Malangen (Northern Sami: Málatvuotna or Kven: Malankivuono) is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The 372-square-kilometre (144 sq mi) municipality existed from 1871 until its dissolution in 1964. The old municipality surrounded the Malangen fjord and today that area is divided between the municipalities of Balsfjord, Lenvik, Tromsø, and Målselv. The administrative centre was the village of Mortenhals where the main church for the municipality, Malangen Church, is located.[3][4]
Malangen Municipality
Malangen herred | |
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Coordinates: 69°21′8″N 18°50′51″E / 69.35222°N 18.84750°E | |
Country | Norway |
County | Troms |
District | Hålogaland |
Established | 1 Jan 1871 |
• Preceded by | Balsfjord and Lenvik |
Disestablished | 1 Jan 1964 |
• Succeeded by | Balsfjord and Målselv |
Administrative centre | Mortenhals |
Area (upon dissolution) | |
• Total | 372 km2 (144 sq mi) |
Population (1964) | |
• Total | 2,058 |
• Density | 5.5/km2 (14/sq mi) |
Demonyms | Malangsfjerding Malangsværing[1] |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
ISO 3166 code | NO-1932[2] |
Data from Statistics Norway |
The Saga of Haakon Haakonarson mentions that in 1242 the king allowed refugees from Bjarmaland (since they were attacked by the Tatars - «bjarmar rymdi fyrir tattarum») to settle in the area of Malangen.
The municipality of Malangen was established on 1 January 1871 when the northern district of Balsfjord Municipality and a small peninsula in the Malangen fjord that belonged to Lenvik Municipality were separated to form the new municipality of Malangen. The initial population of Malangen was 1,425. On 1 January 1873, an area of northern Malangen (population: 287) was transferred to the neighboring Tromsøysund municipality. In 1891, a small part around the village of Målsnes in Målselv Municipality (population: 30) was transferred to Malangen.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Malangen ceased to exist. The peninsula including the Navaren and Målsnes areas (population: 118) were transferred to neighboring Målselv Municipality. The remaining areas of Malangen (population: 1,940) were transferred back into Balsfjord Municipality.[3][5]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the local Malangen fjord (Old Norse: Malangr). The first element is mál which comes from the Old High German word malaha which means "bag" or "leather bag" which may refer to the baggy shape of the fjord. The same word mál is probably also the origin of the name of the Målselva, the big river that enters the fjord from the Målselvdalen and Bardu valleys (the neighboring Målselv Municipality has a similar etymology). The last element of the name is angr which means "inlet" or "narrow fjord".[3][6]
During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[7]
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Malangen was made up of 19 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:
Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 5 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 | |
Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) | 1 | |
Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 2 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 7 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) | 1 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 7 | |
Total number of members: | 16 |
Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) | 1 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 7 | |
Total number of members: | 16 |
Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) | 1 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 5 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 16 |
Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 8 | |
Total number of members: | 16 | |
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. |