Andørja Municipality
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Andørja Municipality
Andørja herred | |
|---|---|
 Andørja viewed from Harstad | |
 Troms within Norway | |
 Andørja within Troms | |
| Coordinates: 68°48′53″N 17°17′41″E / 68.81472°N 17.29472°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Troms |
| District | Central Hålogaland |
| Established | 1 July 1926 |
| • Preceded by | Ibestad Municipality |
| Disestablished | 1 January 1964 |
| • Succeeded by | Ibestad Municipality |
| Administrative centre | Engenes |
| Area (upon dissolution) | |
• Total | 135.4 km2 (52.3 sq mi) |
| • Rank | #455 in Norway |
| Highest elevation | 1,275.9 m (4,186 ft) |
| Population (1963) | |
• Total | 1,343 |
| • Rank | #558 in Norway |
| • Density | 9.9/km2 (26/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) |  −3.5% |
| Demonym | Andørja-folk[2] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Bokmål[4] |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-1916[5] |
Andørja is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The 135-square-kilometre (52 sq mi) municipality existed from 1926 until its dissolution in 1964. The area now makes up the northeastern half of Ibestad Municipality. It encompassed the entire island of Andørja plus a number of other small islands and skerries surrounding it. The administrative centre was located at Engenes where the Andørja Church was also located.[6]
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the 135.4-square-kilometre (52.3 sq mi) municipality was the 455th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Andørja Municipality was the 558th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,343. The municipality's population density was 9.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (26/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 3.5% over the previous 10-year period.[7][8]
Name
The municipality of Andørja was established on 1 July 1926 when the large Ibestad Municipality was separated into four municipalities: Ibestad Municipality (population: 1,768), Andørja Municipality (population: 1,420), Astafjord Municipality (population: 1,018), and Gratangen Municipality (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, there was a merger where Andørja Municipality (population: 1,330) and Ibestad Municipality (population: 1,821) were merged with the part of neighboring Skånland Municipality that was located on the island of Rolla (population: 134) to form the new, larger Ibestad Municipality.[9]
The municipality is named after the island of Andørja (Old Norse: Andyrja). The meaning of the name is not certain, but one theory is that the first element and which means "against". The last element is yrja which means "gravel" or "rocks", possibly referring to the waves from the sea hitting against the rocky shores.[10][11]
Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Andørja Municipality. It was part of the Ibestad prestegjeld and the Trondenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andørja | Andørja Church | Engenes | 1914 |
Geography
The highest point in the municipality is the 1,275.9-metre (4,186 ft) tall mountain Langlitinden.[1]
