Aust-Agder

Aust-Agder ([ˈæ̂ʉstˌɑɡdər] (listen), English: East Agder) was one 18 counties (fylker) in Norway up to 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Vest-Agder to form Agder county. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which was 2.2% of Norway's population. Its area was 9,212 square kilometres (3,557 sq mi). The county's administrative center was the town of Arendal.

Aust-Agder fylke
County
Vegår in 2001
Aust-Agder within Norway
CountryNorway
CountyAust-Agder
RegionSørlandet
County IDNO-09
Administrative centreArendal
Government
 • GovernorSvein Ytterdahl
  Arbeiderpartiet
  (2016–present)
 • County mayorGro Bråten
  Arbeiderpartiet
  (2017–present)
Area
 • Total9,158.15 km2 (3,535.98 sq mi)
 • Land8,353.31 km2 (3,225.23 sq mi)
 • Water804.54 km2 (310.63 sq mi)
Area rank#14 in Norway, 2.73% of Norway's land area
Population
 (30 September 2019)
 • Total118,127
 • Rank18 (2.26% of country)
 • Density14/km2 (40/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
4.3 %
Demonym(s)Austegde
Time zoneUTC+01 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02 (CEST)
Official language formNeutral
Income (per capita)135,700 NOK
GDP (per capita)208,275 NOK (2001)
GDP national rank18 (1.40% of country)
Websitewww.austagderfk.no
Data from Statistics Norway

The county, on the Skagerrak coast, extended from Gjernestangen at Risør to the Kvåsefjorden in Lillesand. The inner parts of the area included Setesdalsheiene and Austheiene. Most of the population lives near the coast; about 78% of the county's inhabitants live in the five coastal municipalities of Arendal, Grimstad, Lillesand, Tvedestrand, and Risør. The rest of the county is sparsely populated. Tourism is important, as Arendal and the other coastal towns are popular attractions.

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

In 2017, the Parliament of Norway voted to merge Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder counties into one large region, Agder, effective 1 January 2020.[1]

The county was part of the Aust-Agder District Court and the Church of Norway Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

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 Nidelva) and the last element is nes which means "headland". The meaning of the river name is unknown.[2]

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 12 December 1958. It shows two horizontal 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. There are two bars to represent the two areas of the county: inland and coastal.[3][4]

Municipalities

The system of municipalities, or kommuner, was established in Norway in 1837, based on previously existing parishes (see formannskapsdistrikt). 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, as the years progressed, the municipalities did not remain the same, but new ones were formed, old ones broken up, and land was transferred. Since the 1990s, Aust-Agder has been divided into 15 municipalities:

Map of the municipalities in the county
No.NameAdm. CenterPopulationArea (km²)
0901 Risør Risør 6,936 193
0904 Grimstad Grimstad 22,692 304
0906 Arendal Arendal 44,576 270
0911 Gjerstad Gjerstad 2,511 322
0912 Vegårshei Myra 2,104 356
0914 Tvedestrand Tvedestrand 6,051 215
0919 Froland Blakstad 5,713 645
0926 Lillesand Lillesand 10,702 190
0928 Birkenes Birkeland 5,178 674
0929 Åmli Åmli 1,856 1,131
0935 Iveland Birketveit 1,342 262
0937 Evje og Hornnes Evje 3,614 550
0938 Bygland Bygland 1,200 1,312
0940 Valle Valle 1,246 1,265
0941 Bykle Bykle 952 1,467
Total Aust-Agder Arendal 116,673 9,158

Cities
Main article: list of towns and cities in Norway

Parishes

Villages
Main article: list of villages in Aust-Agder

Former Municipalities
Main article: list of former municipalities of Norway § Aust-Agder

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±%
195175,811—    
196177,066+1.7%
197180,839+4.9%
198190,629+12.1%
199197,314+7.4%
2001102,714+5.5%
2011110,048+7.1%
2021?126,092+14.6%
2031?139,982+11.0%
Source: Statistics Norway.[5]
Religion in Aust-Agder[6][7]
religion percent
Christianity
 
 87.57%
Islam
 
 0.75%
Buddhism
 
 0.24%
Other
 
 11.44%

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. There was significant emigration to the United States in the 19th century and early 20th century.

See also

References
  1. "Om sammenslåingen" (in Norwegian). Agder fylkeskommune. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  2. Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nedenes amt (in Norwegian) (8 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 110.
  3. "Fylkesvåpenet" (in Norwegian). Aust-Agder fylkeskommune. Archived from the original on 2007-11-26. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  4. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  5. Projected population - Statistics Norway
  6. Statistics Norway - Church of Norway.
  7. Statistics Norway - Members of religious and life stance communities outside the Church of Norway, by religion/life stance. County. 2006-2010

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