The 662-square-kilometre (256 sq mi) municipality is the 171st largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Ørsta Municipality is the 106th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 10,958. The municipality'spopulation density is 16.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (43/sq mi) and its population has increased by 4% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
The municipality of Ørsta was established on 1 August 1883 when it was separated from the largeVolda Municipality. The initial population was 2,070. On 1 January 1893, the Ytrestølen farm (population: 13) was transferred from Ørsta Municipality to Volda Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of theSchei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Ørsta Municipality (population: 6,209) was merged withHjørundfjord Municipality (population: 1,728) andVartdal Municipality (population: 1,315) to form a new, larger Ørsta Municipality.[7] On 1 January 2020, theBjørke andLeira areas of Ørsta Municipality were transferred to the neighboringVolda Municipality.[8]
The municipality (originally theparish) is named after theØrstafjorden (Old Norse:Œrstr). The meaning of the fjord name is uncertain, but it may come from the wordǿrr which means "raging" or "mad" (possibly referring to the water in the fjord).[9] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelledØrsten. On 3 November 1917, aroyal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality toØrsta.[10]
Thecoat of arms was granted on 13 July 1984. The officialblazon is"Azure, threefusils infessargent" (Norwegian:I blått tre sølv spisruter). This means the arms have a bluefield (background) and thecharge is a set of threefusils lined up horizontally. The charge has atincture ofargent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The three diamonds represent themountains reflecting in the waters of thefjord. The arms were designed by Gudmund Nesset. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[11][12]
Mountains in ØrstaAstabbur from Ørsta (ca. 1600) in theSunnmøre-Museum inÅlesund
Of the total area, 48% (386 square kilometres or 149 square miles) of the municipality is at an altitude of 600 metres (2,000 ft) or more above sea level.
The municipality is also the heartland of theSunnmørsalpene mountains, a particularly rugged and wild area of mountains in the southern part ofMøre og Romsdal county. The highest point in the municipality is the 1,630.04-metre (5,347.9 ft) tall mountain Smørskredtindane.[1] Other prolific peaks includeSlogen at 1,564 metres (5,131 ft),Skårasalen at 1,542 metres (5,059 ft),Kolåstinden at 1,432 metres (4,698 ft),Ramoen at 1,419 metres (4,656 ft),Saudehornet at 1,303 metres (4,275 ft), andRomedalstinden at 1,295 metres (4,249 ft).
Important sectors are mechanical industry and furniture manufacturing,agriculture, commercial fishing, andaquaculture. The first two are predominant in the village ofØrsta while agriculture dominates in adjacent valleys like the Follestaddalen, Åmdalen, andBondalen valleys. On the other hand, the northern part of the municipality has strong maritime traditions, withVartdal being the home of one of the largestfactory trawler fleets in Norway.
Themunicipal council (Kommunestyre) of Ørsta Municipality is made up of 33 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by politicalparty.
Themayor (Nynorsk:ordfører) of Ørsta Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:[35][36]
Ørsta–Volda Airport (in Hovdebygda) is the regional airport for people living in the municipalities of Ørsta, Volda, Vanylven, Sande, Ulstein, Hareid, and Herøy.European Route E39 transects the municipality in a north–south direction. Ørsta Municipality is linked toSula Municipality andSykkylven Municipality by aferry at Festøy, the northernmost point in Ørsta. It is also linked toUlstein Municipality (and Hareid, Herøy, and Sande municipalities) by theEiksund Tunnel, anundersea tunnel that opened on 23 February 2008 that is, currently, the world's deepest at 287 metres (942 ft) below the sea surface.
^Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024)."kommunestyre".Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved31 December 2024.