Country Norway District Vesterålen Area rank 188 in Norway Area 566.4 km² Population 7,937 (2012) | County Nordland Administrative centre Stokmarknes Demonym(s) Hadselværing Local time Tuesday 3:53 PM Official language form Bokmål | |
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Weather 1°C, Wind S at 31 km/h, 81% Humidity Points of interest Lofoten, Trollfjord, Hurtigruten Museum, Møysalen National Park, Møysalen Nasjonalparksenter | ||
Hadsel kommune et hav av muligheter
Hadsel (Northern Sami: Válafierda) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stokmarknes. Other villages in Hadsel include Fiskebøl, Gjerstad, Grønning, Grytting, Hanøyvika, Hennes, Kaljord, Melbu, Sanden, and Sandnes.
Contents
- Hadsel kommune et hav av muligheter
- Map of Hadsel Norway
- Fjelltur hadsel ya p tvers hadsel vester len 2015 06 19
- History
- Name
- Coat of arms
- Churches
- Geography
- Government
- Municipal council
- References
Map of Hadsel, Norway
The municipality is the southernmost municipality in the Vesterålen region. It is spread over four islands: Hadseløya, Hinnøya, Langøya, and Austvågøya. About 70% of the population live on Hadseløya island. Hadseløya island is connected to Langøya by the Hadsel Bridge and Børøy Bridge. Also, the Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen, is located nearby. It is the busiest small aircraft airport in Norway, serving 100,000 passengers annually (1997).
The municipality of Sortland lies to the north, Bø to the west, Vågan to the south, and Lødingen to the east.
Fjelltur hadsel ya p tvers hadsel vester len 2015 06 19
History
Hadsel was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The northern district of Hadsel was separated in 1841 to form the new municipality of Sortland. On 1 January 1963, the Indre Eidsfjord district of Hadsel (population: 1,360) was transferred to Sortland municipality.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Hadsel farm (Old Norse: Hǫfðasegl), since the first church (Hadsel Church) was built there. The first element is the genitive case of hǫfði which means "high and steep cliff" and the last element is segl which means "sail". (A cliff near the farm has been compared in form to a sail.)
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 11 March 1976. The arms show four golden rings on a blue background. This design represents the four islands of that make up Hadsel: Hadseløya, Austvågøya, Hinnøya, and Langøya.
Churches
The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Hadsel. It is part of the Vesterålen deanery in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
Geography
The municipality is located upon four islands in the Vesterålen archipelago: Hinnøya, Langøya, Hadseløya, and Austvågøya. The mountain Higravstinden on the border with Vågan is one of the tallest mountains in the region.
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Hadsel, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.
Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Hadsel is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to every four years. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows: