| Porsanger kommune Porsáŋggu gielda Porsangin komuuni |
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| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates (city): 70°1′7″N 25°1′25″E / 70.01861°N 25.02361°ECoordinates: 70°1′7″N 25°1′25″E / 70.01861°N 25.02361°E | |||
| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Finnmark | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-2020 | ||
| Administrative centre | Lakselv | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2004) | Bjørn Kåre Søderholm (H) | ||
| Area (Nr. 3 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 4,873 km2 (1,881.5 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 4,643 km2 (1,792.7 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| - Total | 4,059 | ||
| - Density | 0.9/km2 (2.3/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | -8.2 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 221? | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Bokmål, Sami, and Kven | ||
| Norwegian demonym | Porsangværing Porsangerværing[1] |
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| Website | www.porsanger.no | ||
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Porsanger (Norwegian) or Porsáŋgu (Northern Sami) or Porsanki (Kven/Finnish) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lakselv. Since 2004, the municipality has had three official names: Porsanger, Porsáŋgu, and Porsanki, since it has three official languages.
Porsanger (named Kistrand before 1964) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Three other municipalities were later separated from it: Kautokeino (in 1851), Nordkapp (in 1861) and Karasjok (in 1866).
With a population of 4100 people, many with Kven(Kainu) or Sami background. The population decreases slowly with 0-8% according to the municipality statistics, taken yearly.
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General information
Name
The Old Norse form of the name was Porsangr. The first element is probably the name of the plant pors or finnmarkspors (Rhododendron tomentosum). (Another theory is that is comes from Sami borsi which means "waterfall".) The last word is angr which means "fjord".
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.[2][3]
History
The area has been settled by Sami since time immemorial. In the 18th century, people from Finland, escaping famine and war, settled along the fjord. These people are today known as Kven. Today, three official languages are in use, and the municipality is named Porsanger, Porsáŋgu, and Porsanki (the name in Norwegian, Northern Sami, and Kven/Finnish respectively).
Economy
Lakselv Airport, Banak has connections to Tromsø and Kirkenes operated by Widerøe, as well as charter flights in the summer season. The airport is also used by the Royal Norwegian Air Force's Station Group Banak, and with the Norwegian Army's garrison at Porsangmoen, the military presence is quite heavy.
The local newspapers are Finnmark Dagblad and Ságat.
The northernmost winery is located here, using crowberries instead of grapes.
Geography
Porsanger is the third largest municipality in Norway by area, with 4,873 square kilometres (1,881 sq mi). The fjord is the fourth longest in Norway, and the longest in North Norway.
The municipality is on the shores of the Porsangen fjord, a wide, open body of water with many islands. The biggest settlement and administrative centre is the town of Lakselv at the fjord's end, but there are smaller hamlets spread around on both sides, notably Kistrand, Olderfjord, Børselv, and Billefjord.
On the western side of the fjord, one finds the Stabbursdalen National Park, with the world's northernmost pine forest.
Midnight sun from 16 May to 27 July. 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.
References
- ^ "Personnemningar til stadnamn i Noreg" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. http://www.sprakrad.no/Sprakhjelp/Rettskriving_Ordboeker/Innbyggjarnamn.
- ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/p/porsange.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
- ^ "Kommunevåpen". Flags of the World. 28 June 2002. http://fotw.us/flags/no-20-20.html. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
External links
Media related to Porsanger at Wikimedia Commons- Stabbursnes nature house and museum
- Angling in Porsanger
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