Smøla is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality ...
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 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, L ...
of the municipality is the village of
Hopen, other villages include
Dyrnes,
Råket, and
Veiholmen.
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: 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 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 (population: 1,135),
Brattvær (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 Greek geographer, explorer and astronomer from the Greek colo ...
called
Thule ( grc-gre, Θούλη, ''Thoúlē'').
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 it ...
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, ...
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 Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. ...
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 reside ...
) 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 cent ...
.
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 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 a ...
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 ...
s; only 5% is cultivated into agricultural land. Other minor islands in the municipality include
Edøya,
Kuli, and
Veiholmen. The municipality is separated from the rest of Norway by the
Edøyfjorden 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 (north of Smøla),
Skalmen Lighthouse, (northwest of Smøla), and
Tyrhaug Lighthouse (southeast of Smøla in the
Edøyfjorden).
Scientists of the ''Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformationtechnique'' of 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 ...
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 import ...
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 (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
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 usag ...
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 refer ...
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 adminis ...
,
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 s ...
,
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 a ...
, 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 coun ...
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 as ...
.
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
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 coun ...
() 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 ...
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 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 turbines by
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 ...
's King
Harald V. 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 ...
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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
. 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 ...
of
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 describ ...
per year, which corresponds to the average annual
power consumption of 22,500 Norwegian households.
Attractions

*
Veiholmen is a large
fishing village
A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000  ...
, 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 b ...
(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
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...
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 s ...
, 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, 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 Ocea ...
,
cod,
redfish,
perch,
monkfish,
Atlantic halibut,
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,
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 (born 1977 in Smøla) a Norwegian model
References
External links
Municipal fact sheetfrom
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 ye ...
Official websiteStatkraftVeiholmen.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smola
Nordmøre
Municipalities of Møre og Romsdal
1960 establishments in Norway