The 4,874-square-kilometre (1,882 sq mi) 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 0.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (2.1/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 1.9% over the previous 10-year period.[6][7]
General information
View of a reindeer herd near a waterfall in PorsangerTraditional Sami house, along the fjordKistrand 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.[8]
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.[9] On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.[10]
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 kid which means "kid" (as in a young goat). The last element is strand which means "beach" or "shore".[11]
Since 2004, the municipality has had three co-official, co-equal, interchangeable names: Porsanger(Norwegian), Porsáŋgu(Northern Sami), and Porsanki(Kven), since it has three official languages: Norwegian, Northern Sami, and Kven.[14][15] The spelling of the Sami and Kven language names change depending on how they are used. In Sami, it is called Porsáŋgu when it is spelled alone, but it is Porsáŋggu gielda when using the Sami language equivalent to "Porsanger Municipality". In Kven, it is called Porsanki when it is spelled alone, and it is Porsangin komuuni when using the Kven language equivalent to "Porsanger municipality".[5]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 16 June 1967. The official blazon is "Gules, three reindeer salientargent" (Norwegian: På rød bunn tre springende hvite rein). 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.[16][17][18]
The municipal council(Kommunestyre) of Porsanger 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.
Porsanger Municipality is the third largest municipality in Norway by area, with 4,873 square kilometres (1,881 sq mi). 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 1,138.9-metre (3,737 ft) tall mountain Čohkkarášša.[1]
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.
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 34.3 °C (93.7 °F) was recorded on 5 July 2021.[41] This is the warmest temperature ever recorded north of 70 degrees North in Europe.[42] The all-time low −33.6 °C (−28.5 °F) is from January 1986. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below 0 °C (32.0 °F)) in spring is 24 May[43] and average date for first freeze in autumn is 6 September[44] giving a frost-free season of 105 days.
The weather station (recording since Aug 1945) is located at Banak Airport, 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the town.
Climate data for Lakselv Airport, Banak in Porsanger 1991-2020 (5 m, extremes 1979-2024)
