1.
Norway
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The Antarctic Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories and thus not considered part of the Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land, until 1814, the kingdom included the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland. It also included Isle of Man until 1266, Shetland and Orkney until 1468, Norway has a total area of 385,252 square kilometres and a population of 5,258,317. The country shares a long border with Sweden. Norway is bordered by Finland and Russia to the north-east, Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. King Harald V of the Dano-German House of Glücksburg is the current King of Norway, erna Solberg became Prime Minister in 2013, replacing Jens Stoltenberg. A constitutional monarchy, Norway divides state power between the Parliament, the Cabinet and the Supreme Court, as determined by the 1814 Constitution, the kingdom is established as a merger of several petty kingdoms. By the traditional count from the year 872, the kingdom has existed continuously for 1,144 years, Norway has both administrative and political subdivisions on two levels, counties and municipalities. The Sámi people have an amount of self-determination and influence over traditional territories through the Sámi Parliament. Norway maintains close ties with the European Union and the United States, the country maintains a combination of market economy and a Nordic welfare model with universal health care and a comprehensive social security system. Norway has extensive reserves of petroleum, natural gas, minerals, lumber, seafood, the petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of the countrys gross domestic product. On a per-capita basis, Norway is the worlds largest producer of oil, the country has the fourth-highest per capita income in the world on the World Bank and IMF lists. On the CIAs GDP per capita list which includes territories and some regions, from 2001 to 2006, and then again from 2009 to 2017, Norway had the highest Human Development Index ranking in the world. It also has the highest inequality-adjusted ranking, Norway ranks first on the World Happiness Report, the OECD Better Life Index, the Index of Public Integrity and the Democracy Index. Norway has two names, Noreg in Nynorsk and Norge in Bokmål. The name Norway comes from the Old English word Norðrveg mentioned in 880, meaning way or way leading to the north. In contrasting with suðrvegar southern way for Germany, and austrvegr eastern way for the Baltic, the Anglo-Saxon of Britain also referred to the kingdom of Norway in 880 as Norðmanna land. This was the area of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway, and because of him
2.
Fosen
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Fosen is a traditional district in Trøndelag, consisting of the municipalities Osen, Roan, Åfjord, Bjugn, Ørland, Rissa, Agdenes, Snillfjord, Hemne, Hitra and Frøya. The district is dominated by forested valleys, lakes, coastal cliffs but also shallow areas, the western coast has many skerries and some islands, such as Stokkøya in Åfjord. There are some good salmon rivers, and sea eagles and other sea birds are common along the coast. The west coast has mild winters, and some locations receive on more than 2,000 mm of precipitation per year. Part of the Scandinavian coastal conifer forests are located on the peninsula, the largest nature reserve is Øyenskavelen, with many nature types including undisturbed forest, some of it classified as rainforest. Fosen also has a folkehøgskole, Fosen Folkehøgskole and it teaches unusual subjects such as sailing and building traditional Norwegian boats, organic agriculture, traditional Norwegian arts and crafts, nature life, etc. The district is named after the island Storfosna in Ørland, the Old Norse form of the name was Fólgsn
3.
Grong
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Grong is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region, the administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Medjå. Other villages in the municipality include Bergsmoen, Formofoss, Gartland, Grong was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. On 1 January 1901, the district of Høylandet was separated from Grong to form its own municipality. On 1 January 1923, the district of Røyrvik, the northwestern district of Namsskogan. This left a smaller municipality of Grong with only 1,272 residents. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Harran was merged back into Grong, the municipality is named after the old Grong farm, since the first church was built there. The first element is grǫn which means spruce and the last element is the form of the suffix -ungr. The coat-of-arms is from modern times, they were granted on 6 February 1987, the arms show three green triangles on a silver/gray background. The green triangles represent spruce trees, making them canting arms, the name is supposedly derived from Granungar. The number three symbolizes the three villages in the municipality, Harran, Bergsmoen, and Medjå. The Church of Norway has two parishes within the municipality of Grong and it is part of the Namdal deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros. Grong is located along the river Namsen in the Namdalen valley, two major tributaries of the Namsen flow through Grong too, the river Sanddøla and the river Neselva. The Bangsjøene lakes lie at the southern border with Snåsa. The Blåfjella–Skjækerfjella National Park covers a part of the southeastern part of Grong. The municipality is governed by a council of elected representatives. The municipal council of Grong is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four years. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows, The European route E6 highway follows the river Namsen across the municipality, the two main stations on the Nordland Line are Grong Station in Medjå and Harran Station in Harran
4.
Hitra
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Hitra is a municipality and an island in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality covers the island of Hitra and several smaller islands, with a land area of 571.5 km2, the island of Hitra is the seventh largest island in mainland Norway, and the largest island south of the Arctic Circle. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fillan, other villages include Andersskogan, Ansnes, Forsnes, Hestvika, Knarrlagsund, Kvenvær, Melandsjøen, Nordbotn, Sandstad, and Ulvan. Hitra is famous in Norway for its large and dense population of Red Deer, Hitra is a member of the International Island Games Association. Hitra was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838, on 1 January 1877, the northern district of Frøya was separated from Hitra to form a municipality of its own. On 1 January 1886, the southern and eastern parts of Hitra were separated into a new municipality of Fillan and this left Hitra with 2,241 residents. Then on 1 January 1913, the part of Hitra was separated to form the new municipality of Kvenvær. This left Hitra with 1,439 residents, on 1 January 1964, the municipalities of Hitra, Kvenvær, Fillan, and Sandstad were merged to form a new, larger Hitra municipality. Prior to the merger, Hitra had 1,344 residents, the Old Norse form of the name was Hitr. The name is derived from a word with the meaning split or cleft. Until 1918 the name of the island and municipality was spelled Hitteren, the coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 7 August 1987, the arms show the head of a Red Deer in silver on a blue background. It symbolizes one of Northern Europes largest populations of red deer which is located in the municipality. See also, Coats of Arms of Gjemnes, Hjartdal, and Voss The Church of Norway has four parishes with a total of five churches and it is part of the Deanery of Orkdal and the Diocese of Nidaros. Hitra is the seventh largest island of mainland Norway, and is bordered by Frøya to the north and it lies between the Trondheimsleia and the Frøyfjorden. The 345-metre tall Mørkdalstuva is the highest point on the island, other than the large island of Hitra, there are many other islands in the municipality, notably Fjellværsøya, Ulvøya, Dolmøya, Helgbustadøya, and Bispøyan. The Børøyholmen lighthouse and Terningen lighthouse are located in the Trondheimsleia in the southeast part of Hitra municipality, the company Kystekspressen runs westamaran services from Trondheim and Kristiansund. The 5, 610-metre long undersea tunnel called the Hitratunnelen connects Hitra to the mainland to the south and the 5, 305-metre long Frøya Tunnel connects Hitra to Frøya to the north
5.
Levanger
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Levanger is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherred region, the administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Levanger. Other villages in the municipality include Alstadhaug, Ekne, Hokstad, Markabygd, Momarka, Mule, Nesset, Okkenhaug, Ronglan, Skogn, the town of Levanger lies at the mouth of the Levangselva river along the Trondheimsfjord. One of the roads through the town is Kirkegata. The 5. 74-square-kilometre town has a population of 9745, the population density is 1,555 inhabitants per square kilometre. The town has held town status since 1997, Levanger is a member of the Italian initiative, Cittaslow, for slow towns that dont adopt a fast-lane approach that is so common in most modern towns. The town of Levanger was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838, in 1856, the rural areas around the town of Levanger were separated from the town to form the rural municipality of Levanger landsogn. This left 1,017 residents in the town, on 13 November 1951, a small area of Frol was transferred to the town of Levanger. On 1 January 1962, the municipalities of Frol, Skogn. Prior to the merger, the town had 1,669 residents, on 1 January 1964, the island municipality of Ytterøy was merged with the newly enlarged municipality of Levanger. Prior to the merger, Levanger had 12,281 residents, the municipality is named after the old Levanger farm, since the first church was built there. The first element is Lif old Norse for lun and the last element is angr which means fjord, the coat-of-arms is from modern times, they were granted on 25 November 1960 as the arms of the town of Levanger. The arms show a horse on a red background. The horse is a symbol for the town as a trading center between Sweden and Norway for many centuries. The arms did not change after the addition of the other municipalities, see also the coats-of-arms for Eid, Gloppen, Lyngen, Nord-Fron, Skedsmo, and Ski The Church of Norway has seven parishes within the municipality of Levanger. It is part of the Sør-Innherad deanery and the Diocese of Nidaros, Levanger can probably be traced back to the Iron Age, and with certainty back to the Viking Age. Alvshaugen is a burial mound located in the middle of the cemetery at Alstadhaug Church. The burial mound has been dated to 300–600 CE and it is about 40 metres in diameter, and about 5 to 6 metres tall
6.
Melhus
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Melhus is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region, the administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Melhus. Other villages include Gimse, Gåsbakken, Hovin, Korsvegen, Kvål, Ler, agriculture is important in Melhus, and the extensive lowland areas in the almost flat valley surrounding the Gaula River are dominated by grain fields. Many inhabitants work in the city of Trondheim, a 20-minute drive north from Melhus, the village of Melhus is located on the shores of the Gaula River in the north part of the municipality. The 2. 84-square-kilometre village has a population of 5,894, the population density is 2,075 inhabitants per square kilometre. The 100+ year old Melhus Church is located on the side of the village. Melhus was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838, in 1865, the western district of Høilandet was separated from Melhus to form a separate municipality. Then on 1880, the district of Flå was separated to form its own municipality. On 1 January 1964, Melhus was merged with Hølonda, Flå, Horg, the municipality is named after the old Melhus farm, since the first church was built there. The first element is meðal which means middle and the last element is the form of hús which means house. The farm is one part of a greater and older farm, the coat-of-arms is from modern times, they were granted on 8 November 1979. The arms show a gold-colored archer with a red background, the arms were chosen to symbolize Einar Tambarskjelve, who was a famous chief and archer from Melhus in the 11th century. He is mentioned as an archer for King Olav Tryggvason in the Battle of Svolder, the Church of Norway has four parishes within the municipality of Melhus. It is part of the Deanery of Gauldal and the Diocese of Nidaros, Melhus was the site of many important events during the Viking Era. It was the site of the farm Rimul in Melhus at which Jarl Haakon was killed by his slave, jarlshola is the location in Melhus thought to have been the hiding place of Jarl Haakon and Tormod Kark on their last night before the infamous murder at Rimul. The 695-square-kilometre municipality of Melhus includes the valley of the Gaula River as it flows northwards towards its mouth at the Gaulosen, the lake Svorksjøen lies on the western border with Orkdal and Meldal. The lakes Benna and Ånøya lie in the part of the municipality. The mountains of Rensfjellet and Vassfjellet lie on the border with Selbu and Klæbu respectively
7.
Halsa
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Halsa is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Nordmøre region, the administrative centre of Halsa is the village of Liabøen. Other villages in the municipality include Halsanaustan, Valsøyfjord, Engan, Hjellnes, Halsa was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. On 1 January 1868, an area of Halsa was transferred to Straumsnes. On 1 January 1879, a part of Halsa was transferred to Stangvik, the next year, the Torjulvågen area across the Halsafjorden was transferred to Tingvoll Municipality. On 1 July 1915, part of southern Halsa was transferred to Åsskard Municipality, on 1 January 1965, all of the municipality Valsøyfjord that was located on the mainland was merged into Halsa. On 1 January 1976, the district of Aure Municipality south of the Vinjefjorden was transferred to Halsa Municipality, the municipality is named after the old Halsa farm, since the first church was built there. The first element is hals which means neck and the last element is the form of vin which means meadow or pasture. Here, the word hals is referring to an isthmus between two fjords, Halsafjorden and the Skålvik Fjord, before 1918, the name was written Halse. The coat-of-arms is from modern times and they were granted on 19 August 1988. The gray and blue represents the three fjords and headlands of the municipality. The Church of Norway has two parishes within the municipality of Halsa and it is part of the Indre Nordmøre deanery in the Diocese of Møre. Halsa has numerous fjords in and around the municipality including the Halsafjorden, Vinjefjorden, Arasvikfjorden, the Skålvik Fjord, the Valsøy Bridge crosses the Valsøyfjorden. There are ferry connections to Tingvoll Municipality to the west and to Aure Municipality to the north, Halsa is the location where the famous killer whale, Keiko, went when he was set free. Keiko died in December 2003 and was buried there, the people of Halsa have built a memorial cairn over Keikos body, where people from all over the world are free to visit him. In the first year after his burial, around 5,000 people visited the grave but then fewer and fewer came, in June 2008, hardly anyone had come to see the grave, so the municipality decided it would not continue keeping the grave in order. Media related to Halsa at Wikimedia Commons Møre og Romsdal travel guide from Wikivoyage
8.
Flatanger
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Flatanger is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region, the administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lauvsnes. Other villages include Jøssund and Vik, Flatanger was established as a municipality on 1 January 1871 when it was separated from the large municipality of Fosnes. It is one of the few municipalities in Norway whose boundaries have not changed since it was established, the municipality is named after the old name for one of the fjords in the area, but it is not known which one. The name is composed of two parts, flat, which means shallow water, and angr, which means fjord or inlet. The coat-of-arms is from modern times, they were granted in 1990, the arms show three silver chevrons on a green background. The design was chosen to represent the bow of a boat, the Church of Norway has one parish within the municipality of Flatanger. It is part of the Namdal deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros, the municipality consists mostly of mainland, but also includes almost 1,400 islands of various sizes. Some of the islands include Bjørøya, Lauvøya, Villa, Halmøya. Ellingråsa Lighthouse is located on the island of Bjørøya and Villa Lighthouse is on Villa and these islands all lie on the south side of the Folda firth. The Namsenfjorden forms part of the boundary of the municipality. The municipality is governed by a council of elected representatives. The municipal council of Flatanger is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four years. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows, In the 2007 municipal elections, Flatanger had the highest vote for the Venstre party in all of Norway, Flatanger is also home to one of the worlds hardest rock climbs. Change 9b+/5. 15c+ which was first sent by Adam Ondra on 4 October 2012
