Karlsøy Municipality Karlsøy kommune | |
|---|---|
| Karlsø herred (historic name) | |
 View of the Kåja island withTorsvåg Lighthouse offVanna | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Troms within Norway | |
 Karlsøy within Troms | |
| Coordinates:70°07′48″N19°25′51″E / 70.13000°N 19.43083°E /70.13000; 19.43083 | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Troms |
| District | Nord-Troms |
| Established | 1 Jan 1838 |
| • Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt |
| Administrative centre | Hansnes |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2019) | Mona Benjaminsen (Ap) |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,091.60 km2 (421.47 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,050.59 km2 (405.64 sq mi) |
| • Water | 41.01 km2 (15.83 sq mi) 3.8% |
| • Rank | #103 in Norway |
| Highest elevation | 1,049.3 m (3,443 ft) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 2,237 |
| • Rank | #268 in Norway |
| • Density | 2/km2 (5.2/sq mi) |
| • Change(10 years) |  −4.2% |
| Demonym | Karlsøyværing[2] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Neutral |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-5534[4] |
| Website | Official website |
Karlsøy (Northern Sami:Gálssa suohkan) is an islandmunicipality inTromscounty,Norway. Theadministrative centre of the municipality is the village ofHansnes. Other villages includeDåfjord,Hessfjord,Karlsøya,Torsvåg,Vannvåg, andVannareid. The municipality is made up of many islands includingRingvassøya,Reinøya,Vannøya,Karlsøya, andRebbenesøya plus several uninhabited islands (many of which were formerly inhabited). Some of the currently uninhabited islands includeHelgøya,Nordkvaløya,Grøtøya, andNordfugløya.[5]
The 1,092-square-kilometre (422 sq mi) municipality is the 103rd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Karlsøy is the 268th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,237. The municipality'spopulation density is 2 inhabitants per square kilometre (5.2/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 4.2% over the previous 10-year period.[6][7]
Karlsøy has been aChurch of Norwayparish for many years. Many immigrants, mostly from Finland, resided in Karlsøy as evidenced by the 1801 census.[8] The analysis of the census data revealed that the family names of these people such as Aderup,Blix andRosenlund were foreign-sounding.[8]
Theparish of Karlsøy was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see theformannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1867, the southern district of Karlsøy (population: 862) was transferred from Karlsøy to the neighboringLyngen Municipality (that area later became part ofUllsfjord Municipality). On 1 September 1886, the western island district of Karlsøy (population: 828) was separated from Karlsøy to become the newHelgøy Municipality. This left Karlsøy with 1,334 inhabitants.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of theSchei Committee. On 1 January 1964,Helgøy Municipality was merged back into Karlsøy Municipality. At the same time, all of the mainland areas of Karlsøy (the northern part of the Lyngenpeninsula, with 1,001 inhabitants) was transferred from Karlsøy to neighboringLyngen Municipality. After all the changes, the new Karlsøy had 3,414 residents. On 1 January 2008, the southern part of the island ofReinøya was transferred fromTromsø Municipality to Karlsøy Municipality.[9][10]
On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formedTroms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the oldTroms county.[11] On 1 January 2024, theTroms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part ofTroms county.[12]
The municipality (originally theparish) is named after the smallKarlsøya island (Old Norse:Kalsøe) since the firstKarlsøy Church was built there. The first element is thegenitive case of the male nameKarl. The last element isøy which means "island".[13] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelledKarlsø. On 6 January 1908, aroyal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality toKarlsøy. The lettery was added to the end of the word to "Norwegianize" the name (ø is the Danish word for "island" andøy is the Norwegian word).[14]
Thecoat of arms was granted on 12 December 1980. The officialblazon is"Azure, an eagle headerasedargent" (Norwegian:I blått et avrevet sølv ørnehode). This means the arms have a bluefield (background) and thecharge is the head of awhite-tailed eagle. The eagle head has atincture ofargent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The blue color in the field symbolizes the importance of the sea to the island community. The eagle head was chosen since one ofEurope's largest colonies of these birds is found on the island ofNord-Fugløya in the municipality. Furthermore, the eagle symbolizes the importance offishing for the municipality. The arms were designed by Hallvard Sandvik.[15][16][17]
TheChurch of Norway has one parish (sokn) within Karlsøy Municipality. It is part of theTromsø domprosti (arch-deanery) in theDiocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karlsøy | Helgøy Church | Helgøya | 1742 |
| Karlsøy Church | Karlsøya | 1854 | |
| Ringvassøy Church | Hansnes | 1977 | |
| Sengskroken Church | Vanna | 1962 |
Karlsøy is among the world's most importantexporters ofdried and salted cod, withPortugal,Spain, andBrazil among the main markets.[citation needed] The population is almost totally dependent on fishing.[citation needed] There are also goat herding businesses and some musicians that live on the island. There is also some tourism, including a festival that runs in the Summer. There are plans for 50 holiday homes to be built on the isle.[citation needed]
The municipality consists of islands only.Ringvassøya, Norway's sixth largest island, is the largest island in the municipality.Nordkvaløya,Helgøya,Karlsøya,Vannøya,Reinøya, andRebbenesøya are the other major islands. The highest point in the municipality is the 1,049.3-metre (3,443 ft) tall mountainSoltindan on the island of Ringvassøy.[1]
The islands of Rebbenesøya and Ringvassøya are split (as was Reinøya before 2008), with the southern part belonging to neighboringTromsø Municipality. The reason is that the borders were drawn when boat was the only means of transportation; then it made sense that the southern parts of the islands belonged to Tromsø while the northern parts belonged to Karlsøy. Today, when roads have replaced the boats, the situation is different which is why the Norwegian government transferred all of the island of Reinøy to the Karlsøy Municipality on 1 January 2008.[10]
Karlsøya, the little island after which the municipality is named, has a village with the 19th centuryKarlsøy Church. The inhabitants include the original inhabitants,hippies, andNorwegian Muslims.[citation needed]
The island ofHelgøya, the former seat of the oldHelgøy Municipality, in the western part of Karlsøy Municipality, is today a more or less an abandoned village of wooden houses and the oldHelgøy Church. The island can only be reached when services are celebrated in the church, and ferry rides are organized.
LakeSkogsfjordvatn, in the centre ofRingvassøya, is a lake with some fishing, surrounded by sub-Arcticforests. This is Norway's largest lake in an island. The island ofVannøya has several villages, including Burøysund andTorsvåg, the latter offering views of theAtlantic from theTorsvåg Lighthouse.
Karlsøy mostly has a cool oceanic climate (subpolar oceanic climate) using the -3°C isotherm, or a very mildsubarctic climate using the 0°C isotherm. Spring and summer is the driest season, while autumn and winter is much wetter. Torsvåg lighthouse has been recording temperature since 1933, and is situated on the northwestern tip of Vanna island. The eastern and inland part of the islands will have slightly warmer summers and slightly colder winters. The record low at Torsvåg is −15.1 °C (4.8 °F) recorded January 1979. The record high 27.2 °C (81.0 °F) is from July 1966. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below 0 °C (32.0 °F)) in spring is 6 May[18] and average date for first freeze in autumn is 25 October[19] giving a frost-free season of 171 days (1981-2010 average for Torsvåg).
| Climate data for Torsvåg 1991-2020 (21 m, extremes 1939-2025) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 9.6 (49.3) | 10 (50) | 10 (50) | 15.8 (60.4) | 22.4 (72.3) | 26.1 (79.0) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.5 (79.7) | 22.9 (73.2) | 19 (66) | 13.8 (56.8) | 12.5 (54.5) | 27.2 (81.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) | 1.4 (34.5) | 2 (36) | 4.3 (39.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | 11 (52) | 14.1 (57.4) | 13.6 (56.5) | 11 (52) | 6.8 (44.2) | 4.4 (39.9) | 2.9 (37.2) | 6.8 (44.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 0 (32) | −0.4 (31.3) | 0.1 (32.2) | 2.2 (36.0) | 5.5 (41.9) | 8.5 (47.3) | 11.3 (52.3) | 11.2 (52.2) | 8.9 (48.0) | 5.2 (41.4) | 2.8 (37.0) | 1.2 (34.2) | 4.7 (40.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.6 (29.1) | −2.1 (28.2) | −1.5 (29.3) | 0.5 (32.9) | 3.6 (38.5) | 6.5 (43.7) | 9.2 (48.6) | 9.4 (48.9) | 7.3 (45.1) | 3.6 (38.5) | 1.3 (34.3) | −0.4 (31.3) | 3.0 (37.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15.1 (4.8) | −14 (7) | −12.3 (9.9) | −9.1 (15.6) | −4.6 (23.7) | −2 (28) | 2.8 (37.0) | 3 (37) | −1.6 (29.1) | −5.4 (22.3) | −9.6 (14.7) | −11.9 (10.6) | −15.1 (4.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 87 (3.4) | 73 (2.9) | 75 (3.0) | 53 (2.1) | 47 (1.9) | 41 (1.6) | 49 (1.9) | 69 (2.7) | 81 (3.2) | 106 (4.2) | 85 (3.3) | 90 (3.5) | 856 (33.7) |
| Source 1: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[20] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA - WMO averages 91-2020 Norway[21] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data forTorsvåg 1961-1990 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) | 0.6 (33.1) | 1.3 (34.3) | 3.2 (37.8) | 6.9 (44.4) | 10.8 (51.4) | 13.6 (56.5) | 13.2 (55.8) | 9.9 (49.8) | 6.3 (43.3) | 3.3 (37.9) | 1.5 (34.7) | 5.9 (42.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.1 (30.0) | −1.2 (29.8) | −0.5 (31.1) | 1.4 (34.5) | 4.8 (40.6) | 8.0 (46.4) | 10.8 (51.4) | 10.7 (51.3) | 7.9 (46.2) | 4.6 (40.3) | 1.6 (34.9) | −0.3 (31.5) | 3.9 (39.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.9 (26.8) | −3.0 (26.6) | −2.2 (28.0) | −0.3 (31.5) | 2.9 (37.2) | 6.0 (42.8) | 8.6 (47.5) | 8.8 (47.8) | 6.3 (43.3) | 3.0 (37.4) | 0.0 (32.0) | −2.1 (28.2) | 2.1 (35.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 73 (2.9) | 56 (2.2) | 57 (2.2) | 48 (1.9) | 45 (1.8) | 50 (2.0) | 52 (2.0) | 59 (2.3) | 76 (3.0) | 97 (3.8) | 80 (3.1) | 85 (3.3) | 778 (30.6) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 14.5 | 12.5 | 12.1 | 11.9 | 10.5 | 11.0 | 10.9 | 11.7 | 15.0 | 17.4 | 16.3 | 15.9 | 159.7 |
| Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[22] | |||||||||||||
Karlsøy Municipality is responsible forprimary education (through 10th grade), outpatienthealth services,senior citizen services,welfare and othersocial services,zoning,economic development, and municipalroads and utilities. The municipality is governed by amunicipal council ofdirectly elected representatives. Themayor isindirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[23] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of theNord-Troms og Senja District Court and theHålogaland Court of Appeal.
Themunicipal council(Kommunestyre) of Karlsøy Municipality is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by politicalparty.
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 3 | |
| Red Party(Rødt) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 4 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| List for Ringvassøy, Reinøy, & Rebbenesøy(Felleslista for Ringvassøy, Reinøy, og Rebbenesøy) | 1 | |
| Karlsøy Pension List(Karlsøy Pensjonistliste) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 3 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 2 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Karlsøy Common List(Karlsøy Fellesliste) | 5 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 4 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Common List for Ringvassøy, Reinøy, and Rebbenesøy(Felleslista for Ringvassøy, Reinøy, og Rebbenesøy) | 3 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 4 | |
| Coastal Party(Kystpartiet) | 2 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 2 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
| Common List for Ringvassøy, Reinøy, and Rebbenesøy(Felleslista for Ringvassøy, Reinøy, og Rebbenesøy) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 5 | |
| Coastal Party(Kystpartiet) | 2 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 2 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Reinøy List(Reinøylista) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 2 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 1 | |
| Coastal Party(Kystpartiet) | 6 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 2 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 | |
| Total number of members: | 19 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 3 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 8 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Common list for Rebbenesøy, Ringvassøy og Reinøy(Fellesliste for Rebbenesøy, Ringvassøy og Reinøy) | 2 | |
| Western Vannøy non-party list(Vestre Vannøy upolitiske liste) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 2 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 9 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Common list for Rebbenesøy, Ringvassøy og Reinøy(Fellesliste for Rebbenesøy, Ringvassøy og Reinøy) | 3 | |
| Western Vannøy non-party list(Vestre Vannøy upolitiske liste) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 1 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 2 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 | |
| Common list for Rebbenesøy, Ringvassøy og Reinøy(Fellesliste for Rebbenesøy, Ringvassøy og Reinøy) | 4 | |
| Western Vannøy non-party list(Vestre Vannøy upolitiske liste) | 3 | |
| Total number of members: | 27 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 14 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 3 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Common list for Rebbenesøy, Ringvassøy og Reinøy(Fellesliste for Rebbenesøy, Ringvassøy og Reinøy) | 7 | |
| Western Vannøy non-party list(Vestre Vannøy upolitiske liste) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 29 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 15 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 3 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Common list for Rebbenesøy, Ringvassøy og Reinøy(Fellesliste for Rebbenesøy, Ringvassøy og Reinøy) | 5 | |
| Socialist Unity List(Sosialistisk enhetsliste) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 29 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 16 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 5 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 29 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 13 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 9 | |
| Vannøy Non-party List(Vannøy Upolitiske Liste) | 2 | |
| Independent Voters(Uavhengige Velgere) | 3 | |
| Total number of members: | 29 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 16 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 13 | |
| Total number of members: | 29 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 20 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 3 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 6 | |
| Total number of members: | 29 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
| List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders(Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 9 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 9 | |
| Total number of members: | 29 | |
| Note: On 1 January 1964,Helgøy Municipality became part of Karlsøy Municipality. | ||
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 21 | |
| Total number of members: | 21 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 21 | |
| Total number of members: | 21 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 16 | |
| Total number of members: | 16 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
| List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders(Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 1 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 16 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 16 | |
| Total number of members: | 16 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders(Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 3 | |
| Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties(Borgerlige Felleslister) | 4 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 16 | |
| Note: Due to theGerman occupation of Norway duringWorld War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945. | ||
Themayor (Norwegian:ordfører) of Karlsøy 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:[43][44][45]
The municipal centre is at Hansnes, which can be reached through anundersea tunnel from Tromsø, and the drive is about one hour. From hereferries depart to Vannøya, Reinøya, and Karlsøya. TheLangsund Tunnel is under construction and was planned to be completed by 2015, but it is currently on hiatus. It is expected to connect the islands ofReinøya andRingvassøya. The few inhabitants of Rebbenesøya are served by a ferry from Mikkelvik on the western side of Ringvassøya.
Karlsøy attractions include:
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
Travel guides from Wikivoyage
Data from WikidataPlaces adjacent to Karlsøy Municipality | |
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