Borkenes

---

title: "Borkenes" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["villages-in-troms", "populated-places-of-arctic-norway", "kvæfjord-municipality"] description: "Village in Kvæfjord Municipality, Norway" topic_path: "geography/norway" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borkenes" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Village in Kvæfjord Municipality, Norway ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
official_name	Borkenes
settlement_type	Village
image_skyline	Borkenes skyline in spring.jpg
image_caption	View of the village in May
mapframe	yes
mapframe-zoom	11
mapframe-marker	village
pushpin_map	Troms#Norway
pushpin_label	Borkenes
pushpin_label_position	top
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Norway
subdivision_type1	Region
subdivision_name1	Northern Norway
subdivision_type2	County
subdivision_name2	Troms
subdivision_type3	District
subdivision_name3	Central Hålogaland
subdivision_type4	Municipality
subdivision_name4	Kvæfjord Municipality
timezone1	CET
utc_offset1	+01:00
timezone1_DST	CEST
utc_offset1_DST	+02:00
area_footnotes
area_total_km2	1.14
population_as_of	2023
population_footnotes
population_total	1513
population_density_km2	1327
postal_code_type	Post Code
postal_code	9475 Borkenes
coordinates
elevation_m	29
elevation_footnotes
::

|official_name = Borkenes |other_name = |native_name = |nickname = |settlement_type = Village |image_skyline = Borkenes skyline in spring.jpg |image_caption = View of the village in May | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 11 | mapframe-marker = village |pushpin_map = Troms#Norway |pushpin_label = Borkenes |pushpin_label_position = top |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Norway |subdivision_type1 = Region |subdivision_name1 = Northern Norway |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = Troms |subdivision_type3 = District |subdivision_name3 = Central Hålogaland |subdivision_type4 = Municipality |subdivision_name4 = Kvæfjord Municipality |timezone1 = CET |utc_offset1 = +01:00 |timezone1_DST = CEST |utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = 1.14 |population_as_of = 2023 |population_footnotes = |population_total = 1513 |population_density_km2 = 1327 |postal_code_type = Post Code |postal_code = 9475 Borkenes |coordinates = |elevation_m = 29 |elevation_footnotes = }}

Borkenes is the administrative centre of Kvæfjord Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The farming village is located on the island of Hinnøya, about 18 km west of the city of Harstad. It is located along the Kvæfjorden (an arm of the Gullesfjorden), looking across the fjord at the island of Kvæøya.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Borkenes_skole_og_Kvæfjordhallen.jpg" caption="View of Borkenes"] ::

Kvæfjord Church is located in the village centre near the local school. The village is built along the small river Råelva. The 1.14 km2 village has a population (2023) of 1,513 and a population density of 1327 PD/km2.

Economy

Earlier, Borkenes was an industrial center with the production of herring oil as the main industry. Later the center for people with mental retardation at Trastad, in the northwestern part of Borkenes became a principal industry for the village. In the 1990s, the government decided to close all institutions of this scale. People who had been living there for many years could choose to move home or continue living in new housing at Borkenes. Many stayed on, and working with mentally disabled people continues to be a viable employment opportunity in the community.

Today, the village is home to a horticultural school which is part of the Rå videregående skole (high school). There is some agriculture in the area, where strawberries and potatoes are grown by local farmers. Wildlife and fishing are available in the mountains and lakes close to residential areas, and boats are available for sea excursions.

References

References

1. "Borkenes". [[yr.no]].
2. Store norske leksikon. "Borkenes".
3. Statistisk sentralbyrå. (2023-12-23). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::