Sømna
| Sømna kommune | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality | |||
|
View of the village of Berg | |||
| |||
 Sømna within Nordland | |||
| Coordinates: 65°19′25″N 12°10′38″E / 65.32361°N 12.17722°ECoordinates: 65°19′25″N 12°10′38″E / 65.32361°N 12.17722°E | |||
| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Nordland | ||
| District | Helgeland | ||
| Administrative centre | Vik i Helgeland | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor (2015) | Andrine Solli Oppegård (AP) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 194.62 km2 (75.14 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 191.19 km2 (73.82 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 3.43 km2 (1.32 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 331 in Norway | ||
| Population (2011) | |||
| • Total | 2,025 | ||
| • Rank | 336 in Norway | ||
| • Density | 10.6/km2 (27/sq mi) | ||
| • Change (10 years) | -3.5 % | ||
| Demonym(s) | Sømnværing[1] | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | NO-1812 | ||
| Official language form | Bokmål | ||
| Website |
www | ||
|
| |||
Sømna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative center of Sømna is the village of Vik i Helgeland. Other villages in the municipality include Dalbotn, Sund, Vennesund, and Berg.
The oldest boat remains ever found in Norway (Haugvikbåten - 2,500 years old) was discovered in a bog in Sømna.
Sømna has some of the best agriculture in the region. Dairy and beef cows as well as grains are produced in Sømna. There is also a dairy in Berg that produces milk and cheese.[2]
General information
The municipality of Vik was established on 1 January 1901 when it was separated from the large municipality of Brønnøy. The initial population of Vik was 2,731. In 1941 the municipality was renamed Sømna. On 1 January 1964, Sømna was merged with Brønnøysund, Velfjord, Brønnøy, and part of northern Bindal. Prior to the merger Sømna had 2,347 residents.
This merger was short-lived because on 1 January 1977, all of the old Sømna municipality (except the Hongsetbygda area) was removed from Brønnøy to become a separate municipality once again. There were 2,107 residents in the newly recreated Sømna municipality.[3]
Name
The Old Norse form of the name was probably Søfn. The meaning of the name is unknown, but it is possibly derived from sveifa which means "wind" or "wave" or it could be derived from svefja meaning a "quiet sleep".[2]
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times; they were granted on 14 June 1991. The arms show three combined silver leaves of clover (trefoils) on a red background. The arms symbolize agriculture, culture, and prosperity combined.[4]
Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Sømna. It is part of the Sør-Helgeland deanery in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
| Parish (Sokn) | Church Name | Location of the Church | Year Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sømna | Sømna Church | Vik i Helgeland | 1876 |
Geography
The municipality of Sømna is mostly made up of the southern part of a peninsula off the mainland of Norway and the surrounding islands. It borders Brønnøy to the north by land and Bindal to the south and east by sea, across the Bindalsfjorden.
Sømna consists mainly of a wide Strandflaten lowland (coastal brim), and is one of few municipalities in Northern Norway where the farmers still grow some grain.
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Sømna, 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 Sømna is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to every four years. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:[5]
| Party Name | Name in Norwegian | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Party | Arbeiderpartiet | 5 | |
| Progress Party | Fremskrittspartiet | 1 | |
| Centre Party | Senterpartiet | 7 | |
| Local Lists | Lokale lister | 4 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | ||
References
- ↑ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
- 1 2 Store norske leksikon. "Sømna" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2011-11-02.
- ↑ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
- ↑ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ↑ "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway. 2015.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sømna. |
Nordland travel guide from Wikivoyage- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
- Sømna kommune (in Norwegian)
