Lavangen Municipality Lavangen kommune Loabága suohkan | |
|---|---|
View of Inner Lavangen | |
Troms within Norway | |
Lavangen within Troms | |
| Coordinates:68°39′28″N17°35′01″E / 68.65778°N 17.58361°E /68.65778; 17.58361 | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Troms |
| District | Midt-Troms |
| Established | 1 January 1907 |
| • Preceded by | Ibestad Municipality |
| Disestablished | 1 January 1964 |
| • Succeeded by | Salangen Municipality |
| Re-established | 1 January 1977 |
| • Preceded by | Salangen Municipality |
| Administrative centre | Tennevoll |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2019) | Hege Beathe Myrseth Rollmoen (Sp) |
| Area | |
• Total | 301.62 km2 (116.46 sq mi) |
| • Land | 296.07 km2 (114.31 sq mi) |
| • Water | 5.55 km2 (2.14 sq mi) 1.8% |
| • Rank | #266 in Norway |
| Highest elevation | 1,457.49 m (4,781.8 ft) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 986 |
| • Rank | #335 in Norway |
| • Density | 3.3/km2 (8.5/sq mi) |
| • Change(10 years) | |
| Demonym | Lavangsværing[2] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Neutral |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-5518[4] |
| Website | Official website |
Lavangen (Norwegian) orLoabák (Northern Sami)[5] is amunicipality inTromscounty,Norway. Theadministrative centre of the municipality is the village ofTennevoll. Other villages in Lavangen includeFossbakken andSpansdalen (in the inland areas) andKjeiprød,Røkenes,Låternes,Tennevoll,Hesjevika,Soløy, andÅ (surrounding the fjord).
The 302-square-kilometre (117 sq mi) municipality is the 266th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Lavangen is the 335th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 986. The municipality'spopulation density is 3.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (8.5/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 2.8% over the previous 10-year period.[6][7]
Lavangen was established on 1 January 1907 when it was separated fromIbestad Municipality. The initial population was 1,536. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of theSchei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Lavangen Municipality (population: 1,677) andSalangen Municipality (population: 2,611) were merged into a new, larger Salangen Municipality. The merger was brief, however, because on 1 January 1977, the old Lavangen Municipality (except for the Lavangsnes area) was made a separate municipality once again.[8]
On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formedTroms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the oldTroms county.[9] On 1 January 2024, theTroms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part ofTroms county.[10]
The municipality is named after the localLavangenfjord (Old Norse:Laufangr) since it is a central geographical feature of the area. The first element islauf which means "leaf" (here in the sense of 'birchwood'). The last element isangr which means "fjord" or "bay".[11] On 19 December 2015, the national government approved the municipality's request to addLoabák as a co-equal, official name of the municipality in theNorthern Sami language.[12] BothLoabák andLavangen can be used interchangeably for the municipality. The spelling of the Sami language name changes depending on how it is used. It is calledLoabák when it is spelled alone, but it isLoabága suohkan when using the Sami language equivalent to "Lavangen Municipality".[5]
Thecoat of arms was granted on 18 December 1987. The officialblazon is"Gules, three birch leavesOrin pall stems conjoined" (Norwegian:I rødt tre gull bjørkeblad forent i trepass). This means the arms have a redfield (background) and thecharge is threebirchleaves that are connected and in a Y-shape design. The leaves have atincture ofOr which means they are commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arms are acanting of the name of the municipality (which means leaf). The three leaves represent how the municipality was settled byNorwegians,Samis, andKvens. The arms were designed by Øystein Hermod Skaugvolldal.[13][14][15][16]
TheChurch of Norway has one parish (sokn) within Lavangen Municipality. It is part of theIndre Troms prosti (deanery) in theDiocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lavangen | Lavangen Church | Soløy | 1891 |
The municipality encompasses the land around the Spansdalelva river valley and most of the area around theLavangenfjord, south of theAstafjorden. The municipality bordersNarvik Municipality (inNordland county) to the south,Gratangen Municipality to the west,Salangen Municipality to the north, andBardu Municipality to the east. The highest point in the municipality is the 1,457.49-metre (4,781.8 ft) tall mountain Spanstinden.[1]
| Climate data forTennevoll | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −3.2 (26.2) | −2.2 (28.0) | 1.1 (34.0) | 4.5 (40.1) | 10.1 (50.2) | 15.0 (59.0) | 17.2 (63.0) | 15.6 (60.1) | 10.6 (51.1) | 4.8 (40.6) | 0.6 (33.1) | −1.2 (29.8) | 6.1 (43.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.7 (19.9) | −5.8 (21.6) | −2.9 (26.8) | 1.2 (34.2) | 6.6 (43.9) | 10.9 (51.6) | 13.3 (55.9) | 12.0 (53.6) | 7.1 (44.8) | 2.4 (36.3) | −2.4 (27.7) | −5.0 (23.0) | 2.6 (36.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −11.5 (11.3) | −10.2 (13.6) | −7.4 (18.7) | −3.4 (25.9) | 1.4 (34.5) | 6.4 (43.5) | 8.9 (48.0) | 7.5 (45.5) | 3.0 (37.4) | −1.7 (28.9) | −6.4 (20.5) | −8.9 (16.0) | −1.9 (28.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 80 (3.1) | 81 (3.2) | 60 (2.4) | 53 (2.1) | 38 (1.5) | 59 (2.3) | 69 (2.7) | 76 (3.0) | 92 (3.6) | 113 (4.4) | 88 (3.5) | 91 (3.6) | 910 (35.8) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 11.2 | 11.8 | 10.1 | 9.3 | 8.5 | 10.9 | 12.8 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 14.7 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 142.7 |
| Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[17] | |||||||||||||
Lavangen 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.[18] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of theMidtre Hålogaland District Court and theHålogaland Court of Appeal.
Themunicipal council(Kommunestyre) of Lavangen Municipality is made up of 15 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) | 9 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 4 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 15 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 3 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
| Total number of members: | 15 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 1 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 3 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
| Total number of members: | 15 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 2 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 3 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 4 | |
| Total number of members: | 15 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 2 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Total number of members: | 15 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
| Joint list of theConservative Party(Høyre) andChristian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 4 | |
| Total number of members: | 15 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 4 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 15 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 3 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Total number of members: | 15 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 5 | |
| Joint list of theCentre Party(Senterpartiet),Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti), andLiberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 15 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 6 | |
| Joint list of theCentre Party(Senterpartiet),Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti), andLiberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
| Spansdalen local list(Spansdalen Bygdeliste) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 5 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
| Joint list of theCentre Party (Senterpartiet) and theLiberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
| Spansdalen local list(Spansdalen bygdeliste) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
| Joint list of theCentre Party (Senterpartiet) and theLiberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
| Lavangen common list(Lavangen bygdeliste) | 6 | |
| Spansdalen common list(Spansdalen bygdeliste) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Note: From 1 January 1964 until 31 December 1976, Lavangen Municipality was part ofSalangen Municipality. | ||
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Note: From 1 January 1964 until 31 December 1976, Lavangen Municipality was part ofSalangen Municipality. | ||
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 16 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 8 | |
| Total number of members: | 16 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 16 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 8 | |
| 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 Lavangen 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:[34][35]
Spanstind rundt is a famouscross-country skiing race in Lavangen that is held onMaundy Thursdays each year.
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