Astafjord is strait

Strait

A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...

 and a former municipality

Former municipalities of Norway

This is a list of former municipalities of Norway, i.e. municipalities that no longer exist.When the local council system was introduced in Norway in 1837-38, the country had 392 municipalities. In 1958 the number had grown to a total of 744 rural municipalities, 64 city municipalities as well as a...

 in Troms

Troms

or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...

 county

Counties of Norway

Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...

 in Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. It is located in the eastern part of the present-day municipality of Skånland

Skånland

Skånland is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Evenskjer.- General information :...

. The administrative center of the former municipality is the village of Grov

Grov, Troms

Grov or Grovfjord is a village in the municipality of Skånland in Troms county, Norway. Its population is 288. The village is located east of the village of Tovik along the Grovfjorden at a very narrow point in the fjord. It is about southeast of the city of Harstad and about west of Narvik...

 (population: 289). The Astafjord strait separates the islands of Andørja

Andørja

Andørja is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. It is located in the northeastern part of the present-day municipality of Ibestad. The largest population area on Andørja island is the Å - Ånstad - Laupstad area with 205 residents ....

 and Rolla from the mainland.

Name

The strait and the municipality were named after the old Ånstad farm (Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

: Arnastaðafjǫrðr). The first element of the old name comes from the male name Arna or "Arne", the second element staða means "home" or "farm

Farm

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...

", and the last element fjǫrðr is identical with the word for "fjord

Fjord

Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...

". Thus, the fjord by Arne's farm.

History

The municipality was established on 1 July 1926 when it was separated from Ibestad

Ibestad

Ibestad is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is part of the Hålogaland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hamnvik. Some of the larger villages in Ibestad include Sørvika, Å, and Laupstad....

 (along with Andørja

Andørja

Andørja is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. It is located in the northeastern part of the present-day municipality of Ibestad. The largest population area on Andørja island is the Å - Ånstad - Laupstad area with 205 residents ....

 and Gratangen

Gratangen

Gratangen is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is part of the Hålogaland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Årstein. The municipality encompasses the land on both sides of the Gratangen fjord. European route E6 runs through the...

). At that time, Astafjord had a population of 1,018. On 1 January 1964, Astafjord (population: 1,120) was merged into the neighboring municipality of Skånland

Skånland

Skånland is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Evenskjer.- General information :...

.