Træna

Træna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the island/village of Husøya. Other population centres include Selvær and Sanna.

Fishing is the economic mainstay of Træna. Connections to mainland Norway are by means of boat and ferry. Routes are provided to Sandnessjøen, Nesna, and Stokkvågen. Each year Træna plays hosts a music festival called Traena Music Festival. The islands of Træna have been the site of a number of archeological discoveries, indicating that the island has been populated since the Stone Age.

The 16.5 km2 municipality is the 352nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Træna is the 353rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of only 444. The municipality's population density is 26.9 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 12.3% over the previous 10-year period.

As of October 2020, there are two regular boat departures per day; authorities have suggested having only one regular departure per day.

General information
The municipality of Træna was established on 1 January 1872 when it was separated from Lurøy Municipality. Initially, Træna had 289 residents. The municipal borders have not changed since that time.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Træna island group (Þriðna). The meaning of the name is uncertain, but it may be derived from the word which means "three", probably referring to the three peaks on the island. Historically, the name of the municiaplity was spelled Trænen. On 6 January 1908, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Træna.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 24 July 1987. The official blazon is "Gules, three fish-hooks Or two over one" (I rødt tre gull angler, 2-1). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three fishhooks made of bone from the Stone Age. The fishhooks have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. These hooks symbolize the importance of fishing in the municipality. They are based on the historic bone hooks found in the local cave Kirkhelleren on the island of Sanna. They are canting arms because there are three hooks and the name Træna originates from a word meaning number "three". The arms were designed by Jarle E. Henriksen.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Træna. It is part of the Nord-Helgeland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Geography
The municipality consists of over one thousand small islands off the coast of Norway. Four of the islands are populated: Husøya, Selvær, Sanna, and Sandøy. The islands lie along the Trænfjorden to the southeast and the Norwegian Sea to the west. Træna Lighthouse is located in the southern part of the municipality.

Government
All municipalities in Norway are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Helgeland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Træna is made up of 11 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Træna (incomplete list):


 * 1872–1884: Mikkel Paul Olsen
 * 1885–1888: Jakob Jeppesen
 * 1889–1890: Mikkel Paul Olsen
 * 1891-1892: Jakob Jeppesen
 * 1893–1896: Mikkel Paul Olsen
 * 1897–1901: Jens Olsen
 * 1902–1907: Johan Andersen
 * 1908–1913: Jens Olsen
 * 1914–1919: Ole Johan August Olsen
 * 1920–1928: Anders Olsen
 * 1929–1931: Magnus Olsen
 * 1932–1937: Anders Olsen
 * 1938–1939: Erling Aune
 * 1941–1945: Anders Olsen
 * 1945–1945: Aksel Sjøset
 * 1946–1946: Rolf Røsok Olsen
 * 1946–1947: Martin Sandøy
 * 1948–1955: Anders Olsen
 * 1955–1971: Leif Holmen
 * 1972–19??: Arnold Sørhaug
 * 2003-2011: Aina Willumsen (Ap)
 * 2011-2019: Per Pedersen (KrF)
 * 2019–2023: Jan Helge Andersen (Ap)
 * 2023–present: Trond Vegard Sletten (Ap)