Fjotland is a former municipality in the old

Vest-Agder Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. I ...

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 portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. The municipality existed from 1838 until 1841 and again from 1858 until its dissolution in 1963. The administrative centre was the village of Fjotland where Fjotland Church is located. The municipality covered the northern part of the Kvinesdalen valley in the present-day municipality of

Kvinesdal Kvinesdal is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Liknes. Other villages in Kvinesdal include Feda, Fjotland, and Storekvin ...

History

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 ...

of Fjotland was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law), but the municipality was short-lived. In 1841, Fjotland (population: 980) was merged into the neighboring municipality of

. This union, however, only lasted until 1858 when Fjotland was separated to form its own municipality again. At that time, Fjotland had a population of 1,044. On 1 January 1874, an unpopulated area of Fjotland was transferred to neighboring

Sirdal Sirdal is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the northwestern part of the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tonstad. Other villages in Sirdal include Bjørnest ...

municipality. On 1 January 1903, a small area of Sirdal (population: 63) was transferred to Fjotland. During the 1960s, many Norwegian municipalities were consolidated 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 1963, Fjotland (population: 1,244) was dissolved and it was merged with Kvinesdal (again) and

Feda Feda is a village in Kvinesdal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located on the north side of the Fedafjorden, about southwest of the village of Liknes and about east of the town of Flekkefjord (town), Flekkefjord. The villa ...

municipality to form a new, larger municipality of

Name

The name of the municipality (originally the

) comes from the old ''Fjotland'' farm ( non, Fjósaland). The first element in the name comes from the word ''fjøs'' which means "

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Alle ...

" and the last element in the name comes from the word ''land'' which means "land".

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Fjotland, 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 was 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 ...

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

representatives, which in turn elected 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 ...

Municipal council

The

of Fjotland was made up of representatives that were 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 final municipal council was as follows:

References

{{use dmy dates, date=November 2020 Kvinesdal Former municipalities of Norway 1838 establishments in Norway 1840s disestablishments in Norway 1848 establishments in Norway 1963 disestablishments in Norway