Sør-Varanger (Northern Sami: Máttá-Várjjat; Kven: Etelä-Varenki; Russian: Сёр-Вара́нгер, romanized: Syor-Varánger[6]) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway.

Other settlements in the municipality include the villages of Bjørnevatn, Bugøynes, Elvenes, Grense Jakobselv, Hesseng, Jakobsnes, Neiden, and Sandnes.

This Sami group migrated between coast and inland in present Norwegian, Finnish, and Russian territory long before any borders existed.

In the 16th century, they were converted to the Russian Orthodox faith, and still today the chapel of Saint George at Neiden, dating from 1565, is a reminder of eastern influence.

Sør-Varanger became Norwegian in 1826, after having been [part of] a Russian-Norwegian fellesdistrikt - a district shared between two countries - that had a small Eastern Sami population group that was under Russian jurisdiction.

[13] In 1826, the previously disputed areas were divided between Norway and Russia, causing great difficulties for the Sami.

During the 19th century, Finnish settlers (Kven) arrived to the valleys, and since 1906, Norwegians came in large numbers because of the iron mining starting up near Kirkenes.

[14] In a 1944 report to Norway's prime minister in exile, a Norwegian government official (embedsmann ) in Finnmark—Thore Boye—said that Norwegian soldiers had [crop-] cut (snauklippet) "25 young girls—some of them married" who had been pointed out by local men, as having had relations with German soldiers".

The official blazon is "Per bend rayonny Or and gules" (Norwegian: Skrådelt av gult og rødt ved tretunget flammesnitt).

Above the line, the field 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 division of the shield symbolizes the importance of the number three: The three main sources of income are agriculture, mining, and fishing; the municipality also has three main rivers (Neiden, Pasvikelva, and Jakobselva) that form the borders of Norway, Russia, and Finland; and there are three cultures in the municipality: Norwegians, Finns, and Sami.

[19][20][21] Sør-Varanger is a vast area of about 3,700 square kilometres (1,429 sq mi), situated between Finland and Russia.

Most of the area is low-lying forest of pine and birch, with barren sections facing the Barents Sea.

A research station at Svanvik (which is part of Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi), has employees of the national government.

The municipal council Norwegian: (Kommunestyre) of Sør-Varanger is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms.

Located 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) west of Kirkenes, at Høybuktmoen,[64] the airport has a 2,115-meter (6,939 ft)[65] long runway which allows Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle to operate direct flights to Oslo.

[70]) Popular leisure activities include salmon fishing in one of the numerous rivers, hunting for moose and grouse, and snowmobile driving.