Volda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Volda kommune | |||
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Møre og Romsdal | ||
| District | Sunnmøre | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-1519 | ||
| Administrative centre | Volda | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2003) | Ragnhild Aarflot Kalland (Sp) | ||
| Area (Nr. 194 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 547 km² (211.2 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 525 km² (202.7 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| - Total | 8,377 | ||
| - Density | 16/km² (41.4/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | 2.7 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 123 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Nynorsk | ||
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| Website: www.volda.kommune.no | |||
Volda is a municipality in the county of Møre og Romsdal, Norway.
Volda was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Dalsfjord was separated from Volda July 1, 1924, but it was again merged with Volda January 1, 1964. Ørsta was separated from Volda August 1, 1883.
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[edit] The name
The municipality is named after Voldsfjorden (Old Norse Valdr). The name is probably derived from an old word meaning 'wave'. (Compare German Welle f 'wave'.)
Until 1918 the name was written Volden.
[edit] Geography
Volda's main geographical feature are two fjords, Austefjorden and Dalsfjorden, which traverse the municipality in a south-southeastern and southern direction, respectively. It is also mountainous, particularly south of these two fjords.
Volda is bordered by Vanylven to the south-west/west, Herøy and Ulstein (only by sea) to the west, and Ørsta to the north and east. To the south it is adjacent to Sogn og Fjordane county.
The dominant centre, both in terms of population and administration, is Volda, in the northernmost part of the municipality. Other population concentrations include Mork, Folkestad, Fyrde, Steinsvika, Lauvstad, Bjørkedal and Straumshamn.
[edit] Culture
Volda is primarily known for strong cultural heritage and academic traditions. A private library at Egset, the first rural of its kind in Norway, is said to have inspired the young Ivar Aasen in the 19th century. Volda landsgymnas (established 1910) was the first Norwegian secondary school outside a major city. Among the most important institutions today is the Volda University College. Volda University College is one of 25 university colleges in Norway. Volda University College enrolls about 3000 students and specializes in education of teachers, animators and journalists.
Volda also host a national documentary movie festival as well as an annual student festival. The documentary movie festival is called Den Norske Dokumentarfilmfestivalen, and is found at www.dokfilm.no. The festival is usually held in late April.
As a logical consequence of the huge influx of students, as well as a county hospital, public services are by far the most dominant sector, representing almost 50 % of economical life in Volda. Industry and agriculture are also prevalent. Bjørkedalen is noted for its tradition in building wooden boats.
[edit] Communications
These include the Ørsta/Volda airport, located in neighbouring Ørsta, and the E39 highway. As noted, the municipality is criss-crossed by fjords; therefore, both Lauvstad and Folkestad are linked to the population centre Volda by ferry.
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1987). It shows a penpoint.
[edit] External links
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