Aukra is

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in Møre og Romsdal

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It is part of the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

Romsdal Romsdal is a traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal comprises Aukra, Fræna, Midsund, Molde, Nesset, Rauma, Sandøy, and Vestnes. It is named after ...

en. The administrative centre is the village of Falkhytta, which is part of the Aukrasanden urban area. The municipality is made up of the island of Gossa as well as many small surrounding islands, plus a small area around the village of

Hollingen Hollingen is a village in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is mostly in Aukra Municipality, but about 1/3rd of the village area lies to the north of the municipal border inside Hustadvika Municipality. It is located on the Romsdal p ...

across the

Julsundet Julsundet is a long strait connecting the Norwegian Sea to the Romsdalsfjorden. The strait is located about west of the town of Molde in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The strait runs through the municipalities of Fræna, Aukra, Molde, a ...

strait on the mainland

Romsdal peninsula Romsdal is a traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal comprises Aukra, Fræna, Midsund, Molde, Nesset, Rauma, Sandøy, and Vestnes. It is named after the v ...

. Some of the main population centers include the villages of

, Aukrasanden,

Varhaugvika Varhaugvika is a village in Aukra Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the eastern side of the island of Gossa along the Julsundet strait, just north of the village of Aukrasanden. The municipal centre of Aukra is at ...

, and

Røssøyvågen Røssøyvågen is a village in Aukra Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northern ...

Nyhamna Nyhamna is a small peninsula on the northeast side of the island of Gossa in Aukra Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located along the Julsundet strait, about northeast of the village of Varhaugvika and northeast of the ...

is a major industrial area in Aukra. The municipality is the 345th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Aukra is the 215th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,518. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

is and its population has increased by 7% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of ''Akerø'' was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1840, most of Akerø on the

was separated to form the municipality of Frænen. On 1 January 1867, the islands that are located to the west of Gossa (population: 601) were separated to become the new

Sandøy Municipality Sandøy is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It was part of the Romsdal region. The administrative centre was the village of Steinshamn. Other villages included Ona and Myklebost. The municipality was spread out over man ...

. On 1 January 1924, the southern part of the municipality (

Otrøya Otrøya (sometimes called ''Otterøya'' or ''Otrøy'') is the largest island in Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The island sits at the entrance to Romsdalsfjord, west of the island of Midøya and east of the mainland R ...

and several other islands) were separated to form the new municipality of

Sør-Aukra Sør-Aukra is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Sør Aukra Municipality existed from 1924 until 1965 when it was merged into Midsund Municipality (now part of Molde Municipality). The municipality consisted of the enti ...

, and the remainder of the municipality was renamed ''Nord-Aukra''. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...

. On 1 January 1964, the Mordal area of Nord-Aukra (population: 77) was transferred to

Molde Municipality Molde () is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. The administrative centre of the ...

. On 1 January 1965, ''Nord-'' was dropped from the name of the municipality, so it was then just called ''Aukra''. On 1 January 2020, the uninhabited islands of Lyngværet and the island of

Orta Orta may refer to: Places *Orta, Møre og Romsdal, an island in Aukra, Norway *Orta, Çankırı, a district of Çankırı Province, Turkey *Orta, a town near Rome which, in medieval contexts, may also be called Orte *Lake Orta, in north Italy *Orta ...

(population: 11) were transferred from

to Aukra.

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

) is named after the old ''Aukra'' farm ( non, Aukrin), since the first Aukra Church was built there. The first element is ''akr'' which means "

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

" or " acre" and the last element is ''vin'' which means "

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...

" or "

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or sw ...

". Before 1918, the name was written ''Akerø'' or ''Agerø''.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was granted on 22 May 1987. The arms show two

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

bracelet A bracelet is an article of jewellery that is worn around the wrist. Bracelets may serve different uses, such as being worn as an ornament. When worn as ornaments, bracelets may have a supportive function to hold other items of decoration, suc ...

s on a blue background. The bracelets are based on an archaeological finding in the area. The rings thus symbolize the long tradition of habitation in the area.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Aukra. It is part of the

Molde domprosti Molde () is a town and List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Pen ...

(arch- deanery) in the

Diocese of Møre The Diocese of Møre ( no, Møre bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway which geographically consists of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Its bishop is seated at the Molde Cathedral which is located in the county administrative center ...

History

Aukra is the site of a shipwreck and rescue operation, when the cargo ship on 4 April 1938. The monument of ''Rokta'' is situated on

Rindarøy Aukra is municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the region of Romsdalen. The administrative centre is the village of Falkhytta, which is part of the Aukrasanden urban area. The municipality is made up of the island o ...

island with a view of Galleskjæra where the ''Rokta'' sank.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Aukra, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

and other social services,

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The municipality falls under the

Møre og Romsdal District Court Møre og Romsdal District Court ( no, Møre og Romsdal tingrett) is a district court (Norway), district court located in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. This court is based at four different courthouses which are located in Volda (village), Volda ...

and the

Frostating Court of Appeal The Frostating Court of Appeal ( no, Frostating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Trondheim. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. ...

Municipal council

The

() of Aukra is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Aukra (incomplete list): *2019–present: Odd Jørgen Nilssen ( H) *2007-2019: Bernhard Riksfjord ( Ap) *1999-2007: Aud Mork (

KrF The Christian Democratic Party ( nb, Kristelig Folkeparti, nn, Kristeleg Folkeparti, se, Risttalaš Álbmotbellodat, , KrF) is a Christian-democratic political party in Norway founded in 1933. The party is an observer member of the European Pe ...

)

Economy

The

industrial area on the northeastern part of the island of Gossa in Aukra is the location from where the

Langeled pipeline The Langeled pipeline (originally known as Britpipe) is an underwater gas pipeline transporting Norwegian natural gas to the United Kingdom. Before the completion of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, it was the longest subsea pipeline in the world. ...

, transporting

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

from the enormous Ormen Lange gas field to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, came onstream in 2007.

Aukra Auto Aukra Auto is a bus and truck operating company based in Aukra, Norway. The company has a monopoly on bus transport on the island Gossen and between it and Molde. The largest owner of the company is Nettbuss (66%). Their Aerobus transports peopl ...

runs the bus service on the island of Gossa.

Notable people

Jonas Danilssønn Ramus Jonas Danilssønn Ramus (27 September 1649 - 16 May 1718) was a Norwegian priest, author and historian. He is principally known as an author of religious and historical writings. Background Ramus was born at Aukra in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. ...

(1649 in Aukra - 1718) a Norwegian priest, author and historian * Anton Beinset (1894 in Aukra – 1963) a journalist, newspaper editor, short story writer, crime fiction writer and politician * Iver Horrem (born 1977 in Aukra) a Norwegian professional beach volleyball player *

Emilie Nautnes Emilie Nautnes (born 13 January 1999) is a Norwegian footballer who plays for Rosenborg and the Norway women's national football team. She was selected to the team representing Norway at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2019 FIFA Women ...

(born 1999 in Aukra) footballer, plays for the

Norway women's national football team The Norway women's national football team is controlled by the Football Association of Norway. The team is former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams. The team has had less success since the 2 ...

Gallery

File:Aukra kirke fra KMB.jpg, Aukra kirke File:Roktabautaen april 2019 (1).jpg, Roktabautaen File:RøssøyvågenGossen.jpg, Røssøyvågen on Gossen island, Aukra File:Smågevatnet Gossen.jpg, Smågevatnet Gossen

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway * {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Møre og Romsdal 1838 establishments in Norway