Country Norway District Vesterålen Area rank 152 in Norway Area 722.4 km² Local time Monday 11:19 AM | County Nordland Administrative centre Sortland Demonym(s) Sortlending Population 9,983 (2012) Official language form Norwegian Language | |
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Weather -1°C, Wind N at 11 km/h, 87% Humidity Points of interest Vesterålen, Møysalen National Park, Sortland Museum | ||
Sortland is a town and municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sortland. Other population centres in Sortland include Bø, Holand, Holmstad, Liland, Sigerfjord, and Strand. The Norwegian Coast Guard has its northern base in Sortland, called Kystvaktskvadron Nord.
Contents
- Map of Sortland Norway
- General information
- Name
- Coat of arms
- Churches
- Geography
- Midnight Sun and Aurora Borealis
- Government
- Municipal council
- Music and culture
- Shopping
- Notable residents
- References
Map of Sortland, Norway
In 1997, the municipality decided to declare "township" for Sortland. Sortland is the largest town and commercial centre in Vesterålen. Sortland is located close to the Sortland Bridge, connecting Langøya to Hinnøya by road. Since a lot of houses in the town are painted blue, Sortland is sometimes referred to as "the blue city". In January 2012, the number of citizens in Sortland reached 10,000.
General information
The municipality of Sortland was established in 1841 when it was separated from the municipality of Hadsel. On 1 January 1963, the Holm area (population: 65) of Langenes and the area around the inner and western part of the Eidsfjorden (population: 1,360) was transferred to Sortland. On 1 January 2000, the area surrounding the Godfjorden was transferred from Kvæfjord (and Troms county) to Sortland (and Nordland county).
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Sortland farm (Old Norse: Svortuland), since the first church (Sortland Church) was built there. The first element is the genitive case of a river name Svorta and the last element is land which means "land" or "farm". The river name is derived from svartr which means "black/dark".
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. It was granted on 15 March 1985. It shows a gold-colored castle gate on a blue background. The gate symbolizes Sortland as the gateway to the Vesterålen region with its many lakes. The arms were based on the seal used by the municipality since the 1960s, which also showed a (natural) gate in a landscape. The blue colour symbolises the blue sea.
Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Sortland. It is part of the Vesterålen deanery in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
Geography
The municipality of Sortland is located on the islands of Langøya and Hinnøya in the Vesterålen archipelago. The municipality surrounds the inner part of the Eidsfjorden and the Sortlandssundet strait. There are several bridges in the municipality including Djupfjordstraumen Bridge, Kvalsaukan Bridge, and Sortland Bridge. The Sortland Bridge is located just north of the town of Sortland. One of the main roads through the municipality is Norwegian County Road 82. The mountain Møysalen and part of Møysalen National Park are located in southern Sortland.
Midnight Sun and Aurora Borealis
The Midnight Sun occurs from May 23 to July 23. Great places to observe the Midnight Sun includes the Sortland Bridge, Ramnflauget, Godfjorden, Holm and Skytterhaugen in the Vestmarka residential area. Because of Sortland's high latitude, there is no real darkness between late April and mid-August.
From November 30 to January 12 the sun remains below the horizon and is not visible. The return of the sun is an occasion for celebration (pupils always claim to have spotted the sun before the actual return and hope to be given the day off in celebration). The Polar Night does not mean that it becomes totally dark. The experience of the winter with the uniqueness of the light, the northern lights and snow is fantastic. Especially beautiful is the blue light southwards where the sky can also be colored in pink, just before it becomes dark.
Sortland and the Vesterålen region are perfect for observing the spectacular Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) phenomenon. The aurora borealis trails its multi coloured banner across the sky and the moon lights the scene making it a breathtaking experience. Pictures taken here have been presented in National Geographic Magazine.
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Sortland, 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 Sortland is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to every four years. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:
Music and culture
Sortland has been regarded as one of the best music communities in Norway, and the local band Madrugada has been one of the best ones in the nation. Sortland Jazz Festival is an event organized by Sortland Jazz and Music Club, which takes place every autumn. Some of the world's leading jazz musicians have been participating.
Shopping
Sortland is Vesterålen´s leading destination for shopping with several indoors shopping centers, a huge range of activities and offers an impressive amount of hairdressers. The retail turnover per inhabitant in Sortland is greater than in any other town in North Norway. Sortland is one of the few North Norwegian towns that have grown annually since the 70s, the result of a conscious decision to create a high standard of services in a pleasant place to live.