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 View of the town | |
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  Sortland  Sortland | |
| Coordinates:68°41′54″N15°24′50″E / 68.6982°N 15.4138°E /68.6982; 15.4138 | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Northern Norway |
| County | Nordland |
| District | Vesterålen |
| Municipality | Sortland Municipality |
| Established as | |
| Town (By) | 1997 |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.79 km2 (1.46 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Population (2023)[2] | |
• Total | 5,609 |
| • Density | 1,480/km2 (3,800/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Sortlending Sortlandssunding |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Post Code | 8400 Sortland |
Sortlandⓘ (Norwegian) orSuortá (Northern Sami)[4] is atown[1] and theadministrative centre ofSortland Municipality inNordland county,Norway. The town is located on the east coast of the island ofLangøya, along theSortlandsundet strait. In 1997, the municipality decided to declare "town status" for the urban area of Sortland. Sortland is the largest town and commercial centre in the wholeVesterålen region and is often referred to as "the blue town by the strait" (den blå byen ved sundet) since many of the buildings are painted blue.[5]
The 3.79-square-kilometre (940-acre) town has a population (2023) of 5,609 and apopulation density of 1,480 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,800/sq mi).[2]
TheNorwegian National Road 85 highway begins at Sortland and crosses theSortland Bridge to connect the town to the nearbyEuropean route E10 highway on the neighboring island ofHinnøya.[5]
The town has a regional high school, a cultural centre, library, cinema, Sortland Museum, andSortland Church. The town is also a regular stop of theHurtigruten boats.[5]
The town (and municipality) is named after the oldSortland farm (Old Norse:Svortuland) since the firstSortland Church was built there. The first element isSvort which is thegenitive case of the local river nameSvorta. The river name is derived fromsvartr which means "black" or "dark". The last element island which means "land" or "farm".[6]
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