Porsanger (;

General information

thumb|left|View of a reindeer herd near a waterfall in Porsanger

thumb|left|Traditional Sami house, along the fjord

thumb|left|Kistrand in Porsanger on the western shore of Porsanger fjord

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 (). 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 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 when it is spelled alone, but it is when using the Sami language equivalent to "Porsanger Municipality". In Kven, it is called when it is spelled alone, and it is 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" (). 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 () within Porsanger Municipality. It is part of the Indre Finnmark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ style="font-size:medium"|Churches in Porsanger Municipality

!Parish ()!!Church name!!Location of the church!!Year built

|-

|rowspan="5"|Porsanger||Brenna Chapel||Brenna||1971

|-

|Børselv Church||Børselv||1958

|-

|Kistrand Church||Kistrand||1856

|-

|Lakselv Church||Lakselv||1963

|-

|Skoganvarre Chapel||Skoganvarre||1963

|}

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 of Porsanger Municipality 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 mayor () of Porsanger Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:

  • 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

thumb|left|200px|Halkavarre firing range

thumb|right|River in Stabbursdalen, where the world's northernmost [[Scots pine|pine forest grow]]

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

thumb|Trolls in Porsanger; naturally sculpted [[Dolomite (rock)|dolomite.]]

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 highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Čohkkarášša. This is the warmest temperature ever recorded north of 70 degrees North in Europe. The all-time low is from January 1986. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below ) 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, 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

References

  • Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
  • Activities & tourism in Porsanger
  • Stabbursnes nature house and museum
  • Angling in Porsanger