Bjarkøy
Bjarkøy is a former municipality in Troms county, Norway. The 73.6-square-kilometre (28.4 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until it was merged with Harstad Municipality on 1 January 2013. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Nergården on the island of Bjarkøya. The island municipality was spread across several islands: Bjarkøya, Sandsøya, Grytøya (northern half), Krøttøya, and many smaller ones. Originally, the municipality also included the southwestern tip of the large island of Senja.
Bjarkøy Municipality
Bjarkøy kommune Bjarkedjo suohkan (Northern Sami) | |
|---|---|
Former municipality | |
| Bjarkø herred (historic name) Sand herred (historic name) | |
|
Flag | |
Troms within Norway | |
Bjarkøy within Troms | |
| Coordinates: 68°59′55″N 16°29′53″E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Troms |
| District | Central Hålogaland |
| Established | 1 Jan 1838 |
| • Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt |
| Disestablished | 1 Jan 2013 |
| • Succeeded by | Harstad Municipality |
| Administrative centre | Nergården |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2011-2012) | Jorunn Berg (LL) |
| Area (upon dissolution) | |
| • Total | 73.61 km2 (28.42 sq mi) |
| • Land | 73.44 km2 (28.36 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0.17 km2 (0.07 sq mi) 0.2% |
| • Rank | #399 in Norway |
| Highest elevation | 987 m (3,238 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 455 |
| • Rank | #427 in Norway |
| • Density | 6.2/km2 (16/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) | −17.9% |
| Demonym | Bjarkøyværing |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Neutral |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-1915 |
Prior to its dissolution in 2013, the 73.6-square-kilometre (28.4 sq mi) municipality was the 399th largest by area out of the 429 municipalities in Norway. Bjarkøy Municipality was the 427th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 455, making it the 3rd smallest in the country. The municipality's population density was 6.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (16/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 17.9% over the previous 10-year period.
One of the reasons why Bjarkøy merged with Harstad Municipality in 2013 was due to the promised funding of the Bjarkøy Fixed Link project. It would link the main islands of Bjarkøy together with a bridge and undersea road tunnel enabling residents to drive further which would drastically shorten the ferry ride to the mainland in Harstad.