| Vestre Moland kommune | |
|---|---|
| — Former Municipality — | |
| Vestre Moland Church was built of stone in the 12th century. | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Aust-Agder |
| District | Sørlandet |
| Municipality ID | NO-0926 |
| Adm. Center | Vestre Moland |
| Area | |
| • Total | 103 km2 (39.8 sq mi) |
| Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt in 1838 |
| Merged with | Lillesand in 1962 |
Vestre Moland is a former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the present-day municipality of Lillesand in the Sørlandet region. Villages in Vestre Moland include Brekkestø and Justøy. The lake Østre Grimevann is in the northern part and the Blindleia inland waterway is located along the coast of Vestre Moland.
The name comes from Old Norse word Móðguland which is derived from the river name Móðga, which can be linked with the Old Norse word móðigr which means "brave". Vestre means "western."[1]
The municipality (originally the parish) of Vestre Moland was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). In 1865, the municipality was divided into two separate municipalities of Vestre Moland (population: 2,167) and Høvåg (population: 2,069). On 1 January 1962, Vestre Moland (population: 2,454) was merged with Eide, Høvåg, and Lillesand to form a new, enlarged Lillesand municipality.[2]