Østfold
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Østfold is a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold is on the other side of the bay. The county administration is in Sarpsborg.
|
||
 |
||
| County | NO-01 | |
| Region | {{{province}}} | |
| Administrative centre | Sarpsborg | |
| County mayor | Arne Øren
Government appointed official=Anne Enger province=Østlandet |
|
| Area - Total - Percentage |
Ranked 17 4,182 km² 1.28 % |
|
| Population - Total (2006) - Percentage - Change (10 years) - Density |
Ranked 6 260,389 5.61 % 7.5 % 66/km² |
|
| Gross Regional Product - Total (2001) - Percentage - GRP/capita |
Ranked 8 50,399 million NOK 3.30 % 200,084 NOK |
|
Østfold is located between the Oslo Fjord and Sweden. It is a hilly landscape with a lot of woodland. The towns Askim, Fredrikstad, Moss, Mysen, Halden, and Sarpsborg are located here, making Østfold the county of Norway with most towns. The rivers Glomma and Tistedalselva run through the district.
Østfold is among the nation's oldest inhabited regions, with petroglyphs (rock drawings) and mounds throughout the area. Many manufacturing communities are situated here. Moss and Fredrikstad have shipyards. Granite mines are situated in Østfold, granite stone from these was used by Gustav Vigeland.
The county slogan: "The heartland of Scandinavia". The local dialect is characterized by the geographical proximity to Sweden.
The symbol of Østfold represents nature and the concept of the life-giving sun. The middle ray of light represents warmth, and the two beams on either side symbolize light.
Contents |
[edit] History
In the Viking Age, the area was part of Vingulmark, which in turn was part of Viken and included Båhuslen. It and was partly under Swedish rule until the time of Harald Fairhair.
Later, when Norway was under Danish rule, the Danish king divided the area into many baronies. This is reflected to this day, in that contrary to many other traditional districts of Norway, Østfold is culturally not a unity, but instead a mosaic of areas around the various cities and towns.
[edit] The name
The old name of the Oslofjord was Fold, and the meaning of Østfold is 'the region east for the Fold'. The name is first recorded in 1543, in the Middle Ages the name of the county was Borgarsysla 'the county/sýsla of the city Borg (now Sarpsborg)'.
Later (under Danish rule) the county was called Smaalenenes Amt 'the county/amt consisting of small/smaa baronies/len'.
[edit] Municipalities
 |
[edit] External links
- Østfold fylke website (in Norwegian)
- Statistics and basic interpretation regarding Østfold (in Norwegian)
- Excavation of longhouse from the Roman Iron Age
| Counties of Norway |  |
|---|---|
| Akershus | Aust-Agder | Buskerud | Finnmark | Hedmark | Hordaland | Møre og Romsdal | Nordland | Nord-Trøndelag | Oppland | Oslo | Østfold | Rogaland | Sogn og Fjordane | Sør-Trøndelag | Telemark | Troms | Vest-Agder | Vestfold | |
