Aust-Agder

Aust-Agder fylke
—  County  —
Coat of arms
Aust-Agder within Norway
Country	Norway
County	Aust-Agder
Region	[[Sørlandet]]
County ID	NO-09
Official language form	Neutral
Demonym	Austegde
Administrative centre	Arendal
Government
- Governor	Svein Åril (acting)   (2008–present)
- County Mayor	Laila Øygarden   Arbeiderpartiet   (2007–present)
Area (#14 in Norway, 2.73% of Norway's land area)
- Total	9,157 km2 (3,535.5 sq mi)
- Land	8,312 km2 (3,209.3 sq mi)
Population (2008)
- Total	106,842
- Density	12/km2 (31.1/sq mi)
- Change (10 years)	4.3 %
- Rank in Norway	18 (2.26% of nation)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Income (per capita)	135,700 NOK
GDP (per capita)	208,275 NOK (2001)
National Rank:	18 (1.40% of nation)
Website	http://www.aa-f.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

Aust-Agder (help·info) is a county (fylke) in Norway, bordering Telemark, Rogaland, and Vest-Agder. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which is 2.2% of the total population in Norway. Its area is 9,212 square kilometres (3,557 sq mi). The administrative center of the county is in Arendal.

The county, which is located at the Skagerrak coast, extends from Gjernestangen at Risør to Kvåsefjorden at Lillesand. The inner parts of the area includes Setesdalsheiene and Austheiene. About 77% of the inhabitants live at the coast, where the main built area is. Tourism is important, as Arendal and the other coastal towns are popular attractions.

The county includes the islands of Tromøy, Justøya, and Sandøya. The interior of the county encompasses the traditional district of Setesdal, through which the Otra river flows to the coast.

Name

The meaning of the name is "(the) eastern (part of) Agder", since the word aust is the nynorsk form of "east". (see also: the name of Vest-Agder county).

Until 1919, the name of the county was Nedenes amt. The amt was named after the old Nedenes farm (Norse Niðarnes), since this was the seat of the amtmann (County Governor). The first element is the genitive case of the river name Nið (now called the Nidelva) and the last element is nes which means "headland". The meaning of the river name is unknown.^[1]

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted in 1958. It shows two golden bars on a red background. They symbolize the lumber trade and the recovery of iron ore that was important for Aust-Agder's growth.^[2]

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 States. It began with a flow of people from Setesdalen like the swarm of bees of Jordanes 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, or kommuner, was established in Norway in 1837, based on previously existing parishes. Norway had been ceded to Sweden by Denmark 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 Arendal Birkenes Bygland Bykle Evje og Hornnes Froland Gjerstad Grimstad Iveland Lillesand Risør Tvedestrand Valle Vegårshei

See also

• Vest-Agder
• Sørlandet
• Agder

References

External links

• Political map
• Aust-Agder fylkeskommune (in English)
• Photogallery
• Jan Eri's "kommune" summary

v • d • e Counties of Norway Akershus · Aust-Agder · Buskerud · Finnmark · Hedmark · Hordaland · Møre og Romsdal · Nordland · Nord-Trøndelag · Oppland · Oslo · Østfold · Rogaland · Sogn og Fjordane · Sør-Trøndelag · Telemark · Troms · Vest-Agder · Vestfold

Coordinates: 58°34′00″N 08°34′00″E / 58.566667°N 8.566667°E / 58.566667; 8.566667