Puneet Varma (Editor)

Storfjord

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Country
  
Norway

District
  
Nord-Troms

Area rank
  
49 in Norway

Area
  
1,543 km²

Population
  
1,909 (2012)

Official language form
  
Norwegian Language

County
  
Troms

Administrative centre
  
Hatteng

Demonym(s)
  
Storfjording

Local time
  
Tuesday 7:56 PM

Administrative center
  
Hatteng

Storfjord wwwgonorwaynoTromsStorfjordStorfjordbildegif

Weather
  
-11°C, Wind W at 19 km/h, 86% Humidity

Storfjord (Northern Sami: Omasvuotna; Kven: Omasvuono) is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hatteng. Other villages in Storfjord include Elvevoll, Oteren, and Skibotn.

Contents

Map of 9046 Storfjord, Norway

General information

The municipality of Storfjord was established in 1929 when it was separated from the municipality of Lyngen. The initial population was 1,499. On 1 January 1964, the Elvebakken farm of Balsfjord was transferred to Storfjord. Then on 1 January 1992, one uninhabited farm in the Nordnes area of Lyngen was transferred to Storfjord.

Name

The municipality is named after the Storfjorden. The first element is stor which means "great" or "big".

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 9 February 1990. The arms show three poppies of the very rare species Papaver laestadianum (a subspecies of Papaver radicatum). The meeting of the three poppies also represents the meeting point (Treriksrøysa) of the three countries Norway, Sweden, and Finland, that lies on the edge of the municipality.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Storfjord. It is part of the Nord-Troms deanery in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

History

The Sami culture is the original culture; however, in the 19th century, settlers came from Finland and from the valleys of Southern Norway to establish themselves. Sami culture, though, has survived in parts of Storfjord to the present. In the 19th century, Laestadianism, a puritan religious movement, obtained a strong position. Skibotn is even today a stronghold for this movement.

The market of Skibotn was traditionally a meeting point between ethnic groups, where Sami, Finns, and Norwegians met to trade. This market still takes place today. The ethnic mix is interesting, with both Sami and Finnish cultures represented. In the valley of Signaldalen, a Norwegian dialect of southern origin is spoken, a relic of the valley's settlement from the south in the early 19th century.

World War Two

There were several prison camps there during World War Two. A 2014 NRK article estimated that a total of around 7000 or 8000 Soviet prisoners, were interred in these prison camps. Furthermore, the Mallnitz Camp was the worst.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Storfjord, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), 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.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Storfjord is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to every four years. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:

Geography

The municipality is situated around the inner parts of the Lyngen fjord. Storfjord borders both Finland and Sweden, and the borders of the three countries meet at the beacon of Treriksröset, the northernmost point of Sweden. Treriksrøysa is a popular hiking destination; there are no fences, so at this location one step forward is all that is needed to get from one country to another. Pine and birch forests are common in the valleys in Storfjord, and the more rare calcareous pine forests, with several orchids, are also present. The lake Rihpojávri is located near the eastern border of Storfjord.

Climate

The Skibotn valley has a microclimate with very little clouds by Norwegian standards, and annual precipitation down to 300 to 450 millimetres (12 to 18 in). The monthly 24-hr average temperature varies from −6.5 °C (20.3 °F) in January to 13.5 °C (56.3 °F) in July.

References

Storfjord Wikipedia