Røst
| Røst kommune | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: 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 | ||
| Administrative centre | Røst | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor (2007) | Arnfinn Ellingsen (Venstre) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 11 km2 (4 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 10 km2 (4 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 430 in Norway | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| • Total | 622 | ||
| • Rank | 421 in Norway | ||
| • Density | 60/km2 (200/sq mi) | ||
| • Change (10 years) | -10.3 % | ||
| Demonym | Røstværing[1] | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | NO-1856 | ||
| Official language form | Bokmål | ||
| 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.
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[edit] Environment
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.
[edit] General information
[edit] Name
The municipality is named after the mainland island of Røst (Old Norse: Rǫst). The name is identical with the word rǫst f which means "maelstrom". (See Moskstraumen.)
[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] Economy
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] Climate
Incredibly, despite its northerly location, Røst features a subpolar oceanic climate. Røst and Værøy are known by meteorologists as the most northern locations in the world with average temperatures above freezing all winter. The winter temperatures in southern Lofoten represent the largest temperature anomaly in the world relative to latitude. The mean annual temperature is 5.4°C (1961–90), and the average annual precipitation is 680 mm. The wettest months are October - December with approximately 90 mm precipitation each month, and the driest is May - June with on average 30 mm each month.[3] Precipitation varies considerably, and June 2009 saw only 1 mm precipitation and July 2009 only 7 mm, while in December 2008 127 mm was registrered.[4]
| Climate data for Røst | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 4 (39) |
3 (37) |
3 (37) |
6 (43) |
9 (48) |
11 (52) |
14 (57) |
14 (57) |
12 (54) |
9 (48) |
6 (43) |
5 (41) |
8.0 (46.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 0 (32) |
−1 (30) |
0 (32) |
2 (36) |
5 (41) |
8 (46) |
10 (50) |
10 (50) |
8 (46) |
5 (41) |
2 (36) |
1 (34) |
4.2 (39.5) |
| Source: [5] | |||||||||||||
[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/nb-no/Sprakhjelp/Rettskrivning_Ordboeker/Innbyggjarnamn/.
- ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/r/rost.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
- ^ Røst climate statistics
- ^ yr.no weather statistics last 12 months
- ^ "Røst average conditions - base period 10 last years". Storm Weather Center. http://www.storm.no/vaer/637955/klima. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
[edit] External links
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