Sogn
Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway (Vestlandet). It is located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, surrounding the Sognefjord. Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestrand, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. The district covers 10,675 square kilometres (4,122 sq mi) and contains about 35% of the county's population. The largest urban area in Sogn is Øvre Årdal, with 3,456 residents.[1][2]
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[edit] Name
The name Sogn is very old, and it originally belonged to the fjord (now called Sognefjord). The name is derived from the verb súga which means "suck"—referring to the strong tidal streams at the mouth of the fjord. A parallel name for the district in Norse times was Sygnafylki. The first element in this name is the genitive of sygnir which means "people from Sogn" and the last element is fylki which is an old form of "fylke" which translates as "county".
[edit] Media gallery
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Shore community in Sogn, Norway
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View of the mountains by Risnefjorden
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Hafslovatnet with Sognefjord behind
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Sogndalsfjorden and Barsnesfjorden
[edit] History
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1769 | 19,366 | — |
| 1951 | 41,846 | +116.1% |
| 1960 | 40,558 | −3.1% |
| 1970 | 40,254 | −0.7% |
| 1980 | 39,689 | −1.4% |
| 1990 | 38,996 | −1.7% |
| 2000 | 37,841 | −3.0% |
| 2010 | 36,511 | −3.5% |
| 2020 | 36,232 | −0.8% |
| 2030 | 36,773 | +1.5% |
| Source: Statistics Norway. | ||
[edit] Viking Age
Since early in the Viking Age, Sogn was a petty kingdom called Sygnafylki. Some notable Kings of Sogn were Harald Gullskjegg ("Goldbeard", father of Ragnhild, first wife of Halfdan the Black), Halfdan the Black, and Harald Fairhair.
The Gulating met in the district of Sogn in the present day municipality of Gulen.
[edit] 1662-present
In 1662, Sogn fogderi was created as part of the Nordre Bergenhus amt. Sogn was further divided into Indre Sogn (Inner Sogn) and Ytre Sogn (Outer Sogn).[3]
- Indre Sogn consisted of the present day municipalities of Aurland, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, and Årdal. The village of Sogndalsfjøra was the administrative center.
- Ytre Sogn consisted of the present day municipalities of Balestrand, Gulen, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Solund, and Vik. The village of Høyanger was the administrative center.
In 1919, Nordre Bergenhus amt was re-named Sogn og Fjordane fylke.
[edit] References
- ^ Store norske leksikon. "Sogn – Sogn og Fjordane" (in Norwegian). http://www.snl.no/Sogn/Sogn_og_Fjordane. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
- ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 2009). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality.". http://www.ssb.no/beftett_en/tab-2009-06-16-01-en.html.
- ^ "Sogn (distrikt)". Bokmål Wikipedia. http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sogn_%28distrikt%29. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
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Coordinates: 61°11′N 06°48′E / 61.183°N 6.8°E
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