Røst
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Røst kommune | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates (city): 67°31′12″N 12°5′56″E / 67.52°N 12.09889°ECoordinates: 67°31′12″N 12°5′56″E / 67.52°N 12.09889°E | |||
| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Nordland | ||
| District | Lofoten | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-1856 | ||
| Administrative centre | Røst | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2007) | Arnfinn Ellingsen (Venstre) | ||
| Area (Nr. 430 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 11 km2 (4.2 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| - Total | 622 | ||
| - Density | 60/km2 (155.4/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | -10.3 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 421 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Bokmål | ||
| Norwegian demonym | Røstværing[1] | ||
| Website | www.rost.kommune.no | ||
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Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røst. Røst was separated from the municipality of Værøy on 1 July 1928.
There are 365 islands and skerries in the municipality situated some 100 kilometres (62 mi) off the mainland, off the southwestern tip of the Lofoten chain. The municipality also has one of the biggest birdcliffs in the North Atlantic, with puffin colonies, as well as colonies of shag, kittiwake, and cormorants.
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[edit] General information
[edit] Name
The municipality is named after the mainland island of Røst (Old Norse: Röst). The name is identical with the word röst which means "maelstrom".
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 28 November 1986. The arms show three cormorants, which play a role in a local legend, in which three brothers can transform themselves into cormorants.[2]
[edit] Transportation
Røst is reached by boat and Røst Airport has scheduled flights to Bodø.
[edit] History
A vivid description of medieval island life has been delivered by the shipwrecked Venetian sea captain Pietro Querini, who was rescued by the islanders in 1432. He described the society as very harmonious and pious, and described how they made a living from fishing cod and some agriculture. The Norwegian Lundehund originated from this part of Norway, where it natively would have climbed along cliff paths to hunt puffins. Fishing is the main economic activity on Røst.
[edit] Nature
Røst and Værøy are rather famous with meteorologists, as it is the most northern location in the world where there is no meteorological winter, as the average temperature is above freezing all winter. The winter temperatures in southern Lofoten represent the largest temperature anomaly in the world relative to latitude.
During the winter, the population of Røst gets doubled due to the number of boats arriving at Røst to fish. Yearly, the small island of Røst produces fish and fish-related products worth more than $40 million.
[edit] Birdlife
Røst is one of the few bird watching localities in Norway that is known world wide. The seabird colonies that are to be found are regarded as internationally important. The island offers a range of habitats, and as one would expect, a stop-over point for many species that are migrating even further north. During the last few years, birders have been showing an interest for Røst during the autumn, producing a whole range of rarities.
[edit] See also
- "The Half Brother" by Lars Saabye Christensen (a book about Røst)
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Røst |
- ^ "Personnemningar til stadnamn i Noreg" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. http://www.sprakrad.no/Sprakhjelp/Rettskriving_Ordboeker/Innbyggjarnamn.
- ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/r/rost.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
[edit] External links
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