Karlsøy Municipality

Karlsøy Municipality
Karlsøy kommune

Gálssa suohkan (Northern Sami)
Karlsø herred  (historic name)
View of the Kåja island with Torsvåg Lighthouse off Vanna
Troms within Norway
Karlsøy within Troms
Coordinates: 70°07′48″N 19°25′51″E / 70.13000°N 19.43083°E / 70.13000; 19.43083
CountryNorway
CountyTroms
DistrictNord-Troms
Established1 Jan 1838
  Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centreHansnes
Government
  Mayor (2019)Mona Benjaminsen (Ap)
Area
  Total
1,091.60 km2 (421.47 sq mi)
  Land1,050.59 km2 (405.64 sq mi)
  Water41.01 km2 (15.83 sq mi)  3.8%
  Rank#103 in Norway
Highest elevation
1,049.3 m (3,442.6 ft)
Population
 (2024)
  Total
2,237
  Rank#268 in Norway
  Density2/km2 (5/sq mi)
  Change (10 years)
 −4.2%
DemonymKarlsøyværing
Official language
  Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-5534
WebsiteOfficial website

Karlsøy (Northern Sami: Gálssa suohkan) is an island municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hansnes. Other villages include Dåfjord, Hessfjord, Karlsøya, Torsvåg, Vannvåg, and Vannareid. The municipality is made up of many islands including Ringvassøya, Reinøya, Vannøya, Karlsøya, and Rebbenesøya plus several uninhabited islands (many of which were formerly inhabited). Some of the currently uninhabited islands include Helgøya, Nordkvaløya, Grøtøya, and Nordfugløya.

The 1,092-square-kilometre (422 sq mi) municipality is the 103rd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Karlsøy is the 268th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,237. The municipality's population density is 2 inhabitants per square kilometre (5.2/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 4.2% over the previous 10-year period.