Senja Municipality
Senja kommune
Municipality
View of Finnsnes in Senja
View of Finnsnes in Senja
Coat of arms of Senja Municipality
Coat of arms
Troms within Norway
Troms within Norway
Senja within Troms
Senja within Troms
Coordinates: 69°04′50″N 16°48′11″E / 69.0806°N 16.8031°E / 69.0806; 16.8031
CountryNorway
CountyTroms
DistrictHålogaland
Established1 Jan 2020
 • Preceded byBerg, Tranøy, Torsken, and Lenvik
Administrative centreFinnsnes
Government
 • Mayor (2023)Geir-Inge Sivertsen (H)
Area
 • Total1,955.03 km2 (754.84 sq mi)
 • Land1,860.90 km2 (718.50 sq mi)
 • Water95.13 km2 (36.73 sq mi)  4.9%
 • Rank#40 in Norway
Population
 (2023)
 • Total14,851
 • Rank#84 in Norway
 • Density8/km2 (20/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Increase +0.5%
DemonymsSenjaværing
Senjeværing[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-5530[3]
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

Senja is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. It was established on 1 January 2020 when the municipalities of Berg, Lenvik, Torsken, and Tranøy were merged into one municipality. It is located in the traditional district of Hålogaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Finnsnes. The municipality includes all of the island of Senja, the smaller surrounding islands, and part of the mainland between the Gisundet strait and the Malangen fjord.[4]

The 1,955-square-kilometre (755 sq mi) municipality is the 40th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Senja is the 84th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 14,851. The municipality's population density is 8 inhabitants per square kilometre (21/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0.5% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]

General information

In March 2017, the Parliament of Norway voted to merge the municipalities of Berg, Torsken, Lenvik, and Tranøy. The new municipality was established on 1 January 2020 as Senja Municipality (Norwegian: Senja kommune).[7][8]

On 1 January 2024, the large Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality became part of the newly re-created Troms county.[9]

Etymology

The Old Norse form of the name must also have been Senja or perhaps Sændja. The meaning of the name is unknown, but it might be related to the verb sundra which means to "tear" or "split apart", possibly because the west coast of the island is torn and split by numerous small fjords. It might also be derived from a Proto-Norse form of the word Sandijōn meaning "(area) of sand" or "sandy island".[10][4]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was approved for use starting on 1 January 2020. The blazon is "Azure, northern lights vert over mountain peaks argent to sinister" (Norwegian: I mørkeblått grønt nordlys oppe og sølv fjell nede heraldisk venstre). This means the arms have a dark blue field (background) and the charge is the green northern lights above some mountain peaks. The mountain peaks 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 mountain peak is a depiction of the Okshornan mountain.[11][12][13]

Churches

The Church of Norway has four parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Senja. It is part of the Senja prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Churches in Senja
Parish (sokn) Church name Location of the church Year built
Berg Berg Church Skaland 1955
Finnsæter Chapel Finnsæter 1982
Mefjordvær Chapel Mefjordvær 1916
Lenvik Finnsnes Church Finnsnes 1979
Lenvik Church Bjorelvnes 1879
Rossfjord Church Rossfjordstraumen 1822
Fjordgård Chapel Fjordgård 1976
Gibostad Chapel Gibostad 1939
Husøy Chapel Husøy i Senja 1957
Lysbotn Chapel Lysnes 1970
Sandbakken Chapel Sandbakken 1974
Torsken Torsken Church Torsken 1784
Flakkstadvåg Chapel Flakstadvåg 1925
Gryllefjord Chapel Gryllefjord 1902
Medby Chapel Medby 1890
Tranøy Stonglandet Church Stonglandseidet 1896
Tranøy Church Tranøya 1775
Skrolsvik Chapel Skrollsvika 1924
Vangsvik Chapel Vangsvik 1975

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.[14] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Nord-Troms og Senja District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Senja is made up of 45 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Senja kommunestyre 2023–2027 [15]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Industry and Business Party (Industri‑ og Næringspartiet) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
 Senja List (Senjalista)4
Total number of members:31
Senja kommunestyre 2019–2023 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 13
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 11
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
 Senja List (Senjalista)6
Total number of members:45

Mayors

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Senja:

Geography

Oksneset and Ersfjorden from Tungeneset in low sunlight, Senja, 2012 October

The island of Senja is located along the Troms county coastline with Finnsnes as the closest town. Senja is connected to the mainland by the Gisund Bridge. The island has one municipality with the same name which also has a mainland part, which is where the municipality admistration is.<northern coasts of Senja faces the open sea, the western coast faces the islands of Andøya and Krøttøya, the southern coast faces the islands of Andørja and Dyrøya. On the western coast, steep and rugged mountains rise straight from the sea, with some fishing villages (like Gryllefjord, Husøy) tucked into the small lowland areas between the mountains and the sea. The eastern and southern parts of the island are milder, with rounder mountains, forests, rivers and agriculture land.

Senja is often referred to as "Norway in miniature", as the island's diverse scenery reflects almost the entire span of Norwegian nature. Senja is known domestically for its natural environment, and is marketed as a tourist attraction.[citation needed]

Climate

Climate data from the village of Gibostad on the eastern shore of the island, facing the mainland during the base period of 1961–1990. The western side of the island, facing the Norwegian Sea, will have slightly milder but more windy winters.

Climate data for Gibostad, Lenvik
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −1.9
(28.6) 		−1.8
(28.8) 		0.2
(32.4) 		3.6
(38.5) 		8.4
(47.1) 		12.9
(55.2) 		15.0
(59.0) 		14.6
(58.3) 		10.5
(50.9) 		5.8
(42.4) 		1.5
(34.7) 		−0.7
(30.7) 		5.7
(42.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −4.4
(24.1) 		−4.2
(24.4) 		−2.3
(27.9) 		1.0
(33.8) 		5.5
(41.9) 		9.7
(49.5) 		12.3
(54.1) 		11.6
(52.9) 		7.5
(45.5) 		3.3
(37.9) 		−0.8
(30.6) 		−3.2
(26.2) 		3.0
(37.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −7.1
(19.2) 		−7.0
(19.4) 		−5.5
(22.1) 		−2.1
(28.2) 		2.5
(36.5) 		6.8
(44.2) 		9.1
(48.4) 		8.3
(46.9) 		5.1
(41.2) 		1.3
(34.3) 		−3.1
(26.4) 		−5.8
(21.6) 		0.2
(32.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 85
(3.3) 		80
(3.1) 		60
(2.4) 		54
(2.1) 		39
(1.5) 		47
(1.9) 		62
(2.4) 		71
(2.8) 		91
(3.6) 		119
(4.7) 		94
(3.7) 		98
(3.9) 		900
(35.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 13.4 12.4 11.5 10.7 9.2 10.6 13.2 12.4 14.3 16.0 14.7 15.6 154.0
Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[18]

Attractions

Among the sights of the island are Ånderdalen National Park with coastal pine forests and mountains,[19] traditional fishing communities, and the Senja Troll, the world's largest troll. The southernmost municipality Tranøy also has several small museums documenting local history, among these the Halibut Museum ("Kveitmuseet") in Skrolsvik.

Notable people

Maria Haukaas Storeng, 2010

Sport

Media gallery

References

  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^ a b Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (9 May 2018). "Senja". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  5. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  7. ^ "Senja kommune 2020" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  8. ^ Vermes, Thomas (29 March 2017). "Stortingsflertallet gjør fire Senja-kommuner til én". ABC Nyheter (in Norwegian). Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Fylkesinndelingen fra 2024" (in Norwegian). Regjeringen.no. 5 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Bidrag till Fennoskandiens språkliga förhistoria i tid och rum" (PDF) (in Swedish). Helsingfors Universitet. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  11. ^ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Senja kommune, våpen". Digitalarkivet (in Norwegian). Arkivverket. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  13. ^ Henriksen, Steinulf (25 May 2018). "Det viktigste Senja-våpen". Folkebladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  14. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Troms Romsa". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Troms og Finnmark". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  17. ^ Ellingsen, Rebekka; Klausen, Dag Henrik (9 October 2023). "Tidligere fiskeriminister blir ordfører i Senja". NRK Troms og Finnmark (in Norwegian). Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  18. ^ "eKlima Web Portal". Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Archived from the original on 14 June 2004.
  19. ^ "Ånderdalen National Park" (in Norwegian). Directorate for nature management. Retrieved 4 April 2010.


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