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Smøla

Coordinates: 63°24′07″N 08°01′45″E / 63.40194°N 8.02917°E / 63.40194; 8.02917
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This article is about the municipality in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. For the island, see Smøla (island).
Smøla Municipality
Smøla kommune
Municipality
View of Veiholmen
View of Veiholmen
Flag of Smøla Municipality
Flag
Coat of arms of Smøla Municipality
Coat of arms
Møre og Romsdal within Norway
Møre og Romsdal within Norway
Smøla within Møre og Romsdal
Smøla within Møre og Romsdal
Coordinates: 63°24′07″N 08°01′45″E / 63.40194°N 8.02917°E / 63.40194; 8.02917
CountryNorway
CountyMøre og Romsdal
DistrictNordmøre
Established1 Jan 1960
 • Preceded byEdøy, Brattvær, and Hopen municipalities
Administrative centreHopen
Government
 • Mayor (2019)Svein Roksvåg (Sp)
Area
 • Total
271.91 km2 (104.99 sq mi)
 • Land261.10 km2 (100.81 sq mi)
 • Water10.81 km2 (4.17 sq mi)  4%
 • Rank#272 in Norway
Population
 (2023)
 • Total
2,158
 • Rank#270 in Norway
 • Density8.3/km2 (21/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −1%
DemonymSmølværing[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1573[3]
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

Smøla is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hopen, other villages include Dyrnes, Råket, and Veiholmen.

The 272-square-kilometre (105 sq mi) municipality is the 272nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Smøla is the 270th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,158. The municipality's population density is 8.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (21/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 1% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]

General information

[edit]
The fishing village of Veiholmen
View of the Old Edøy Church

The municipality of Smøla was established on 1 January 1960 after the merger of Edøy Municipality (population: 1,135), Brattvær Municipality (population: 1,361), and Hopen Municipality (population: 1,550). The initial population of Smøla was 4,046. The boundaries have not changed since that time.[6]

Name

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The municipality is named after the main island of Smøla (Old Norse: Smyl or Smjöl). The name is probably related to the Danish word smule or the modern Norwegian word smuldre which both mean "crumble", referring to the thousands of small islands and islets around the main island.[7] Researchers at Technische Universität Berlin have claimed that Smøla is the island which Pytheas called Thule (Ancient Greek: Θούλη, Thoúlē).[8]

Coat of arms

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The coat of arms was granted on 10 March 1989. The official blazon is "Gules, two seagulls volant argent" (Norwegian: I rødt to oppflygende sølv måker). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is two flying seagulls. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This design was chosen to highlight the fact that this is an island community and that is a common type of bird in the area. The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9][10][11]

See also: the coat of arms of Hasvik

Churches

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The Church of Norway has three parishes within the municipality of Smøla. It is part of the Ytre Nordmøre prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre.

In 2019, archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research using large-scale high-resolution georadar technology, determined that a 17 meter long Viking ship was buried on the island of Edøya near one of the churches. They estimate its age as over 1,000 years, from the Merovingian or Viking period; the group hopes to conduct additional searches in the area. A similar burial was found previously by the group, in Gjellestad.[12]

Churches in Smøla
Parish (sokn) Church name Location of the church Year built
Brattvær Brattvær Church Brattvær 1917
Edøy Edøy Church Edøy 1885
Old Edøy Church Edøya c. 1190
Hopen Hopen Church Hopen 1892

Geography

[edit]
View of a boat in Smøla

The municipality of Smøla is located north of the town of Kristiansund, off the western coast of Norway. The municipality consists of the main island of Smøla and more than 3,000 smaller ones. The 216-square-kilometre (83 sq mi) main island is very flat, the highest peak reaches 64 m (210 ft) above sea level. The highest peak in the municipality is 70 m (230 ft) above sea level, being Ramndalshaugen on the island of Kuli. Almost all of the land area consists of marshes and cliffs; only 5% is cultivated into agricultural land. Other minor islands in the municipality include Edøya, Kuli, and Veiholmen. The municipality is separated from the rest of Norway by the Edøyfjorden to the south.

Due to the vast number of small islands surrounding Smøla, there are several lighthouses. The three most notable ones are Haugjegla Lighthouse (north of Smøla), Skalmen Lighthouse, (northwest of Smøla), and Tyrhaug Lighthouse (southeast of Smøla in the Edøyfjorden).

Scientists of the Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformationtechnique of Technische Universität Berlin were testing the antique maps of Ptolemy and recognized a pattern of calculation mistakes that occurred when one tried to convert the old coordinates from Ptolemy into modern cartographical maps. The scientists believe that, when one compensates for these mistakes, the mythological location Thule corresponds to the island of Smøla.[13]

Climate

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Smøla has a temperate oceanic climate, also known as a marine west coast climate (Cfb), with a cool summer and mild winter. The year amplitude is only 11.1 °C (20 °F) from the coldest to the warmest month. The driest season is from April - July, and the wettest season is autumn and winter. The record high is from July 2018, and the record low is from February 2010.

Climate data for Veiholmen, Smøla 1991-2020 (5 m, precipitation from Moldstad, extremes 2002-2024)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 11.2
(52.2) 		9.8
(49.6) 		13.8
(56.8) 		20.1
(68.2) 		22.5
(72.5) 		26
(79) 		27.9
(82.2) 		24.4
(75.9) 		20.8
(69.4) 		20.7
(69.3) 		16.1
(61.0) 		11.8
(53.2) 		27.9
(82.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.5
(38.3) 		2.9
(37.2) 		3.5
(38.3) 		5.6
(42.1) 		7.9
(46.2) 		10.6
(51.1) 		13.2
(55.8) 		14
(57) 		12.3
(54.1) 		8.6
(47.5) 		6.2
(43.2) 		4.1
(39.4) 		7.7
(45.9)
Record low °C (°F) −8.9
(16.0) 		−11.4
(11.5) 		−5.8
(21.6) 		−1.9
(28.6) 		0.5
(32.9) 		4.1
(39.4) 		7.4
(45.3) 		7.3
(45.1) 		3.1
(37.6) 		−0.2
(31.6) 		−7
(19) 		−7.3
(18.9) 		−11.4
(11.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 123
(4.8) 		110
(4.3) 		105
(4.1) 		70
(2.8) 		58
(2.3) 		67
(2.6) 		64
(2.5) 		101
(4.0) 		141
(5.6) 		128
(5.0) 		120
(4.7) 		149
(5.9) 		1,236
(48.6)
Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[14][15]

Government

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Smøla Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[16] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Møre og Romsdal District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

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The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Smøla is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Smøla kommunestyre 2023–2027 [17]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:17
Smøla kommunestyre 2019–2023 [18]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
 Smøla to Trøndelag (Smøla til Trøndelag)1
Total number of members:17
Smøla kommunestyre 2015–2019 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 12
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:21
Smøla kommunestyre 2011–2015 [20]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:21
Smøla kommunestyre 2007–2011 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 7
Total number of members:21
Smøla kommunestyre 2003–2007 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 8
Total number of members:21
Smøla kommunestyre 1999–2003 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 8
Total number of members:21
Smøla kommunestyre 1995–1999 [21]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 7
Total number of members:21
Smøla kommunestyre 1991–1995 [22]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:21
Smøla kommunestyre 1987–1991 [23]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
 Veidholmen local list (Veidholmen kretslist)2
 North Smøla local list (Nordsmøla Kretsliste)3
Total number of members:21
Smøla kommunestyre 1983–1987 [24]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
 Veidholmen local list (Veidholmen kretslist)4
 Local list for South Smøla (Kretsliste for Sørsmøla)1
Total number of members:27
Smøla kommunestyre 1979–1983 [25]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
 Non-party list (Upolitisk liste)4
Total number of members:27
Smøla kommunestyre 1975–1979 [26]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:27
Smøla kommunestyre 1971–1975 [27]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 5
Total number of members:27
Smøla kommunestyre 1967–1971 [28]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 12
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:27
Smøla kommunestyre 1963–1967 [29]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 13
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 5
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:27
Smøla kommunestyre 1959–1963 [30]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 5
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 1
Total number of members:27

Mayors

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The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Smøla:

  • 1960–1963: Henning Talleraas (H)
  • 1964–1967: Aksel Stølen (Ap)
  • 1968–1969: Petter Dalen (Ap)
  • 1970–1971: Aksel Stølen (Ap)
  • 1972–1974: Einar Korsand (V)
  • 1974–1975: Olaf Birkeland (Sp)
  • 1975–1975: Oddleiv Torske (KrF)
  • 1976–1979: Karle Gjernes (V)
  • 1980–1985: Gudmund Restad (Sp)
  • 1985–1987: Hans Vallestad (H)
  • 1988–1991: Joralf Flataukan (H)
  • 1991–2011: Iver Nordseth (V)
  • 2011–2019: Roger Osen (Ap)
  • 2019–present: Svein Roksvåg (Sp)

Media

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The newspaper Nordvestnytt has been published in Smøla since 1988.[31]

Energy

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View of some wind turbines

On 5 September 2002, Statkraft announced the opening of the Smøla Wind Farm, a 40-megawatt (54,000 hp) wind project comprising twenty 2-megawatt (2,700 hp) wind turbines by Norway's King Harald V. This corresponds to phase one of the wind project, which when completed will have a total installed capacity of more than 110 megawatts (150,000 hp). Phase two was opened in September 2005 and included forty-eight 2.3-megawatt (3,100 hp) wind turbines. All in all, the wind energy production project consists of 68 windmills, making it among the largest wind projects in Europe. With a total generating capacity of 150 megawatts (200,000 hp), the Smøla wind farm's 68 turbines account for more than half of the installed wind power capacity in Norway. The total generating capacity is equivalent to 450 GWh of electricity per year, which corresponds to the average annual power consumption of 22,500 Norwegian households.[32]

Attractions

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View of the Kulisteinen

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  7. ^ Store norske leksikon. "Smøla" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  8. ^ "Dag og Tid".
  9. ^ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Smøla, Møre og Romsdal". Flags of the World. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 11 May 1989. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Ancient Viking ship discovered buried next to church using breakthrough georadar technology". The Independent. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019. This will certainly be of great historical significance, archaeologists say
  13. ^ Kleineberg, Andreas; Marx, Christian; Knobloch, Eberhard; Lelgemann, Dieter (2010). Germania und die Insel Thule. Die Entschlüsselung von Ptolemaios´ "Atlas der Oikumene". Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
  14. ^ "eklima - Norwegian Meteorological Institute".
  15. ^ "Weather statistics for Veiholmen".
  16. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2019 – Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  19. ^ a b c d "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  20. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2011 – Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  22. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  24. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  25. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  27. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  28. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  29. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  30. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  31. ^ Breivik Pettersen, Øyvind, ed. (25 November 2016). "Nordvestnytt". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  32. ^ "Statkraft takes over smola". Statkraft. 25 August 2010. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
[edit]
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Møre og Romsdal.

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