The 416.59-square-kilometre (160.85sqmi) municipality is the 233rd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Fjaler Municipality is the 233rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,924. The municipality's population density is 7 inhabitants per square kilometre (18/sqmi) and its population has increased by 0.6% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
Ytre Holmedal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The original municipality was identical to the Ytre Holmedal parish(prestegjeld) with the sub-parishes (sokn) of Holmedal, Dale, and Fjaler. In 1912, the name Ytre Holmedal Municipality was changed to Fjaler Municipality.[7]
the areas surrounding the villages of Fure, Folkestad, and Våge (population: 482) in Askvoll Municipality were transferred to Fjaler Municipality
he areas surrounding the villages of Vårdal, Holmedal, Rivedal, and a part of Hestad (population: 731) in Fjaler Municipality were transferred to Askvoll Municipality
Historically, this municipality was part of the old Sogn og Fjordane county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Vestland county (after Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane counties were merged).[9]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) was named Ytre Holmedal, after the old Holmedal farm (Old Norse: Hǫlmudalr) since the first Holmedal Church was built there. The meaning of the first element of Holmedal is uncertain, but it may have been an old name for a local river, Holma. It is unknown what the river name meant. The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". The prefix ytre (which means "outer") was added to distinguish the area from its neighbor, Indre Holmedal.[10]
On 6 December 1912, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Fjaler.[11] This new name brought back a very old name for the area (Old Norse: Fjalir). The name was the ancient name for the fjord (now called the Dalsfjorden). The name comes from the plural form of the word fjǫl which means "board" or "table". Older forms of the name were Fjalir or Fjalar.[12][13]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 8 February 1991. The official blazon is "Gules, two arched bridges argent" (Norwegian: På raud grunn to sølv kvelvingsbruer). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is two arched stone bridges. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The two bridges symbolize the old, historic bridges in the municipality that are part of the old post road that goes through Fjaler on its way to Trondheim. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn from Nordfjord. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[14][15][16]
The municipal council(Kommunestyre) of Fjaler Municipality is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Fjaler Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:[37][38]
↑ "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 15 April 1991. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
↑ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
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