is a
county||-|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 431 municipalities...
(fylke) in
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
, bordering
Telemarkis a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
,
Rogalandis a county in Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum-industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%.-Etymology:...
, and
Vest-Agder is a county in Norway, bordering Rogaland to the west and Aust-Agder to the east. In 2002 there were 157,851 inhabitants, which is 3.4% of the total population in Norway. Its area is 7,281 km²...
. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which is 2.2% of the total population in Norway. Its area is . The administrative center of the county is in
Arendalis a town and municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. The town is the administrative center the municipality and of Aust-Agder county. Arendal belongs to the traditional region of Sørlandet...
.
The county, which is located at the
SkagerrakThe Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:...
coast, extends from Gjernestangen at Risør to Kvåsefjorden at Lillesand. The inner parts of the area includes
SetesdalsheieneSetesdalsheiene is the collective term for the mountains to the west and east of the valley Setesdalen....
and Austheiene. About 77% of the inhabitants live at the coast, where the main built area is.
TourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other...
is important, as Arendal and the other coastal towns are popular attractions.
The county includes the islands of
TromøyTromøy is the largest island in Southern Norway, a former municipality in Aust-Agder county, and is currently an important part of the present-day municipality of Arendal. The island is located directly across the harbor from the town of Arendal. It is known for having once hosted many Viking...
, Justøya, and
SandøyaSandøya is an island along the southern coast of Norway. It has roughly 230 permanent residents , and shares its local administration with the surrounding communities and the nearby town Tvedestrand. The island has no bridge to the mainland, and the inhabitants rely on boats for transportation....
. The interior of the county encompasses the traditional district of
SetesdalSetesdal is a valley and a traditional district in Aust-Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes....
, through which the
OtraThe Otra river is the largest river in the Sørlandet region of Norway. It flows from the Setesdalsheiene in Bykle municipality in Aust-Agder in the north down to the municipality of Kristiansand in the south....
river flows to the coast.
Name
The meaning of the name is "(the) eastern (part of)
AgderAgder is a historical district of Norway in the southernmost region of Norway, corresponding to the two counties Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder. Today, the term Sørlandet is more commonly used.-Name:...
", since the word
aust is the
nynorskNynorsk or New Norwegian is one of the two official written languages in Norway, the other being Bokmål. Just above 10% of the Norwegian population use Nynorsk as their primary written language...
form of "east".
(see also: the name of Vest-Agder is a county in Norway, bordering Rogaland to the west and Aust-Agder to the east. In 2002 there were 157,851 inhabitants, which is 3.4% of the total population in Norway. Its area is 7,281 km²...
county).
Until 1919, the name of the county was
Nedenes amt. The amt was named after the old
Nedenes farm (
NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
Niðarnes), since this was the seat of the
amtmann (
County GovernorCounty Governor is a Norwegian government agency represented in 18 of the Norwgian counties responsible for a number of supervision and management duties. The Governor is the representative of the King and Government of Norway in each county, functioning as the connection between the state and the...
). The first element is the
genitive caseIn grammar, the genitive case is the case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
of the river name
Nið (now called the
NidelvaNidelva in Aust-Agder is the main river in the Arendal drainage basin. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers, Nisserelva and Fyreselv. The river flows into the Skagerak at Arendal. The total length of the system is , the watershed covers...
) and the last element is
nes which means "
headlandA headland is land surrounded by water on three sides.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series*Headland , the area at each end of a planted field used for turning farm machinery...
". The meaning of the river name is unknown.
Coat-of-arms
The
coat-of-armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
is from modern times. They were granted in 1958. It shows two golden bars on a red background. They symbolize the
lumberLumber or timber is wood that is used in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
trade and the recovery of
iron oreIron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, deep purple, to rusty red. The iron itself is usually found in the form of magnetite , hematite , goethite, limonite or...
that was important for Aust-Agder's growth.
Population
Since the census of 1769, Aust-Agder has experienced a steady population growth: from 29,633 to 79,927 in 1900, and to 102,848 in 2001. These figures are deceptive, however, as they do not count the exodus to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It began with a flow of people from
SetesdalSetesdal is a valley and a traditional district in Aust-Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes....
en like the swarm of bees of
JordanesJordanes , was a 6th century Roman bureaucrat , who turned his hand to history later in life.Though he also wrote Romana, a book about the history of Rome, his most known work is his Getica, written in Constantinople about AD 551...
in the early 19th century. They were looking for work and cultural improvement in the cities of the coast, but they often continued on to the United States.
Municipalities
The system of
municipalities|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
, or
kommuner, was established in Norway in 1837, based on previously existing
parishA parish is a territorial unit that was usually historically served by a local church. This administrative unit is typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches...
es. Norway had been ceded to
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
by
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
in 1814, at which it promptly rebelled and won the right of self rule, though nominally part of Sweden. In 1905, Norway declared total independence. Meanwhile, the kommuner did not remain the same, but new ones were formed, old ones broken up, and land was passed between kommuner.
Currently Aust-Agder County has a total of 15 municipalities:
| Municipalities in Aust-Agder |
| Key |
 |
- Åmli
Åmli is a municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The main population centre and administrative center is the village of Åmli which lies along the river Nidelva.-Name:...
- Arendal
is a town and municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. The town is the administrative center the municipality and of Aust-Agder county. Arendal belongs to the traditional region of Sørlandet...
- Birkenes
Birkenes is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The village of Birkeland is the administrative center and about half of the municipality's residents live there...
- Bygland
Bygland is a municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. Bygland was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 ....
- Bykle
Bykle is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Setesdal. Bykle was established when it was separated from the municipality of Valle on 1 January 1902.-General information:...
- Evje og Hornnes
Evje og Hornnes is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Setesdal. Evje og Hornnes was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1960 after the merger of the two older municipalities of Evje and Hornnes....
- Froland
Froland is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Blakstad, which along with Osedalen form the main population center of the municipality....
- Gjerstad
Gjerstad is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The parish of Gjerrestad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 .-Name:...
- Grimstad
is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad.It is a little maritime town set among many small islands...
- Iveland
Iveland is a village and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Birketveit.-General information:...
- Lillesand
is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Lillesand.-General information:...
- Risør
is a city and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The city belongs to the traditional region of Sørlandet. It is a popular tourist place. The surrounding area includes many small lakes and hills, and is known for its beautiful coastline as well....
- Tvedestrand
is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Tvedestrand....
- Valle
- Vegårshei
Vegårshei is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Myra.-General information:...
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External links