Dønna


Dønna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland region. The administrative centre of the island municipality is the village of Solfjellsjøen. Other villages include Bjørn, Dønnes, Hestad, Sandåker, and Vandve. The main island of Dønna is connected to the neighboring municipality of Herøy to the south by the Åkviksundet Bridge.
The municipality is the 304th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Dønna is the 306th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,371. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 4.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Municipal history

The municipality of Dønna was established on 1 January 1962 due to the work of the Schei Committee. The new municipality was created by merging these areas:
The borders of Dønna municipality have not changed since that time.

Name

The municipality is named after the island of Dønna. The name is probably derived from the Norse verb dynja which means to "rumble" or "roar".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 29 May 1981. The arms show a wave as a canting symbol for the municipality since the Norwegian word dønning means wave.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish within the municipality of Dønna. It is part of the Nord-Helgeland prosti in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
Parish Church NameLocation of the ChurchYear Built
DønnaDønnes ChurchDønnes13th century
DønnaHæstad ChurchHestad1912
DønnaLøkta ChurchSandåker1968
DønnaNordvik ChurchNordvik1877
DønnaVandve ChurchVandve1956

Economy

Much of the industry focuses on fishing, aquaculture, and fish processing. There is also some agriculture, tourism, and some public services.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Dønna, are responsible for primary education, outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the Alstahaug District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Dønna is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Dønna :
Dønna is located in Outer Helgeland which also consists of the municipalities of Leirfjord, Alstahaug, and Herøy. The municipality is made up of a large archipelago consisting of islands, islets, and reefs. The three largest islands in the municipality are Dønna, Løkta, and Vandve. The Åsværet islands lie in the western part of the municipality. The island municipality is situated at the mouth of the Ranfjorden.

Notable residents