Harstad
Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAR : Harstad
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| County | Troms | |
| District | Hålogaland | |
| Municipality | ||
| Administrative centre | Harstad | |
| Mayor (2005) | Halvar Hansen (Ap) | |
| Official language form | Neutral | |
| Area - Total - Land - Percentage | 372 Square kilometre>km² 355 km² 0.11 % | |
| Population - Total (as of 2004>2004) - Percentage - Change (10 years) - Density | Ranked 38 23,163 0.51 % 1.8 % 65/km² | |
| Coordinates | ||
| [www.harstad.kommune.no] [Data from Statistics Norway] | ||
Geography
The municipality is located on the sheltered northeastern part of Norway's largest island (except from Svalbard), Hinnøya, and the southern part of Grytøya, located just north of Hinnøya. The city itself is on Hinnøya, facing Vågsfjord in the northeast. The municipality is bordered by Bjarkøy in the north, Kvæfjord in the west, Tjeldsund in the south, Tjeldsundet (crossed by the Tjeldsund Bridge) and Skånland in the southeast.
History
In recent years, a 3000 year old bronze axe ([]) and 2600-year-old bronze collar ([]) have been found at the Trondenes peninsula, just north of the city center. These, together with the burial cairns built close to the sea, are powerful indications that the most northern well developed bronze age culture (agriculture, use of bronze) took place in the Harstad-area.There is substantial archeological evidence of a well developed iron age culture in the area, dating back to appr 200 AD.
Trondenes is often mentioned in the Heimskringla as a power center in the viking age and a place to meet and discuss important issues (Trondarting).
Trondenes Church, the world's most northern medieval church, from the 13th–15th century, is situated just outside the town. Adjacent to the church is the Trondenes Historical Center and nearby is the Adolf Gun ([]), an enormous land based cannon from World War II, and the last of the four originally constructed by the Nazis. Harstad is one of the few towns in this part of Norway which were left largely undamaged by World War II.
In 2004, the town celebrated its 100th anniversary. The town hosts the annual "The Festival of North Norway" a week in length.
Economy
The nascent oil industry of Northern Norway is centered in Harstad, and shipyards and other industries are also important. Harstad and the surrounding area has traditionally been among the most productive agricultural areas in North Norway, with the old seabed creating furtile soil well suited for farming, with spring setting in approximately 10 days earlier than in county capital Tromsø, a fact the residents are acutely aware of.
Local Info
Located approximately 250km (150mi) north of the Arctic Circle, Harstad enjoys the midnight sun during the summer months, along with comfortable moderate daytime temperatures, usually from 14 - 24°C (57 - 75°F). During the winter months, the polar night allows for regular viewings of the aurora borealis (aka "the Northern Lights"), with moderate snowfall for the region, and a surprisingly comfortable 4°C to -10°C (39°F to 14°F).
Harstad College has approximately 1100 students ([]), including a thriving foreign exchange program with students from around the world.
The local newspaper is the Harstad Tidende (Harstad Times) [link]. The local soccer team in the center of the city is Harstad Idrettslag [link], as well as a popular basketball team, Harstad Vikings [link].
Harstad is also home port for Anna Rogde [link], also known as "the sailing queen of Norway", is one of the world's oldest sailing schooners.
The nearest airport is Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes, 45 km (28 miles) by road, located on the mainland.
External links
- [Harstad pictures]
- [Tourist information (in English)]
- [Harstad Tidende newspaper]
- [Tourist portal] with local news.
- [Culture]
- ["The Festival of North Norway"]
- [Web-cam showing various parts of the town]
- [Old history of Harstad]
- [Green and black Aurora over Harstad at NASA Astronomy picture of the day]
- [Live weather station located in Harstad]
| Municipalities of Troms |
|
|---|---|
| Balsfjord | Bardu | Berg | Bjarkøy | Dyrøy | Gratangen | Harstad | Ibestad | Karlsøy | Kvæfjord | Kvænangen | Kåfjord | Lavangen | Lenvik | Lyngen | Målselv | Nordreisa | Salangen | Skjervøy | Skånland | Storfjord | Sørreisa | Torsken | Tranøy | Tromsø | |
| 25 biggest cities of Norway (with number of inhabitants according to Statistics Norway [link]) |
|---|
| Oslo (811,700) | Bergen (213,600) | Stavanger (173,100) | Trondheim (147,100) | Fredrikstad (97,100) | Drammen (90,700) | Skien (85,100) | Kristiansand (70,700) | Tromsø (52,400) | Tønsberg (45,000) | Ålesund (44,100) | Haugesund (40,300) | Sandefjord (39,600) | Moss (34,500) | Bodø (34,100) | Arendal (30,900) | Hamar (28,800) | Larvik (23,100) | Halden (22,000) | Harstad (19,400) | Lillehammer (19,100) | Molde (18,600) | Mo i Rana (17,900) | Kongsberg (17,700) | Horten (17,700) |
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