The nameSogn og Fjordane was created in 1919; a literal translation is:Sogn and the fjords. The first element is the name of the region ofSogn, located in the southern part of the county. The last element is the plural definite form offjord, which refers to the two regions in the county calledNordfjord andSunnfjord in the northern and central parts of the county.
Prior to 1919, the name of the county wasNordre Bergenhus amt which meant"(the) northern (part of) Bergenhusamt". (The oldBergenhus amt, created in 1662, was divided into northern and southern halves in 1763.)
Thecoat of arms of Sogn og Fjordane was granted on 23 September 1983. The arms show the geographical layout of the county: three large bluefjords protruding into the white colored land. The three fjords represent the three regions of the county:Nordfjord (surroundingNordfjorden),Sunnfjord (withFørdefjorden), andSogn (surroundingSognefjorden). Nearly all villages and towns are situated along one of these fjords and the name of the county is based on the fjords.[4]
The county consisted of the two historic counties:Firdafylke (now the Fjordane region; Nordfjord-Sunnfjord) andSygnafylke (now theSogn region). These both were formed in theMiddle Ages under theGulating government. They were merged withHordafylke (nowHordaland) andSunnmørafylke (nowSunnmøre) to form theBergenhus len in the late Middle Ages. The Bergenhus len was one of fourlen in Norway. It was administered from theBergenhus Fortress in the city ofBergen.[7]
On 19 February 1662, a royal decree changed the name toBergenhus amt. TheSunnmøre region was moved toRomsdalen amt in 1689. Later, in 1763, theamt was divided in half creating:Nordre Bergenhus andSøndre Bergenhus (Northern and Southern Bergenhus). Later, on 1 January 1919,Nordre Bergenhus amt was renamedSogn og Fjordane fylke during a period of time when many location names in Norway were changed.[8] In 2017, the Norwegian government announced the merger of this county as well asHordaland into a new county calledVestland.[9]
A county(fylke) is the chief local administrative area inNorway. The country is divided into 19 counties. A county is also an election area, with popular votes taking place every 4 years. TheSogn og Fjordane County Municipality was the government that oversaw the county. It was a group of 39 members who were elected to form acounty council(Fylkesting). Heading theFylkesting was the county mayor(fylkesordførar). The last county mayor for theSogn og Fjordane County Municipality wasÅshild Kjelsnes, the county mayor. She replacedNils R. Sandal, who was county mayor from 2003 until 2011.[8]
All of the municipalities of Sogn og Fjordane except Gulen and Solund were part of the Sogn og Fjordanepolice district. Gulen and Solund were part of the Hordaland police district.[7]
It is mainly a rural area with a scattered population. Sogn og Fjordane includes the largestglacier in mainland Norway,Jostedalsbreen, in theBreheimen mountain range, and the deepest lake,Hornindalsvatnet. There are also many famouswaterfalls located in the area.Ramnefjellsfossen (previously called Utigardfossen) is the tallest in Norway and third tallest in the world andVettisfossen is one of Norway's highest waterfalls with a vertical drop of 275 metres (902 ft). Both are located in theJotunheim mountains. Cruise ships visit Sogn og Fjordane all summer because of the unique vistas of high mountains and deep blue fjords.
The famousNærøyfjord is located in the south of the county. This is a UNESCO listed fjord area. There are several archipelagos, includingBulandet,Bremangerlandet and islands around Florø. The westernmost point in Norway proper isHolmebåen in Solund municipality. The island ofUnst, part ofShetland Islands is around 300 kilometres (190 mi) west of Holmebåen.
The terrain changes quite rapidly with mostly smaller mountains on the coastline, gradually increasing to mountains reaching more than 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). Because of the steep rise in elevation andfjords cutting through the terrain, the amount ofprecipitation is very high. Low pressure systems come in from the west and meet the mountains (a phenomenon known asorographic lifting) and cause rain and snowfall.
Transport is made more difficult because of the fjords and the mountains. The fjords have to be crossed by ferries or rounded, often a large detour. There are four airports in the county, atFlorø,Førde,Sandane andSogndal. There is only one railway station,Flåm. The county contracts bus and boat companies for bus and boat routes in the county, under the new (2015) brand name Kringom.
Map of the former municipalities in Sogn og Fjordane county (2014)
In 1837, the counties were divided into local administrative units, each with their own governments. The number and borders of thesemunicipalities have changed over time, and before the dissolution of the county, there were 26 municipalities in Sogn og Fjordane. Originally the municipalities were the same as the oldChurch of Norwayparishes.
^moderniseringsdepartementet, Kommunal- og (7 July 2017). "Regionreform" . Regjeringen.no. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2018
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