Sunnfjord (municipality)
Sunnfjord Municipality
Sunnfjord kommune | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the town of Førde | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Vestland within Norway | |
 Sunnfjord within Vestland | |
| Coordinates: 61°27′08″N 5°51′26″E / 61.4522°N 5.8572°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Vestland |
| District | Sunnfjord |
| Established | 1 Jan 2020 |
| Administrative centre | Førde |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020) | Olve Grotle (H) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,208.13 km2 (852.56 sq mi) |
| • Land | 2,067.26 km2 (798.17 sq mi) |
| • Water | 140.87 km2 (54.39 sq mi) 6.4% |
| • Rank | #27 in Norway |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 22,030 |
| • Rank | #56 in Norway |
| • Density | 10.7/km2 (28/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) |  +7.6% |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Nynorsk |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-4647[2] |
| Website | Official website |
Sunnfjord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Førde. Other villages in the municipality include Naustdal, Sande, Vassenden, and Skei.
The 2,208-square-kilometre (853 sq mi) municipality is the 27th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sunnfjord is the 56th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 22,030. The municipality's population density is 10.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (28/sq mi) and its population has increased by 7.6% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]
General information
The municipality was established on 1 January 2020 when the old municipalities of Førde, Gaular, Jølster, and Naustdal were merged.
Name
The municipality was named after the traditional district of Sunnfjord, in which it is located. The first part of the name sunn- means "southern" and the last part of the name is fjord, thus it is the southern fjord region (as opposed to the nearby Nordfjord region (the northern fjord region).[5]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was approved in 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020. The green arms show a design of four white rivers joining a larger body of water. The rivers symbolize the four main rivers of Sunnfjord: Nausta, Gaula, Anga, and Jølstra. It was meant to symbolize the many waterfalls and rivers in the municipality as well as strength and unity.[6]
Churches
The Church of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Sunnfjord. It is part of the Sunnfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Førde | Førde Church | Førde | 1885 |
| Gaular | Bygstad Church | Bygstad | 1845 |
| Sande Church | Sande | 1864 | |
| Hestad Chapel | Hestad | 1805 | |
| Viksdalen Church | Vik | 1848 | |
| Helgheim | Helgheim Church | Helgheim | 1877 |
| Holsen og Haukedalen |
Haukedalen Church | Haukedalen | 1885 |
| Holsen Church | Holsen | 1861 | |
| Naustdal | Naustdal Church | Naustdal | 1891 |
| Vevring Church | Indrevevring | 1846 | |
| Ålhus | Vassenden Church | Vassenden | 2002 |
| Ålhus Church | Ålhus | 1795 |
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Sunnfjord, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elects a mayor.[7] The municipality falls under the Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sunnfjord is made up of 45 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 11 | |
| Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 1 | |
| Green Party (Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne) | 2 | |
| Conservative Party (Høgre) | 10 | |
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 2 | |
| Red Party (Raudt) | 1 | |
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 12 | |
| Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 4 | |
| Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 45 | |
References
- ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
- ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (2023-01-26). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
- ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
- ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
- ^ Askheim, Svein, ed. (2018-11-01). "Sunnfjord". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Symbol og identitet" (in Norwegian). Prosjekt Sunnfjord. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ Hansen, Tore, ed. (2016-05-12). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
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