Målselv

Målselv (Northern Sami: Málatvuomi suohkan) is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moen. The main commercial centre of the municipality is the Bardufoss area (including Andselv, Andslimoen, and Heggelia. Other villages include Alappmoen, Fossmoen, Holmen, and Skjold. Besides bordering Sweden to the east and the ocean (Malangen fjord) to the northwest, it borders the municipalities of Balsfjord, Storfjord, Bardu, Sørreisa, and Lenvik.

General information

The municipality of Maalselven was established in 1849 when it was separated from the large municipality of Lenviken. The initial population of Maalselven was 2,616. In 1891, some parts of the Målsnes area (population: 30) were transferred to neighboring Malangen. On 1 January 1904, an area with 5 inhabitants was transferred from Balsfjord to Maalselven. The spelling of the name was changed to Målselv in 1918. On 1 July 1925, the eastern district of Øverbygd was separated from Målselv to form a new municipality of its own. This left Målselv with 3,531 residents.