Sørøysund Municipality

Sørøysund is a former municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The 826 km2 municipality existed from 1852 until its dissolution in 1992. The area is now part of Hammerfest Municipality. The administrative centre of Sørøysund was the town of Hammerfest, even though the town was not part of Sørøysund Municipality. Notable villages in the municipality included Akkarfjord, Forsøl, Kårhamn, and Rypefjord.

Prior to its dissolution in 1992, the 837 km2 municipality was the 131st largest by area out of the 448 municipalities in Norway. Sørøysund Municipality was the 342nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 2,341. The municipality's population density was 2.8 PD/km2 and its population had increased by 5.1% over the previous 10-year period.

History
The municipality of Hammerfest landdistrikt (lit. 'the rural district of Hammerfest') was established on 1 January 1852 when it was separated from the town of Hammerfest. The initial population of Sørøysund was 1,256. On 1 July 1869, the southern district of the municipality (population: 514) was separated from Hammerfest landdistrikt to form the new Kvalsund Municipality. This left Hammerfest landdistrikt with 932 inhabitants. On 1 January 1875, a small part of Hammerfest landdistrikt (population: 20) was transferred to the neighboring town-municipality of Hammerfest. On 1 January 1919, the name of the municipality was changed from Hammerfest landdistrikt to Sørøysund. On 1 January 1963, another small area of Sørøysund (population: 33) was transferred to the town of Hammerfest. On 1 January 1992, Sørøysund was merged into the neighbouring town-municipality of Hammerfest to form a much larger Hammerfest Municipality. Prior to the merger, Sørøysund had 2,341 inhabitants.

Name
The municipality was originally named Hammerfest landdistrikt since it was the rural district surrounding the town of Hammerfest (the town was established in 1789). The town was named after an old anchorage for boats. The first element comes from the Old Norse word which means "stone" or "steep cliff", referring to a number of large rocks, good for mooring boats. (These rocky areas were covered up in land reclaiming during the early post-war years.) The last element comes from the Old Norse word which means "rope" or "fastening" (for boats). The second word in the name is landdistrikt which simply means "rural district".

On 1 January 1919, the name of the municipality was changed from Hammerfest landdistrikt to Sørøysund. The new name comes from the Sørøysundet strait which flows through the municipality. The first part of Sørøysund comes from the name of the local island Sørøya (Suðrey). The first element of the island's name comes from the Old Norse word which means "south". The last element of the island's name is which means "island". The second part of Sørøysund is which means "strait" or "sound". The Sørøysundet passes between the islands of Sørøya, Seiland, Stjernøya, and Kvaløya.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 8 June 1979. The official blazon is "Azure, three boats argent two and one" (I blått tre sølv båter, 2-1). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is three boats; two smaller ones over one larger one. The boats have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The boats were chosen to show the importance of fishing in Sørøysund. The number three also refers to the three islands in the municipality: Sørøya, Kvaløya, and Seiland. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.

Churches
The Church of Norway did not have any churches in Sørøysund Municipality due to its low, scattered population. It was part of the Hammerfest Church parish, which meant residents had to travel to the town of Hammerfest to attend church there.

Geography
The former municipality encompassed the eastern part of the island of Sørøya, the northern part of the island of Seiland, and the northern part of Kvaløya (with the exception of the town of Hammerfest). The highest point in the municipality was the 1078.35 m tall mountain Seilandstuva on the island of Seiland. The mountain peak was on the municipal border between Sørøysund and neighboring Alta Municipality.

Government
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sørøysund was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Sørøysund:


 * 1875-1903: Nils Myhre Olsen
 * 1904-1909: J.E. Jacobsen
 * 1909-1916: Johan Normann Pedersen
 * 1916-1922: Haldor Antonsen
 * 1923-1925: Øyvind Jacobsen
 * 1926-1928: Johan Normann Pedersen
 * 1929-1938: Kristian Berg
 * 1938-1941: Oscar Hansen
 * 1945-1951: Peder Johansen
 * 1952-1959: Oscar Kaarby
 * 1960-1963: Rolf Zachariassen
 * 1964-1973: Ragnar Zachariassen
 * 1974-1977: Harder Johansen
 * 1978-1979: Odd Svendsen
 * 1980-1985: Alf Birger Olsen
 * 1986-1987: Frank Holm
 * 1988-1992: Mimmi Bæivi (Ap)