Porsanger


or or is a municipality in Troms og 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 municipality is the 3rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Porsanger is the 204th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,998, many of whom have a Kven or Sami background. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 0.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Kistrand was established on 1 January 1838. On 1 January 1851, the southern part of Kistrand was separated to become the new Kautokeino Municipality. On 1 January 1861, the northern part of Kistrand was separated to become the new Kjelvik Municipality. On 1 January 1866, the southern part of Kistrand 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.

Name

The municipality was originally named Kistrand, after the farm where the main parish church was located. In 1964, the municipality was renamed Porsanger, after the local Porsangerfjorden.
The Old Norse form of the name was Porsangr. The first element is probably the name of the plant pors or finnmarkspors. The last word is angr which means "fjord".
Since 2004, the municipality has had three official names: Porsanger, Porsáŋgu, and Porsanki, since it has three official languages: Norwegian, Northern Sami, and Kven.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 16 June 1967. Porsanger is one of the largest municipalities in the Northern Norway that are not dependent on fishing. Instead the local people historically farmed reindeer, which is still an importance source of income. The arms thus show three silver leaping reindeer on a red background.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish within the municipality of Porsanger. It is part of the Indre Finnmark prosti in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
Parish NameLocationYear built
PorsangerBrenna ChapelBrenna1971
PorsangerBørselv ChurchBørselv1958
PorsangerKistrand ChurchKistrand1856
PorsangerLakselv ChurchLakselv1963
PorsangerSkoganvarre ChapelSkoganvarre1963

History

The area has been settled by 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. Today, three official languages are in use, and the municipality is named Porsanger, Porsáŋgu, and Porsanki.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Porsanger, are responsible for primary education, outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the Indre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Porsanger is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Economy

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, 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. The municipality surrounds the inner part of the Porsangerfjorden, the fourth longest fjord in Norway and the longest in Northern Norway.
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 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