The municipality of Kistrand was established on 1 January 1838. On 1 January 1851, the southern part of Kistrand was separated to become the new Kautokeino Municipality. On 1 January 1861, the northern part of Kistrand was separated to become the new Kjelvik Municipality. On 1 January 1866, the southern part of Kistrand was separated to become the new Karasjok Municipality. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county.
Name
The municipality was originally named Kistrand, after the farm where the main parish church was located. In 1964, the municipality was renamed Porsanger, after the local Porsangerfjorden. The Old Norse form of the name was Porsangr. The first element is probably the name of the plant pors or finnmarkspors. The last word is angr which means "fjord". Since 2004, the municipality has had three official names: Porsanger, Porsáŋgu, and Porsanki, since it has three official languages: Norwegian, Northern Sami, and Kven.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 16 June 1967. Porsanger is one of the largest municipalities in the Northern Norway that are not dependent on fishing. Instead the local people historically farmed reindeer, which is still an importance source of income. The arms thus show three silver leaping reindeer on a red background.
The area has been settled by Sami people since time immemorial. In the 18th century, people from Finland, escaping famine and war, settled along the Porsangerfjorden. These people are today known as Kven. Today, three official languages are in use, and the municipality is named Porsanger, Porsáŋgu, and Porsanki.
The municipal council of Porsanger is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:
Porsanger Municipality is the third largest municipality in Norway by area, with. The municipality surrounds the inner part of the Porsangerfjorden, the fourth longest fjord in Norway and the longest in Northern Norway. The Porsangerfjorden is a wide, open body of water with many islands. The Porsanger Peninsula lies on the western shore of the fjord and the Sværholt Peninsula lies on the eastern shore. The biggest village is the village of Lakselv at the fjord's southern end. There are many smaller villages spread around the fjord on both sides, notably Kistrand, Olderfjord, Børselv, and Indre Billefjord. Stabbursdalen National Park, with the world's northernmost pine forest, lies just west of the fjord and the village of Lakselv. The Stabburselva river runs through the park. Other notable rivers include the Børselva and Lakselva, both are well known for their salmon fishing. The lakes Gákkajávri and Kjæsvannet are both located in the municipality. In Porsanger, there is midnight sun from 16 May until 27 July each year and there is polar night from 25 November to 16 January.
Birdlife
Porsanger is an area of rich and varied bird fauna. Here one can find such species as pine grosbeak. Away from the woodlands, it is the surrounding wetlands that have the greatest diversity. During spring, thousands of red knots stop to rest and feed along the shores of Porsangerfjord.
