Tjeldsund

Tjeldsund (Northern Sami: Dielddanuorri) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The southwestern part of the municipality is part of the traditional district of Ofoten and the rest of the municipality is part of Central Hålogaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Evenskjer. Other important villages include Fjelldal, Myklebostad, Grovfjord, Renså, Sandstrand, Tovik, and Ramsund. Norges Brannskole (Norway's education and training center for firemen) is situated in Fjelldal. Marinejegerkommandoen is based south of Ramsund.

Tjeldsund kommune Dielddanuori suohkan
Municipality
View of Fjelldal in the summer
Coat of arms Troms og Finnmark within Norway
Tjeldsund within Troms og Finnmark
Coordinates: 68°29′04″N 16°17′33″E
Country	Norway
County	Troms og Finnmark
District	Northern Norway
Established	1 Jan 1909
Administrative centre	Evenskjer
Government
• Mayor (2019)	Helene Berg Nilsen (Ap)
Area
• Total	814.33 km^2 (314.41 sq mi)
• Land	774.92 km^2 (299.20 sq mi)
• Water	39.41 km^2 (15.22 sq mi)  4.8%
Area rank	139 in Norway
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,216
• Rank	198 in Norway
• Density	5.4/km^2 (14/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	0.4%
Demonym(s)	Tjeldsunding[1]
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-5412
Official language form	Bokmål[2]
Website	tjeldsund.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

The 814-square-kilometre (314 sq mi) municipality is the 139th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Tjeldsund is the 198th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,216. The municipality's population density is 5.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (14/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0.2% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

General information

Sætertinden at the Tjeldsund-Harstad municipality border is the highest mountain on Hinnøya.

The municipality of Tjeldsund was established on 1 January 1909 when it was separated from the large Lødingen Municipality. Tjeldsund encompassed the eastern part of Lødingen prior to the division. Initially, Tjeldsund had a population of 1,404.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the western part of the island of Tjeldøya (population: 297) was transferred to Tjeldsund Municipality from Lødingen Municipality, uniting the whole island within the same municipality. On the same date, the unpopulated Ramnes area of Evenes Municipality was also transferred to Tjeldsund Municipality.[5]

On 1 January 2020, the municipality merged with the neighboring Skånland Municipality and at the same time the new municipality became a part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county (prior to the merger, Skånland was located in the old Troms county and Tjeldsund was in Nordland county).[6][7]

Name

The municipality is named after the Tjeldsundet strait between the islands of Tjeldøya and Hinnøya. The first element is the (uncompounded) Old Norse name of Tjeldøya (Tjöld or Tjalda) and the last element is sund which means "strait" or "sound". The name of the island is probably derived from the word tjald which means "tent" or the similar word tjaldr which means "oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)".[8]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 29 June 1990. The arms show a blue-colored Anthony's cross on a silver or white background. The Anthony's cross is a canting of the letter T, the first letter of the name Tjeldsund.[9]

Churches

The Church of Norway has four parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Tjeldsund. It is part of the Trondenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Churches in Tjeldsund

Parish (sokn)	Church Name	Location of the Church	Year Built
Astafjord	Astafjord Church	Grov	1978
Skånland	Skånland Church	Evenskjer	1901
Tjeldsund	Tjeldsund Church	Hol i Tjeldsund	1863
	Fjelldal Chapel	Fjelldal	1960
	Ramsund Chapel	Ramsund	1964
Tovik	Tovik Church	Tovik	1905

Geography

Aerial view over Tjeldsund and part of Ofotfjord in January. Tjeldsund is partly located on the mainland, but also includes Tjeldøya (island).

Since 1 January 2020, Tjeldsund is located in Troms og Finnmark county on the border with Nordland county to the south and west. Tjeldsund is partially located on the island of Tjeldøya which is surrounded by the Ofotfjorden on the south, the Tjeldsundet strait to the west and north, and the Ramsundet strait to the east. The island is connected to the mainland by the Ramsund Bridge. The rest of the municipality is on the mainland to the east of Tjeldøya plus a small area on the island of Hinnøya to the north of Tjeldøya. The municipalities of Evenes (in Nordland) and Gratangen (in Troms og Finnmark) lie to the east of Tjeldsund, Harstad, Kvæfjord, and Ibestad (in Troms og Finnmark) lie to the north, Lødingen to the west, and Narvik to the south.

View of the Tjeldsundet

Climate

Climate data for Hol i Tjeldsund
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Daily mean °C (°F)	−3.8 (25.2)	−3.5 (25.7)	−1.8 (28.8)	1.5 (34.7)	6.3 (43.3)	9.9 (49.8)	12.3 (54.1)	11.8 (53.2)	7.9 (46.2)	3.9 (39.0)	−0.2 (31.6)	−2.7 (27.1)	3.5 (38.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	101 (4.0)	91 (3.6)	74 (2.9)	61 (2.4)	49 (1.9)	54 (2.1)	76 (3.0)	81 (3.2)	100 (3.9)	141 (5.6)	102 (4.0)	115 (4.5)	1,045 (41.1)
Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[10]

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Tjeldsund, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.[11] The municipality falls under the Ofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Tjeldsund is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 2020–2023 [12]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	8
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	6
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	3
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	1
	Hinnøy Area Cross-Party List (Hinnøysiden Tverrpolitiske liste)	1
Total number of members:		21

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 2016–2019 [13]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	5
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	5
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Hinnøy Area Cross-Party List (Hinnøysiden Tverrpolitiske liste)	3
Total number of members:		17

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 2012–2015 [14]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	7
	Hinnøy Area Cross-Party List (Hinnøysiden Tverrpolitiske liste)	3
	Municipal List Fiskefjord-Kongsvik-Hårvik (Bygdelista Fiskefjord-Kongsvik-Hårvik)	1
Total number of members:		17

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 2008–2011 [12]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	3
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	5
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	1
	Hinnøy Area Cross-Party List (Hinnøysiden Tverrpolitiske liste)	3
	Municipal List Fiskefjord-Kongsvik-Hårvik (Bygdelista Fiskefjord-Kongsvik-Hårvik)	1
Total number of members:		17

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 2004–2007 [12]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	4
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	1
	Hinnøy Area Cross-Party List (Hinnøysiden Tverrpolitiske liste)	3
	Municipal List Fiskefjord-Kongsvik-Hårvik (Bygdelista Fiskefjord-Kongsvik-Hårvik)	1
	Tjeldsund cross-party list (Tjeldsund tverrpolitiske liste)	2
Total number of members:		17

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 2000–2003 [12]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	1
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Liberal Party and Independents (Venstre og uavhengige)	1
	Hinnøy Area Cross-Party List (Hinnøysiden Tverrpolitiske liste)	4
	Fjelldal/Ramstad local list (Fjelldal/Ramstad bygdeliste)	3
	Tjeldsund cross-party list (Tjeldsund tverrpolitiske liste)	3
Total number of members:		21

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 1996–1999 [15]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	1
	Centre Party and Independents (Senterpartiet og uavhengige)	3
	Hinnøy Area Cross-Party List (Hinnøysiden Tverrpolitiske liste)	6
	Fjelldal/Ramstad local list (Fjelldal/Ramstad bygdeliste)	4
	Ramsund cross-party list (Ramsund tverrpolitiske liste)	2
	Tjeldsund independent cultural list (Tjeldsund uavhengige kulturliste)	1
Total number of members:		21

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 1992–1995 [16]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	6
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	2
	Joint list of the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) and the Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	4
	Hinnøy Area Cross-Party List (Hinnøysiden Tverrpolitiske liste)	4
	Fjelldal/Ramstad local list (Fjelldal/Ramstad bygdeliste)	3
	Ramsund cross-party list (Ramsund tverrpolitiske liste)	2
Total number of members:		21

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 1988–1991 [17]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	8
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	4
	Joint list of the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) and the Liberal Party (Venstre)	3
	Hinnøy Area Cross-Party List (Hinnøysiden Tverrpolitiske liste)	4
	Fjelldal/Ramstad local list (Fjelldal/Ramstad bygdeliste)	2
Total number of members:		21

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 1984–1987 [18]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	7
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	5
	Joint list of the Centre Party (Senterpartiet), Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti), and Liberal Party (Venstre)	3
	Non-party district list for Fiskefjord, Kongsvik, Hårvik (Upolitisk distriktsliste for Fiskefjord, Kongsvik, Hårvik)	4
	Fjelldal/Ramstad local list (Fjelldal/Ramstad bygdeliste)	3
Total number of members:		21

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 1980–1983 [19]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	2
	Non-socialist common list (Borgerlig Fellesliste)	12
	Fjelldal/Ramstad local list (Fjelldal/Ramstad bygdeliste)	4
	Election list for Ramsund (Valgliste for Ramsund)	3
Total number of members:		21

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 1976–1979 [20]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Non-socialist common list (Borgerlig Fellesliste)	10
	Tjeldsund non-party list (Tjeldsund Upolitiske Liste)	4
	Common list for Myklebostad and Ramsund (Fellesliste Myklebostad og Ramsund)	3
Total number of members:		21

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 1972–1975 [21]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	6
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	11
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	4
Total number of members:		21

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 1968–1971 [22]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	6
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	12
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	3
Total number of members:		21

Tjeldsund Kommunestyre 1964–1967 [23]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	5
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	12
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	4
Total number of members:		21

Tjeldsund Herredsstyre 1960–1963 [24]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	5
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	10
Total number of members:		15

Tjeldsund Herredsstyre 1956–1959 [25]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	6
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	9
Total number of members:		15

Tjeldsund Herredsstyre 1952–1955 [26]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	8
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	1
Total number of members:		12

Tjeldsund Herredsstyre 1948–1951 [27]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	7
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	1
Total number of members:		12

Tjeldsund Herredsstyre 1945–1947 [28]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	9
Total number of members:		12

Tjeldsund Herredsstyre 1938–1941* [29]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	7
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	1
Total number of members:		12

Mayors

The mayors of Tjeldsund (incomplete list):

• 2019–present: Helene Berg Nilsen (Ap)
• 2015-2019: Liv Kristin Johnsen (H)

References

1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
3. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
4. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
5. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
6. "Den nye kommunen". Tjeldsund2020.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2019-01-03.
7. Mæhlum, Lars, ed. (2019-12-24). "Troms og Finnmark". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
8. Store norske leksikon. "Tjeldsund" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2012-06-11.
9. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
10. "eKlima Web Portal". Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Archived from the original on 2004-06-14.
11. Hansen, Tore, ed. (2016-05-12). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2019-01-01.
12. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
13. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
14. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
15. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
16. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
17. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
20. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
21. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
22. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
23. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
24. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
25. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 2020-03-18.

External links

• Nordland travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)