Tana (Northern Sami: Deatnu; Kven: Taana; Finnish: Teno) is a
municipality in East Finnmark in Troms and Finnmark counties, and a
geographical and communication hub in East Finnmark. The
municipality borders in the south to Finland (Utsjok), in the
southwest to Karasjok, in the west to Porsanger, in the northwest to
Lebesby and Gamvik, in the northeast to Berlevåg and in the east to
Båtsfjord (at one point), Vadsø and Nesseby.
Tana
municipality's only settlement is Tana bridge (750 inhabitants 1
January 2020).
The municipality belongs to the administrative
area for the Sami language.
The river Tana is Norway's 3rd
longest river and forms the national border between Norway and
Finland. Tana is a trilingual municipality, Norwegian, Sami and Kven
are spoken. On the opposite side of the Tana River is the
municipality of Utsjok in Finland. The most important industries in
Tana are agriculture, reindeer husbandry, mining, construction and
services.
Border crossing to / from Finland takes place at
Polmak and over Samelandsbrua at Utsjok. Tana bridge was built in
1948 and has a main span of 195 meters. It is Norway's longest soft
suspension bridge.
E75 and E6 go through the municipality.
Until 1914, Tana also included the current Gamvik and
Berlevåg municipalities. Polmak, on the other hand, was not part of
the municipality until 1964.
Geography
Tanaelva
In Sami
the river is called Tana Deatnu and in Kven Teno (joki) or Taana
(njoki) ('Big river, main river').
The watercourse that
originates i.a. in Finland and passes through Karasjok and Tana
municipalities and flows into the Tanafjord.
The Tana River is
330 km long.
The Tana River with tributaries (Tanavassdraget) has
salmon over a stretch of a total of approx. 800 km.
Border river
between Norway and Finland over 256 km.
The Tana River runs past
Tana municipality and Lebesby municipality's largest mountain,
Rásttigáisá.
Major source students are Anárjohka and Kárášjohka /
Iešjohka as well as Utsjok in Finland.
Precipitation field 15330
square kilometers, of which approx. 70% in Norway.
Norway's by
far the largest salmon river.
Holds the world record for salmon
(Atlantic) caught on a pole, 32.5 kg, taken in 1951, by Nils Mathis
Walle.
Especially for the Tana River is driftnet fishing and
fence fishing.
Own law regulates fishing in the Tana River.
The Tana estuary is one of Europe's largest untouched delta areas.
Tanafjorden
65 km long. Located in the municipalities of
Deanu / Tana, Berlevåg and Gamvik.
The fjord is located between
the Varanger Peninsula and the North Kyn Peninsula.
Fjord arms
are i.a. Vestertana, Tarmfjorden, Smalfjorden, Leirpollen,
Langfjorden, Hopsfjorden and Trollfjorden.