Porsanger (; ) is a municipality in 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 357 municipalities in Norway. Porsanger is the 208th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,889 (many of whom have a Kven (Kainu) or Sami background). The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 1.9% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
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.
Churches in Porsanger MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtPorsangerBrenna ChapelBrenna1971Børselv ChurchBørselv1958Kistrand ChurchKistrand1856Lakselv ChurchLakselv1963Skoganvarre ChapelSkoganvarre1963
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
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
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.
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 (and municipal centre) 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 Lakselv has a boreal climate with modest precipitation and long winters, but still with annual mean well above freezing, ensuring there is no permafrost. The winters are less severe in terms of cold than would be expected for a town at 70 degrees latitude. The all-time high temperature was recorded on 5 July 2021. 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
External links Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway Activities & tourism in Porsanger Stabbursnes nature house and museum Angling in Porsanger