Nordreisa
Encyclopedia
Nordreisa is a municipality
in Troms
county
, Norway
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storslett
.
The municipality consists of the valley of Reisadalen, with the Reisa river and deep pine
forest
s, surrounded by mountain
s and high plateau
s. Most people live in Storslett, where the river
meets the fjord
. Close by, in Sørkjosen
there is the Sørkjosen Airport
. The European route E6
runs through the northern part of the municipality.
on 1 January 1886. On 1 January 1890, the Trætten and Loppevolden farms (population: 32) were transferred to Nordreisa from Skjervøy. The parts of Skjervøy lying on the mainland (population: 1,556) were transferred from Skjervøy to Nordreisa on 1 January 1972. On 1 January 1982, the southern part of Uløya
(population: 128) was transferred from Skjervøy to Nordreisa.
ing).
The first element Nord ("northern") was added to distinguish the municipality from Sørreisa
. The municipality was originally named Nordreisen, but the ending was later changed to the present form.
is from modern times. They were granted on 21 December 1984. The arms show two salmon
, since one of the country's best salmon rivers runs through the municipality.
(See also coat-of-arms for Grane, Kvalsund
and Mandal.)
who came over in the 18th century, escaping famine
and war
. Today, only a few old people can speak Finnish
. Some inhabitants have Sami
or Norwegian backgrounds, and today the Norwegian language
is most commonly used.
Few old buildings survive in Nordreisa, as virtually everything was destroyed in early 1945 by retreating German troops
. The two major attractions are the old trading post at Havnnes, with picturesque old houses that escaped the war damages, and the waterfall
of Mollisfossen, which is 269 metres (883 ft) high. The upper, or southernmost, areas of the municipality are covered by the Reisa National Park
with unique forest and high plateau vegetation.
In the 2007 municipal elections, Nordreisa recorded the highest vote for the right-wing Progress Party
in Norway at 49.3%.
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storslett
Storslett
Storslett is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Nordreisa in Troms county, Norway. Its population is 1,583. The village is located at the southern end of the Reisafjorden along the mouth of the Reisaelva ....
.
The municipality consists of the valley of Reisadalen, with the Reisa river and deep pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s, surrounded by mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s and high plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
s. Most people live in Storslett, where the river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
meets the fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
. Close by, in Sørkjosen
Sørkjosen
Sørkjosen is a village in the municipality of Nordreisa in Troms county, Norway. Its population is 841. The village is located along the shores of the Reisafjorden about northwest of the municipal center of Storslett...
there is the Sørkjosen Airport
Sørkjosen Airport
Sørkjosen Airport , is an airport in Sørkjosen in the municipality of Nordreisa, Troms in Northern Norway, about from the municipal center of Storslett...
. The European route E6
European route E6
European route E 6 is the designation for the main north-south road in Norway, and the west coast of Sweden, running from the southern tip of Sweden, at Trelleborg, into Norway and through almost all of the country north to Finnmark. The route ends close to the Norwegian border with Russia...
runs through the northern part of the municipality.
General information
Nordreisa (population: 1,057) was separated from the municipality of SkjervøySkjervøy
Skjervøy is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skjervøy on the island of Skjervøya, where most of the inhabitants live. The main industries are fishing and ship building....
on 1 January 1886. On 1 January 1890, the Trætten and Loppevolden farms (population: 32) were transferred to Nordreisa from Skjervøy. The parts of Skjervøy lying on the mainland (population: 1,556) were transferred from Skjervøy to Nordreisa on 1 January 1972. On 1 January 1982, the southern part of Uløya
Uløya
Uløya is an island in Skjervøy and Nordreisa municipalities, Troms county, Norway. The island is situated on the east side of the Lyngen fjord. The island has an area of , and the highest point is Blåtinden at . The population on the Skjervøy part of the island is 29, and the population on the...
(population: 128) was transferred from Skjervøy to Nordreisa.
Name
The municipality is named after the Reisafjorden (originally Reisa), which again is named after Reisaelva ("Reisa river" - originally Reisa). The river name is probably derived form the verb rísa which means "raise" (referring to floodFlood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing).
The first element Nord ("northern") was added to distinguish the municipality from Sørreisa
Sørreisa
Sørreisa is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sørreisa.- General information :...
. The municipality was originally named Nordreisen, but the ending was later changed to the present form.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is from modern times. They were granted on 21 December 1984. The arms show two salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, since one of the country's best salmon rivers runs through the municipality.
(See also coat-of-arms for Grane, Kvalsund
Kvalsund
Kvalsund is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kvalsund. Kvalsund was separated from the municipality of Sørøysund on 1 July 1869....
and Mandal.)
History
Most inhabitants are descendants of settlers from FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
who came over in the 18th century, escaping famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
and war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
. Today, only a few old people can speak Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
. Some inhabitants have Sami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
or Norwegian backgrounds, and today the Norwegian language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
is most commonly used.
Few old buildings survive in Nordreisa, as virtually everything was destroyed in early 1945 by retreating German troops
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. The two major attractions are the old trading post at Havnnes, with picturesque old houses that escaped the war damages, and the waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
of Mollisfossen, which is 269 metres (883 ft) high. The upper, or southernmost, areas of the municipality are covered by the Reisa National Park
Reisa National Park
Reisa National Park is a national park in Nordreisa municipality, Troms county, Norway that was established by royal decree on 28 November 1986. The park is full of wildlife such as the wolverine and Brown Bear....
with unique forest and high plateau vegetation.
In the 2007 municipal elections, Nordreisa recorded the highest vote for the right-wing Progress Party
Progress Party (Norway)
The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist...
in Norway at 49.3%.
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...