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 Herøy Municipality to the south by the Åkviksundet Bridge. The 193 km2 municipality is the 305th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Dønna is the 305th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,427. The municipality's population density is 7.4 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 0.5% 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 Old Norse verb which means to "rumble" or "roar" (referring to the swell of the waves on the island).

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 29 May 1981. The official blazon is "Or a schnecke azure from base sinister to dexter". This means the arms have a field (background) that is divided by a line called a schnecke (a swirling clockwise spiral design that is looks like a wave). The field located above the line has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The tincture below the line is blue. The arms are a canting symbol for the municipality since the Norwegian word dønning means "wave" or "swell". The arms were designed by Odd Fjordholm.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within Dønna Municipality. It is part of the Nord-Helgeland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Economy

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

Government

Dønna Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Helgeland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Dønna is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor of Dønna is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:

Geography

Dønna is located in the outer, coastal part of Helgeland which also consists of Leirfjord Municipality, Alstahaug Municipality, and Herøy Municipality. 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 (and the Åsvær Lighthouse) lie in the western part of the municipality. The island municipality is situated at the mouth of the Ranfjorden. The highest point in the municipality is the 855.1 m tall mountain Dønnmannen on the island of Dønna.

Notable people