Salangen
Encyclopedia
Salangen is a municipality
in Troms
county
, Norway
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sjøvegan
, where most of the people in the municipality live. The municipality is situated along the Sagfjord, and also includes some inland valley
s. The village of Laberg
is located near Sjøvegan.
Salangen was established on 1 January 1871 when it was separated from the municipality of Ibestad
. The initial population of Salangen was 1,384. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Lavangen
(population: 1,677) was merged into Salangen. The new, larger Salangen then had a population of 4,288. On 1 January 1977, however, the Lavangen district (except for Lavangsnes) was separated from Salangen to form a separate municipality once again. After the split, Salangen remained with 2,611 residents.
: Selangr). The first element is selr which means "seal
" and the last element is angr which means "fjord".
is from modern times. They were granted on 2 December 1985. The arms show a seal on a blue background. They are canting arms
since the name of the municipality is derived from the old word "Sellanger", meaning seal fjord.
formed of part of a series of Nappe
s that run down the coast of Norway. These nappes were metamorphosed as a result of partial subduction
beneath Laurentia
during the early to middle Paleozoic
. On a smaller scale, the municipality is located mainly on quartzite
(known as Sjøvegan quartzite locally and regionally as Bø quartzite). In the hills to the south, there is garnet
-rich schist
(known as Trollvannet schist).
Across the nearby lake Nervatnet and towards the village of Strokkenes, granite
within marble
is present (Høglund marble and Strokkenes granite). This granite is Leucratic, an indicative sign of granite intruded within an orogenic
mountain building event.
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 Sjøvegan
Sjøvegan
Sjøvegan is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Salangen in Troms county, Norway. The population of the village is 729. The home venue of the Salangen IF team is located in Sjøvegan....
, where most of the people in the municipality live. The municipality is situated along the Sagfjord, and also includes some inland valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
s. The village of Laberg
Laberg
Laberg may refer to the following locations:*Laberg in Gratangen municipality, Troms, Norway*Laberg in Salangen municipality, Troms, Norway...
is located near Sjøvegan.
General information
Ibestad
Ibestad is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is part of the Hålogaland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hamnvik. Some of the larger villages in Ibestad include Sørvika, Å, and Laupstad....
. The initial population of Salangen was 1,384. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Lavangen
Lavangen
Lavangen is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tennevoll. The municipality is situated around the area of the river Spansdalelva og Lavangen fjord...
(population: 1,677) was merged into Salangen. The new, larger Salangen then had a population of 4,288. On 1 January 1977, however, the Lavangen district (except for Lavangsnes) was separated from Salangen to form a separate municipality once again. After the split, Salangen remained with 2,611 residents.
Name
The municipality is named after the Salangen fjord (Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
: Selangr). The first element is selr which means "seal
Harbor Seal
The harbor seal , also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere...
" and the last element is angr which means "fjord".
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 2 December 1985. The arms show a seal on a blue background. They are canting arms
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
since the name of the municipality is derived from the old word "Sellanger", meaning seal fjord.
Geology
The area itself is part of the Caledonian OrogenyCaledonian orogeny
The Caledonian orogeny is a mountain building era recorded in the northern parts of the British Isles, the Scandinavian Mountains, Svalbard, eastern Greenland and parts of north-central Europe. The Caledonian orogeny encompasses events that occurred from the Ordovician to Early Devonian, roughly...
formed of part of a series of Nappe
Nappe
In geology, a nappe is a large sheetlike body of rock that has been moved more than or 5 km from its original position. Nappes form during continental plate collisions, when folds are sheared so much that they fold back over on themselves and break apart. The resulting structure is a...
s that run down the coast of Norway. These nappes were metamorphosed as a result of partial subduction
Subduction
In geology, subduction is the process that takes place at convergent boundaries by which one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate, sinking into the Earth's mantle, as the plates converge. These 3D regions of mantle downwellings are known as "Subduction Zones"...
beneath Laurentia
Laurentia
Laurentia is a large area of continental craton, which forms the ancient geological core of the North American continent...
during the early to middle Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
. On a smaller scale, the municipality is located mainly on quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
(known as Sjøvegan quartzite locally and regionally as Bø quartzite). In the hills to the south, there is garnet
Garnet
The garnet group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus , possibly a reference to the Punica granatum , a plant with red seeds...
-rich schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
(known as Trollvannet schist).
Across the nearby lake Nervatnet and towards the village of Strokkenes, granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
within marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
is present (Høglund marble and Strokkenes granite). This granite is Leucratic, an indicative sign of granite intruded within an orogenic
Orogeny
Orogeny refers to forces and events leading to a severe structural deformation of the Earth's crust due to the engagement of tectonic plates. Response to such engagement results in the formation of long tracts of highly deformed rock called orogens or orogenic belts...
mountain building event.
External links
- Salangen municipality - official webpage
- 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...