Kvænangen

Kvænangen (Návuotna; Naavuono) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark 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 many people stop at the Kvænangsfjellet pass to view the scenery of the Kvænangen fjord. The municipality is the 32nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kvænangen is the 323rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,159. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 9.7% over the previous 10-year period. The municipality of Kvænangen was established in 1863 when it was separated from the large Skjervøy Municipality. The initial population of Kvænangen was 1,677. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the Meiland area (population: 12) of Skjervøy Municipality was transferred to Kvænangen. On 1 January 1972, the uninhabited area of Mannskarvik was transferred from Skjervøy to Kvænanagen. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Troms county. The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the local Kvænangen fjord (Kven(a)angr) since the fjord is the central geographic feature for the municipality. The first element kven is the plural genitive case of the name of the Kven people who at one time were the majority of the local residents. The last element is angr which means "fjord". The coat of arms was granted on 13 July 1990. The official blazon is "Argent, a harebell plant azure" (I sølv en blå blåklokkeplante). This means the arms have a field (background) with a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a harebell plant that has a tincture of azure. The plant is a typical plant for the area with its harsh and cold climate.