Karlsøy
coat of arms | map | |
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Basic data | ||
Commune number : | 5423 | |
Province (county) : | Troms and Finnmark | |
Administrative headquarters: | Hansnes | |
Coordinates : | 70 ° 7 ′ N , 19 ° 25 ′ E | |
Surface: | 1,091.59 km² | |
Residents: | 2,200 (Feb. 27, 2020) | |
Population density : | 2 inhabitants per km² | |
Language form : | neutral | |
Website: | ||
politics | ||
Mayor : | Mona Pedersen (Karlsøy Fellesliste) (2015) | |
Located in the province of Troms and Finnmark | ||
Karlsøy is a municipality in the province ( Fylke ) Troms og Finnmark in Northern Norway .
It is spread over several islands in the North Sea, including part of Ringvassøy , the sixth largest island in Norway. On Ringvassøy, Skogsfjordvatn is also Norway's largest lake on an island. The other main islands are Vannøya, Reinøy and Rebbenesøy, but all of them only belong to Karlsøy with their northern half; its southern part belongs to the city of Tromsø . A vote on the Tromsø half of Reinøy island, in which a connection to Karlsøy was to be decided, resulted in a patted vote, so that the status quo was maintained.
Karlsøy is shaped by fishing and is one of the world's largest exporters of stockfish . The main sales markets are Portugal, Spain and Brazil.
The rugged islands are breeding grounds for many species of birds. The island of North Fugløy is home to a large colony of puffins .
Karlsøy, the island that gives it its name, and the settlements Burøysund and Torsvåghat on Vannøy are picturesque villages with old wooden houses. The island of Helgøy was once a separate municipality, but is now almost uninhabited. On the north-east coast of Ringvassøy is the administrative seat of Hansnes, which is characterized by newer functional buildings. Hansnes is connected to the provincial capital Tromsø by a tunnel and is also the docking port for the ferries to Vannøy, Reinøy and Karlsøy. The ferry to the island of Rebbenesøy, which is only inhabited by a handful of people, docks in Mikkelvik on the west side of Ringvassøy.