Troms og Finnmark
Former county of Norway
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Troms og Finnmark (Norwegian: [trʊms ɔ ˈfɪ̀nːmɑrk]; Northern Sami: Romsa ja Finnmárku [ˈromːsa ja ˈfinːmaːrku]; Kven: Tromssa ja Finmarkku; Finnish: Tromssa ja Finnmark) was a county in northern Norway that existed from 2020 to 2023. The county was established on 1 January 2020 as the result of a regional reform. It was the largest county by area in Norway, encompassing about 75,000 square kilometres (29,000 mi2), and was formed by the merger of the former Finnmark and Troms counties in addition to Tjeldsund Municipality from Nordland county.[5]
Troms og Finnmark County
Troms og Finnmark fylke | |
|---|---|
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Flag | |
 Troms og Finnmark within Norway | |
  Troms og Finnmark County Location within Troms og Finnmark  Troms og Finnmark County Location within Norway | |
| Coordinates: 69.8178°N 18.7819°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Troms og Finnmark |
| District | Northern Norway |
| Established | 1 January 2020 |
| • Preceded by | Finnmark and Troms counties |
| Disestablished | 1 January 2024[1] |
| • Succeeded by | Finnmark and Troms counties |
| Administrative centre | Tromsø |
| Government | |
| • Body | Troms og Finnmark County Municipality |
| • Governor (2019) | Elisabeth Aspaker (H) |
| • County mayor (2019) | Ivar B. Prestbakmo (Sp) |
| Area (upon dissolution) | |
• Total | 74,831 km2 (28,892 sq mi) |
| • Land | 70,925 km2 (27,384 sq mi) |
| • Water | 3,908 km2 (1,509 sq mi) 5.2% |
| • Rank | #1 in Norway |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 242,168 |
| • Rank | #10 in Norway |
| • Density | 3.4/km2 (8.8/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) |  +4.2% |
| Demonym | Tromsing or Finnmarking[2] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Neutral |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-54[4] |
| Website | Official website |
The administrative centre of the county was split between two towns. The political and administrative offices were based in the city of Tromsø (the seat of the old Troms county). The county governor was based in the town of Vadsø (the seat of the old Finnmark county). The two towns are about 800 kilometres (500 mi) apart, approximately a 10-hour drive by car.
On 15 June 2022, the parliament decided to split the county back into Finnmark and Troms beginning on 1 January 2024,[6] with Tjeldsund Municipality assigned to Troms county (Tjeldsund had been part of Nordland county before 2020).[7][1][8][9]
Geography
Troms og Finnmark was the northernmost and easternmost county in Norway (Svalbard, an unincorporated area, is not considered a county). By area, it was Norway's largest county, and also one of the least populated of all Norwegian counties.
History
The merger of Troms County and Finnmark County was not popular, especially in the old Finnmark county. A county-wide non-binding referendum was held in which it was opposed by about 87% of Finnmark residents who voted,[10] but the Storting did not reverse its decision to merge the county. Some political parties campaigned to reverse the merger in the parliamentary term that starts in September 2021.[11] On 28 October 2021, Minister of Local Government Bjørn Arild Gram sent a letter to the county confirming that it will be demerged.[1]
On 17 March 2021, organisations reported that the county council sent an application to Norway's government to have the county split back up.[12]
On 28 October 2021, the Norwegian government confirmed that Troms and Finnmark would become two separate counties again.[1]
Government
A county (fylke) is the chief local administrative area in Norway. The whole country is divided into 11 counties. A county is also an election area, with popular votes taking place every 4 years.
In Troms og Finnmark, the government of the county was the Troms og Finnmark County Municipality. It included 57 members who were elected to form a county council (Fylkesting). Heading the Fylkesting was the county mayor (fylkesordførar), Ivar B. Prestbakmo (as of 2021).
The county also had a fylkesrådsleder, the top executive of the county's administration, Bjørn Inge Mo.
The county also had a County Governor (statsforvalter) who was the representative of the King and Government of Norway. Elisabeth Aspaker was the County Governor of Troms og Finnmark.
On 1 January 2019, Elisabeth Aspaker was appointed as the County Governor of Troms og Finnmark.
The municipalities in Troms og Finnmark were divided among several district courts (tingrett): Alta District Court, Hammerfest District Court, Indre Finnmark District Court, Nord-Troms District Court, Senja District Court, Trondenes District Court, and Øst-Finnmark District Court. All of these courts were subordinate to the Hålogaland Court of Appeal district based in Tromsø.
Municipalities
Troms og Finnmark County had a total of 39 municipalities:[13]
| Municipal Number | Name | Adm. Centre | Location in the county | Established | Old Municipal No. (before 2020) | Former County (before 2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5401 |  Tromsø | Tromsø |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 1902 Tromsø | Troms |
| 5402 |  Harstad | Harstad |  | 1 Jan 1904 | 1903 Harstad Bjarkøy | |
| 5403 |  Alta | Alta |  | 1 Jan 1863 | 2012 Alta | Finnmark |
| 5404 |  Vardø | Vardø |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 2002 Vardø | |
| 5405 |  Vadsø | Vadsø |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 2003 Vadsø | |
| 5406 |  Hammerfest | Hammerfest |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 2004 Hammerfest 2017 Kvalsund | |
| 5411 |  Kvæfjord | Borkenes |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 1911 Kvæfjord | Troms |
| 5412 |  Tjeldsund | Evenskjer |  | 1 Jan 1909 | 1852 Tjeldsund | Nordland |
| 1913 Skånland | Troms | |||||
| 5413 |  Ibestad | Hamnvik |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 1917 Ibestad | |
| 5414 |  Gratangen | Årstein |  | 1 July 1926 | 1919 Gratangen | |
| 5415 |  Lavangen | Tennevoll |  | 1 Jan 1907 | 1920 Lavangen | |
| 5416 |  Bardu | Setermoen |  | 1 Jan 1854 | 1922 Bardu | |
| 5417 |  Salangen | Sjøvegan |  | 1 Jan 1871 | 1923 Salangen | |
| 5418 |  Målselv | Moen |  | 1 Jan 1848 | 1924 Målselv | |
| 5419 |  Sørreisa | Sørreisa |  | 1 Sep 1886 | 1925 Sørreisa | |
| 5420 |  Dyrøy | Brøstadbotn |  | 1 Sep 1886 | 1926 Dyrøy | |
| 5421 |  Senja | Finnsnes |  | 1 Jan 2020 | 1927 Tranøy 1928 Torsken 1929 Berg 1931 Lenvik | |
| 5422 |  Balsfjord | Storsteinnes |  | 1 Jan 1860 | 1933 Balsfjord | |
| 5423 |  Karlsøy | Hansnes |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 1936 Karlsøy | |
| 5424 |  Lyngen | Lyngseidet |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 1938 Lyngen | |
| 5425 |  Storfjord | Hatteng |  | 1 Jan 1929 | 1939 Storfjord | |
| 5426 |  Kåfjord | Olderdalen |  | 1 Jan 1929 | 1940 Kåfjord | |
| 5427 |  Skjervøy | Skjervøy |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 1941 Skjervøy | |
| 5428 |  Nordreisa | Storslett |  | 1 Jan 1886 | 1942 Nordreisa | |
| 5429 |  Kvænangen | Burfjord |  | 1 Jan 1863 | 1943 Kvænangen | |
| 5430 |  Kautokeino | Kautokeino |  | 1 Jan 1851 | 2011 Kautokeino | Finnmark |
| 5432 |  Loppa | Øksfjord |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 2014 Loppa | |
| 5433 |  Hasvik | Breivikbotn |  | 1 Jan 1858 | 2015 Hasvik | |
| 5434 |  Måsøy | Havøysund |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 2018 Måsøy | |
| 5435 |  Nordkapp | Honningsvåg |  | 1 July 1861 | 2019 Nordkapp | |
| 5436 |  Porsanger | Lakselv |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 2020 Porsanger | |
| 5437 |  Karasjok | Karasjok |  | 1 Jan 1866 | 2021 Karasjok | |
| 5438 |  Lebesby | Kjøllefjord |  | 1 Jan 1838 | 2022 Lebesby | |
| 5439 |  Gamvik | Mehamn |  | 1 Jan 1914 | 2023 Gamvik | |
| 5440 |  Berlevåg | Berlevåg |  | 1 Jan 1914 | 2024 Berlevåg | |
| 5441 |  Tana | Tana bru |  | 1 Jan 1864 | 2025 Tana | |
| 5442 |  Nesseby | Varangerbotn |  | 1 Jan 1839 | 2027 Nesseby | |
| 5443 |  Båtsfjord | Båtsfjord |  | 1 Jan 1839 | 2028 Båtsfjord | |
| 5444 |  Sør-Varanger | Kirkenes |  | 1 Jul 1858 | 2030 Sør-Varanger |