church is located. The spelling was later changed to Måsøy.

On 1 January 1963, a small area of southern Måsøy, north of Kokelv, (population: 34) was transferred to the neighboring Kvalsund Municipality. On 1 January 1984, the western part of the island of Magerøya (population: 240) was transferred from Måsøy to the neighboring Nordkapp Municipality.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island of Måsøya (Másøy) since the first Måsøy Church was built there. The first element is mási, the diminuitive form of the genitive case of the word which means "little seagull". The last element is which means "island". Historically, the name of the municiaplity was spelled Maasø or Maasøe. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Maasøy. On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Maasøy with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Måsøy, using the letter å instead.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 7 September 1984. The official blazon is "Gules, a gaff bendwise Or" (I rødt en gull klepp skrått oppad). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a fishing gaff. The gaff has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. A gaff is a stick with a metal hook or a barbed spear (historically it was made of bone). It is used for pulling large fish onto a boat. These fishing gaffs have been used for many centuries in the municipality. The tool was chosen as a symbol for the importance of fishing to the municipality. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Måsøy. It is part of the Hammerfest prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Government
Måsøy Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Vestre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Måsøy is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Måsøy (incomplete list):

 * 1838-18??: Hans Sommer Ulich
 * 1873-1874: Reinholdt Fredrik Tønder Larsen
 * 1893-1895: Enok Johnsen
 * 1895-1901: Sivert Lauritz Aasen (H)
 * 1902-1904: William Dahl Ulich
 * 1905-1907: Simon Edvard Sørensen
 * 1908-1909: Sivert Sveen
 * 1914-1920: William Dahl Ulich
 * 1920-1929: Carl Rebek Olsen (H)
 * 1928-1941: Johannes Olai Olsen (Ap)
 * 1941-1945: S. Ansteensen (NS)
 * 1945-1946: Johannes Olai Olsen (Ap)
 * 1946-1956: Karl Sigfred Gregersen
 * 1957-1968: Magnar Pettersen (Ap)
 * 1968-1971: Trygve Olsen (Sp)
 * 1971-1979: Bjørgvin Jenssen (Ap)
 * 1979-1981: Oddvar J. Majala (Ap)
 * 1981-1995: Arvid Mathisen (Ap)
 * 1995-2009: Ingalill Olsen (Ap)
 * 2009-2011: John Aase (Ap)
 * 2011-2014: Anne Karin Olli (H)
 * 2014-2017: Gudleif Kristiansen (Sp)
 * 2017-2019: Reidun Helene Mortensen (Sp)
 * 2019–2023: Bernth Sjursen (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Ingrid Majala (LL)

Geography
The municipality is located on the northern coast of western Finnmark, comprising parts of the mainland (located on the Porsanger Peninsula) and many islands of various sizes. The main islands include Måsøya, Hjelmsøya, Havøya, Ingøya, and Rolvsøya. Most people live in the village of Havøysund, but there are also small hamlets spread around the islands and in the fjord areas, notably Snefjord, Slåtten, Ingøy, Gunnarnes, and Måsøy. The large lake Havvatnet lies in the southern part of the municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the 633.7 m tall mountain Gárdevárri.

Birdlife
Lying in the northwest part of the county, Måsøy has a selection of habitats and a varied birdlife. Once again, some of the county's largest seabird colonies can be found in the municipality with the island of Hjelmsøya being one of the more interesting. White-tailed eagles can be seen as well as both Arctic skuas and great skuas.

Climate
Måsøy has a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfc), due to the relatively mild winter, but also due to the precipitation pattern with drier summer and wetter winter, which is opposite of the subarctic climate. Fruholmen was earlier a tundra climate, and is close to tundra with 1991-2020 normals. As the weather station is located at an exposed lighthouse, the inhabited areas of the municipality such as Havøysund will be slightly warmer in summer and slightly colder in winter than Fruholmen.

Notable people

 * Johannes Olai Olsen (1895 in Måsøy – 1974), a fisherman and mayor of Måsøy from 1928-1940
 * Lorentz Eldjarn (1920 in Måsøy – 2007), a biochemist and medical doctor
 * Selmer Nilsen (1931 in Bakfjord – 1991), a fisherman who spied for the GRU during the Cold War
 * Aagot Vinterbo-Hohr (born 1936 in Måsøy), a Norwegian-Sami physician and writer
 * Markus Svendsen (born 1941 in Havøysund), a skier who competed at the 1968 Winter Olympics
 * Hanne Grete Einarsen (born 1966), a Norwegian-Sami artist who lives in Snefjord

title: Måsøy Municipality


text:
Nordkapp Municipality

Nordkapp (North Cape; or Nordkáhppa; Kappa or Nordkappa) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Honningsvåg, where most residents live. Other settlements in Nordkapp include the villages of Gjesvær, Kåfjord, Kamøyvær, Kjelvik, Nordvågen, Repvåg, Skarsvåg, and Valan.

The 927 km2 municipality is the 127th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Nordkapp is the 231st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,951. The municipality's population density is 3.2 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 8.2% over the previous 10-year period.

Around 200,000 tourists visit Nordkapp annually during the two to three months of summer. The main tourist attractions are the North Cape and the nearby Knivskjellodden. The North Cape first became famous when the English explorer Richard Chancellor rounded it in 1553 while attempting to find a sea route through the Northeast Passage. Helnes Lighthouse is located at the entrance to the Porsangerfjorden.

General information
This municipality was established on 1 July 1861 when the northern district of Kistrand Municipality was separated to form the new Kjelvik Municipality. Initially, the new municipality encompassed the land on both sides of the northern end of the Porsangerfjorden, including the eastern part of the island of Magerøya, and it had a population of 345. The name of the municipality was changed from Kjelvik to Nordkapp in 1950. On 1 January 1984, the western part of the island of Magerøya as well as the small surrounding islands of Gjesværstappan (population: 240) were transferred from Måsøy Municipality to Nordkapp Municipality.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) was named after the old Kjelvik farm (Ketilvík) since the first Kjelvik Church was built there. The first element is derived from the word which means "helmet" or "kettle". The last element is which means "cove" or "bay". The municipality was originally named Kjelvik, but that village was totally destroyed by the Germans in 1944 and it was never rebuilt. As a consequence of this, on 8 July 1949, a royal resolution changed the name of the municipality to Nordkapp effective on 1 January 1950. Nordkapp is a Norwegianized form of the English name North Cape by which the area was historically known dating back to at least 1553. The Old Norse name of the cape was Knyskanes.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 October 1973. The official blazon is "Per fess angeled Or and gules" (Delt av gull og rødt ved enkelt venstre trappesnitt). This means the arms have a field (background) that is divided by an angeled line. Above the line the field has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. Below the line, the field has a tincture of gules (red). The arms are designed to look like a simplified silhouette of the North Cape, a large cliff in Nordkapp Municipality that is traditionally taken to be the northernmost point in Norway and of the European continent. The red and yellow colors are meant to show the sea under a golden sky representing the midnight sun. The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Nordkapp. It is part of the Hammerfest prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Government
Nordkapp Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Vestre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Nordkapp is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Nordkapp:

 * 1861-1865: Jørgen Wiig
 * 1865-1871: Karesius Løkke
 * 1869-1870: Olaf Bull
 * 1871-1873: Martin Berg
 * 1873-1875: Carl Berg
 * 1875-1877: Kristian Hansen
 * 1877-1879: Martin Berg
 * 1879-1889: Emil Simonsen
 * 1889-1895: Johannes Aas
 * 1897-1907: Lars Berg
 * 1908-1916: Waldemar Larssen (FV)
 * 1917-1922: Ole Grøtta
 * 1923-1925: Fredrik Bull
 * 1926-1928: John Bruun
 * 1929-1931: Haakon H. Bartnæs
 * 1931-1934: Alfred Vågnes (NKP)
 * 1935-1937: Magnus Steinholdt
 * 1937-1937: Amandus Kræmmervik
 * 1938-1941: Erling Andreassen (Ap)
 * 1941-1944: Peder J. Berg (NS)
 * 1945-1946: Erling Andreassen (Ap)
 * 1946-1947: Rudolf Andreassen (NKP)
 * 1947-1967: Erling Andreassen (Ap)
 * 1968-1979: Halfdan Berge (Ap)
 * 1979-1991: Odd Holmgren (Ap)
 * 1991-1999: Hans Arvid Hansen (Ap)
 * 1999-2003: Bernt-Aksel Jensen (Ap)
 * 2003-2007: Ulf Syversen (Ap)
 * 2007-2019: Kristina Hansen (Ap)
 * 2019–2022: Jan Olsen (SV)
 * 2022–2023: Trudy Engen (SV)
 * 2023-present: Jan Morten (Ap)

Geography
The municipality encompasses the island of Magerøya, but also parts of the mainland on the Porsanger Peninsula and Sværholt Peninsula on both sides of the Porsangerfjorden. There are many other fjords in the municipality including Duksfjorden, Kåfjorden, Kamøyfjorden, and Skipsfjorden. The main island is Magerøya and there are a few islands located around Magerøya including Gjesvær, Gjesværstappan, Lille Kamøya, and Store Kamøya. The highest point in the municipality is the 578 m tall Savzavárri.

North Cape

The municipality is named after Nordkapp (North Cape), a 307 m cliff that is commonly referred to as the northernmost point of Europe. However, the true northernmost point of the European mainland is Cape Nordkinn (Kinnarodden), at 71° 08′ 02″ N, located about 20 km from the village of Mehamn on the Nordkinn Peninsula. If Europe's northernmost point is allowed to be on an island, then it still is not the North Cape. It would be Cape Fligely on Rudolf Island, Franz Josef Land in Russia, which is located much further north at 81° 48′ 24″ N. If Franz Josef Land is not considered to be in Europe, then Europe's northernmost point is the northern point of the island of Rossøya, an islet in Svalbard, north of Spitsbergen at 80° 49′ 44.41″ N.

Birdlife
This coastal municipality is like many others in Finnmark, home of large seabird colonies. The island group known as Gjesværstappan is one of the better known with at least 2,500 pairs of razorbill. Away from the coast it is the typical tundra habitat of the region that dominates with lakes, marshes, and areas of willow scrub. Many of the lakes hold breeding wildfowl, with species like long-tailed duck being found.

Climate
The populated areas of Nordkapp municipality have a subarctic climate (Dfc) with long, moderately cold winters and short, cool summers. If February were slightly warmer it would be a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc). The well known North Cape plateau (cliff) is at 307 m ASL and will be colder with a tundra climate.

Transportation
Due to the heavy tourist traffic in the summers, Nordkapp has an extensive transportation infrastructure for such a small, remote municipality. The Honningsvåg Airport is located just north of the town of Honningsvåg, with daily connections to Tromsø. The European route E69 highway runs north throughout the municipality from Porsanger to the North Cape. The North Cape Tunnel connects the mainland to the island of Magerøya. The Honningsvåg Tunnel goes through a large mountain near Honningsvåg.

Notable people

 * Thor With (1918 in Honningsvåg - 1987), a theologian and Bishop of the Diocese of Bjørgvin
 * Terje Stigen (1922 on Magerøya – 2010), an author
 * Idar Kristiansen (1932 in Honningsvåg – 1985), a poet, novelist, and short story writer
 * Gunnar Stålsett (born 1935 in Nordkapp), a theologican and politician who was leader of the Centre Party and Bishop of Oslo
 * Knut Erik Jensen (born 1940 in Honningsvåg), a film director
 * Ingunn Utsi (born 1948 in Repvågstranda), a Sami sculptor, painter, and book illustrator
 * John Arne Markussen (born 1953 in Repvåg), a journalist and newspaper editor
 * Guri Berg (born 1963), a Norwegian artist and sculptor who grew up in Honningsvåg
 * Ingeborg Arvola (born 1974 in Honningsvåg), a Norwegian novelist and children's writer
 * William Frantzen (born 1993), a retired footballer who grew up in Honningsvåg

title: Nordkapp Municipality


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Porsanger Municipality

Porsanger (Porsáŋgu; Porsanki ) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lakselv. Other villages in the municipality include Børselv, Brenna, Indre Billefjord, Kistrand, Olderfjord, and Skoganvarre.

The 4874 km2 municipality is the 3rd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Porsanger is the 208th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,889 (many of whom have a Kven (Kainu) or Sami background). The municipality's population density is 0.8 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 1.9% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality of Kistrand (renamed Porsanger in 1964) was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1851, the southern part of Kistrand (population: 869) was separated to become the new Kautokeino Municipality. On 1 January 1861, the northern part of Kistrand (population: 345) was separated to become the new Kjelvik Municipality. On 1 January 1866, the southern part of Kistrand (population: 515) was separated to become the new Karasjok Municipality.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) was first named after the old Kistrand farm since the first Kistrand Church was built there. The first element is possibly derived from the word which means "kid" (as in a young goat). The last element is which means "beach" or "shore".

On 2 November 1962, a royal resolution changed the name of the municipality to Porsanger. The new name comes the local Porsangerfjorden (Porsangr). The first element is probably the name of the plant or finnmarkspors (Rhododendron tomentosum). Another theory is that the first element is derived from the Northern Sami word borsi which means "waterfall". The last element is which means "fjord" or "bay".

Since 2004, the municipality has had three co-official, co-equal, interchangeable names:, , and , since it has three official languages: Norwegian, Northern Sami, and Kven. The spelling of the Sami and Kven language names change depending on how they are used. In Sami, it is called Porsáŋgu when it is spelled alone, but it is Porsáŋggu gielda when using the Sami language equivalent to "Porsanger Municipality". In Kven, it is called Porsanki when it is spelled alone, and it is Porsangin komuuni when using the Kven language equivalent to "Porsanger municipality".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 16 June 1967. The official blazon is "Gules, three reindeer salient argent" (På rød bunn tre springende hvite rein). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three leaping reindeer, two over one. The reindeer have a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. Porsanger is one of the largest municipalities in the Northern Norway that is not dependent on fishing. Instead, the local people historically farmed reindeer, which is still an importance source of income for the residents. The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Porsanger. It is part of the Indre Finnmark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

History
The area has been settled by Norwegians and Sami people since time immemorial. In the 18th century, people from Finland, escaping famine and war, settled along the Porsangerfjorden. These people are today known as Kven.

Government
Porsanger Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Indre og Østre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Porsanger is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Porsanger:

 * 1839-1841: Søren Von Krogh Zetlitz
 * 1841-1847: Johan Eirik Greiner
 * 1847-1849: Peder K. Ulich
 * 1849-1857: Johan Eirik Greiner
 * 1857-1861: Peter Valeur
 * 1861-1865: Johan Eirik Greiner
 * 1869-1873: Lorents Jacob Pauli Holmgren
 * 1873-1876: Lars Anton Moe
 * 1877-1879: Thorvald Egeberg
 * 1879-1881: Johan Eirik Greiner
 * 1881-1885: Peder Larsen
 * 1885-1894: Jacob A. Nordang
 * 1894-1895: Anton Bye
 * 1896-1897: Karl J Smith
 * 1898-1901: Anton Bye
 * 1902-1904: Salomon Nilsen
 * 1905-1907: Nils Christoffersen
 * 1908-1909: Peder Sætrum
 * 1909-1911: Johannes Rasmussen
 * 1911-1913: Anton Bye
 * 1914-1917: Peder Andreas Olsen
 * 1917-1919: H. Wilhelmsen
 * 1920-1922: Peder Andreas Olsen
 * 1923-1925: Georg Bjørkli
 * 1926-1931: Olaf Reiersen
 * 1932-1941: Peder Sivertsen (Ap)
 * 1945-1945: Hans A. Opstad (Ap)
 * 1945-1951: Peder Sivertsen (Ap)
 * 1952-1967: Hans A. Opstad (Ap)
 * 1968-1975: Helmer Mikkelsen (Ap)
 * 1976-1983: Hans A. Karlsen (LL)
 * 1984-1987: Steinulf Isaksen (Ap)
 * 1988-1989: Aina Hanssen (Ap)
 * 1990-1991: Berit Oppegaard (H)
 * 1992-1995: Åsla Eriksen (Ap)
 * 1995-1999: Rolf I. Johansen (Ap)
 * 1999-2007: Bjørn Søderholm (H)
 * 2007-2011: Mona Skanke (Ap)
 * 2011-2015: Knut Roger Hanssen (H)
 * 2015-2023: Aina Borch (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Jo Inge Hesjevik (H)

Economy
Lakselv Airport, Banak is located on the Banak peninsula, just north of Lakselv village, along the coast of the fjord. The airport has connections to Tromsø and Kirkenes and it is operated by Widerøe. There are also charter flights in the summer season. The airport is also used by the Royal Norwegian Air Force's Station Group Banak. The Norwegian Army also has a garrison at Porsangermoen (Garrison of Porsanger), and so the military presence in Porsanger is quite heavy.

The local newspapers are Finnmark Dagblad and Ságat. The northernmost winery is located here, using crowberries instead of grapes.

Geography
Porsanger Municipality is the third largest municipality in Norway by area, with 4873 km2. The municipality surrounds the inner part of the Porsangerfjorden, the fourth longest fjord in Norway and the longest in Northern Norway. The highest point in the municipality is the 1138.9 m tall mountain Čohkkarášša.

The Porsangerfjorden is a wide, open body of water with many islands. The Porsanger Peninsula lies on the western shore of the fjord and the Sværholt Peninsula lies on the eastern shore. The biggest village (and municipal centre) is the village of Lakselv at the fjord's southern end. There are many smaller villages spread around the fjord on both sides, notably Kistrand, Olderfjord, Børselv, and Indre Billefjord.

Stabbursdalen National Park, with the world's northernmost pine forest, lies just west of the fjord and the village of Lakselv. The Stabburselva river runs through the park. Other notable rivers include the Børselva and Lakselva, both are well known for their salmon fishing. The lakes Gákkajávri and Kjæsvannet are both located in the municipality.

In Porsanger, there is midnight sun from 16 May until 27 July each year and there is polar night from 25 November to 16 January.

Birdlife
Porsanger is an area of rich and varied bird fauna. Here one can find such species as pine grosbeak. Away from the woodlands, it is the surrounding wetlands that have the greatest diversity. During spring, thousands of red knots stop to rest and feed along the shores of Porsangerfjord.

Climate
Lakselv has a boreal climate with modest precipitation and long winters, but still with annual mean well above freezing, ensuring there is no permafrost. The winters are less severe in terms of cold than would be expected for a town at 70 degrees latitude. The all-time high temperature 34.3 °C was recorded on 5 July 2021. This is the warmest temperature ever recorded north of 70 degrees North in Europe. The all-time low -33.6 °C is from January 1986. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below 0 °C) in spring is 24 May and average date for first freeze in autumn is 6 September giving a frost-free season of 105 days. The weather station (recording since Aug 1945) is located at Banak Airport, 1 km from the town.

Notable people

 * John Persen (1941–2014), a composer who grew up in Ráigeadja
 * Synnøve Persen (born 1950 in Beavgohpis), a Norwegian/Sámi artist, author and activist
 * Ivar Thomassen (1954 in Russenes – 2016), a folk singer, songwriter, and jazz pianist
 * Arnljot Elgsæter (born 1944 in Kistrand), a physicist and academic
 * Kåre Olli (born 1959), a Sami politician in the Labour Party

title: Porsanger Municipality


text:
Karasjok Municipality

or (Northern Sami; ) (also: Kaarasjoki) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Karasjok. Other villages include Dorvonjárga, Šuoššjávri, and Váljohka.

The 5453 km2 municipality is the second largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Karasjok is the 250th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,565. The municipality's population density is 0.5 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 4.9% over the previous 10-year period.

A survey conducted on behalf of the Sami Language Council in the year 2000 showed that 94 percent of the population are Sami speakers.

General information
The municipality of Karasjok was established on 1 January 1866 when it was separated from the old Kistrand 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 Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Name
The municipal name Karasjok is a Norwegianized form of the Northern Sami language name Kárášjohka. The meaning of the first element is uncertain. It could be káráš which is the Northern Sami word for a wooden food platter, or from the Finnish word,, which means "something that sticks". The last element is which means "river", whose equivalent in Finnish is.

The official name of the municipality was Karasjok until 1990 when it was changed to the bilingual Kárášjohka-Karasjok. It was the third municipality in Norway to get a Sami language name. In 2005, the name was again changed, such that either Kárášjohka or Karasjok can be used interchangeably. The spelling of the Sami language name changes depending on how it is used. It is called Kárášjohka when it is spelled alone, but it is Kárašjoga gielda when using the Sami language equivalent to "Karasjok Municipality".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 27 June 1986. The official blazon is "Gules, three five-tongued flames Or two and one" (I rødt tre femtungede gule flamer, 2-1). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three five-tongued flames with two above one. The flames have a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The red color and flame designs were chosen as a symbol for the importance of fire to the local (nomadic) Sami people. The fire 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 forests. 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, and Kvens.

History
In 2015 the second edition of Sápmi Pride, was held in Karasjok.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Karasjok. It is part of the Indre Finnmark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Transportation
There is an official border crossing between Dorvonjárga (Norway) and Karigasniemi (Finland), over the Anarjohka river. The European route E6 highway passes through the municipality from Lakselv to Tana bru and Kirkenes in the east. The nearest airport is Lakselv Airport, about 80 km from Karasjok village.

Government
Karasjok Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Indre og Østre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Karasjok is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Karasjok:

 * 1867–1893: Mathis Isaksen
 * 1894–1895: Carl Maxmilian Fandrem
 * 1896–1903: Hans Olaus Saxlund
 * 1904–1904: Anders J. Lindi
 * 1905–1907: Josef Isaksen
 * 1908–1910: Kristian Nissen
 * 1911–1916: Bendiks Løining
 * 1917–1919: Oluf Hagen
 * 1920–1922: Oluf Ludvig Jenssen
 * 1923–1925: Arne Havig Faye
 * 1926–1928: Oluf Hagen
 * 1929–1931: Einar Isaksen
 * 1932–1934: Alf Wiig
 * 1935–1940: Samuel Norvang
 * 1941–1943: Einar Isaksen
 * 1944–1947: Samuel Norvang
 * 1948–1955: Jon Fagerli
 * 1956–1962: Lydolf Lind Meløy
 * 1962–1965: Amund Nedrejord
 * 1966–1971: Hans Rønbeck
 * 1972–1975: Hans Guttorm
 * 1976–1979: Norvald Soleng
 * 1980–1981: Hans Guttorm
 * 1982–1983: Svein Ole Persen
 * 1984–1987: Norvald Soleng
 * 1988–2011: Kjell H. Sæther
 * 2011–2015: Anne Toril Eriksen Balto
 * 2015–present: Svein Atle Somby (Ap)

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 plateau. Lakes in the region include Čorotjávri, Gásadatjávri, Iešjávri, and Idjajávri. The river valley, unlike the plateau, is covered with pine and birch forests. The southern part of the municipality is part of the Anárjohka National Park. The highest point in the municipality is the 1024 m tall mountain Vuorji.

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: -51.4 C on 1 January 1886. The warmest temperature ever recorded is 32.4 C recorded July 1914 at an earlier weather station. The warmest month on record was July 2014 with mean 18.4 C and average daily high 24.8 C. The coldest month on record was February 1966 with a mean of -27.1 C. The coldest month in more recent decades is February 2007 with mean -20.9 C and average daily low -26.9 C.

Wildlife
The birdlife to be found in this municipality is characteristic for the region. The inland habitats of Finnmarksvidda are known for their rich bird life with species like Bluethroat 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.

In late 2022, there were estimated to be 16 bears are in the municipality.

Economy
Most people live in the village of Karasjok (Kárášjohka). The village is the seat of the Sámediggi, the Sami Parliament of Norway, as well as of the Sami broadcasting, and several Sami institutions (public and private) are found here, including Davvi Girji, 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, dating from 1807. The Sami parliament was opened in 1989, by King Olav V, the first Sami parliament president was Ole Henrik Magga, from the neighboring Kautokeino Municipality. He was the president for more than eight years. The Old Karasjok Church is the oldest Lutheran church in Finnmark county. The church is today too small, so a new, larger, wooden Karasjok Church, inspired by Sami architecture, has been built. Karasjok is also the place to look for duodji, Sami handicraft.

Notable people

 * Samuel Balto (1861 in Karasjok – 1921), a Norwegian–Sami explorer and adventurer (in Alaska, Greenland, and Canada), and member of the Fridtjof Nansen's Greenland expedition
 * Ole Ravna (1841 in Karasjok – 1906), a Norwegian-Sami explorer, adventurer, and member of the Fridtjof Nansen's Greenland expedition
 * Matti Aikio (1872 in Karasjok – 1929), a Norwegian Sami writer
 * Iver Jåks (1932 in Karasjok – 2007), a Norwegian Sami artist who used Sami culture and mythology in his artistic works
 * Inga Ravna Eira (1948 in Karasjok), a Northern Sami language poet, children's writer, translator, and schoolteacher
 * Mari Boine (born 1956 in Gámehisnjárga), a singer
 * Tor Mikkel Wara (born 1964 in Karasjok), a former politician
 * Ragnhild Vassvik Kalstad (born 1966), a politician and former member of Karasjok municipal council
 * Anita Nergaard (born 1967), a Norwegian Sami diplomat
 * Susanne Guttorm, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1996 in Karasjok), a model and Miss Norway 2018

Sport

 * Jan Egil Brekke (born 1974), a footballer who grew up in Karasjok
 * Leif Arne Brekke (born 1977), a footballer who grew up in Karasjok
 * Hans Norbye (born 1987 in Karasjok), a footballer

title: Karasjok Municipality


text:
Lebesby Municipality

Lebesby (Davvesiida and Lebespyy) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kjøllefjord. Other villages in the municipality include Ifjord, Kunes, Lebesby, and Veidnes.

The 3460.5 km2 municipality is the 8th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Lebesby is the 320th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,215. The municipality's population density is 0.4 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 9.4% over the previous 10-year period.

The municipality consists of the western half of the Nordkinn Peninsula, along with areas around the Laksefjorden. Most people live in the village of Kjøllefjord. This municipality is dominated by ethnic Norwegians, whereas the areas around the Laksefjorden are predominantly Sami. Fishing is the mainstay of the population.

Economy
There are 17 wind turbines that generate electrical power in Kjøllefjord, as of 2024. The world's northernmost dairy farm that produces milk (melkebruk) is located in Bekkarfjord.

History
The parish of Lebesby was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1864, the eastern part of Lebesby that surrounds the Tanafjorden (population: 1,388) was separated to become the new Tana Municipality. Tana was later separated into three: Tana Municipality, Gamvik Municipality, and Berlevåg Municipality. The borders of Lebesby have remained unchanged since that time.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Name
The origins of the municipal name are uncertain. There are two main possibilities. Lebesby may be a Norwegianized form of a Northern Sami name Leaibbessiida. The first element is the genitive form of the word which means "grey alder". The last element is which means "reindeer camp" or "dwelling place". A second option for the origin of the name is that Lebesby is a corruption of the Old Norse word Liðvarðsbýr. The first element is Liðvarð which is a male name from long ago. The last element is which means "dwelling place" or "farmstead".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 22 July 1988. The official blazon is "Per fess embattled grady with three steps and two peaks Or and Sable" (Delt av gult og svart ved tredobbelt tindesnitt med to tinder). This means the arms have a field (background) that is divided by a line that is "embattled grady". A line embattled grady consists of series of two or three steps, as if each merlon has a smaller merlon atop it. The field below the line has a tincture of sable and the field above the line has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The idea is that the arms represent the Finnkirka ("the Finn Church"), a cliff by the sea in the municipality. This cliff formation has the appearance of a church, and in former times was used by Sami people as a place of sacrifice. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.

Geography
The municipality consists of the areas around the Laksefjorden, including the eastern part of the Sværholt Peninsula and the western half of the Nordkinn Peninsula. At the entrance to the Kjøllefjorden at the northwestern tip of the Nordkinn Peninsula, one finds the spectacular Finnkirka sea cliff, so named because of its soaring spires that look like a church. On the other side of the Oksefjorden on the northern end of the peninsula, the Kinnarodden cape (shared with Gamvik Municipality) is the northernmost point on the European mainland. There are several large lakes in the municipality including Kjæsvannet, Store Måsvannet, and Suolojávri. The highest point in the municipality is the 1066.78 m tall mountain Rásttigáisá.

Birdlife
The same seacliffs mentioned above hold large numbers of breeding seabirds. In fact Norway's third largest seabird colony can be found in the municipality. Experiencing a seabird colony is one of nature's great experiences, here you can see and listen to thousands of birds with such species as fulmar and Atlantic puffin being a part of a fascinating ecosystem.

Flora
The world's northernmost birch forest is located in this municipality, near Oksefjorden, 9 km east of Kjøllefjord (70.96667°N, 27.56667°W).

Government
Lebesby Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Indre og Østre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Lebesby 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.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Lebesby:

 * 1838-1840: Johan Karsten Garmann Schancke
 * 1840-1843: Nils Pedersen
 * 1843-1845: Jørres Schelderup Hansen
 * 1846-1854: Henning Briks
 * 1855-1857: Nicolai Christian Lassen
 * 1858-1863: Bernhard Kock
 * 1864-1867: Johan Fredrik Lindstrøm
 * 1868-1873: Oluf August Ingemann Melbye
 * 1874-1892: N. Johansen
 * 1893-1895: J.B. Bøgeberg
 * 1896-1898: Ole Moen
 * 1899-1907: N. Johansen
 * 1908-1913: O. Klykken
 * 1914-1914: Andreas Olai Knutsen Steffensen
 * 1914-1916: Johan Hustad
 * 1917-1919: Wilhelm Lund
 * 1920-1925: Ole Konrad Steinholt
 * 1926-1928: Johan P. Olsen
 * 1929-1931: Charlo Klykken
 * 1932-1934: Johan P. Olsen
 * 1935-1941: Karl Fosslund
 * 1941-1942: Jens A. Horst
 * 1942-1945: Sigvald Tryggeseth (NS)
 * 1945-1945: Adolf Hansen
 * 1945-1945: Arne Moilanen
 * 1946-1950: Hans Martin Hanssen (Ap)
 * 1950-1951: Bertin Jonassen
 * 1952-1955: Edmund Wallenius
 * 1956-1957: Viggo Lund
 * 1958-1959: Gerhard Charlo Øfeldt
 * 1959-1961: Viggo Lund
 * 1961-1975: Aksel Samuelsberg (Ap)
 * 1975-1979: Magnor Mathisen (Ap)
 * 1979-1988: Edmund Varfjell (Ap)
 * 1988-1998: Kristin Berg Nilsen (Ap)
 * 1998-2010: Harald Larssen (Ap)
 * 2010-2019: Stine Akselsen (Ap)
 * 2019–present: Sigurd Kvammen Rafaelsen (Ap)

Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Lebesby. It is part of the Hammerfest prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Notable people

 * Einar Wøhni (1920 in Lebesby – 1987), a politician
 * Gørild Mauseth (born 1972 in Kjøllefjord), an actress

title: Lebesby Municipality


text:
Pachisi

Pachisi is a cross and circle board game that originated in Ancient India. It is described in the ancient text Mahabharata under the name of "Pasha". It is played on a board shaped like a symmetrical cross. A player's pieces move around the board based upon a throw of six or seven cowrie shells, with the number of shells resting with the aperture upward indicating the number of spaces to move.

The name of the game is derived from the Hindi word, meaning 'twenty-five', the largest score that can be thrown with the cowrie shells; thus this game is also known by the name Twenty-Five. There are other versions of this game where the largest score that can be thrown is thirty.

In addition to chaupar, there are many versions of the game. (barsis) is popular in the Levant, mainly Syria, while Parchís is another version popular in Spain and northern Morocco. Parqués is its Colombian variant. Parcheesi, Sorry!, and Ludo are among the many Westernised commercial versions of the game. The jeu des petits chevaux ('game of little horses') is played in France, and Mensch ärgere Dich nicht is a popular German variant. It is also possible that this game led to the development of the Korean board game Yunnori, through the ancient kingdom Baekje.

History
Gamesmen similar to chaupar with different colour schemes along with dice have been identified from the Iron Age during the Painted Grey Ware period from sites in Mathura and Noh (1100–800 BC). Cruciform boards have been depicted from art reliefs of Chandraketugarh dated to 2nd–1st century BC. A 6th- or 7th-century representation of Shiva and Parvati said to be playing Chaupar (a closely related game) in fact depicts only dice and not the distinctive board. In a similar period, a board identical to pachisi was discovered in the Ellora cave system. A Song dynasty (960–1279) document referencing the Chinese game Chupu, "invented in western India and spread to China in the time of the Wei dynasty (AD 220–265)" may relate to Chaupar, but the actual nature of the Chinese game (which may be more closely related to backgammon) is uncertain. Speculation that Pachisi derived from the earlier game of Ashtapada is plausible but unsubstantiated.

Louis Rousselet wrote:

"The game of Pachisi was played by Akbar in a truly regal manner. The Court itself, divided into red and white squares, being the board, and an enormous stone raised on four feet, representing the central point. It was here that Akbar and his courtiers played this game; sixteen young slaves from the harem wearing the players' colours, represented the pieces, and moved to the squares according to the throw of the dice. It is said that the Emperor took such a fancy to playing the game on this grand scale that he had a court for pachisi constructed in all his palaces, and traces of such are still visible at Agra and Allahabad."

Irving Finkel adds:

"To date, these grandiose boards still represent the earliest secure evidence for the existence of the game in India. The game's role in the history of India still remains to be investigated. It is often assumed that the gambling game that plays so significant a role in the Mahabharata, the classical literary epic, is pachisi, but the descriptions, such as they are, do not tie in with the game, and this conclusion is perhaps erroneous."

In 1938, the American toy and game company Transogram introduced a mass market board game version called Game of India, later marketed as Pa-Chiz-Si: The Game of India.

Players
Pachisi is a game for two, three, or four players, four usually play in two teams. One team has yellow and black pieces, the other team has red and green. The team which moves all its pieces to the finish first wins the game.

Traditional equipment
Each player has four beehive-shaped pieces (this can be increased to up to 16 pieces on each side in some versions). The pieces of one player are distinguishable from another by their colours: black, green, red, and yellow.

Six cowrie shells are used to determine the amount to move the players' pieces. The shells are thrown from the player's hand and the number of cowries which fall with their openings upwards indicate how many spaces the player may move:

In some versions, seven cowrie shells are used:

The board is usually embroidered on cloth. The playing area is cruciform. There is a large square in the centre, called the Charkoni, which is the starting and finishing position of the pieces. The four arms are divided into three columns of eight squares. The players' pieces are moved along these columns during play.

Twelve squares are specially marked as castle squares. Four of these are positioned at the end of the middle columns of each arm; the other eight are four squares inwards from the end of the outer columns on each arm. A piece may not be captured by an opponent while it lies on a castle square.

Gameplay

Each player's objective is to move all four of their pieces completely around the board, counter-clockwise, before their opponents do. The pieces start and finish on the Charkoni.

The playing order is decided by each player throwing the cowries. The player with the highest score starts, and turns continue counter-clockwise around the board. In some versions, each player throws the cowrie shells and pieces cannot move until a 2, 3, or 4 is thrown.

If a 6, 10, or 25 is thrown, the player gets a grace, which enables the player to introduce one of their pieces from the Charkoni onto the board. The player then repeats their turn. In other versions, this includes 10, 25, or 35 to introduce another of their pieces. The newly introduced pawn will be landed on square number 1, which is the very first square for every respective player: here, it is said that on throwing 10 or 25, or 35, you will introduce your new pawn at square number 1, and then you will add the second throw numbers that will be appeared on your cowries and 7, 14 as a grace without the introduction of pieces (here, it should be clear to players that on throwing 7 or 14, you can not introduce your new pawn, you only get an extra turn). A player needs to have at least one piece on the board to be able to throw a 7 or 14.

Simply put, on throwing 10 or 25, or 35, you can not introduce your new pawn directly to 10 or 25, or 35 number square directly, you have to land the new pawn on square number 1 and then add your remaining numbers. Once your all pawns have entered the game, throwing 10 or 25, or 35 allows you to move the respective numbers ahead.

Each player's first piece may leave the Charkoni on any throw after it has been introduced onto the board. Each player moves their pieces down the centre column of their own arm of the board, then counter-clockwise around the outside columns.

A player may have any number of pieces on the board at one time. Only one piece may be moved with a single throw, or if the player chooses, they can decline to move any piece on a throw. In some versions, a player can move any number of their pieces with a single throw. Also, if the player casts a value higher than they are eligible to move in a single throw, then the player automatically loses that turn.

More than one piece of the same team may occupy a single square (not true for all squares in some versions). However, a piece may not move onto a castle square that is already occupied by an opponent's piece.

If a piece lands on a square (other than a castle square) occupied by any number of the opponent's pieces, those pieces are captured/killed and must return to the Charkoni. Captured pieces may only enter the game again with a grace throw. A player making a capture is allowed another turn (not true in some versions).

In some versions, a player cannot take their pieces back to the Charkoni/home, unless they have captured/killed at least one of the opponent's pieces. Some versions have a rule where if, for example, two players are playing against each other, and Player 1 captures a piece of Player 2, then Player 2, in their immediate turn after being captured for the first time, captures the same piece Player 1 just used to capture, in the same square where the capture took place, then Player 1's capture/kill is invalidated. Player 1 will need to recapture Player 2's piece again to be able to go back to the Charkoni, but Player 2 is free to go ahead to their respective Charkoni unless the above repeats.

A piece completes its trip around the board by moving back up its central column. Returning pieces may be placed on their side in order to distinguish them from pieces that have just entered. A piece can only return to the Charkoni by a direct throw.

Four of the castle squares are placed so they are exactly 25 moves from the Charkoni. A common strategy is for returning pieces to stay on these squares, where they are safe from capture until a 25 is thrown. The pieces can then finish the game directly. This is where the name of the game comes from.

In some versions, where more emphasis is put on the throwing of the cowries, experienced players can cause cowries to land in a specific way, so there are certain other rules to make the game more exciting.

 * 1) If a player has their pieces closer to the end, and does not need a higher value throw, there are ways to nullify the higher value throw.
 * 2) If the player casts a 10, 25, or 30, the player needs to consecutively throw either 10, 25, or 30 three times (including the original throw) to nullify the higher value throw.
 * 3) If the player casts a 7, the player must consecutively cast a 7 only 3 times (including the original throw) to nullify the throw.
 * 4) If the player casts a 14, the player must consecutively cast a 14 only 3 times (including the original throw) to nullify the throw.
 * 5) Since throwing three consecutive throws of 10, 25, or 30 in a single turn nullifies them, players can instead throw a 7 or 14 in between to keep their turn going. EX: A player can throw the following in a single turn: 25, 25, 14, 10, 30, 7, 25, 30, 7, 10, 14, 25, 3.
 * 6) Once all of the player's pieces are introduced onto the board, every time a player throws a 10, 25, or 30, the player must move their piece one additional square, which is known as PYADA. EX: A player casts 25, 25, 3 in their turn, and their pieces can move a total of 53 squares. However, when all the player's pieces have already been introduced onto the board, the player can then move a total of 55 squares (25+25+3+1+1), meaning 2 pyadas extra.

title: Pachisi


text:
Gamvik Municipality

is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mehamn. The other notable villages in Gamvik include Gamvik and Skjånes. Gamvik is known as one of the poorest and most undeveloped municipalities in Norway. The number of inhabitants rose at one moment in 2012, but in 2014, after the fish factory closed, the population declined dramatically with the departure of the eastern European fishermen.

Most people live in the village of Mehamn (about 500 inhabitants), which has an airport, Mehamn Airport, and is also a port of call of the hurtigruten coastal boats. The Slettnes Lighthouse near the village of Gamvik is the northernmost lighthouse on the mainland of Europe. Nervei and Langfjordbotn are two very small villages in southern Gamvik that are only accessible by boat. Finnkongkeila is an abandoned village along the Tanafjorden.

The 1416 km2 municipality is the 65th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Gamvik is the 331st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,070. The municipality's population density is 0.8 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 2.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality of Gamvik was established on 1 January 1914 when the old Tana Municipality was divided into three municipalities: Tana (population: 1,426) in the south, Berlevåg Municipality (population: 784) in the northeast, and Gamvik Municipality (population: 1,371) in the northwest. The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Name
The Old Norse form of the name may have been Gangvík. The first element is then gangr which means "path" and the last element is vík which means "cove" or "wick".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, three net needles Or in bend sinister" (I rødt tre skråstilte gule garnnåler). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three fishing net sewing needles that are arranged diagonally. The net needles have a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. These needles are a characteristic maritime tool used for making and mending the fishing nets used by local fishermen. These arms were chosen to emphasize the importance of fishing in the area.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Gamvik. It is part of the Hammerfest prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

History
In June 1972 construction started for [a landside terminal and] running a SOSUS cable into the sea. The SOSUS station was one of more than twenty worldwide.

1982 air crash
On 12 March 1982, a Widerøe Twin Otter, registration number LN-BNK, crashed into the sea near Mehamn, killing all fifteen on board. More than twenty years and four rounds of investigation later, this incident remained highly controversial in Norway.

Government
All municipalities in Norway are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Indre og Østre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Gamvik is made up of 13 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Gamvik:

 * 1914-1920: Fredrik Forberg
 * 1920-1923: Hans Schanche
 * 1923-1926: Andreas M. Irgens (H)
 * 1926-1927: Fredrik Forberg
 * 1927-1935: Leonhard Grønhaug (Ap)
 * 1935-1937: Harald Lunde (Ap)
 * 1938-1941: Hjalmar Bellika (Ap)
 * 1941-1945: Andreas M. Irgens (H)
 * 1945-1947: Hjalmar Bellika (Ap)
 * 1947-1964: Ragnvald Mathisen (Ap)
 * 1965-1968: Birger Bertheussen (Ap)
 * 1968-1979: Bjarne Jensen (Ap)
 * 1979-1983: Tora Høgestøl (LL)
 * 1983-1987: Bjarne Jensen (Ap)
 * 1987-2007: Roger Leif Hansen (Ap)
 * 2007-2011: Marius Nilsen (Ap)
 * 2011-2015: Inga Manndal (SV)
 * 2015-2019: Trond Einar Olaussen (Ap)
 * 2019–2023: Alf Normann Hansen (SV)
 * 2023-present: Ragnhlid Vassvik (Ap)

Geography
The municipality consists of the eastern half of the Nordkinn Peninsula. Kinnarodden, located in Gamvik, is the northernmost point of mainland Europe (the more well-known North Cape is located nearby on Magerøya island). The Tanafjorden flows along the eastern coast of Gamvik. Lebesby Municipality is located to the west and Tana Municipality is located to the south. Across the fjord to the east is Berlevåg Municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the 672.3 m tall mountain Duolbagáisá.

Climate
The inhabited places of Gamvik, such as Mehamn, has a boreal climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfc). The spring is very late to warm up and is among the coldest in Norway. Summers are short and cool. Winters are moderated by the Barents Sea and only slightly colder than in the capital Oslo. However, winds can be strong in winter. Slettnes Lighthouse, located on an exposed headland in the northern part of the municipality, is the only remaining weather station in mainland Norway with a tundra climate with the 1991-2020 normals. The all-time high in Gamvik municipality is 32.2 °C recorded at Slettnes Lighthouse in July 1972, and the second warmest is 31.4 °C recorded at Slettnes in July 2018. The all-time low in Gamvik is -23.1 °C recorded February 1985 at Slettnes. Overnight freezes are very rare in summer and has never happened in July. The coldest low in August at Mehamn Airport is -0.7 °C recorded 2012, while the coldest August overnight low at Slettnes is 1.4 °C from 1984.

Birdlife
The area surrounding the lighthouse at Slettnes is also an interesting locality for those interested in birds and birdwatching. There is a nature reserve and bird observatory.

Notable people

 * Tor Henriksen (1933 in Gamvik – 2017), a politician for the Socialist Left Party
 * Torgeir Vassvik (born 1963), a Sami musician and composer
 * Ragnhild Vassvik Kalstad (born 1966 in Gamvik), a politician for the Labour Party
 * Eivind Eriksen (born 1973 in Mehamn), a former footballer with over 150 club caps

title: Gamvik Municipality


text:
Berlevåg Municipality

is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Øst-Finnmark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Berlevåg.

There are two settlements in the municipality of Berlevåg: the village of Berlevåg and the village of Kongsfjord. The village of Berlevåg is by far the biggest; Kongsfjord only has around 45 inhabitants. Kjølnes Lighthouse is located along the shore, east of the village of Berlevåg.

The 1122 km2 municipality is the 100th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Berlevåg is the 341st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 892. The municipality's population density is 0.8 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 15.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality of Berlevåg was established on 1 January 1914 when it was separated from Tana Municipality. Initially, there were 784 residents. The borders have remained unchanged since that time.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Name
There are different opinions of the origin of the name Berlevåg (or historically spelled Berlevaag). The first is that it relates to an old Northern Sami language name that sounded like Berlevaggi or Perlavaggi. The second is that it derives from the name of the first settler or explorer at the bay whose name was Berle or Perle. The last theory of the name Berlevåg (which is less likely) is that the first element derives from the Norwegian word which means "pearl" and the last element is  which means "bay". On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Berlevaag with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Berlevåg, using the letter å instead.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 22 July 1988. The official blazon is "Per fess rayonny Or and azure" (Delt av gult og blått ved flammesnitt). This means the arms have a field (background) that is divided by a line with a rayonny design with five waves with yellow over blue. The field above the line has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The color below the line has a tincture of azure (blue). The design is meant to symbolize the sun over the waves of the sea that break against the shore. This can represent both the struggle against the sea as well as the dependence on it. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Berlevåg. It is part of the Varanger prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Transportation
Berlevåg Airport is located just outside the village of Berlevåg. Norwegian County Road 890 runs through Berlevåg, connecting it to the neighboring municipalities, and the rest of Norway.

Facing rough ocean conditions, the four man-made breakwaters that protect the harbor of Berlevåg have been destroyed several times due to bad weather. The current breakwaters include tetrapods that intertwine and have made for a flexible breakwater that can resist the Barents Sea. The port was completely secured with breakwaters in 1973. Since then, the Coastal Ferry has been able to dock in Berlevåg. Prior to that time, a smaller vessel had to unload cargo and passengers from it in the open sea and then ferry them in to the port.

Government
Berlevåg Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Indre og Østre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Berlevåg is made up of 13 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Berlevåg:

 * 1914–1919: Alf Brodtkorb (LL)
 * 1920–1925: Christian Olsen Gaare (LL)
 * 1926–1931: Anton Grebstad (V)
 * 1932–1934: Jørgen Lund (Ap)
 * 1934–1953: Jentoft Jensen (Ap)
 * 1953–1969: Agaton Larsen (Ap)
 * 1970–1975: Finn Jørstad (Ap)
 * 1976–1977: Oddrunn Pettersen (Ap)
 * 1978–1979: Gullik Bugge Nicolaysen (Ap)
 * 1980–1983: Tora Høgestøl (LL)
 * 1984–1991: Bjarne Johnsen (Ap)
 * 1992–1995: Erik Brøske (Ap)
 * 1995–1999: Arne Kristian Arntzen (Ap)
 * 1999–2003: Steinar Hansen (Ap)
 * 2003–2007: Erik Brøske (SV)
 * 2007–2011: Janne Andreassen (Ap)
 * 2011–2015: Karsten G. Schanche (H)
 * 2015–present: Rolf Laupstad (Ap)

Geography
The municipality is situated in the northwestern part of the Varanger Peninsula, facing the open Barents Sea to the north and the Tanafjorden to the west. It is an isolated and barren region with mostly rocks and tundra. There are no native trees in Berlevåg because of the cold and windy summers. The municipality also contains the lakes Geatnjajávri and Skonsvikvatnan. The highest point in the municipality is the 619 m tall mountain Hanglefjellet.

Climate
Berlevåg's coastal location serves to moderate temperatures during winter, giving it a marine subarctic climate. Coldest month is February with mean -4.6 C, while warmest month is July and August, both with mean 10.4 C.

Birdlife
The sea and the islands along this part of Finnmark's coastline are home for thousands of seabirds. As well as the large seabird colonies with thousands of nesting birds, there are also areas of unspoiled nature consisting of mountains, moorlands, and marshes. This enables birdwatching in a natural environment. A 17,855 ha area of marine waters along the coast, including supralittoral and neritic habitats, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a population of Steller's eiders.

World War II
Berlevåg, along with the rest of Finnmark, was occupied during World War II. Berlevåg Airport was originally put into use at this time, when German occupying forces constructed it with the help of hundreds of Russian prisoners of war. From 1943 to 1944, there were nearly daily bombing raids from Russia on Berlevåg and the German airfield.

In November 1944, the village was completely burned down and the inhabitants evacuated by force as part of the scorched earth strategy of the Germans. In the aftermath, the Norwegian government wanted to relocate the inhabitants to nearby Kongsfjord because of a better harbour, but they refused, and the village was rebuilt. As there are absolutely no trees in Berlevåg, many of the houses in Berlevåg were built by the help of the wooden planks in the "tarmac" and runway of the previous German airfield.

Popular culture
Berlevåg was brought some fame in Norway when the Norwegian film director Knut Erik Jensen made a documentary film about Berlevåg Mannsangsforening, Berlevåg's men's choir. The movie Heftig og begeistret ("Cool and Crazy") was a big hit 2001 in Norway, first shown at Tromsø International Film Festival. The choir later went on a tour of the United States and were featured at Ground zero in New York City. The choir's oldest and most famous member, Einar Strand, died at the age of 98 in 2004.

Berlevåg is also the place for the fictional story "Babette's Feast" by the Danish author Karen Blixen / Isak Dinesen published in the anthology Anecdotes of Destiny (1958). (See also the homonym film Babette's Feast.)

Notable people

 * Stig Henrik Hoff (born 1965), a Norwegian actor was born in Vadsø, but grew up in Berlevåg and Fiskum

Sister cities
The following are twin towns of Berlevåg:
 * 🇷🇺 Belomorsk, Russia

title: Berlevåg Municipality


text:
Tana Municipality

or is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tana bru. Among the other villages in the municipality are Austertana, Bonakas, Polmak, Rustefjelbma, and Skiippagurra.

The 4051 km2 municipality is the 5th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Deanu-Tana is the 239th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,807. The municipality's population density is 0.7 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 2.6% over the previous 10-year period.

History
On 1 January 1864, the large Lebesby Municipality was divided into two. The eastern part (population: 1,388) became the new Tane Municipality and the rest remained as Lebesby. Initially, Tana Municipality included all the land on both sides surrounding the Tanafjorden and the Tana River.

On 1 January 1914, the municipality of Tana was divided into three parts. The southern part (population: 1,426) remained as (a smaller) Tana Municipality. The northern part of the municipality was divided by the Tanafjorden with the western side becoming Gamvik Municipality (population: 1,374) and the eastern side becoming Berlevåg Municipality (population: 784). On 1 January 1964, the neighboring Polmak Municipality (population: 1,072) was merged into Tana. (Polmak was originally part of Nesseby Municipality before 1 January 1903 when it became a separate municipality.)

Tana Municipality marks the furthest Soviet advance into Nazi-occupied Norway.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) was originally named Tanen, a Norwegianized form of the Northern Sami name for the area, Deanu. The Sami name is identical to the genitive case of Sami word which means "great river" or "large river", referring to the main river (Tana River) which runs through the municipality. Historically, the name of the municiaplity was spelled Tanen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Tana.

On 1 September 1992, the name of the municipality was changed to "Deatnu-Tana" to symbolize the two official languages in the municipality. Then in 2005, the name was again changed such that either Deatnu or Tana can be used. The Sami language name spelling changes depending on how it is used. It is called Deatnu when it is spelled alone, but it is Deanu gielda when using the Sami language equivalent to "Deanu municipality".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 11 May 1984. The official blazon is "Gules, three boats Or in pale" (I rødt tre gule båter). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three riverboats. The riverboat has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The red and yellow colors in the arms were chosen to mimic the Norwegian national arms. The three riverboats were chosen because boats like this have been used in the area for centuries. There are three boats to symbolize the three ethnic groups in the border municipality: the Sámi, Kvens, and Norwegians. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.

Economy
In 2013, 29% of the work force was employed in retail, hotels/restaurants and finance; 23% in the healthcare industry and the social sector; 16% in the Secondary sector of the economy; 11% in the primary sector; 9% worked in the education sector; the work force totaled 1,401.

The most important [economic] resources are farmland and [coastal areas, mountains and forests or] utmark; the use of these gives [significant results relating to] agriculture.

The world's northernmost dairy is Tine Tana, and it employs around 30 people.

The Tana Valley is the core area for "the River-Sami Culture" in Finnmark; salmon fishing is central in regard to that culture. According to written sources since the 17th century, fishing has been a major livelihood for the Sami people in the river valley of Tana River.

Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Tana. It is part of the Indre Finnmark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Government
All municipalities in Norway are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Indre og Østre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Tana (incomplete list):

 * 1908-1916: Hagbarth Lund (V)
 * 1917-1917: E.M. Noodt
 * 1937-1941: Per Fokstad (Ap)
 * 1941-1945: Barmann Jensen (NS)
 * 1945-1948: Per Fokstad (Ap)
 * 1948-1951: Kristian Rasmussen (LL)
 * 1951-1961: Rolf L. Schancke (Ap)
 * 1961-1964: Simon Pedersen (Ap)
 * 1964-1965: Reidar Dybvik (Ap)
 * 1965-1966: Simon Pedersen (Ap)
 * 1966-1966: Ingolf Ellila (Ap)
 * 1966-1968: Simon Pedersen (Ap)
 * 1968-1971: Magnus Rokstad (Ap)
 * 1971-1983: Stein Torheim (Ap)
 * 1983-1987: Kristine Broch Johansen (Ap)
 * 1987-1991: Harald Hirsti (Ap)
 * 1991-1999: Leif Kristian Sundelin (Ap)
 * 1999-2007: Ingrid Smuk Rolstad (Ap)
 * 2007-2019: Frank Ingilæ (Ap)
 * 2019-2023: Helga Pedersen (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Jon Erland Balto (Sp)

Geography
Deatnu-Tana is situated along the lower river basin of the Tana River, which borders Finland along most of its course. People live in small settlements along the river, notably Sirma, Polmak, Rustefjelbma, Seida, Skiippagurra, Austertana, and Tana bru. Most inhabitants of Tana are Sami people, and the Sami language and culture are today promoted by the municipality and the schools. The highest point in the municipality is the 1066.78 m tall mountain Rásttigáisá.

The river Tana has represented a mainstay in the economy, as it is one of Europe's main salmon rivers, and it empties into the Tanafjorden. River transportation is traditionally done by long, narrow river boats, that are still in use, albeit motorized. Lakes in this area include Geassájávri, Nissojávri, and Sundvatnet. At Tana bru, the Tana Bridge (part of European route E6 and European route E75) crosses over the Tana River. The nearest airports are Vadsø Airport (about 70 km away) and Kirkenes Airport (about 130 km away). Kirkenes Airport (but not Vadsø) has direct flights to Oslo.

Wildlife
With the Tana River flowing through wild and spectacular habitat, the municipality of Tana has one of the most spectacular gatherings in Norway. As many as 25,000 goosanders can accumulate along the Tana waterway system. Add to this, thousands of common eider and long-tailed duck, then you have one of the largest concentrations of wildfowl in Norway.

In 2022 one bear was killed because of deaths of sheep from a local farm; An investigation deemed the killing of the bear, legal; The report said there likely had been at least one other bear in the municipality.

Climate
Tana has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with long, cold winters and short cool summers.

Notable people

 * Halvdan Wexelsen Freihow (1883 in Tana – 1965), a priest and culturist
 * Per Fokstad (1890 in Tana – 1973), a teacher, politician, and intellectual of Sami origin
 * Kathrine Johnsen (1917 in Tana – 2002), a Sámi teacher and worked for NRK Sápmi
 * Kristen Kyrre Bremer (1925 in Tana – 2013), a theologian and bishop in the Church of Norway
 * Nils Utsi (1943 in Tana – 2019), a Sámi actor, stage director, and film director
 * Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen (born 1998 in Tana), a Sami musician

Writers

 * Reidar Hirsti (1925 in Tana – 2001), a newspaper editor, politician, and author of books about historical or Sami topics
 * Nils Jernsletten (1934 in Tana – 2012), a professor of Sámi at University of Tromsø and editor of Sámi newspaper Ságat
 * Marry A. Somby (born 1953 in Tana), a Sami author
 * Hanne Ørstavik (born 1969 in Tana), a Norwegian writer
 * Siri Broch Johansen (born 1967 in Tana), a Sami author, singer, and textbook author

Sport

 * Martin Schanche (born 1945), nicknamed Mister Rallycross, a former racing driver and politician who was brought up in Tana
 * Sigleif Johansen (born 1948 in Tana), a former biathlete
 * Signe Trosten (born 1970 in Tana), a former biathlete
 * Signe Marie Store (born 1995 in Tana), a freestyle wrestler

title: Tana Municipality