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61-449: Eidsberg was a municipality in Østfold county , Norway . The administrative centre of the municipality was the town of Mysen . In 2020, Eidsberg was absorbed into the Indre Østfold municipality . Eidsberg was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt ). The town of Mysen was separated from Eidsberg to form a municipality of its own on 1 July 1920, but it

122-518: A great escarpment . The main differences is that in Norway valley and fjord bottoms have been widened by glacier erosion, valley sides steepened, and the outer regions of valleys straightened, also by glacier erosion. The deglaciation patterns of the Bergen and Nordfjord – Sunnmøre areas in western Norway are described and correlated. In the Bergen area the coast was first deglaciated at 12,600 B.P., with

183-505: A central aspect of Norwegian history and more than 800,000 Norwegians emigrated to the United States. The first organized group of emigrants left Stavanger on the sloop Restoration on 4 July 1825. In 1837, Ægir left Bergen as the first ship with emigrants from Hordaland . The Emigration Center of Western Norway is a memorial to those who left and to their descendants. The emigrant archives now include 96,000 names of emigrants from

244-419: A large fish-processing industry and offers seasonal employment for many farmers. Of all fishermen only half fish as their sole occupation. Most vessels are owned by the fishermen themselves, the necessary crew members being paid by shares of gross income in a continuation of a centuries-old tradition of the sea. A critical problem is how to avoid depleting the fish resources while maintaining the volume. About half

305-908: A lesser extent the Netherlands and Britain. For example, the Icelandic horse is a close relative of the Fjord horse and both the Faroese and Icelandic languages are based on the Old West Norse. In early Norse times, people from Western Norway became settlers at the Western Isles in the Northern Atlantic , Orkney , Shetland , the Faroe Islands and Iceland . During the Viking Age settlements were made at

366-504: A major retreat. No large re-advance of the inland ice occurred during the Younger Dryas . However, in the Sunnmøre – Nordfjord area many local glaciers formed outside the inland ice during the Younger Dryas . Limnic sediments outside one such cirque glacier have been cored and dated, proving that the glacier did not exist at 12,300–11,000 B.P., and that it was formed and disappeared in

427-490: A population of approximately 1.4 million people. The largest city is Bergen and the second-largest is Stavanger . Historically the regions of Agder , Vest-Telemark , Hallingdal , Valdres , and northern parts of Gudbrandsdal have been included in Western Norway. Western Norway, as well as other parts of historical regions of Norway, shares a common history with Denmark , the Faroe Islands and Iceland and to

488-407: A rich agricultural area. The inland fjord areas of Hardanger are sheltered, with rich fruit districts specializing in apples and cherries. Stavanger is a leading industrial area in Western Norway. Ålesund contains many engineering firms, and the bulk of Norway's furniture industry. Along the coast fishing plays the same role that forestry does elsewhere. At the same time, it forms the basis of

549-545: A small group of municipalities in the Hardanger region of Western Norway still use the name herad such as Voss herad , Ulvik herad , and Kvam herad . Ullensvang Municipality used the name herad until 2020. Norway also has some municipalities that are bilingual or trilingual due to the presence of many native Sami people living there. In Northern Sámi , there are two words for a municipality: suohkan and gielda . Both are loan words from Scandinavian languages,

610-628: A succeeding re-advance into the North Sea around 12,200 B.P. Later, during the Allerød, the inland ice retreated at least 50 km, but nearly reached the sea again during the Younger Dryas re-advance, ending at 10,000 B.P. Sunnmøre was ice-free during an interstadial 28,000–38,000 B.P. Later the inland ice reached the sea. The final deglaciation is poorly dated in Sunnmøre , while further south in Nordfjord , it started slightly before 12,300 B.P., followed by

671-560: Is 2,405 meters high. It is situated on the border between the municipality of Luster and Årdal and is part of the Hurrungane range. The summit is a destination for mountaineers but is fairly difficult. First ascent by William Cecil Slingsby on 21 July 1876. There are a number of different routes, the most common being Heftye's renne (Heftye's couloir ). Another route of ascent is via Andrew's renne (Andrew's couloir ), first ascent A. W. Andrews and party in 1899. Store Skagastølstind and

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732-430: Is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. Law enforcement and church services are provided at a national level in Norway. Municipalities are undergoing continuous change by dividing, consolidating, and adjusting boundaries. In 1930, there were 747 municipalities in Norway. As of 2024, there are 357 municipalities. See

793-508: Is loaned from the French word commune , which ultimately derives from Latin word communia , communis ("common"). The Kven equivalent is kommuuni . Historically, the word herred   ( Bokmål ) or herad   ( Nynorsk ) was used in Norway as the name for municipalities. That word derived from the old hundred that was used all over northern Europe. Since the 1960s, that name has fallen out of use across Norway, although

854-470: Is located in the north-central part of the region, while Hardanger Icecap ( Hardangerjøkulen ) and the Folgefonna Glacier are smaller ice fields in the south. Norway's longest fjord, Sogn Fjord (205 km [127 mi]), located in the central part of the region, nearly divides Vestlandet in two; farther south Hardanger Fjord stretches inland for 179 km (111 mi). Many waterfalls flow into

915-498: Is one of the major agricultural areas in Norway. Farms in other areas of Western Norway are often small. The total area of agricultural in Western Norway is 2 650 square kilometers, which is 5.3% of the total area in the region. Western Norway is highly mountainous; in less than 10 kilometers from the Sognefjord , there are peaks that are over 2000 meters in height. The highest point is Store Skagastølstind (also known as Storen), which

976-463: Is that municipalities should only merge voluntarily, and studies are underway to identify potential gains. There are two different writing standards in Norway: Bokmål and Nynorsk . Norwegian municipalities are named kommuner   ( Bokmål ) or kommunar   ( Nynorsk ) (plural) or kommune (the singular form is the same in both Bokmål and Nynorsk). The Norwegian word kommune

1037-563: The Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. Vikings ' seaworthiness and wanderlust resulted in new areas being developed. Norwegian settlers moved into the North Sea westward to Iceland , the Faroe Islands , Greenland , Shetland , Orkney , Isle of Man and the Hebrides . Settlements were established in the southeast corner of Ireland including in Dublin , Waterford and Wexford . Norwegians settled along

1098-699: The British Isles , are descendants of Norsemen and Vikings who emigrated from Western Norway during the Viking Age . On the other hand, thousands of Western Norwegians are descendants of Dutch and German traders who arrived in the 16th and the 17th centuries, especially in Bergen. Vestland is also the name of a county consisting of two former counties, viz. Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane. The two counties were re-merged after having been split in 1763 (then called Søndre Bergenhus and Nordre Bergenhus , respectively). === Early history === Norway's history begins on

1159-572: The Faroe Islands lie to the west across the North Sea, while Denmark lies south of its southern tip across the North Sea . It is 675 km (419 mi) from the Faroe Islands to Western Norway while Unst in the Shetland Islands is about 300 km (190 mi) away. Western Norway has a 26,592 km (16,524 mi) long coastline. The southern part of the region is called Jæren . This

1220-609: The Hebrides , Man and Ireland proper. In early modern times, Western Norway experienced much emigration to the United States , Canada , and to a lesser extent to the United Kingdom . This applies particularly to the US states of Minnesota , North and South Dakota , Wisconsin , Montana , and the Canadian province of Manitoba . The Icelandic and Faroese people , and many people in

1281-463: The Paleic relief . A study of Sognefjord suggest that the fluvial and glacial erosion that made the fjords has followed structural weaknesses in the crust . The headvalleys in particular seem to located at structural weakness zones. Western Norway bears some resemblance to other passive margins at lower latitudes like eastern Australia . In both cases a table land is dissected by valleys forming

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1342-773: The Vikings feared among contemporary Christian Europeans. But the images of Vikings as bloodthirsty plunderers are not always representative. The Vikings were involved in a wealthy merchant trade, not only in Europe but also including the Byzantine Empire and the Baghdad Caliphate. Historically Vikings are often introduced with the Viking attack on Lindisfarne in 793, when they really made their mark in European history. The era ends with

1403-503: The list of former municipalities of Norway for further details about municipal mergers. The consolidation effort has been underway since the work of the Schei Committee in the 1960s. This work has been complicated by a number of factors. Since block grants are made by the national government to the municipalities based on an assessment of need, there is little incentive for the municipalities to lose local autonomy. The national policy

1464-416: The municipal council ( kommunestyre ). The mayor is the executive leader. The municipal council is the deliberative and legislative body of the municipality and it is the highest governing body in the municipality. The members of the municipal council are elected for a four-year term . A subdivision of the full council is the executive council ( formannskap ), composed of five members. Historically,

1525-506: The 9th century from his Castle Avaldsnes on Karmöy at Haugesund. Norway was named from the Way North by seafaring. Before the millennium , iron was introduced and used in agriculture, and there was a shortage of land to cultivate . In the same period, the kings' power increased, and large tax claims caused many to seek freedom and fortune abroad. Many emigrated, and looting became an alternative source of income. Effective boats and weapons made

1586-623: The Earth's crust, they dug out gorges and canyons that knifed deep into the jagged coast. To the east the land sloped more gently, and broader valleys were formed. During repeated periods of glaciation in the Great Ice Age of the Quaternary Period (i.e., about the last 2.6 million years), the scouring action of glaciers tonguing down the V-shaped valleys that were then part of the landscape created

1647-472: The Hardangervidda is above the tree line . Its alpine climate means that many species of Arctic animals and plants are found here, further south than anywhere else in Europe. Its wild reindeer herds are among the largest in the world, with some 15,000 animals recorded in 1996 and about 8,000 in 2008. They migrate across the plateau during the year, moving from their winter grazing lands on the east side of

1708-537: The Hardangervidda, where they graze on lichen , to their breeding grounds in the more fertile west of the plateau. 30,000 years ago glaciers covered vast areas of the Northern Hemisphere . As so much water was trapped on land, in the form of glacial ice, the sea lay 120 metres below its present level. This meant that the North Sea was dry land, a treeless tundra, with long, winding rivers, endless stretches of boggy land and wide, sandy heaths. Only as far south as

1769-650: The Mediterranean and the Black Sea were there any forests. As the climate slowly improved and the Scandinavian peninsula rose from the grip of the ice, plants and animals started to invade the new territory. As soon as there was dry land the first plants took root and with them came animals, birds and insects. The first of these were the Arctic animals such as wild reindeer , Arctic fox and wolverine (glutton), who followed

1830-559: The archaeological record, nor has it contributed more than a handful of words to the Icelandic language , which was a Scandinavian dialect, more or less identical with the Viking Age Norse spoken in Western Norway, the Faroes , Shetland , Orkney , etc. Today it is estimated that 60% of the Icelandic population are descendants of people from Western Norway. For a century emigration was

1891-532: The average precipitation is 2,250 mm per year [ 1 ]. The wet climate is partly due to the Gulf Stream , which also gives this region a milder winter than other parts of Norway, with rain being more common than snow in the winter. Late June to early August is when summer is at its peak. This is when the weather is at its most stable and warmest with sunny, long and bright days. It is not unusual with temperatures reaching 25 °C (77 °F) and above. During

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1952-512: The beginning there has been sure short visits by people from the south who hunted along the coast. It is thought that people came from Doggerland , the North Sea land area between Denmark and England, which disappeared when the ice retreated and sea levels rose. The people who lived there must now find a new land. Some retreated south again, while a few passed the Norwegian Trench (which was considerably smaller than now) in its hunt for deer and

2013-423: The catch goes into fish meal and oil, but some is processed for human consumption in freezing plants. In the northwest the city of Ålesund thrives on fishing. Ålesund is one of the world's largest and most important ports for cod . By the mid-1990s Norway had become the world's second largest oil exporter (behind Saudi Arabia ). The first commercially important discovery of petroleum on Norway's continental shelf

2074-533: The congregation donated their fully furnished church to the Emigration Center. It was taken down, transported to Sletta and reconstructed there by volunteers from Radøy . The church was reconsecrated by the Bishop of Bjørgvin , Ole Danholt Hagesæther, 6 July 1997. Western Norway is the third largest region in Norway by area. It covers an area of 58,582 km (22,619 sq mi). The United Kingdom and

2135-490: The council has been known as a herredstrye , using the old name for a municipality. H Western Norway Western Norway ( Bokmål : Vestlandet, Vest-Norge ; Nynorsk : Vestlandet, Vest-Noreg ) is the region along the Atlantic coast of southern Norway . It consists of the counties Rogaland , Vestland , and Møre og Romsdal . The region has no official or political-administrative function. The region has

2196-503: The course of September the landscape is painted in golden colours. Red clusters of rowan berries hang on naked branches. Autumn also means harvest time along the fjords. Gales, rain and cloud are likely along the west coast and the rainfall is frequent and heavy. Thanks to the warming Gulf Stream , the Norwegian fjords enjoy a relatively mild climate and remain virtually ice-free even during the winter. Wintertime, usually from November, turns

2257-410: The edge of the glacier up to the mountains. The trees came later, accompanied by a rich flora and fauna including bears, elk , marten , fox, hare , European beaver and otter . This influx reached its climax around 3000 BC when the climate improved considerably, giving rise to the postglacial period of warmth. The average temperature rose 3 degrees. This may not sound very much, but in the mountains

2318-486: The end of the century approached. It was estimated that the high rate of oil production could be sustained at least into the second decade of the 21st century, while that of natural gas was projected to increase dramatically and be sustained much longer. More than one-fourth of the huge investment made in Norwegian offshore operations by the mid-1990s went toward the development of the Troll gas field just west of Bergen , one of

2379-431: The first of which is related to the Norwegian words sokn and sogn (a parish). The second term is related to the Norwegian word gjeld ( prestegjeld ). Lule Sámi likewise has two words for municipalities: suohkan and giellda . The Southern Sámi word is tjïelte . Each municipality has its own governmental leaders: the mayor ( ordfører   ( Bokmål ) or ordførar   ( Nynorsk ) ) and

2440-938: The fjords, with the Syv Systre , Toka Gorge , and Vørings Falls (Vøringsfossen) among the best known. The rugged coastline is protected by thousands of offshore islands in a nearly continuous line. Occasionally, the northern parts of Møre og Romsdal are considered to be part of Trøndelag . Map references: Europe Area: total: 58,582 km Area – comparative: slightly larger than Croatia , but slightly smaller than West Virginia . Coastline: 26,592 km Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 10  nmi (18.5 km; 11.5 mi) continental shelf: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi) Rivers running westward acquired tremendous erosive power. Following fracture lines marking weaknesses in

2501-614: The higher mountain areas. Numerous glaciers are still found in Western Norway. Elevation extremes: lowest point: North Sea 0 m highest point: Store Skagastølstind 2,405 m The fjords of western Norway formed in connection to the east-ward tilting of much of Norway during the Cenozoic uplift of the Scandinavian Mountains . This uplift, that occurred long before the Quaternary glaciations , enabled rivers to incise deeply

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2562-783: The interior mountain region. The major exception is the wide Jæren Plain, south of Stavanger . Glaciation and other forces wore down the surface and created thick sandstone , conglomerate , and limestone deposits known as sparagmite . Numerous extensive areas called peneplains, whose relief has been largely eroded away, also were formed. Remains of these include the Hardanger Plateau —1,100 m (3,600 ft) above sea level—Europe's largest mountain plateau, covering about 6,500 km (2,500 sq mi). Glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords. Frozen ground all-year can also be found in

2623-669: The internet we are linked to the national digital records of emigrants from Norway to the United States that have been developed by the University of Bergen and the Bergen Public Archives. The center's Emigrant Church was originally the Brampton Lutheran Church in Sargent County, North Dakota , built by Norwegian emigrants at the turn of the 19th century. The Brampton congregation was formed 1 July 1908. and 22 June 1996,

2684-624: The magnificent U-shaped drowned fjords that now grace the western coast of Norway. Enormous masses of soil , gravel , and stone were also carried by glacial action as far south as present-day Denmark and northern Germany . The bedrock , exposed in about 40 percent of the area, was scoured and polished by the movements of these materials. From the southernmost point a swelling complex of ranges, collectively called Langfjellene , runs northward to divide eastern Norway , or Østlandet, from western Norway. The narrow coastal zone of Vestlandet has many islands, and steep-walled, narrow fjords cut deep into

2745-666: The mountain areas of Western Norway into highly favourable skiing conditions. During springtime the most amazing colours burst forth to honour the warmth of the rising sun. Orchards of flowering fruit trees can be seen along the Hardangerfjord in May. Western Norway is rich in natural resources. Today Stavanger the oil capital of Norway. Before petroleum, fishing and agriculture were the most important economic activities in Western Norway. Some areas of Western Norway such as Jæren , Karmøy , Vindafjord , Voss , Sunnfjord and Fræna comprise

2806-495: The mountaineering of the late 19th century in Norway is traditionally linked to the historical hotel Turtagrø. There are many fjords in Western Norway, Hardangerfjorden , Boknafjorden and Sognefjorden are the longest. The Sognefjord ( Sognefjorden ) is the largest fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world, after Scoresby Sund on Greenland . Located in Sogn og Fjordane it stretches 205 km (127 mi) inland to

2867-633: The new country. The region includes most of the scope of the old Gulating , which was founded around the year 900. The Gulating Act divided the country into the Western counties, which consisted of the former småkongedømmene that existed in the area before the unification of the 800's and then was converted to jarle judge. These were Sunnmørafylke ( Sunnmøre ), Firda County ( Fjordane ), Sygna County ( Sogn ), Hordafylke ( Hordaland ), Rygjafylke ( Rogaland ) and Egdafylke ( Agder ). Harald Hairfair united Norway and parts of Sweden west of Lake Vänern and Götaälv in

2928-470: The northwest area of England, principally in the area of modern-day Cumbria . The Norwegian Vikings also discovered Vinland , present-day America, long before Christopher Columbus . Christianity became the dominant religion in Norway in the 11th century, but the religion was probably known among Norwegians already in the 7th century. While Eastern Norway was introduced to Christianity by missionaries and monks from Germany and Friesland , Western Norway

2989-662: The settlement period in Iceland is the Book of Settlements (Landnámabók), written in the 12th century, which gives a detailed account of the first settlers. According to this book, Western Norwegian sailors accidentally discovered the country. A few voyages of exploration were made soon after that and then the settlement started. Ingólfur Arnarson was said to be the first settler. He was a chieftain from Norway, arriving in Iceland with his family and dependents in 874. He built his farm in Reykjavík ,

3050-591: The site of the present capital. During the next 60 years or so, Viking settlers from Scandinavia and also from Norse colonies in the British Isles —Ireland, Scotland and the Scottish Isles —settled in the country. There was therefore a Celtic element among the first inhabitants. The settlement of Iceland may also be viewed in the context of the general Viking expansion of the period, plausibly linked to population pressure in Western Norway and increasing scarcity of farming land. It has thus left few traces in

3111-511: The small village of Skjolden . Providing the most spectacular fjord and mountain scenery in Norway, the region has been a tourist mecca for centuries. Except for the Jæren plain located at the extreme southern end of the region, Vestlandet is mountainous, with the Jotunheim Mountains and the Hardanger Plateau being the highest areas. The Jostedals Glacier , the largest glacier in Europe,

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3172-487: The species which can withstand short periods of frost and snow in winter. These are found both a little further north, and in the fjords. Typical examples are the foxglove (digitalis purpurea) and the holly (ilex aquifolium), which in Norway grow only in the southwest. Western Norway is one of the wettest regions in Europe, with precipitation in the mountains near the coast of about 3,500 mm per year on average, and exceeding 5,000 mm in peak years. In Bergen city

3233-399: The time interval 11,000–10,000 B.P. ( Younger Dryas ). The erosion rate of the cirque glacier was 0.9 mm/year. Western Norway has similar flora and fauna as the rest of Norway, but there are some major differences. While almost all red deer in Norway are found here, there are few moose . Reindeer are a common sight on the Hardangervidda and in other large mountain areas. The whole of

3294-469: The tree line rises about 100 metres up the mountainside for each degree M so the consequences were dramatic. Most of the mountains of Western Norway which today occupy about three quarters of the land mass M became covered with dense forests of pine and birch. The glaciers had thawed and vanished, and extensive oak forests, not unlike those we see today in Central Europe, spread over the low-lying land. Life

3355-434: The two counties of Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane up to 1924. This has been possible thanks to the work of many years by Jahn Sjursen, who has also collected books and other publications, pictures and objects related to Norwegian emigrants in the United States. He officially donated his collections to the Emigration Center at the opening in 1997. The Center continues to receive publications and objects for its collection. Via

3416-531: The west coast, particularly in Rogaland . Excavations and rock art tells us that it was in Rogaland that the first humans settled in Norway, when the ice retreated after the last ice age ca. 10,000 years ago. There are many artifacts from the Stone Age in Rogaland . The preliminary oldest traces of humans are found in a settlement on Galta , Rennesøy , near the ferry terminal Mortavika and Vista on Randaberg . In

3477-669: Was from modern times. It was granted on 16 March 1962. The arms show a bear , which is taken as a symbol for Arnbjørn Jonsson, who lived in Eidsberg. The bear is canting for Bjørn ( Norwegian : bear ). He was a well-known warrior during the civil war era under King Håkon Håkonsson , until his death in 1240. Municipalities of Norway Municipalities are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services , senior citizen services, welfare and other social services , zoning , economic development , and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality

3538-525: Was hard for the animals and plants in the high mountains, as they were pressed up towards the highest peaks, which rose like islands from a sea of forest. Along the west coast the winter is mild and snowfalls rare. Here are a number of the plants which cannot tolerate frost, for example the star hyacinth (scilla verna) and the purple heather (erica purpurea), which are otherwise only found in England, Ireland and further south. A little further inland we come upon

3599-455: Was made at the Ekofisk field in the North Sea late in 1969, just as foreign oil companies were about to give up after four years of exploratory drilling. Intensified exploration increased reserves faster than production. Nevertheless, by the mid-1990s about half of export earnings and nearly one-tenth of government revenues came from offshore oil and gas, and these revenues continued to increase as

3660-428: Was mainly introduced to the religion by English, Scottish, Irish people and Vikings who had converted to Christianity. Norse paganism existed in some areas in Western Norway until being totally replaced by Christianity by the 13th century. The coastal areas were the first to be introduced to the new faith, and then the inland areas. Churches were established throughout the country. The main source of information about

3721-408: Was merged back into the municipality of Eidsberg on 1 January 1961. The municipality (originally the parish ) was named after the old Eidsberg farm ( Old Norse : Eiðsberg ) because the first church was built here. The first element is the genitive case of eið 'path around a waterfall ' and the last element is berg ' mountain '. Prior to 1847, the name was spelled Edsberg . The coat-of-arms

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