View source for Senja

{{Short description|Second-largest island in Norway}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox islands
|name                            = {{native name list|tag1=no|name1=Senja|tag2=se|name2=Sážžá}}
|native_name                     = 
|native_name_link                = 
|sobriquet                       = 
|image_name                      = Sörreisa Lenvik IMG 4917 senja solbergfjorden reisfjorden.JPG
|image_size                      = 
|image_caption                   = View of the island towards the top of the picture
|location                        = [[Troms]], [[Norway]]
|coordinates                     = {{coord|69.0806|16.8031|display=inline,title|region:NO_type:isle}}
|archipelago                     = 
|area_km2                        = 1586.3
|area_footnotes                  = <ref name="Area">{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717164215/http://www.statkart.no/filestore/Profil/Areal_milj_og_plan_gml_dok/Oyer-fylke.xls |archivedate=2011-07-17 |url=http://www.statkart.no/filestore/Profil/Areal_milj_og_plan_gml_dok/Oyer-fylke.xls |title=Øyer i Norge - største i hvert fylke |author=Statens kartverk |authorlink=Norwegian Mapping and Cadastre Authority |type=Excel |language=Norwegian}}</ref>
|rank                            = 
|length_km                       = 
|width_km                        = 
|coastline_km                    = 
|elevation_m                     = 1017
|highest_mount                   = [[Breidtinden (Berg)|Breidtinden]]
|country                         = Norway
|country_admin_divisions_title   = County
|country_admin_divisions         = [[Troms]]
|country_admin_divisions_title_1 = Municipality
|country_admin_divisions_1       = [[Senja Municipality]]
|country_largest_city            = [[Silsand]]
|country_largest_city_population = 1,583
|population                      = 7,864
|population_as_of                = 2017
|density_km2                     = 4.96
|density_footnotes               = 
}}

{{native name|no|'''Senja'''}} or {{native name|se|'''Sážžá'''}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stadnamn.kartverket.no/fakta/381035|title=Informasjon om stadnamn|website=Norgeskart|publisher=[[Norwegian Mapping Authority|Kartverket]]|language=no|accessdate=2024-07-13}}</ref> is an [[island]] in [[Senja Municipality]] in [[Troms]] county, [[Norway]] in northern [[Europe]].  With an area of {{convert|1586.3|km2}},<ref name="Area"/> it is the [[List of islands of Norway by area|second largest island]] in [[Norway]] (outside of the [[Svalbard]] archipelago). It has a wild, mountainous outer (western) side facing the Atlantic, and a mild and lush inner (eastern) side.<ref>''Mathematics and Archaeology'' edited by Juan A. Barcelo, Igor Bogdanovic. p.346</ref> The island is located entirely within [[Senja Municipality]], which was established on 1 January 2020. The island of Senja had 7,864 inhabitants as of 1 January 2017. Most of the residents live along the eastern coast of the island, with [[Silsand]] being the largest urban area on the island.  The [[fishing village]] of [[Gryllefjord]] on the west coast has a summer-only ferry connection to the nearby island of [[Andøya]]: the [[Andenes–Gryllefjord Ferry]].<ref name="snl" />

The island sits northeast of the [[Vesterålen]] [[archipelago]], surrounded by the [[Norwegian Sea]] to the northwest, the [[Malangen (fjord)|Malangen fjord]] to the northeast, the [[Gisundet]] strait to the east, the [[Solbergfjorden]] to the southeast, the [[Vågsfjorden, Troms|Vågsfjorden]] to the south, and the [[Andfjorden]] to the west. [[Ånderdalen National Park]] is located in the southern part of the island.<ref name="snl" />

== Etymology ==
The [[Old Norse]] form of the name is believed to have been ''Senja'' or perhaps ''Sændja''. The meaning of the name is unknown, but it might be related to the verb ''sundra'', which means to "tear" or "split apart", possibly because the west coast of the island is torn and split by numerous small fjords. It might also be derived from a [[Proto-Norse]] form of the word ''Sandijōn'', meaning "(area) of sand" or "sandy island".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/135714/bidragti.pdf|publisher=Helsingfors Universitet|title=Bidrag till Fennoskandiens språkliga förhistoria i tid och rum|language=Swedish|accessdate=2015-12-27}}</ref><ref name="snl">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://snl.no/Senja|title=Senja|editor-first=Geir|editor-last=Thorsnæs|accessdate=2018-08-25|date=2018-05-09|encyclopedia=[[Store norske leksikon]]|publisher=[[Kunnskapsforlaget]]|language=Norwegian}}</ref> The [[Northern Sámi]] name {{lang|se|Sážžá}} is likely a loanword from Norwegian, from an earlier form *{{lang|no|Sanja-}} or *{{lang|no|Sandjan}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aikio |first=Samuli |title=Davvisámi báikenamat: oktan čilgehusaiguin |trans-title=Northern Sámi placenames: with explanations |language=Northern Sami |publisher=ČálliidLágádus |isbn=978-82-8263-220-1 |page=158 |quote=[...] Sážžá livččii loatna ''Senja''-nama vuođđoskandinávlaš hámis *''Sanja-''. [...] vuolggasátnin heive vuođđoskandinávalaš sáddo namahus ja das šaddan maŋit vuođđoskandiánvalaš namma *''Sandjan'' 'sáttoeana'. |trans-quote=[...] Sážžá may be a loan of the name ''Senja'' from the Old Scandinavian form *''Sanja-''. [...] the Old Scandinavian term for sand fits as an original name and that is where the later Old Scandinavian name *''Sandjan'' 'sand ground' came from.}}</ref>

== Archaeology ==
In June 2025, archaeologists from the Arctic University Museum of Norway announced the discovery of a well-preserved Viking boat burial dating to around AD 900–950. The burial featured a small wooden boat measuring approximately 5.4 meters in length, laid just below ground level. Within, the remains of a woman were arranged with care, her body positioned on her side with knees bent, accompanied by a small dog at her feet.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-08 |title=1,100-Year-Old Viking-Era Boat Burial Uncovered in Remote Norway Reveals Shocking Secrets from the Past |url=https://indiandefencereview.com/1100-year-old-viking-boat-burial-norway/ |access-date=2025-06-09 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Milligan |first=Mark |date=2025-06-07 |title=Viking-Era boat burial uncovered on Senja |url=https://www.heritagedaily.com/2025/06/viking-era-boat-burial-uncovered-on-senja/155387 |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=HeritageDaily - Archaeology News |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Altuntaş |first=Leman |date=2025-06-05 |title=Archaeologists Uncover 1,100-Year-Old Viking Boat Grave of Woman and Her Dog on Senja Island, Norway |url=https://arkeonews.net/archaeologists-uncover-1100-year-old-viking-boat-grave-of-woman-and-her-dog-on-senja-island-norway/ |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Arkeonews |language=English}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{stack|[[File:View from a ridge between Segla and Hesten, Senja, Norway, 2014 August.jpg|thumb|250px|Mountain area at Senja in August.]]}}
The island of Senja is located along the [[Troms]] county coastline with [[Finnsnes]] as the closest town, located on the mainland, just east of the island. Senja is connected to the mainland by the [[Gisund Bridge]]. Historically, Senja was divided between [[Lenvik Municipality]] (part of which is on the mainland), [[Berg Municipality (Troms)|Berg]], [[Torsken Municipality]], and [[Tranøy Municipality]], but on 1 January 2020, the four municipalities were merged into [[Senja Municipality]].<ref name="snl" />

The northern coasts of Senja face the open sea, the western coast faces the islands of [[Andøya]] and [[Krøttøya]], and the southern coast faces the islands of [[Andørja (island)|Andørja]] and [[Dyrøya, Troms|Dyrøya]], Tromwestern coast, steep and rugged mountains rise straight from the sea, with some fishing villages (like [[Gryllefjord]] and [[Husøy, Senja|Husøy]]) tucked into the small lowland areas between the mountains and the sea. The eastern and southern parts of the island are milder, with rounder mountains, forests, rivers, and agricultural land.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Senja is often referred to as "Norway in miniature", as the island's diverse scenery reflects almost the entire span of Norwegian natural geography. Senja is known domestically for its scenery and is marketed as a tourist attraction.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

===Climate===
Laukhella is near Silsand on Senja island, facing the mainland towards the east. The eastern part of the island is less windy, with warmer summers and colder winters than the west coast. The climate data from Hekkingen Lighthouse is more typical for the west coast, albeit the precipitation is higher in the very west.
{{Weather box 
|metric first= yes
|single line = yes
|location = Laukhella, Senja 1991-2020 (3 m, extremes 1997-2011)
|width=auto
|Jan record high C = 8.3 | Jan record low C = -22.3
|Feb record high C = 8.3 | Feb record low C = -23.7
|Mar record high C = 11.2 | Mar record low C = -22
|Apr record high C = 16.2 | Apr record low C =-17.7
|May record high C = 25.7 | May record low C = -6
|Jun record high C = 26.7 | Jun record low C = 0.4
|Jul record high C = 28.3 | Jul record low C = 2.4
|Aug record high C = 27.6 | Aug record low C = -1.3
|Sep record high C = 22.2 | Sep record low C = -5.3
|Oct record high C = 16.2 | Oct record low C = -14.7
|Nov record high C = 12.6 | Nov record low C = -16.5
|Dec record high C = 9.7 | Dec record low C = -21.8
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
|Jan mean C=-3.9
|Feb mean C=-3.8
|Mar mean C=-2
|Apr mean C=1.8
|May mean C=6.4
|Jun mean C=10.6
|Jul mean C=13.5
|Aug mean C=12.5
|Sep mean C=8.4
|Oct mean C=3.3
|Nov mean C=-0.3
|Dec mean C=-2.4
|year mean C=
<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
|precipitation colour= green<!-- Enter "green" for green precipitation colours, remove this line for blue colouring. -->
|Jan precipitation mm=102
|Feb precipitation mm=85
|Mar precipitation mm=97
|Apr precipitation mm=63
|May precipitation mm=51
|Jun precipitation mm=57
|Jul precipitation mm=66
|Aug precipitation mm=77
|Sep precipitation mm=117
|Oct precipitation mm=114
|Nov precipitation mm=88
|Dec precipitation mm=105
|year precipitation mm=1120
<!-- Mandatory fields, source -->
|source 1= Norwegian Meteorological Institute<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eklima.met.no|title=eKlima Web Portal|publisher=Norwegian Meteorological Institute|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040614073527/http://eklima.met.no|archive-date=2004-06-14}}</ref>
}}

{{Weather box 
|metric first= yes
|single line = yes
|location = Hekkingen Lighthouse 1991-2020 (33 m)
|width=auto
|Jan high C = 1.2
|Feb high C = 0.8
|Mar high C = 1.8
|Apr high C = 4.5
|May high C = 8.6
|Jun high C = 11.5
|Jul high C = 14.4
|Aug high C = 14.1
|Sep high C = 11.2
|Oct high C = 6.7
|Nov high C = 4
|Dec high C = 2.4
|Jan low C = -2.7
|Feb low C = -3
|Mar low C = -1.9
|Apr low C = 0.5
|May low C = 4
|Jun low C = 7.3
|Jul low C = 9.9
|Aug low C = 10
|Sep low C = 7.5
|Oct low C = 3.5
|Nov low C = 0.6
|Dec low C = -1.3
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
|Jan mean C=-1
|Feb mean C=-1.4
|Mar mean C=-0.2
|Apr mean C=2.4
|May mean C=6
|Jun mean C=9
|Jul mean C=11.8
|Aug mean C=11.7
|Sep mean C=9.1
|Oct mean C=4.9
|Nov mean C=2.1
|Dec mean C=0.3
|year mean C=
<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
|precipitation colour=green <!-- Enter "green" for green precipitation colours, remove this line for blue colouring. -->
|Jan precipitation mm=100
|Feb precipitation mm=71
|Mar precipitation mm=77
|Apr precipitation mm=51
|May precipitation mm=45
|Jun precipitation mm=43
|Jul precipitation mm=63
|Aug precipitation mm=87
|Sep precipitation mm=111
|Oct precipitation mm=110
|Nov precipitation mm=90
|Dec precipitation mm=83
|year precipitation mm=
<!-- Mandatory fields, source -->
|source 1= Norwegian Meteorological Institute<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sharki.oslo.dnmi.no/portal/page?_pageid=73,39035,73_39080&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL |title=eKlima |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215002/http://sharki.oslo.dnmi.no/portal/page?_pageid=73,39035,73_39080&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL |archive-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=dead |access-date=2021-09-11}}</ref>
|source 2= Meteostat Hekkingen<ref>{{cite web |url=https://meteostat.net/en/station/01015/climate|title=Meteostat}}</ref>
}}

==Economy==
Naturally, the [[fishing industry]] is dominant on Senja, notably the ''Nergård Group'' at [[Senjahopen]] and ''Brødrene Karlsen'' at [[Husøy, Senja|Husøy]]. [[Skaland]] has some [[graphite]] [[mining]]. Another important industry is ArtNord and Tromspotet at Silsand, which specializes in potato and potato products. Sollia has a stair factory and the world's northernmost fibreglass insulation factory, Nicopan AS, which has customers throughout Norway, and exports abroad.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

==Transportation==
The residents of Senja have the [[Gisund Bridge]] as a ferry-free road connection to the mainland across Gisundet to the town of [[Finnsnes]]. The town serves as a trading center for the entire Mid-Troms region, including the island of Senja.  The island is also connected with the other towns in the county. At Lysnes on northern Senja is a fast boat connection with the [[Tromsø (city)|city of Tromsø]], a trip that takes about 50 minutes. From the villages of [[Flakstadvåg]] and [[Skrolsvik]] on the west and south sides of the island, there are also ferries to the [[Harstad (town)|town of Harstad]] to the south. During the summer there is a ferry between northern Senja and the island of [[Kvaløya (Tromsø)|Kvaløya]], between southern Senja and Harstad, and between [[Gryllefjord]] and [[Andenes]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Senja has four main roads. The main road is [[Norwegian County Road 86]] which crosses the [[Gisund Bridge]] from Finnsnes, [[Sørreisa (village)|Sørreisa]], and [[Bardufoss]]. It extends across the island to [[Torsken (village)|Torsken]] and [[Gryllefjord]]. From [[Silsand]], [[Norwegian County Road 861]] goes north along Gisundet to [[Gibostad]] and northern Senja. [[Norwegian County Road 860]] goes from [[Stonglandseidet]] to Silsand, [[Norwegian County Road 862]] goes from Straumsbotn, via Senjahopen to [[Botnhamn]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

== Governance ==
{{main article|Senja Municipality}}
In March 2017, the [[Parliament of Norway]] voted to merge [[Berg Municipality (Troms)|Berg]], [[Torsken Municipality]], [[Lenvik Municipality]], and [[Tranøy Municipality]]. The new municipality was established on 1 January 2020 as [[Senja Municipality]] ({{langx|no|Senja kommune}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://senja2020.no/|title=Senja kommune 2020|language=NOrwegian|accessdate=2017-09-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=ABC Nyheter|url=https://www.abcnyheter.no/nyheter/politikk/2017/03/29/195291385/stortingsflertallet-gjor-fire-senja-kommuner-til-en|title=Stortingsflertallet gjør fire Senja-kommuner til én|language=Norwegian|accessdate=2017-09-09|first=Thomas|last=Vermes|date=2017-03-29}}</ref> It is located in the [[Traditional districts of Norway|traditional district]] of [[Hålogaland]].  The [[administrative centre]] of the municipality became the town of [[Finnsnes]]. The municipality includes all of the islands of Senja, the smaller surrounding islands, and part of the mainland between the [[Gisundet]] strait and the [[Malangen (fjord)|Malangen fjord]].<ref name="snl" />

==Attractions==
Among the sights of the island are [[Ånderdalen National Park]], with coastal [[Scots pine|pine]] forests and mountains,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dirnat.no/nasjonalparker/anderdalen|publisher=Directorate for nature management|title=Ånderdalen National Park|language=Norwegian|accessdate=2010-04-04}}</ref> traditional fishing communities, and previously the [[Senja Troll]], the world's largest [[troll]] statue (which burned down 28 March 2019).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Senjatrollet – Hulder- og Trollparken|url=http://senjatrollet.no/en/|access-date=2021-05-26|language=en-GB}}</ref> The southern part of the island is the site of a number of small museums documenting local history, notably the Halibut Museum ("Kveitmuseet") in [[Skrolsvik]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

==In popular culture==
The island of Senja is mentioned in [[David Armine Howarth]]'s [[World War II]] book, and true story, ''We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance''. It has a namesake island in the [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPG]] [[Tibia (computer game)|Tibia]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The Norwegian musician [[Moddi]] comes from the island and his music is said to have been influenced by its beauty.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.propellerrecordings.no/artists/moddi|publisher=Propeller Recordings|title=Moddi|accessdate=2013-01-03}}</ref>

The Norwegian musician [[Biosphere (musician)|Biosphere]] lives in Senja (as of 2018-19) and his 2019 album ''The Senja Recordings'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://biosphere.bandcamp.com/album/the-senja-recordings|title=The Senja Recordings, by Biosphere}}</ref> which was recorded in Senja, refers to several places in Senja (Bergsbotn, Steinfjord, etc.).{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="100">
Bergsfjorden on Senja.jpg|Bergsfjorden
Senjahusoy.jpg|[[Husøy, Senja|Husøy]]
View from a ridge between Segla and Hesten, Senja, Norway, 2014 August.jpg| View from a ridge between Segla and Hesten  
Kistefjellet i Lenvik (3).jpg|View from [[Gibostad]] towards Kistefjellet on the mainland 
Senja(4).jpg|Sandvikholmen and shores near Hamn
Okshornan Senja.JPG|[[Ersfjorden]] and nearby mountains
Silsand1.JPG|[[Silsand]]
Okshornan from Tungeneset, 2015 September - 3.jpg|Okshornan peaks viewed from Tungeneset
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[List of islands of Norway]]

==References==
{{reflist|1}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Senja (island)}}
*{{Wikivoyage-inline|Senja}}
*[https://senjanesia.org/ Senjanesia] {{in lang|no}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Senja Municipality]]
[[Category:Islands of Troms]]