Nordreisa
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| Nordreisa kommune | |||
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Troms | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-1942 | ||
| Administrative centre | Storslett | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2008) | John Karlsen (FrP) | ||
| Area (Nr. 9 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 3,438 km² (1,327.4 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 3,344 km² (1,291.1 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| - Total | 4,710 | ||
| - Density | 1/km² (2.6/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | -3.2 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 200 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Bokmål | ||
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| Website: www.nordreisa.kommune.no | |||
Nordreisa is a municipality in the county of Troms, Norway.
Nordreisa was separated from Skjervøy January 1, 1886. The parts of Skjervøy lying on the mainland were transferred from Skjervøy to Nordreisa January 1, 1972.
The municipality consists of the valley of Reisadalen, with Reisa river and deep pine forests, surrounded by mountains and high plateaus. Most people live in Storslett, where the river meets the fjord. Close by, at Sørkjosen there is an airport. European route E6 goes through the municipality.
[edit] The name
The municipality is named after Reisafjorden (originally *Reisa), which again is named after Reisaelva ('Reisa river' - originally *Reisa). The rivername is probably derived form the verb rísa 'raise' (referring to flooding).
The first element Nord 'northern' was added to distinguish the municipality from Sørreisa.
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1984). It shows two salmons.
[edit] History
Most inhabitants are descendants of settlers from Finland 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 Norwegian is the main language.
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, 269 metres of height. The upper, or southernmost, areas of the municipality are covered by the Reisa National Park with unique forest and high plateau vegetation.
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