Last modified: 2021-08-25 by 
christopher oehler
Keywords: loppa | great cormorant | cormorant |
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image by Tomislav Šipek,
13 February 2017
Granted on 19 December 1980.
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Loppa municipality is situated in Finnmark county.
According to the Royal resolution dated 19 December 1980, the flag of Loppa shows a black great cormorant on a yellow field. However, as pointed out by Harald Nissen in an article dealing with lack of precision in Norwegian civic blazons, the Norwegian term for the bird, "skarv", is imprecise, as there are several species of this bird. Whereas the flag of Loppa shows a great cormorant, the arms of Røst shows three black birds of the species European shag. Birds from these two species look different, and this is reflected in the flags, but in both cases the blazon uses the same term - "skarv." Anyway, the great cormorant is reputed to be a good fish catcher, and this is, according to [cjo87], why the bird found its way onto the flag of Loppa. Like many municipalities in Finnmark, Loppa is a municipality that relies on the fishing industry, and the yellow colour represents the riches that may be won from it.
The data for the article by Nissen is: Harald Nissen: "Blasonering av
norske kommunevåpen," Heraldisk Tidsskrift, No. 84, 2001, pp. 129-147.
Jan Oskar Engene, 29 April 2002
Official blazon in Norwegian: "I gult en svart skarv."
Blazoned in English: "Or a cormorant wings elevated sable."
English blazon by Joe McMillan, 30 July 2002