Rana, Norway

Rana is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mo i Rana, which houses the National Library of Norway. Other population centers in Rana include Båsmoen, Dunderland, Eiteråga, Flostrand, Hauknes, Mæla, Myklebustad, Nevernes, Røssvoll, Selfors, Skonseng, Storforshei, Utskarpen, and Ytteren.

For the mountain in Møre og Romsdal county, see Råna.
Rana kommune
Municipality
View of Mo i Rana in late July 2003
View of Mo i Rana in late July 2003
Flag of Rana kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Rana kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Rana kommune
Nordland within
Norway
Rana within Nordland
Rana within Nordland
Coordinates: 66°22′19″N 14°20′34″E
CountryNorway
CountyNordland
DistrictHelgeland
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Disestablished1839
 • Succeeded byNord-Rana & Sør-Rana
Re-established1 Jan 1964
 • Preceded byMo i Rana, Nord-Rana, and other areas
Administrative centreMo i Rana
Government
 • Mayor (2015)Geir Waage (Ap)
Area
 • Total4,460.18 km2 (1,722.09 sq mi)
 • Land4,202.92 km2 (1,622.76 sq mi)
 • Water257.26 km2 (99.33 sq mi)  5.8%
 • Rank#4 in Norway
Population
 (2022)
 • Total26,092
 • Rank#45 in Norway
 • Density6.2/km2 (16/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Increase +1.7%
DemonymsRanværing
Ransmann[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1833
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

The 4,460-square-kilometre (1,720 sq mi) municipality is the 4th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway (the largest municipality outside Troms og Finnmark county). Rana is the 45th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 26,092. This makes it the second largest municipality in Nordland county—and the third largest in North Norway. The municipality's population density is 6.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (16/sq mi) and its population has increased by 1.7% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

Rana was a part of the Terra Securities scandal in 2007 relating to some investments that were made by the municipality.

General information
Mo, Nord-Rana, and parts of Nesna and Sør-Rana merged in 1964 to form Rana

Municipal history

The municipality of Rana was originally established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). However, it was divided into Nord-Rana and Sør-Rana in 1839. In 1844, Nord-Rana was renamed Mo and Sør-Rana was renamed Hemnes. The village of Mo was separated from the rural district of Mo and became a town and municipality of its own on 1 January 1923. At that time, the rural district changed its name back to Nord-Rana. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the town of Mo (population: 9,616), the municipality of Nord-Rana (population: 11,636), the northern part of the municipality of Sør-Rana (population: 697), and the Sjona area of the municipality of Nesna (population: 543) were all merged. The united municipality was named simply Rana.[5]

Name

The municipality is named after the river Ranelva (Old Norse: Raðund). The name of the river is probably derived from the word raðr which means "quick", "fast", or "rapid". Another possibility is that the name comes from the old Sami god Rana Niejta.[6]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 5 March 1965. The official blazon is "Per bend sinister vert and Or" (Norwegian: Venstre skrådelt av grønt og gull). This means the arms have a field (background) that is divided by a diagonal line from the lower left to the upper right. The field that is below 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 field that is above the line has a tincture of green. The arms symbolize the forests (upper part/green) and the minerals (lower part/gold), as there many minerals can be found in the area, especially iron ore. The arms were originally granted to the municipality of Mo on 29 April 1960 until that municipality was dissolved in 1 January 1964 when it became part of the new municipality of Rana. The arms were designed by Gunnar Alm.[7][8][9]

Churches

The Church of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Rana. It is part of the Indre Helgeland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Churches in Rana
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
GrubenGruben ChurchMo i Rana1965
MoMo ChurchMo i Rana1724
NevernesNevernes ChurchNevernes1893
Nord-RanaSelfors ChurchSelfors1973
Ytteren ChurchYtteren1977
RøssvollRøssvoll ChurchRøssvoll1953
SjonaSjona ChurchMyklebustad1916

Geography
The Sjona fjord, western part of Rana municipality.

The municipality is located just south of the Arctic circle, on the southern side of the Saltfjellet mountains with the Svartisen glacier, Norway's second largest glacier. Some of the large mountains in Rana include Bolna and Nasa. Mo is so close to the Arctic Circle that parts of the sun is continuously over the horizon (Midnight sun) from early June to early July, and there is no darkness from mid-May to the beginning of August. But there is no true polar night in December.[10] The Saltfjellet–Svartisen National Park is partly located in Rana. There are many valleys such as the Dunderland Valley and Grønnfjelldal.

The majority of the population in the municipality lives in Mo i Rana, where the Ranelva (river) meets the Ranfjorden. North of Mo i Rana, the European route E6 highway passes through the suburb of Selfors. In western Rana, the population centers around the Sjona fjord.

Rana and Saltfjellet are famous for their numerous caves due to the limestone rock. There are several nature reserves in the municipality, such as Alterhaug with several warmer-climate plants grow including the elm.[11] Engasjyen, the estuary of the Rana river, has a rich bird life in the spring.[12] Blakkådalen has old growth spruce forests.[13] Fisktjørna, has a largely undisturbed mixed old growth forest with unusually rich plant life due to the extremely lime-rich soil.[14]

Climate
Nerdal/Rana (1961-90)
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
146
 
 
−3
−8
 
 
117
 
 
−2
−7
 
 
112
 
 
2
−4
 
 
74
 
 
5
−1
 
 
64
 
 
12
4
 
 
70
 
 
16
8
 
 
97
 
 
18
10
 
 
110
 
 
16
9
 
 
155
 
 
11
6
 
 
186
 
 
6
2
 
 
136
 
 
1
−4
 
 
163
 
 
−1
−6
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm
Source: met.no/klimastatistikk/eklima
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
5.7
 
 
27
17
 
 
4.6
 
 
29
19
 
 
4.4
 
 
35
24
 
 
2.9
 
 
42
30
 
 
2.5
 
 
53
38
 
 
2.8
 
 
61
46
 
 
3.8
 
 
64
51
 
 
4.3
 
 
62
49
 
 
6.1
 
 
52
42
 
 
7.3
 
 
43
35
 
 
5.4
 
 
34
26
 
 
6.4
 
 
30
20
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches

Rana is situated near the innermost part of the long Ranafjord, and the winters can be cold, especially away from the fjord. There is often a lot of snow in winter. Summer days in Rana are among the warmest in North Norway.

Lakes and rivers

There are many lakes and rivers in the municipality, both in the lowlands and in the mountains.

LakesRivers

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Rana, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), 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.[15] The municipality falls under the Rana District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Rana is made up of 37 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Rana kommunestyre 2020–2023 [16]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Red Party (Rødt) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 11
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:37
Rana kommunestyre 2016–2019 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 17
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Red Party (Rødt) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:37
Rana kommunestyre 2012–2015 [18]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 13
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 10
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Red Party (Rødt) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
 Environment List Rana (Miljølisten Rana)2
Total number of members:37
Rana kommunestyre 2008–2011 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Red Electoral Alliance (Rød Valgallianse) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
 Environment List Rana (Miljølisten Rana)4
Total number of members:37
Rana kommunestyre 2004–2007 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 12
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Red Electoral Alliance (Rød Valgallianse) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 14
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:37
Rana kommunestyre 2000–2003 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 20
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Red Electoral Alliance (Rød Valgallianse) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 9
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:49
Rana kommunestyre 1996–1999 [19]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 24
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Red Electoral Alliance (Rød Valgallianse) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 6
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:49
Rana kommunestyre 1992–1995 [20]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 22
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Red Electoral Alliance (Rød Valgallianse) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 13
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:49
Rana kommunestyre 1988–1991 [21]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 30
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 9
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Red Electoral Alliance (Rød Valgallianse) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 12
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:61
Rana kommunestyre 1984–1987 [22]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 34
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 9
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Red Electoral Alliance (Rød Valgallianse) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 10
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:61
Rana kommunestyre 1980–1983 [23]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 32
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 12
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Red Electoral Alliance (Rød Valgallianse) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
  Joint list of the Communist Party and independent socialists (Norges Kommunistiske Parti og uavhengige sosialister) 1
Total number of members:61
Rana kommunestyre 1976–1979 [24]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 36
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 9
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
 Free Voters (Frie Velgere)1
Total number of members:61
Rana kommunestyre 1972–1975 [25]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 32
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) 8
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 5
Total number of members:61
Rana kommunestyre 1968–1971 [26]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 34
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) 11
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 2
Total number of members:61
Rana kommunestyre 1964–1967 [27]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 37
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:61

Mayors

The mayors of Rana:[28][29]

Notable people
Ole Tobias Olsen, 1908
Bjørn Alterhaug, 2017
  • Ole Tobias Olsen (1830 in the Dunderland Valley – 1924) a Norwegian teacher and minister and father of the Nordland Line between Trondheim and Bodø
  • Nils Hansteen (1855 in Mo i Rana – 1912) a painter of landscapes and marine art
  • Per Karstensen (1915–2010) went to school in Ytteren, an educator and politician, Mayor of Nord-Rana & Rana 1963-1965
  • Sverre Bratland (1917 in Utskarpen – 2002) a Norwegian military leader
  • Egil Øyjord (born 1928 in Mo i Rana) an academic and founder of the International Association on Mechanization of Field Experiments (IAMFE)
  • Bjørn Alterhaug (born 1945 in Mo i Rana) a jazz bassist, composer and professor of music
  • Inge Myrvoll (born 1948 in Rana) a politician, Mayor of Rana & deputy since 2003
  • Laila Stien (born 1946) a novelist, poet and author of children's literature, grew up in Rana
  • Guttorm Guttormsen (born 1950 in Mo i Rana) a jazz musician, arranger and composer
  • Anne Grete Hollup (born 1957 in Mo i Rana) a novelist, playwright and children's writer
  • Geir Bjørklund (born 1969 in Mo i Rana) researcher and medical science writer and editor
  • Hans Olav Lahlum (born 1973 in Mo i Rana) historian, crime author, chess player and politician

Sport
Kristin Størmer Steira, 2012

Transportation

Rana has an airport, Mo i Rana Airport, Røssvoll in the village of Røssvoll, not far from the town of Mo i Rana. There are several large highways in Rana: European route E6, Norwegian County Road 17, and Norwegian County Road 12. The Illhollia Tunnel is part of the E6 highway. The Nordland Line passes through Rana, with several stations including Mo i Rana Station, Dunderland Station, and Bolna Station.

  • Rana museum, department for cultural history
    Rana museum, department for cultural history
  • Moholmen in Mo i Rana, 16 April 2007
    Moholmen in Mo i Rana, 16 April 2007
  • Entrance of the Grønligrotta cave
    Entrance of the Grønligrotta cave

Culture

International relations
Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway

Twin towns—Sister cities

The sister cities of Rana are:[30]

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  4. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  6. Store norske leksikon. "Rana – kommune" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  7. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  8. "Rana, Nordland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  9. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 5 March 1965. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  10. "Mo i Rana". Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  11. "Alterhaug naturreservat" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  12. "Engasjyen naturreservat" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  13. "Blakkådalen naturreservat" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  14. "Fisktjørna naturreservat" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  15. Hansen, Tore, ed. (12 May 2016). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  16. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  17. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  18. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  21. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  22. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  23. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  24. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  25. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  26. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  27. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  28. Coldevin, Axel. Rana Bygdebok. Mo Prestegjeld etter 1850 (in Norwegian). Oslo: Mo Sparebank, Grøndahl & Søn Boktrykkeri.
  29. Alstadhaug, Leif (1986). "150 år med lokalt sjølstyre". Årbok for Rana 1986 (in Norwegian). Rana Blads trykkeri.
  30. "Vennskapsbyer" (in Norwegian). Rana Kommune. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
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