Tromsø: Difference between revisions – Wikipedia

Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The 2,521-square-kilometre (973 sq mi) municipality is the 21st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. With a population of 77,544, Tromsø is the 12th most populous municipality in Norway. The municipality’s population density is 31.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (81/sq mi) and its population has increased by 12.2% over the previous 10-year period.^[5][6] It is the largest urban area in Northern Norway and the third largest north of the Arctic Circle anywhere in the world (following Murmansk and Norilsk). The city center of Tromsø is located on the island of Tromsøya, but the urban area also encompasses part of the nearby mainland and part of the island Kvaløya. Tromsø is 350 kilometres (217 mi) north of the Arctic Circle. Tromsøya is connected to the mainland by the Tromsø Bridge and the Tromsøysund Tunnel, and to the island of Kvaløya by the Sandnessund Bridge.

The municipality is milder than most settlements on the same latitude, due to the effect of the westerlies reaching this far north, as well as the North Atlantic Drift, a branch of the Gulf Stream. Tromsø’s latitude of just below 70°N renders annual midnight sun and polar night depending on the season.

The city centre contains the highest number of old wooden houses in Northern Norway, the oldest dating from 1789. Tromsø is a cultural hub for the region, with several festivals taking place in the summer. Due to its location, many countries used to have consulates or missions in Tromsø in the 1990s.

Names and etymology[edit]

The city of Tromsø is named after the island of Tromsøya, on which it stands. The last element of the city’s name comes from ‘island’ (Norwegian: øy, Danish: ø), but the etymology of the first element is uncertain. Several theories exist. One theory holds “Troms-” to derive from the old (uncompounded) name of the island (Old Norse: Trums). Several islands and rivers in Norway have the name Tromsa, and the names of these are probably derived from the word straumr, which means “(strong) current.” (The original form must then have been Strums, for the missing s, see Indo-European s-mobile.) Another theory holds that Tromsøya was originally called Lille Tromsøya (Little Tromsøya) because of its proximity to the much bigger island today called Kvaløya, that according to this theory, was earlier called “Store Tromsøya” due to a characteristic mountain known as Tromma (the Drum). The mountain’s name in Sámi, Rumbbučohkka, is identical in meaning, and it is said to have been a sacred mountain for the Sámi in pre-Christian times.^[7]

The Sámi name of the island, Romsa, is assumed to be a loan from Norse – but according to the phonetical rules of the Sami language, the frontal t has disappeared from the name.^{[citation needed]} However, an alternative form – Tromsa – is in informal use. A theory holds that the Norwegian name of Tromsø derives from the Sámi name, though this theory lacks an explanation for the meaning of Romsa. A common misunderstanding is that Tromsø’s Sámi name is Romssa with a double “s”. This, however, is the accusative and genitive form of the noun used when, for example, writing “Tromsø Municipality” (Romssa suohkan). In Finnish, however, the word is written with a double “s”: Tromssa.

History[edit]

The area has been inhabited since the end of the ice age. Archeological excavations in Tønsvika, just outside the city limits, have turned up artifacts and remains of buildings estimated to be 9,000 to 10,000 years old.^[8][9][10]

Middle Ages: a fortress on the frontier[edit]

The area’s rich Norse and Sámi heritage is well documented. The Norse chieftain Ohthere, who lived during the 890s, is assumed to have inhabited the southernmost reaches of today’s Tromsø municipality. He described himself as living “furthest to the North of all Norwegians” with areas north of this being populated by Sámi.^[12] An Icelandic source (Rimbegla) from the 12th century also describes the fjord Malangen in the south of today’s Tromsø municipality as a border between Norse and Sámi coastal settlements during that part of the Middle Ages, however, Archaeological finds show that the Vikings have been present on the main island itself. In a burial/settlement near today’s airport, a sword and other combat tools have been found, as well as household tools typical for the Norwegians ^[13]…