| Kvænangen kommune Návuona suohkan Naavuonon komuuni |
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| — Municipality — | |||
| Kvænangen fjord seen from the mountain plateau | |||
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| Kvænangen within Troms | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Troms | ||
| District | Nord-Troms | ||
| Administrative centre | Burfjord | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor (2007) | John Helland (H) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 2,108.25 km2 (814 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 2,012.04 km2 (776.9 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 96.21 km2 (37.1 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 26 in Norway | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 1,316 | ||
| • Rank | 381 in Norway | ||
| • Density | 0.64/km2 (1.7/sq mi) | ||
| • Change (10 years) | -8.3 % | ||
| Demonym | Kvænangsværing[1] | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | NO-1943 | ||
| Official language form | Neutral | ||
| Website | www.kvanangen.kommune.no | ||
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Kvænangen (also: Northern Sami: Návuona suohkan, Kven: Naavuonon komuuni) is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Burfjord. The European route E6 highway goes through the municipality and over the Sørstraumen Bridge, and most people stop at the mountain pass of Kvænangsfjellet to view the fjord scenery.
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Kvænangen was established in 1863 when it was separated from the municipality of Skjervøy. The initial population of Kvænangen was 1,677. On 1 January 1965, the Meiland area (population: 12) of Skjervøy was transferred to Kvænangen. On 1 January 1972, the uninhabited area of Mannskarvik was transferred from Skjervøy to Kvænanagen.[2]
The municipality is named after the Kvænangen fjord (Old Norse: Kven(a)angr). The first element is the plural genitive case of kven and the last element is angr which means "fjord". The district used to be mostly populated by Sámi people.[3]
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1990). The arms show three blue harebells on a gray background.[4]
The municipality surrounds the fjord of Kvænangen, after which it is named. The population is primarily of Sami origin, although the Kven population constitutes a sizeable minority. Archeological finds indicate nomadic activity in the area going back 10,000 years.
There is evidence that Kværnangen was the site for a transitional state between nomadic and agricultural society through what was known as "siida" - delimited areas where permanent housing was established and natural resources put under stewardship.
The Kvens settled in the area in the 18th century, occupying themselves with fishing, hunting, and agriculture. Over time, fisheries became a primary industry, and the community exported dried fish to southern areas. Ethnic Norwegians gradually immigrated to facilitate trade and administration.
Norwegian public policy in the 1930s and post-war years homogenized the three groups, ethnic Norwegians, Sami, and Kven, considerably, to the point that most residents speak Norwegian at home, regardless of their ethnic heritage. Interestingly, a majority of people in Kvænangen declared themselves Sami or Kven in the 1930 census. In the 1950 census, all but a handful declared themselves Norwegian.
During the Nazi occupation during World War II, a temporary work camp was established at Kvænangen. In large part due to the generosity of the local population, prisoners had ample food. As the German Wehrmacht retreated in early 1945, the population was evacuated by force, and all buildings were burned. Today, a local museum shows typical reconstruction houses.
The municipality has coastal and plains geography, extending into Finnmarksvidda. There are mature pine forests in the valley at the head of the fjord, and there are several rivers, the largest of which is Kvænangselva, which is traditionally a good salmon-fishing river.
The Øksfjordjøkelen glacier is located in the northern part of the municipality on the border with Loppa. It's the ninth largest glacier in mainland Norway. The lake Šuoikkatjávri is located in the southern part of the municipality on the border with Kautokeino.
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