Astafjord is a former municipality in the old Troms county, Norway. The 310-square-kilometre (120 sq mi) municipality existed from 1926 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in the eastern part of the present-day municipality of Tjeldsund in Troms og Finnmark county. The municipality surrounded the Grovfjorden. The administrative center of the former municipality was the village of Grov where Astafjord Church is located. The Astafjorden (strait) flowed along the northern part of the municipality and it was the namesake for the municipality.[1]
Astafjord herred | |
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Former municipality | |
![]() Troms within Norway | |
![]() Astafjord within Troms | |
Coordinates: 68°40′29″N 17°07′28″E | |
Country | Norway |
County | Troms |
District | Central Hålogaland |
Established | 1 July 1926 |
• Preceded by | Ibestad Municipality |
Disestablished | 1 Jan 1964 |
• Succeeded by | Skånland Municipality |
Administrative centre | Grov |
Area (upon dissolution) | |
• Total | 310 km2 (120 sq mi) |
Population (1964) | |
• Total | 1,120 |
• Density | 3.6/km2 (9.4/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
ISO 3166 code | NO-1918 |
Historically, Astafjord was a prestegjeld that encompassed a large part of southern Troms county, including the present-day municipalities of Bardu, Gratangen, Ibestad, Lavangen, Salangen, and most of Skånland. When municipalities were created in Norway in 1838, the old parish was created as Ibestad Municipality (see formannskapsdistrikt).[1]
The municipality of Astafjord was established on 1 July 1926 when the large Ibestad Municipality was separated into four municipalities: Ibestad (population: 1,768), Andørja (population: 1,420), Astafjord (population: 1,018), and Gratangen (population: 1,967). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Astafjord (population: 1,120) was merged with the part of Skånland municipality on the mainland (population: 2,246) to create a new larger Skånland Municipality (the rest of the old Skånland on the island of Rolla joined Ibestad Municipality).[2]
The municipality was named after the Astafjorden strait which was named after the old Ånstad farm (Old Norse: Arnastaðafjǫrðr). The first element of the old name comes from the male name Arna or "Arne", the second element staða means "home" or "farm", and the last element fjǫrðr is identical with the word for "fjord". Thus, the name literally means the "fjord by Arne's farm".[3]
The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Astafjord was made up of 15 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council was as follows:
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 7 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 8 | |
Total number of members: | 15 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) | 1 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 14 | |
Total number of members: | 15 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 3 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 2 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 7 | |
Total number of members: | 12 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 3 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 9 | |
Total number of members: | 12 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 | |
List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 5 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 3 | |
Total number of members: | 12 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 3 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 9 | |
Total number of members: | 12 | |
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945. |
Troms og Finnmark county, Norway | |||||||||
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