Malangen

Malangen (Northern Sami: Málatvuotna or Kven: Malankivuono) is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The old municipality surrounded the Malangen fjord and today that area is divided between the municipalities of Balsfjord, Lenvik, Tromsø, and Målselv. The main church for the municipality was Malangen Church, located in Mortenhals.

Name

The name Malangen is probably derived from the Old Norse word mál which means "bag" and it 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 second element of the name angr which means "inlet" or "fjord".

History

The Saga of Haakon Haakonarson mentions that the king in 1242 allowed refuges 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 it was separated from Balsfjord. The initial population was 1,425. Also on that date, a small area of Lenvik (population: 70) was transferred to the new municipality of Malangen.

Malangen (fjord)

Malangen or Malangsfjorden (Northern Sami: Málatvuotna and Kven: Malankivuono) is a fjord in the municipalities of Balsfjord, Lenvik, Målselv, and Tromsø in Troms county, Norway. The fjord runs southeast between the islands of Senja and Kvaløya and further into the mainland on the border between Balsfjord and Lenvik municipalities.

The 60-kilometre (37 mi) long fjord stretches from Hekkingen Lighthouse off the coast of Senja to the village of Nordfjordbotn. In the inner part of the fjord, it branches out into four smaller fjords: Nordfjorden, Aursfjorden, Målselvfjorden, and Rossfjorden. The Målselva river feeds into the Målselvfjorden. There are several larger villages along the coast of the fjord, including Mortenhals, Mestervik, and Rossfjordstraumen.

Etymology

The name Malangen is from the Old Norse word mál which means "bag" and it refers to the baggy shape of the fjord. The same word mál is also the origin of the name of the Målselva, the big river that enters the fjord from the Målselvdalen and Bardu valleys. The second element of the name angr which means "inlet" or "fjord".