Skånland
Encyclopedia
Skånland is a municipality
in Troms
county
, Norway
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Evenskjer
.
Skånland was established on 1 July 1926 when the large municipality of Trondenes
was divided into three municipalities: Sandtorg, Skånland, and Trondenes. Skånland's initial population was 2,443. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipality of Astafjord
(population: 1,120) was merged into Skånland. On the same date, the part of Skånland on the island of Rolla
(population: 143) was transferred to neighboring Ibestad
municipality.
, is named after the old Skånland farm (Old Norse
: Skánøyjarland), since the first church was built there (in 1870). The first element is the genitive case
of an old name Skánøy (but the meaning of this is uncertain) and the last element is land which means "land
" or "farm
". The name might be of Sami
origin, meaning "small mountains" (skánit).
is from modern times (1988). They show a black auger
on a gold background. This was chosen since the production of augers, and their use in construction of boat
s, has long roots in the municipality.
peninsula, which is bordered by Ofotfjord
in the south, Tjeldsundet
in the west, and Astafjord
(Vågsfjord) in the north. Neighbouring municipalities are Evenes
to the south, Narvik
in the southeast, Tjeldsund
in Nordland to the southwest. Harstad
in the northwest, across Tjeldsundet, and Gratangen
in the northeast, are located in Troms. Evenskjer
, located in the lowland bordering Tjeldsundet, is the largest village. In the northern part is the smaller village of Grov
. Other villages are Renså
, Tovik
and Sandstrand
.
The largest lake is Skoddebergvatnet, and the highest mountain is Skittendalstinden at 1306 metres (4,284.8 ft) in the mountainous center of the peninsula
. There are calcareous
pine
forest
s near Skoddebergvatnet. The lake Niingsvatnet
is located on the border with Evenes
.
is important in Skånland, and there are also many people working in Harstad or at the Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
.
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 Evenskjer
Evenskjer
Evenskjer is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Skånland in Troms county, Norway. Its population is 575. The village is located along the Tjeldsundet strait about south of the city of Harstad...
.
General information
Trondenes
Trondenes is a parish and a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. It is located along the Vågsfjorden in the present-day municipality of Harstad. Trondenes includes the majority of the island of Grytøya and part of the island of Hinnøya as well as some smaller islands...
was divided into three municipalities: Sandtorg, Skånland, and Trondenes. Skånland's initial population was 2,443. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipality of Astafjord
Astafjord
Astafjord is strait and a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. It is located in the eastern part of the present-day municipality of Skånland. The administrative center of the former municipality is the village of Grov...
(population: 1,120) was merged into Skånland. On the same date, the part of Skånland on the island of Rolla
Rolla (Troms)
Rolla is an island in the municipality of Ibestad in Troms county, Norway. It has an area of . The highest point is Drangen at a height of . The population on Rolla is 1,078....
(population: 143) was transferred to neighboring Ibestad
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....
municipality.
Name
The municipality, and the parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, is named after the old Skånland farm (Old Norse
Old 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....
: Skánøyjarland), since the first church was built there (in 1870). The first element is the genitive case
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
of an old name Skánøy (but the meaning of this is uncertain) and the last element is land which means "land
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
" or "farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
". The name might be of Sami
Sami languages
Sami or Saami is a general name for a group of Uralic languages spoken by the Sami people in parts of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden and extreme northwestern Russia, in Northern Europe. Sami is frequently and erroneously believed to be a single language. Several names are used for the Sami...
origin, meaning "small mountains" (skánit).
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 (1988). They show a black auger
Auger
An auger is a drilling device, or drill bit, that usually includes a rotating helical screw blade called a "flighting" to act as a screw conveyor to remove the drilled out material...
on a gold background. This was chosen since the production of augers, and their use in construction of boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
s, has long roots in the municipality.
Geography
The municipality includes the western and northern part of the OfotenOfoten
Ofoten is a district in North Norway, consisting of the municipalities Tysfjord, Ballangen, Evenes, Tjeldsund, Narvik and Lødingen. It is named after the main fjord Ofotfjord, which is at the center of this landscape...
peninsula, which is bordered by Ofotfjord
Ofotfjord
Ofotfjord or Narvik Fjord, an inlet of the Norwegian sea north of the Arctic circle, is Norway's 12th longest fjord, long, and the 18th deepest, with a maximum depth of . Along the shores of this fjord is the major town of Narvik...
in the south, Tjeldsundet
Tjeldsundet
Tjeldsundet is the sound or strait that is located between the island Hinnøya and mainland Norway in the northern part, and in the southern part it is between Hinnøya and Tjeldøya island...
in the west, and Astafjord
Astafjord
Astafjord is strait and a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. It is located in the eastern part of the present-day municipality of Skånland. The administrative center of the former municipality is the village of Grov...
(Vågsfjord) in the north. Neighbouring municipalities are Evenes
Evenes
Evenes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Ofoten region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bogen.The old municipality of Ofoten was split into Evenes and Ankenes on 1 January 1884...
to the south, Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
in the southeast, Tjeldsund
Tjeldsund
Tjeldsund is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Ofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hol i Tjeldsund. Tjeldsund was separated from the municipality of Lødingen in 1909....
in Nordland to the southwest. Harstad
Harstad
is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in...
in the northwest, across Tjeldsundet, and Gratangen
Gratangen
Gratangen 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 Årstein. The municipality encompasses the land on both sides of the Gratangen fjord. European route E6 runs through the...
in the northeast, are located in Troms. Evenskjer
Evenskjer
Evenskjer is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Skånland in Troms county, Norway. Its population is 575. The village is located along the Tjeldsundet strait about south of the city of Harstad...
, located in the lowland bordering Tjeldsundet, is the largest village. In the northern part is the smaller village of Grov
Grov, Troms
Grov or Grovfjord is a village in the municipality of Skånland in Troms county, Norway. Its population is 288. The village is located east of the village of Tovik along the Grovfjorden at a very narrow point in the fjord. It is about southeast of the city of Harstad and about west of Narvik...
. Other villages are Renså
Renså
Renså is a minor village in the municipality of Skånland in Troms county, Norway. It's located just east of the slightly larger village of Tovik, and about east of Sandstrand. The population of Renså is 69. The village is located next to the Rensåelva river which flows into the Astafjorden...
, Tovik
Tovik
Tovik is a village in the municipality of Skånland in Troms county, Norway. Its population is 151. The village is located along the Astafjorden on the main road about east of the larger village of Sandstrand and just west of the village of Renså. It lies in the middle of Skånland municipality...
and Sandstrand
Sandstrand, Troms
Sandstrand is a village situated in the middle of the municipality of Skånland in Troms county, Norway. Its population is 303. The village is located along the Vagsfjorden, just west of the village of Tovik. It's about mid-way between the two main urban areas in Skånland, Evenskjer and...
.
The largest lake is Skoddebergvatnet, and the highest mountain is Skittendalstinden at 1306 metres (4,284.8 ft) in the mountainous center of the peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
. There are calcareous
Calcareous
Calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.-In zoology:...
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 near Skoddebergvatnet. The lake Niingsvatnet
Niingsvatnet
Niingsvatnet is a Norwegian lake that lies high in the mountains on the border of two municipalities: Evenes in Nordland county and Skånland in Troms county....
is located on the border with Evenes
Evenes
Evenes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Ofoten region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bogen.The old municipality of Ofoten was split into Evenes and Ankenes on 1 January 1884...
.
Economy
AgricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
is important in Skånland, and there are also many people working in Harstad or at the Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes is located in the Evenes municipality, in Nordland county in northern Norway. Some of the runway lighting at the north end of the runway crosses the county border into the Skånland municipality in Troms...
.
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...