Smøla is a

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 ...

Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; en, Møre and Romsdal) is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the town of Molde, while Ålesund is the ...

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers 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 t ...

. It is part of the Nordmøre

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 and t ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the municipality is the village of Hopen, other villages include

Dyrnes Dyrnes is a village in Smøla Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the northwestern part of the island of Smøla, just east of the village of Råket, and southwest of the village of Veiholmen. The Smøla Wind Fa ...

Råket Råket is a village in Smøla 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 northernmost por ...

, and

Veiholmen Veiholmen is a fishing village located on a group of tiny islands in the northern part of Smøla Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The island is located at the end of a long road leading north from the village of Hopen. The roa ...

. The municipality is the 272nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Smøla is the 273rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,120. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

is and its population has decreased by 2.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Smøla was established on 1 January 1960 after the merger of the municipalities of

Edøy Edøy is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1960. It was located in the southern and central parts of the present-day Smøla Municipality. The old municipality ...

(population: 1,135),

Brattvær Brattvær is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1915 until its dissolution in 1960. It was located on the northwestern part of the island of Smøla in the present-day municipality of Smøla ...

(population: 1,361), and Hopen (population: 1,550). The initial population of Smøla was 4,046. The boundaries have not changed since that time.

Name

The municipality is named after the main island of Smøla ( non, Smyl or ). The name is probably related to the modern Norwegian words ''smule'' and ''smuldre'' which means "crumble", referring to the thousands of small islands and islets around the main island. Researchers at the

Technical University of Berlin The Technical University of Berlin (official name both in English and german: link=no, Technische Universität Berlin, also known as TU Berlin and Berlin Institute of Technology) is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was ...

have claimed that Smøla is the island which

Pytheas Pytheas of Massalia (; Ancient Greek: Πυθέας ὁ Μασσαλιώτης ''Pythéas ho Massaliōtēs''; Latin: ''Pytheas Massiliensis''; born 350 BC, 320–306 BC) was a Greeks, Greek List of Graeco-Roman geographers, geographer, explor ...

called Thule ( grc-gre, Θούλη, ''Thoúlē'').

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was granted in 1989. The arms show two white

seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...

s on a red background. This design was chosen to highlight the fact that this is an island community and that is a common type of bird in the area.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

has three parishes within the municipality of Smøla. It is part of the

Ytre Nordmøre prosti Ytre may refer to: People: * Knut Ytre-Arne (1896–1968), Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party Places: *Ytre Østfold, the outer area of Østfold county (Norway) that has a fjord or coastal line * Ytre Øydnavatnet, lake in the municipality ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

) 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 ...

. In 2019, archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research using large-scale high-resolution georadar technology, determined that a 17 meter long Viking ship was buried on the island of Edøya near one of the churches. They estimate its age as over 1,000 years, from the Merovingian or Viking period; the group hopes to conduct additional searches in the area. A similar burial was found previously by the group, in Gjellestad.

Geography

The municipality of Smøla is located north of the town of Kristiansund, off the western coast of Norway. The municipality consists of the main island of

Smøla Smøla is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hopen, other villages include Dyrnes, Råket, and Veiholmen. The municipality i ...

and more than 3,000 smaller ones. The main island is very flat, the highest peak reaches above sea level. Almost all of the land area consists of

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

es and

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

s; only 5% is cultivated into agricultural land. Other minor islands in the municipality include Edøya, Kuli, and

. The municipality is separated from the rest of Norway by the

Edøyfjorden Edøyfjorden is a fjord (more technically, a strait) in the Nordmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The long fjord runs between Smøla Municipality and Aure Municipality with many large and small islands on both sides. Some of th ...

to the south. Due to the vast number of small islands surrounding Smøla, there are several lighthouses. The three most notable ones are

Haugjegla Lighthouse Haugjegla Lighthouse ( no, Haugjegla fyr; also spelled: ''Hauggjegla'') is a coastal lighthouse located in Smøla Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on a waveswept skerry about north of Veiholmen on the north side of ...

(north of Smøla),

Skalmen Lighthouse Skalmen Lighthouse ( no, Skalmen fyr) is a coastal lighthouse located in Smøla Municipality, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The lighthouse is located on a small islet about northwest of the villages of Råket and Dyrnes on the main island ...

, (northwest of Smøla), and

Tyrhaug Lighthouse Tyrhaug Lighthouse ( no, Tyrhaug fyr; historical: ''Kyrhaug'') is a coastal lighthouse located in Smøla Municipality, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It sits in the Edøyfjorden on the islet of Ringholmen, east of the island of Edøya, off the ...

(southeast of Smøla in the

). Scientists of the ''Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformationtechnique'' of the

were testing the antique maps of

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

and recognized a pattern of calculation mistakes that occurred when one tried to convert the old coordinates from Ptolemy into modern cartographical maps. The scientists believe that, when one compensates for these mistakes, the mythological location Thule corresponds to the island of Smøla.

Climate

Smøla has a temperate

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

, also known as a marine west coast climate (Cfb), with a cool summer and mild winter. The year amplitude is only from the coldest to the warmest month. The driest season is from April - July, and the wettest season is autumn and winter. The record high is from July 2018, and the record low is from February 2010.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Smøla, are responsible for

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...

, senior citizen 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 (human activity), w ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

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 o ...

, 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 counci ...

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 a ...

. The municipality falls under the

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

and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

() of Smøla is made up of 17 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 feature f ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Smøla (incomplete list): *2019–present: Svein Roksvåg ( Sp) *2011-2019: Roger Osen ( Ap) *1991-2011:

Iver G. Nordseth Iver Gunnar Nordseth (born 2 May 1951) is a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party. He served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Møre og Romsdal during the terms 1997–2001 and 2005–2009. On the local le ...

( V) *1988-1991: Joralf Flataukan ( H) *1985-1987: Hans Vallestad (H) *1980-1985: Gudmund Restad (Sp)

Media

The newspaper ''

Nordvestnytt ''Nordvestnytt'' (Northwest News) is a local Norwegian newspaper published once a week in Smøla in Møre og Romsdal county. ''Nordvestnytt'' was founded in 1988. The paper covers news and events in the municipalities of Smøla and Aure. The pap ...

'' has been published in Smøla since 1988.

Energy

On 5 September 2002,

Statkraft Statkraft AS is a hydropower company, fully owned by the Norwegian state. The Statkraft Group is a generator of renewable energy, as well as Norway’s largest and the Nordic region's third largest energy producer. Statkraft develops and generates ...

announced the opening of the

Smøla Wind Farm Smøla Wind Farm (''Smøla vindpark'') is a 68 turbine wind farm located in Smøla Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The farm is located southeast of the village of Dyrnes on the island of Smøla. It is operated by Statkraft a ...

, a wind project comprising twenty 2-MW

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...

s by

's King

Harald V Harald V ( no, Harald den femte, ; born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. He acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991. Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the lin ...

. This corresponds to phase one of the

wind Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...

project, which when completed will have a total installed capacity of more than . Phase two was opened in September 2005 and included forty-eight 2.3-MW wind turbines. All in all, the wind energy production project consists of 68 windmills, making it among the largest wind projects in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. With a total generating capacity of , the Smøla wind farm's 68 turbines account for more than half of the installed wind power capacity in Norway. The total generating capacity is equivalent to 450

GWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

per year, which corresponds to the average annual power consumption of 22,500 Norwegian households.

Attractions

is a large fishing village, north of the main island. *

Kulisteinen The Kulisteinen, also known as the Kuli stone and listed as N 449 in the Rundata catalog, is a stone with a runic inscription that was originally located at Kuløy in Smøla municipality, Norway. Description For over 900 years the Kuli stone had ...

(the Kuli stone), probably one of the best remains which tells about early

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

in Norway. On one side it has a large

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

, which was well known for a long time. Less well known was a

runic inscription A runic inscription is an inscription made in one of the various runic alphabets. They generally contained practical information or memorials instead of magic or mythic stories. The body of runic inscriptions falls into the three categories of El ...

on the rim of the stone. *

Old Edøy Church Old Edøy Church ( no, Edøy gamle kirke) is a historic parish church of the Church of Norway in Smøla Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the southwestern end of the small island of Edøya, just south of the larger ...

, a restored church dating back to about the year 1190. *Deep-sea fishing is a part of the natural environment of Smøla. Smøla provides facilities, guided fishing trips and possibilities for renting fisherman's boats and needed equipment. Participants can expect to catch a large selection of deep sea fish in this area:

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...

cod Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...

, redfish,

perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...

, monkfish,

Atlantic halibut The Atlantic halibut (''Hippoglossus hippoglossus'') is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. They are demersal fish living on or near sand, gravel or clay bottoms at depths of between . The halibut is among the largest Teleostei, teleost (bon ...

, plaice,

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

char Char may refer to: People *Char Fontane, American actress *Char Margolis, American spiritualist * René Char (1907–1988), French poet *The Char family of Colombia: ** Fuad Char, Colombian senator ** Alejandro Char Chaljub, mayor of Barranquilla ...

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

, and others.

Notable people

Oluf Skarpnes Oluf Skarpnes (26 December 1932 - 29 December 2019) was a Norwegian jurist and public servant. He was born in Smøla. Holding the cand.jur. degree, he was appointed in the Norwegian Ministry of Justice in 1963. In 1980 he became deputy under-sec ...

(1932 in Smøla - 2019) a Norwegian jurist and public servant * Kåre Bryn (born 1944 in Smøla) a Norwegian diplomat *

Ingar Knudtsen Ingar Knudtsen is a Norwegians, Norwegian novelist and poet, who was born 23 December 1944, in Smøla, Norway. He published his first book in 1975. Since then, he has released roughly one book every year.Norwegian national bibliographyCompl ...

(born 1944 in Smøla) a Norwegian novelist and poet *

Marianne Schröder Marianne Schröder is a Norwegian model. She was born in Smøla, Norway on 11 March 1977. Career Schröder has modeled for Ambiente, Boss by Hugo Boss, Celine, Jil Sander, Lacoste, Marc O'Polo, and Missoni, and has been on the cover of ''Vogue ...

(born 1977 in Smøla) a Norwegian model

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every yea ...

Official website

StatkraftVeiholmen.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smola Nordmøre Municipalities of Møre og Romsdal 1960 establishments in Norway