Karasjok, in Northern Sami Kárášjohka (Kven and Finnish:
Kaarasjoki), is a municipality in Finnmark in Norway. It is the
country's second largest municipality in extent with an area of
5,464 km². The municipality borders Finland (Utsjok in the east
and Inari in the southeast), and in Norway to Kautokeino in the west
and southwest, Alta in the northwest, Porsanger in the north and
Tana in the northeast. The municipality's administrative center and
only settlement is Karasjok, (1,811 inhabitants on 1 January 2020).
The municipality's highest point is Vuorji 1024 masl on the border
with Porsanger in the northwest.
Norway's largest contiguous
wilderness area, southeast of Finnmarksvidda (4417 square
kilometers), is divided by the municipalities of Karasjok and
Kautokeino.
Important industries include reindeer husbandry
and agriculture with the addition of outfield industries such as
hunting and fishing. Today, the Quaternary industry (public
administration, services, etc.) employs the most workers in the
municipality.
Around 80% of the municipality's inhabitants
are Sami - speaking, and Sami and Norwegian are equal as the
administrative language.
The municipality is named after the
river that flows through the municipality, Karasjohka (Kárášjohka).
The name johka is Sami and means river. The name karas probably
comes from Sami and means wooden barrel, or from Finnish (kara)
which means meandering - the meandering river. The village grew out
of the old winter camp Ávjuvárri, which was located approx. 40 km
from what is today Karasjok center.
Karasjok, like
Kautokeino, was a Swedish parish until Denmark-Norway took over the
area by the Strømstad Treaty in 1751. Until 1866, Karasjok was part
of Kistrand municipality.
Karasjok is one of several cultural
and social arenas for Sami in Norway. Important Sámi institutions
have been added here, such as Sámediggi / Sámi Parliament, NRK
Sápmi, the national museum De Sámi Samlinger, Sámi specialist
medical center, Sámi artist center, Indre Finnmark prostitute, Sámi
special library, Indre-Finnmark legal aid office and Child and
adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinic. (source: Karasjok
municipality)
The three bonfires in the municipal coat of
arms symbolize the peaceful meeting of three tribes: Sami, Finns and
Norwegians.
The nearest airport is Lakselv Airport, Banak, 75
km north of Karasjok.