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Troms

Troms (Romsa; Tromssa; Tromssa) is a county in northern Norway. It borders Finnmark county to the northeast and Nordland county in the southwest. Norrbotten Län in Sweden is located to the south and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea (Atlantic Ocean). The county had a population of 169,610 in 2024.

The entire county, which was established in 1866, is located north of the Arctic Circle. The Troms County Municipality is the governing body for the county, elected by the people of Troms, while the Troms county governor is a representative of the King and Government of Norway.

From 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 Troms was merged with the neighboring Finnmark county to create the new Troms og Finnmark county. This merger was reversed by the government resulting from the 2021 Norwegian parliamentary election.

Name
Until 1919, the county was formerly known as Tromsø amt. On 1 July 2006, the Northern Sami name for the county, Romsa, was granted official status along with Troms.

The county (and the city of Tromsø) is named after the island Tromsøya on which it is located (Old Norse Trums). Several theories exist as to the etymology of Troms. One theory holds "Troms-" to derive from the old (uncompounded) name of the island (Old Norse: Trums). Several islands and rivers in Norway have the name Tromsa, and the names of these are probably derived from the word straumr which means "(strong) stream". (The original form must then have been Strums, for the missing s see Indo-European s-mobile.) Another theory holds that Tromsøya was originally called Lille Tromsøya (Little Tromsøya), because of its proximity to the much bigger island today called Kvaløya, that according to this theory was earlier called "Store Tromsøya" due to a characteristic mountain known as Tromma (the Drum). The mountain's name in Sámi, Rumbbučohkka, is identical in meaning, and it is said to have been a sacred mountain for the Sámi in pre-Christian times.

The Sámi name of the island, Romsa, is assumed to be a loan from Norse – but according to the phonetical rules of the Sami language the frontal t has disappeared from the name. However, an alternative form – Tromsa – is in informal use. There is a theory that holds the Norwegian name of Tromsø derives from the Sámi name, though this theory lacks an explanation for the meaning of Romsa. A common misunderstanding is that Tromsø's Sámi name is Romssa with a double "s". This, however, is the accusative and genitive form of the noun used when, for example, writing "Tromsø Municipality" (Romssa Suohkan).

Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Troms was made by Hallvard Trætteberg (1898–1987) and adopted by royal resolution on 15 January 1960. The official blazon in Norwegian ("På rød bunn en gull griff") translates to "On a field Gules a griffin [ segreant ] Or." Trætteberg chose to have the griffin as charge because that animal was the symbol of the mighty clan of Bjarne Erlingsson on Bjarkøy in the 13th century.

Geography
Troms is located in the northern part of the Scandinavian peninsula. Due to the long distance to the more densely populated areas of the continent, this is one of the least polluted areas of Europe. Troms has a very rugged and indented coastline facing the Norwegian Sea. However, the large and mountainous islands along the coast provide an excellent sheltered waterway on the inside. Starting in the south, the largest islands are: northeastern part of Hinnøya (the southern part is in Nordland), Grytøya, Senja, Kvaløya, Ringvassøya, Reinøy, Vanna, and Arnøy. Some of these islands, most noteworthy Senja, have a rugged outer coast with steep mountains, and a more calm eastern shore. There are several large fjords that stretch quite far inland. Starting in the south, the largest fjords are Vågsfjorden, Andfjorden (partially in Nordland county), Malangen, Balsfjorden, Ullsfjorden, Lyngen, and Kvænangen. The largest lake is Altevatnet in the interior of the county.

There are mountains in all parts of Troms; the most alpine and striking are probably the Lyngen Alps (Lyngsalpene), with several small glaciers and the highest mountain in the county, Jiekkevarre with a height of 1833 m. Several glaciers are located in Kvænangen Municipality, including parts of the Øksfjordjøkelen, the last glacier in mainland Norway to drop icebergs directly into the sea (in the Jøkelfjord). The largest river in Troms (waterflow) is Målselva (in Målselv Municipality), and the largest (not the highest) waterfall is Målselvfossen at 600 m long and 20 m high. Marble is present in parts of Troms, and thus numerous caves, as in Salangen Municipality and Tjeldsund Municipality.

Climate
Located at a latitude of nearly 70°N, Troms has short, cool summers, but fairly mild winters along the coast due to the temperate sea; Torsvåg Lighthouse in Karlsøy Municipality has January 24-hr average of -1 C. Tromsø averages -4 C in January with a daily high of -2 C, while July averages 12 C with high of 15 C. Temperatures are typically below freezing for about 5 months (8 months in the mountains), from early November to the beginning of April, but coastal areas are moderated by the sea: with more than 130 years of official weather recordings, the coldest winter temperature ever recorded in Tromsø is -20.1 C in February 1985. The all-time high for Troms is 33.5 C recorded in Bardufoss 18 July 2018. Thaws can occur even in mid-winter. There is often snow in abundance, and avalanches were not uncommon in winter. With the prevailing westerlies, lowland areas east of mountain ranges have less precipitation than areas west of the mountains.

Skibotn (elevation: 46 m) in Storfjord Municipality is the location in Norway which has recorded the most days per year with clear skies (no clouds). Winter temperatures in Målselv Municipality and Bardu Municipality can get down to -35 C, while summer days can reach 30 C in inland valleys and the innermost fjord areas, but 15 to 22 C is much more common. Along the outer seaboard, a summer day at 15 C is considered fairly warm.

Sunlight
The aurora borealis is a common sight in the whole of Troms, but not in summer as there is no darkness. As with all areas in the polar latitudes, there are extreme variations in daylight between the seasons. As a consequence of this, the length of daylight increases (late winter and spring) or decreases (autumn) by 10 minutes from one day to the next.

Nature
Moose, red fox, hare, stoat, and small rodents are common in all of Troms county. Brown bears are sighted in the interior parts of the county in the summer. Other animals that can be seen are reindeer (interior mountain areas, with Sami owners), wolverine (interior mountain areas), Eurasian otters (along the coast and rivers), Eurasian lynx (in the forests), and harbour porpoises in the fjords. Sperm whales, killer whales and humpback whales are often seen in Andfjorden. Some of the common birds are ptarmigan, sea eagles, European herring gulls, and great cormorants.

The sheltered valleys in the interior of Troms have the highest tree line (summer warmth and length is the limiting factor), with downy birch reaching an elevation of 700 m on the southern slope of Njunis; all over Troms county birch trees forms the tree lines, often 200 m above other trees. Rowan, aspen, willow, grey alder, and bird cherry are common in the lower elevations.

Scots pine reaches an elevation of almost 400 m in Dividalen, where some of the largest trees are 500 years old. The upper part of the valley is protected by Øvre Dividal National Park, which was enlarged in 2006. In 2011, the Rohkunborri National Park (571 km2) was established in Bardu Municipality, bordering Sweden and only a few kilometers south of Øvre Dividal National Park.

The inland valleys, like Østerdalen (with Altevatnet), Kirkesdalen, Dividalen, Rostadalen, Signaldalen, and Skibotndalen, are perfect for summer hiking, with their varied nature, mostly dry climate and not too difficult terrain, although there are many accessible mountains for energetic hikers.

Reisadalen is one of the most idyllic river valleys in Norway; from Storslett in Nordreisa Municipality the valley stretches south-southeast, covered with birch, pine, grey alder, and willow. The northern part of the valley is 5 km wide, with 1200 m high mountains on both sides; the southern part of the valley narrows to a few hundred metres (canyon), with increasingly dry climate. The valley floor is fairly flat with little height difference for 70 km (to Bilto); the Reisa river can be navigated by canoe or river boat for much of this distance. The salmon swim 90 km up the river, and some 137 different species of birds have been observed. Several rivers cascade down into the valley; the Mollisfossen waterfall is 269 m. The valley ends 120 km southeast of Storslett, as the vast and more barren Finnmarksvidda plateau takes over. Reisa National Park protects the upper part of the valley.

Economy
The city of Tromsø, in the north central part, is the county seat and an Arctic seaport, and seat of the world's northernmost university, renowned for research about the aurora borealis. The University of Tromsø has an astrophysical observatory located in Skibotn. Tromsø is the only municipality in the county with a strong population growth; most of the smaller municipalities experience decreasing populations as the young and educated moved to the cities, often in the southern part of Norway. Harstad is a commercial centre for the southern part of the county, and has been chosen by Statoil as its main office in Northern Norway.

Along the coast and on the islands, fishing is dominant. Important ports for the fishing fleet are Skjervøy, Tromsø, and Harstad. There is also some agriculture, especially in the southern part of the county, which has a longer growing season (150 days in Harstad). Balsfjord Municipality is often regarded to be the most northern municipality with substantial agricultural activity in Norway, although there is also agriculture further north.

The Norwegian armed forces are vital employers in the Troms, having the seat of the 6th army division, Bardufoss Air Station, helicopter wings and radar stations in the county. There are hospitals in Tromsø (university hospital and main hospital for North Norway) and Harstad.

While the busiest airport in Troms is Tromsø Airport, the southern part included Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes and Bardufoss Airport, with Sørkjosen Airport in the northeast. The E6 cuts through the county from Nordland into Gratangen Municipality in the south to Kvænangen Municipality in the north and then into Finnmark. The E8 highway runs from Tromsø to Finland via Nordkjosbotn and the Skibotn valley. There are several large bridges; some of the largest are Tjeldsund Bridge, Mjøsund Bridge, Gisund Bridge, Tromsø Bridge and Sandnessund Bridge. There are several undersea road tunnels; Rolla to Andørja (in Ibestad Municipality), Tromsøya to the mainland (Tromsø Municipality), Kvaløya to Ringvassøya (also in Tromsø), and Skjervøya to the mainland (in Skjervøy Municipality. The roads are well maintained, but have to go long detours around fjords. For this reason passenger boats are fairly popular, for example between Tromsø and Harstad, and there are also commercial flights inside the county of Troms.

There is no railway in Troms, but in 2013, the government of Finland expressed interest in building a railway from the Finnish rail network to port facilities at Skibotn, though they also stated that they could not finance much of the cost.

History

Troms has been settled since the early Stone Age, and there are prehistoric rock carvings at several locations (for instance Ibestad and Balsfjord). These people made their living from hunting, fishing and gathering.

The first of the current ethnic groups to settle in the county were the Sami people, who inhabited Sápmi, an area much larger than today's Nordland, Troms and Finnmark counties. Archeological evidence has shown that a Norse iron-based culture in the late Roman Iron Age (200–400 AD), reaches as far north as Karlsøy Municipality (north of today's city of Tromsø), but not further northeast.

The Norse with their iron and agriculture settled along the coast and in some of the larger fjords, while the Sami lived in the same fjord areas, usually just into the fjord and in the interior. From the 10th century, Norse settlements start to appear along the coast further north, reaching into what is today the county of Finnmark.

Southern and Mid-Troms was a petty kingdom in the Viking Age, and considered part of Hålogaland. Ottar from Hålogaland met King Alfred the Great around 890. The Viking leader Tore Hund had his seat at Bjarkøya. According to the sagas, Tore Hund speared King Olav Haraldsson at the Battle of Stiklestad. He also traded and fought in Bjarmaland, today the area of Arkhangelsk in northern Russia. Trondenes (near today's Harstad) was also a central Viking power centre, and seems to have been a gathering place.

Demographics
The Kven residents of Troms are largely descendants of Finnish immigrants who arrived in the area before the 19th century from Finland because of war and famine. They settled mainly in the northeastern part of Troms, in the municipalities of Kvænangen, Nordreisa, Skjervøy, Gáivuotna-Kåfjord and Storfjord, and some also reached Balsfjord and Lyngen.

Municipalities
Troms county has a total of 21 municipalities. • # Balsfjord Municipality

• # Bardu Municipality

• # Dyrøy Municipality

• # Gratangen Municipality

• # Harstad Municipality

• # Ibestad Municipality

• # Gáivuotna-Kåfjord Municipality

• # Karlsøy Municipality

• # Kvæfjord Municipality

• # Kvænangen Municipality

• # Lavangen Municipality

• # Lyngen Municipality

• # Målselv Municipality

• # Nordreisa Municipality

• # Salangen Municipality

• # Senja Municipality

• # Skjervøy Municipality

• # Sørreisa Municipality

• # Storfjord Municipality

• # Tjeldsund Municipality

• # Tromsø Municipality

Notable people

 * Samuel Georg Simeon Wennberg, member of parliament

title: Troms


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Finnmark

Finnmark (Finnmárku ; Finmarkku; Finnmark; Финнмарк) is a county in the northern part of Norway.

On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouring county of Troms to form the new Troms og Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the counties of Finnmark and Troms were restored after a decision made by parliament on 15 June 2022 to separate them.

By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland (Lapland region) to the south, and Russia (Murmansk Oblast) to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea (Atlantic Ocean) to the northwest, and the Barents Sea (Arctic Ocean) to the north and northeast.

The county was formerly known as Finmarkens amt or Vardøhus amt. Starting in 2002, it has two official names: Finnmark (Norwegian) and Finnmárku (Northern Sami). It is part of the Sápmi region, which spans four countries, as well as the Barents Region, and is the second largest and least populated county of Norway.

Situated at the northernmost part of continental Europe, where the Norwegian coastline swings eastward, Finnmark is an area "where East meets West," in culture as well as in nature and geography. Vardø Municipality, the easternmost municipality in Norway, is located farther east than the cities of Saint Petersburg and Istanbul.

Four municipalities (of the district's 18) had population increases during Q1 in 2021: Alta, Tana, Berlevåg and Loppa.

Etymology
The name, Finnmark, derives from the Old Norse Finnmǫrk: The first element is finn(ar), the Norse name for the Sámi people, and the last element is mǫrk, which means "woodland" or "borderland". In Norse times the name referred to the land of the Sami people, or any place where Sámi people lived.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms is black with a gold-colored castle tower—its blazon reads, "Sable, a single-towered castle Or". The design is from 1967 and shows the old Vardøhus Fortress, historically on the eastern border with Russia.

Geography

Finnmark is the northernmost and easternmost county in Norway (Svalbard is not considered a county). By area, Finnmark is Norway's second-largest county, even larger than the neighboring country of Denmark. With a population of about 75,000, it is also the least populated of all Norwegian counties. Finnmark has a total coastline of 6844 km, including 3155 km of coastline on the islands. Nearly 12,300 people or 16.6 percent of the county's population in 2000 was living in the 100-meter belt along the coastline.

Knivskjellodden in Nordkapp Municipality (on the island of Magerøya) sometimes considered the northernmost point of Europe (on an island); Kinnarodden on Nordkinn Peninsula in Lebesby Municipality is the northernmost point on the European mainland. Honningsvåg in Finnmark claims to be the northernmost city of the world, and Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway and is farther east than Istanbul.

The coast is indented by large fjords, many of which (in a strict sense) are false fjords, as they are not carved out by glaciers. Some of Norway's largest sea bird colonies can be seen on the northern coast, the largest are Hjelmsøystauran on the island of Hjelmsøya in Måsøy Municipality and Gjesværstappan in Nordkapp Municipality. The highest point is located on the top of the glacier Øksfjordjøkelen, which has an area of 45 km2, and it is located in Loppa Municipality. Both Øksfjordjøkelen and Seiland Glacier are located in the western part of Finnmark.

The Øksfjord plateau glacier calved directly into the sea (Jøkelfjorden) until 1900, the last glacier in mainland Norway to do so. The central and eastern part of Finnmark is generally less mountainous, and has no glaciers. The land east of Nordkapp is mostly below 300 m.

The nature varies from barren coastal areas facing the Barents Sea, to more sheltered fjord areas and river valleys with gullies and tree vegetation. About half of the county is above the tree line, and large parts of the other half is covered with small Downy birch.

The most lush areas are the Alta area and the Tana valleys, and in the east is the lowland area in the Pasvik valley in Sør-Varanger Municipality, where the pine and Siberian spruce forest is considered part of the Russian taiga vegetation. This valley has the highest density of Brown bears in Norway, and is the only location in the country with a population of musk-rats, stemming from their introduction from their native North America into Europe in the early 20th century which included their release in a total of 293 localities all over Finland from 1919 and onwards, and then of ca 1,000 muskrats on the Kola Peninsula during 1931–1936. The animal spread and the observations of first 'possible' muskrats in the river Alta area in Troms, northern Norway (Vik 1963) were made around 1960, though the first actual specimen was not recovered until 1969 when a muskrat was captured alive in in Tana Municipality (Lund & Wikan 1995). In 1970, another specimen was collected from Jarfjorden in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark (Pedersen 1970). Between 1980 and 1988 there were very few observations of muskrats in Norway (Lund & Wikan 1995). Since 1988 there has been a rapid population increase in Sör-Varanger, and the muskrat has spread to almost every part of the municipality. Lynx and moose are common in large parts of Finnmark, but rare on the coast.

The interior parts of the county are part of the great Finnmarksvidda plateau, with an elevation of 300 to 400 m, with numerous lakes and river valleys. The plateau is famous for its tens of thousands of reindeer owned by the Sami, and swarms of mosquitos in mid-summer. Finnmarksvidda makes up 36% of the county's area. Stabbursdalen National Park ensures protection for the world's most northern pine forest.

The Tana River, which partly defines the border with Finland, gives the largest catch of salmon of all rivers in Europe, and also has the world record for Atlantic salmon, 36 kg. In the east, the Pasvikelva defines the border with Russia.

Climate
The Finnmarksvidda plateau in the interior of the county has a continental climate with the coldest winter temperatures in Norway: the coldest temperature ever recorded was -51.4 C in Karasjok Municipality on 1 January 1886. The 24-hour averages for January and July at the same location are -17.1 C and 13.1 C, the annual average is -2.4 C, and precipitation is only 366 mm per year with summer as the wettest season. Karasjok has recorded up to 32.4 C in July, giving a possible year amplitude of 84 C-change (rare in Europe). Finnmarksvidda has annual mean temperatures down to -3 C (Sihcajavri in Kautokeino Municipality), the coldest in mainland Norway (except for higher mountain areas) and even colder than Jan Mayen and Bear Island. Sihcajavri has also recorded 34.3 C on 23 June 1920.

Due to the proximity to the ice-free ocean, winters are much milder in coastal areas (and more windy); Loppa Municipality has average January and July temperatures of -2 C and 11.6 C respectively, with an annual mean of 3.6 C, despite being further north. Average annual precipitation is 914 mm and the wettest season is September until December. The year average temperature difference between Loppa and Karasjok (6 °C) is comparable to the difference between Loppa and London.

In the Köppen climate classification, the climate in Karasjok–and most of the lowland areas in Finnmark–corresponds to the Dfc category (subarctic climate), while the Loppa climate corresponds to the Cfc category. The northeastern coast, from Nordkapp Municipality east to Vardø Municipality, have arctic tundra climate (Köppen: ET), as the average July temperature is below 10 C.

Furthermore, elevations exceeding approximately 100 to 200 m in coastal areas in western Finnmark and 300 to 500 m in the interior result in an alpine climate, and in the northeast this merges with the Arctic tundra climate.

The climate in sheltered parts of fjord areas (particularly the Altafjorden) is usually considered the most hospitable: winters are not as cold as in the interior, and summer warmth is comparable. Even if winter temperatures are milder in coastal areas, the coast is more exposed to winter storms, which often complicate or shut down road and air communications.

Midnight sun
Situated far north of the Arctic Circle, Finnmark has midnight sun from the middle of May until late July. Conversely, in two months of the winter, from late November to late January, the county experiences polar nights where the sun is always below the horizon. As a consequence, there is continuous daylight from early May to early August. At midwinter, there is only a bluish twilight for a couple of hours around noon, which can almost reach full daylight if there are clear skies to the south.

Northern lights
Finnmark is situated in the Aurora Borealis zone, and because of the dry climate with frequent clear skies, Alta Municipality was early chosen as a location for the study of this strange light phenomenon. For this reason, Alta is sometimes referred to as the city of the northern lights.

Economy

Fisheries have traditionally been the most important way of living along the coast, where the majority of the Norwegian population live. The red king crab, originally from the northern Pacific Ocean but brought to the Barents sea by the Russians, have invaded from the east and are now being exploited commercially (especially in the Varangerfjord). To prevent the crab from spreading too far south, crab fishing west of Nordkapp is totally unregulated.

In more recent years, tourism has grown in importance, with the North Cape (in Nordkapp Municipality) and the towns of Alta and Hammerfest as the most important destinations.

As of 2001, one percent of the work force were employed in the oil industry and the mining industry.

There is some mining industry, though exploitation of the iron ores along the Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line was paused in 2015 and has not restarted as of 2022.

The slate industry in Alta is well known and have sold to customers as far away as Japan.

An irregular procurement of a commuter boat [or ferry ] in 2020, priced at Norwegian kroner 83 million, is still (as of 2022) causing fear that Finnmark will alone get stuck with paying off the boat (when Finnmark becomes a county in 2024); the expense can lead to budget cuts.

The town of Hammerfest is experiencing an economic boom as a consequence of Statoil's construction of the large land-based LNG site on the island of Melkøya, which gets natural gas from the Snøhvit undersea gas field. A new oil field was discovered in 2009 just 45 km off shore, close to the Snøhvit field.

There is optimism in the eastern part of the county, as the growing petroleum activity in the Barents Sea is expected to generate increased economic activity on land as well.

Some snow molds are prevalent and well adapted here, including Sclerotinia borealis and Typhula ishikariensis (especially T. i. group III). Both are pathogens of wheat, and S. b. also affects rye, barley, and some trees.

Infrastructure
There are eleven airports, but only Alta Airport, Lakselv-Banak Airport, and Kirkenes-Høybuktmoen Airport have direct flights to Oslo. In addition, Lakselv-Banak Airport in Porsanger Municipality is used for training by the Royal Norwegian Air Force and other NATO allies, in conjunction with the nearby Halkavarre shooting range, which allows for practice with precision-guided munitions. Garnisonen i Porsanger is near the Halkavarre training area. There is also the Garnisonen i Sør-Varanger (Gsv) in the east, which guards the border with Russia.

Administration
The town of Vadsø is the administrative centre for the county of Finnmark, although Alta has the largest population. The Finnmark County Municipality was the governing body for the county. The county was generally divided into two districts: West-Finnmark (Vest-Finnmark) and East-Finnmark (Øst-Finnmark).

Until 2006, Statskog, the Norwegian state-owned agency responsible for the management of state owned forest and mountain real estate, owned about 95% of the land in Finnmark county. On 1 July 2006, the Finnmark Estate agency took over the ownership and management of that land in Finnmark. The Finnmark Estate was governed in tandem by the Finnmark County Municipality and the Sami Parliament of Norway. The Sami Parliament of Norway is based in the village of Karasjok.

The national government runs the Northern Norway Regional Health Authority which in turn owns and operates two hospitals in Finnmark, located in Kirkenes and Hammerfest.

Municipalities
There were 19 municipalities in Finnmark when the county merged into Troms og Finnmark. 18 of those exist as of 2021.

History
People have lived in Finnmark for at least 10,000 years (see Komsa, Pit-Comb Ware culture and Rock carvings at Alta). The destiny of these early cultures is unknown. Three ethnic groups have a long history in Finnmark: the Sami people, the Norwegian people, and the Kven people. Of these, the Sami probably were the first people to explore Finnmark. Ohthere of Hålogaland was an adventurous Norwegian (Norseman) from Hålogaland, the area roughly corresponding to today's Nordland county. Around 890 AD, he claimed, according to historical sources (see Ohthere of Hålogaland) that he lived "north-most of all the Northmen", and that "no one [lived] to the north of him." Later, Norwegians in the 14th century, and Kvens in the 16th century, settled along the coast. See the articles on Kven people and Vardøhus Fortress for more details.

Sami
The Sami are the indigenous people of Finnmark, but Norwegians have lived for hundreds of years on the islands' outer parts, where they made up the majority. The Sami people still constitute the majority in Finnmark's interior parts, while the fjord areas have been ethnically mixed for a long time. This essentially holds true today.

The Sami were for many years victims of the Norwegianization policy, which in essence was an attempt by the government to make them "true Norwegians" and forget about their Sami way of life and religion, which was seen as inferior. As a result, the Sami living at the coast and in the fjords gradually lost much of their culture and often felt ashamed by their Sami inheritance. The Sami in the interior managed to preserve more of their culture. In the 1970s, instruction of the Sami language started in schools, and a new sense of consciousness started to grow among the Sami; today most are proud of their background and culture.

In the midst of this awakening (1979), Norway's government decided to build a dam in Alta to produce hydropower, provoking many Sami and environmentalists to demonstrations and civil disobedience—Alta Conflict. In the end, the dam was built on a much smaller scale than originally intended and the Sami culture was on the government's agenda. The Sami parliament (Sámediggi) was opened in Karasjok in 1989.

Norwegian

Gjesvær in Nordkapp is mentioned in the Sagas (Heimskringla) as a northern harbor in the Viking Age, especially used by Vikings on the way to Bjarmaland (see Ottar from Hålogaland), and probably also for gathering food in the nearby seabird colony. Coastal areas of Finnmark were colonized by Norwegians beginning in the 10th century, and there are stories describing clashes with the Karelians. Border skirmishes between the Norwegians and Novgorodians continued until 1326, when the Treaty of Novgorod settled the issue.

The first known fortification in Finnmark is Vardøhus festning, first erected in 1306 by King Haakon V Magnusson. This is the world's most northern fortress. In the 17th century, 88 young women were burned as witches in Vardø, an extremely high number compared to the total population in this area at the time. The first person burned as witch in Vardø in the 17th century was a man. [Vardø archives]

Finnmark first became subject to increased colonization in the 18th and 19th century. Norway, Sweden, and Russia all claimed control over this area. Finland was part of Russia at that time and had no independent representative. Finnmark was given the status of an Amt (county) in the 19th century. For a time, there was a vibrant trade with Russia (Pomor trade), and many Norwegians settled on the Kola Peninsula (see Kola Norwegians).

Kven
The Finnic Kven residents of Finnmark are largely descendants of Finnish-speaking immigrants who arrived in the area in the 18th century from Meänmaa, and later in the 19th century from Finland, suffering from famine and war.

Brief summary
In 1576, the King of Norway established Vardøhus len as a new administrative unit for most northern part of the kingdom. In 1660, it became Vardøhus amt, a subordinate to the large Trondhjems stiftamt, based in Trondheim. In 1787, the island of Senja and the Troms area were transferred from Nordlandenes amt to Vardøhus amt. In 1866, the island of Senja and the Troms area were separated from Vardøhus to form the new Tromsø amt. In 1919, the name was again changed to Finnmark fylke. In 2002, the Sami language name, Finnmárku, was added as a co-official name for the county.

Per Fugelli has said that World War II resulted in many persons acquiring psychiatric disorders (psykiske senskadene) which could be from experiencing "bombing, accidents involving mines, burning down of homes, forcible evacuation, illness and starvation during the war and liberation. But it was maybe in particular the treatment of Russian prisoners that left marks on the local population."

World War II
Towards the end of World War II, with Operation Nordlicht, the Germans used the scorched earth tactic in Finnmark and northern Troms to halt the Red Army. As a consequence of this, few houses survived the war, and a large part of the population was forcefully evacuated further south (Tromsø was crowded), but many people avoided evacuation by hiding in caves and mountain huts and waited until the Germans were gone, then inspected their burned homes. There were 11,000 houses, 4,700 cow sheds, 106 schools, 27 churches, and 21 hospitals burned. There were 22,000 communications lines destroyed, roads were blown up, boats destroyed, animals killed, and 1,000 children separated from their parents.

After taking the town of Kirkenes on 25 October 1944 (as the first town in Norway), the Red Army did not attempt further offensives in Norway. Free Norwegian forces arrived from Britain and liberated the rest of the county. When war was over, more than 70,000 people were left homeless in Finnmark. The government imposed a temporary ban on residents returning to Finnmark because of the danger of landmines. The ban lasted until the summer of 1945 when evacuees were told that they could finally return home.

Cold War
The Cold War was a period with sometimes high tension in eastern Finnmark, at the 196 km long border with the Soviet Union. To keep tensions from getting too high, Norway declared that no NATO exercises would take place in Finnmark.

Demographics
The old Stone Age Komsa culture is very difficult to relate to the people living in Finnmark today. There are findings suggesting that the Sami people have been there for a long time, but exactly how long is unclear, some scholars claiming 8000 years but others  only 2500 years. From the 10th century, the coastal areas have been populated and visited by ethnic Norwegians, and Finnmark became part of the kingdom.

The Sami core areas in Norway are in Finnmark, where they constitute about one quarter of the total population. Kautokeino Municipality, Karasjok Municipality, Tana Municipality, Nesseby Municipality, and Porsanger Municipality in Finnmark county (and some other municipalities in other counties) have official names in the Sami language. Most municipalities in Sápmi have unofficial names in Sámi as well.

In the 18th century and the 19th century, many Finnish-speaking immigrants settled in Finnmark. Since 1996, they have had minority status as Kven people. The town of Vadsø (Vesisaari) is often seen as the "Kven capital" in Finnmark.

Lakselv, in central Finnmark, is sometimes referred to as "meeting place for three tribes". After the collapse of the Soviet Union and severe economic troubles in the Russian economy during the 1990s, Russian immigrants and shoppers arrived in Kirkenes. Since the beginning of the European migrant crisis many Syrian refugees arrived in Kirkenes via Russia.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Finnmark


text:
Hedmark

Hedmark was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar.

Hedmark and Oppland counties were merged into Innlandet county on 1 January 2020, when Norway's former 19 counties became 10 bigger counties / regions

Hedmark made up the northeastern part of Østlandet, the southeastern part of the country. It had a long border with Sweden to the east (Dalarna County and Värmland County). The largest lakes were Femunden and Mjøsa, the largest lake in Norway. Parts of Glomma, Norway's longest river, flowed through Hedmark. Geographically,

Hedmark was traditionally divided into: Hedemarken (east of the lake Mjøsa), Østerdalen ("East Valley" north of the town Elverum), and Solør / Glåmdalen (south of Elverum) and Odal in the very south. Hedmark and Oppland were the only Norwegian counties with no coastline. Hedmark also hosted some events of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games.

Hamar, Kongsvinger, Elverum and Tynset were cities in the county. Hedmark was one of the less urbanized areas in Norway; about half of the inhabitants lived on rural land. The population was mainly concentrated in the rich agricultural district adjoining Mjøsa to the southeast. The county's extensive forests supplied much of Norway's timber; at one time, logs were floated down Glomma to the coast but are now transported by truck and train.

The Hedmark municipality of Engerdal had the distinction of marking the current southernmost border in Norway of Sápmi, the traditional region of the Sami people.

The county was divided into three traditional districts. Those were Hedmarken, Østerdalen and Solør (with Odalen and Vinger).

Hedmark was originally a part of the large Akershus amt, but in 1757 Oplandenes amt was separated from it. Some years later, in 1781, this was divided into Kristians amt (now Oppland) and Hedemarkens amt. Until 1919, the county was called Hedemarkens amt.

Etymology
The Old Norse form of the name was Heiðmǫrk. The first element is heiðnir, the name of an old Germanic tribe and is related to the word heið, which means moorland. The last element is mǫrk 'woodland, borderland, march'. (See also Telemark and Finnmark.)

Coat of arms
The coat of arms is from modern times (1987). It shows three barkespader (adzes used to remove bark from timber logs).

Politics
Every four years the inhabitants of Hedmark elected 33 representatives to the Hedmark Fylkesting, the Hedmark County Assembly. After the elections of September 2007, the majority of the seats of the assembly were held by a three-party coalition consisting of the Labour Party (14 seats), the Centre Party (5 seats) and the Socialist Left Party (2 seats). Eight parties were represented in the assembly, the remaining 5 being the Progress Party (4 seats), the Conservative Party (4), the Liberal Party (2), the Christian Democratic Party (1) and the Pensioners Party (1). The assembly was headed by the county mayor (Norwegian: Fylkesordfører). From 2007 to 2011, the county mayor was Arnfinn Nergård, representing the Centre Party. In 2003, a parliamentary system was established, which meant that the county assembly elected a political administration or council to hold executive power. This county council reflected the majority of the county assembly and included the three parties holding the majority of the assembly seats, i.e., the Labour Party, the Center Party and the Socialist Left Party. The council was led by Siv Tørudbakken, a member of the Labour Party.

Districts

 * Glåmdal
 * Hedmarken
 * Østerdalen
 * Solør
 * Vinger

Cities

 * Hamar
 * Kongsvinger
 * Brumunddal
 * Elverum

Parishes

 * Alvdal
 * Austmarka (Østmark)
 * Brandval
 * Brøttum
 * Deset
 * Drevsjø (Drevsjøhytte)
 * Eidskog
 * Elverum
 * Engerdal
 * Finnskog
 * Folldal
 * Furnes
 * Gjesås
 * Grue
 * Hamar
 * Helgøy Kapell
 * Hof
 * Innset
 * Kongsvinger
 * Kvikne
 * Lundersæter
 * Løten
 * Mo
 * Nes
 * Nord-Odal
 * Nordre-Osen
 * Opstad
 * Os (Dalsbygda)
 * Ottestad
 * Rendal
 * Rendalen
 * Revholt
 * Ringsaker
 * Romedal
 * Sand
 * Sollia
 * Stange
 * Stavsjø (Ballishol)
 * Stor Elvdal
 * Strand
 * Strøm
 * Sør-Odal
 * Sør Osen
 * Tangen
 * Tolga
 * Trysil
 * Tylldal
 * Tynset
 * Ulleren
 * Vallset (Tomter)
 * Vang
 * Veldre
 * Vestmarka
 * Vingelen
 * Vinger
 * Våler
 * Ytre Rendal
 * Øvre Engerdal
 * Øvre Rendal
 * Åmot
 * Åsnes
 * Odalen Branch (LDS, 1857-1873)
 * Trysil Frimenighet, (1859-1891)

Villages

 * Atna
 * Bergesida
 * Bergset
 * Braskereidfoss
 * Brumunddal
 * Disenå
 * Drevsjø
 * Espa
 * Flisa
 * Furnes
 * Fådalen
 * Fåset
 * Galterud
 * Grinder
 * Hanestad
 * Hekne
 * Heimdal
 * Heradsbygd
 * Hjellum
 * Hodalen
 * Ilseng
 * Ingeberg
 * Innbygda
 * Kirkenær
 * Kjellmyra
 * Knapper
 * Koppang
 * Kvål
 * Kylstad
 * Lundersæter
 * Magnor
 * Matrand
 * Mesnali
 * Mo (Gardvik)
 * Moelv
 * Namnå
 * Nybergsund
 * Os i Østerdalen
 * Otnes
 * Ottestad
 * Plassmoen
 * Rena
 * Ridabu
 * Risberget
 * Rotberget
 * Roverud
 * Rudshøgda
 * Sand (Sagstua)
 * Sander
 * Sandvika
 * Sinnerud
 * Sjølisand
 * Skarnes
 * Skasenden
 * Skotterud
 * Slettmoen
 * Sorken
 * Starhellinga
 * Svullrya
 * Tangen
 * Telneset
 * Tylldalen
 * Tørberget
 * Unset
 * Vangsås/Slemsrud
 * Våler
 * Østby
 * Øversjødalen
 * Åbogen
 * Ådalsbruk
 * Åkre
 * Åkrestrømmen
 * Åsta

Former municipalities

 * Brandval
 * Furnes
 * Hof
 * Kvikne
 * Nes
 * Rendal
 * Romedal
 * Sollia
 * Tolga-Os
 * Vang
 * Vinger
 * Ytre Rendal
 * Øvre Rendal
 * Åsnes og Våler

title: Hedmark


text:
Oppland

Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration was located in the town of Lillehammer.

Merger
On 1 January 2020, the neighboring counties of Oppland and Hedmark were merged to form the new Innlandet county. Both Oppland and Hedmark were the only landlocked counties of Norway, and the new Innlandet county is the only landlocked county in Norway. The two counties had historically been one county that was divided in 1781. Historically, the region was commonly known as "Opplandene". In 1781, the government split the area into two: Hedemarkens amt and Kristians amt (later renamed Hedmark and Oppland. In 2017, the government approved the merger of the two counties. There were several names debated, but the government settled on Innlandet.

Geography
Oppland extended from the lakes Mjøsa and Randsfjorden to the mountains Dovrefjell, Jotunheimen and Rondane. Gråhøe is a mountain on the border between the municipalities of Sel and Dovre in Oppland.

The county was conventionally divided into traditional districts. These are the Gudbrandsdalen, Valdres, Toten, Hadeland and Land. Oppland included the towns Lillehammer, Gjøvik, Otta, and Fagernes, and Norway's two highest mountains, Glittertind and Galdhøpiggen, Valdres and the Gudbrand Valley being popular attractions. The Gudbrand Valley surrounds the river Gudbrandsdalslågen, and includes the area extending from Jotunheimen down to Bagn at Begna River. It is a well known place for skiing and winter sports. The main population centres in this area were Beitostølen and Fagernes. Eight of the ten highest mountains in Norway are located in the western part of Oppland.

Etymology
In Norse times the inner parts of Norway were called Upplǫnd which means 'the upper countries'. The first element is upp which means 'upper'. The last element is lǫnd which is the plural form of 'land'.

In 1757, the inner parts of the great Akershus amt were separated and given the name Oplandenes Amt. This was divided in 1781 into Christians Amt (named after the king Christian VII) and Hedemarkens Amt. The name/form was changed to Kristians Amt in 1877 after an official spelling reform that changed ch to k (see also Kristiania, Kristiansand and Kristiansund). In 1919, the name Kristians Amt was changed (back) to Opland fylke, and the spelling Oppland was approved in 1950.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted in 1989, and it showed two Pulsatilla vernalis.

Municipalities

Oppland County (Christians Amt) had a total of 26 municipalities:

Districts

 * Begnadalen
 * Espedalen
 * Gudbrandsdalen
 * Hadeland
 * Heidal
 * Hunndalen
 * Land
 * Toten
 * Valdres
 * Vestoppland

Cities

 * Gjøvik
 * Lillehammer
 * Fagernes
 * Otta
 * Vinstra

Parishes

 * Aulstad
 * Aurdal
 * Austsinni
 * Bagn
 * Balke
 * Begndal
 * Biri
 * Brandbu (Nes)
 * Bruflat
 * Bøverdal
 * Dovre
 * Eina
 * Etnedal
 * Fluberg
 * Follebu (Folleboe)
 * Fåberg
 * Fåvang (Fodevang)
 * Garmo
 * Gausdal
 * Gjøvik
 * Gran
 * Hedal
 * Hegge
 * Heidal
 * Hoff
 * Hunn
 * Hurum
 * Høre
 * Jevnaker
 * Kolbu
 * Kvam
 * Kvikne (Quiekne)
 * Land
 * Lesja (Læssø)
 * Lesjaskog
 * Lillehammer
 * Lom
 * Lomen (Røn, Røen)
 * Lunner
 * Mesna
 * Nes (Brandbu)
 * Nord-Aurdal
 * Nord-Fron
 * Nordberg
 * Nordre Etnedal
 * Nordre Land
 * Nordsinni (Hogner)
 * Nykirke
 * Reinli
 * Ringebu
 * Rogne
 * Røn (Røen)
 * Saksumdal
 * Sel
 * Sister
 * Skiåker
 * Skjåk
 * Skrautvål
 * Slidredomen
 * Snertingdal
 * St. Mary
 * St. Thomas
 * Strand
 * Svatsum
 * Svenes
 * Sødorp (Søthorp)
 * Søndre Land
 * Sør-Aurdal
 * Sør-Fron
 * Tingelstad
 * Torpa
 * Tretten (Trøtten)
 * Ulnes
 * Vang
 * Vardal
 * Venabygd
 * Vestre Gausdal
 * Vestre Slidre
 * Vestre Toten
 * Volbu
 * Vågå
 * Østre Gausdal
 * Østre Slidre
 * Østre Toten
 * Østsinni (Gårder)
 * Øye (Øie)
 * Øyer
 * Åmot
 * Ås

Villages

 * Aurdal
 * Bagn
 * Begna
 * Beitostølen
 * Bismo
 * Biri
 * Bjoneroa
 * Bjorli
 * Bjølstad
 * Bjørgo
 * Brandbu
 * Brekkom
 * Bruflat
 * Bybrua
 * Bøverbru
 * Dale
 * Dokka
 * Dombås
 * Dovre
 * Egge
 * Eina
 * Fagernes
 * Fluberg
 * Follebu
 * Forset
 * Fåberg
 * Fåvang
 * Grotli
 * Grua
 * Harestua
 * Harpefoss
 * Hjerkinn
 * Hov
 * Høvringen
 * Jaren
 * Jevnaker
 * Kapp
 * Kolbu
 * Kvam
 * Lalm
 * Leira
 * Lena
 * Lensbygda
 * Lesjaskog
 * Lesjaverk
 * Lora
 * Moane
 * Nordlia
 * Odnes
 * Raufoss
 * Reinsvoll
 * Ringstad
 * Røn
 * Sandbumoen
 * Segalstad bru
 * Skogbygda
 * Skrautvål
 * Skreia
 * Skåbu
 * Sletta
 * Slidre
 * Snertingdal
 * Svingvoll
 * Tretten
 * Tyinkrysset
 * Vang i Valdres
 * Vinstra
 * Vågåmo

Former municipalities

 * Biri (Birid)
 * Brandbu
 * Eina
 * Fluberg
 * Fron
 * Fåberg (Faabeg)
 * Heidal
 * Kolbu
 * Land
 * Slidre
 * Snertingdal
 * Torpa
 * Vardal
 * Vestre Gausdal
 * Østre Gausdal

title: Oppland


text:
Ride (band)

Ride are an English rock band formed in Oxford in 1988. The band consists of vocalists and guitarists Andy Bell and Mark Gardener, drummer Laurence "Loz" Colbert and bassist Steve Queralt. They have been recognised as one of the key pioneers of shoegaze, an alternative rock subgenre that emerged to prominence in the United Kingdom during the early 1990s.

The band's first two albums, Nowhere (1990) and Going Blank Again (1992), have been critically acclaimed as two of the greatest shoegaze albums of all time. The latter's lead single, "Leave Them All Behind", was the band's most commercially successful song, reaching No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart. Both Going Blank Again and its 1994 follow-up, Carnival of Light, peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart.

Ride broke up in 1996 prior to the release of their fourth album Tarantula, which received negative reviews. Bell joined Oasis in 1999 as their bassist. The band reunited in 2014 to tour again, and also put out the albums Weather Diaries (2017), This Is Not a Safe Place (2019) and Interplay (2024).

1988–1989: Starting out
Andy Bell and Mark Gardener had been to Cheney School in Oxford, appearing in the school's musical theatre productions, and in October 1988, they moved to Banbury to do Foundation Studies in Art & Design at North Oxfordshire College and the Oxfordshire School of Art & Design. There they met Laurence Colbert and Steve Queralt. Queralt, who also went to Cheney School, was recruited from the local Our Price record shop where he worked as a singles buyer (although Bell and Queralt had already played together in an obscure reggae/pop band called "Big Spiderback"). After considering various names, the band settled for 'Ride', with its evocation of travel, and after the ride cymbal. Bell has cited a performance by the Smiths as the inspiration for forming a band. The band formed in the summer of 1988 and played their first gig as Ride for the College's Christmas Party towards the end of the year. While still at Banbury, the band produced a demo tape, recorded in Queralt's bedroom and hallway, including the tracks "Chelsea Girl" and "Drive Blind". Queralt and his record shop boss and future Ride manager Dave Newton had started a live music night in Oxford called Local Support, and it was due to a cancellation by another band that Ride got their first proper gig at one of these nights. Jim Reid of the Jesus and Mary Chain heard a copy of the demo that was in the possession of the DJ Gary Crowley, and this led to interest from former Mary Chain manager Alan McGee. After the band supported the Soup Dragons in 1989, McGee signed them to his Creation Records label.

1989–1993: Early Creation years
Ride released three EPs between January and September 1990, entitled Ride, Play and Fall. All three EPs made it into the UK top 75, with Play and Fall reaching the top 40. Ride's top-75 placing was a first for Creation Records. The first two EPs were released together as Smile in the USA in July 1990 (and later released in the UK in 1992), while the Fall EP was incorporated into the CD version of their first album, Nowhere, released in October 1990. Bell said that the band kept putting out new material to remain fresh in listeners' minds, comparing it to the release schedules of the Beatles and the Jam.

The band were often labelled as part of the "shoegaze" scene, but the band rejected this, Bell stating "my first reaction was like, this is another boring tag. These days...that's pretty much still my reaction". Gardener said of the band's influences "We liked the noisy bands of the time. When we were at art college we went to see My Bloody Valentine, House of Love, Stone Roses and Sonic Youth. I think these all had a lot of influence on us in the early days as they were great gigs". Spacemen 3, Loop, Dinosaur Jr., Pixies, and the Beatles, among others, also proved influential.

The band recorded two sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show in 1990, and their popularity with the show's listeners saw them with three tracks in the Festive Fifty that year, with "Dreams Burn Down" and "Like a Daydream" at numbers 3 and 4 respectively, and "Taste" at number 25.

Nowhere was a critical and commercial success, reaching No. 11 in the UK. Demand for new material was high, and the band recorded another EP, Today Forever, released in March 1991. The EP marked a change in direction for the group away from the noisier early style. Ride made their first international tour to Japan, Australia and France later on that year. Tickets for the performances in Japan sold out within minutes.

In February 1992 the band broke into the UK top 10 with "Leave Them All Behind", and the following month saw the release of the band's second album Going Blank Again. However, its followup, "Twisterella", disappointed and barely scraped the top 40 despite extremely high expectations, and Creation stopped promoting the album as a result. The band then embarked on an ill-fated American tour. The strain within the band was already apparent, Bell stating "By the time the second album came out we were touring too much. We were tired. We then took time off, but it was too much time off".

1994–1996: Change in musical direction
Ride were able to see out 1993 riding on the success of Going Blank Again and a third album was keenly anticipated. A double weekend of gigs with The Charlatans that year ('Daytripper') kept them in the public eye amid a wider lack of interest in the shoegazing scene. Their third album, Carnival of Light, was released in June 1994, at a time when Britpop was the focus of the music press. Produced by John Leckie and partly engineered by Nigel Godrich (future Radiohead producer) – except "How Does it Feel to Feel?" by Black Crowes producer George Drakoulias – and featuring a guest appearance on keyboards from Jon Lord of Deep Purple, the album was split between songwriters Gardener and Bell, with the former's songs making up the first half of the album and the latter's the second. Not only did the album's sound eschew the band's earlier influences in favour of inspiration from classic rock, but the band's approach to songwriting also changed: whereas earlier material had mostly been developed by the band in jam sessions as a group, for Carnival of Light Bell and Gardener would arrive in the studio with their songs more or less fully formed. Opening with the riff-heavy "Moonlight Medicine", tracks also include "From Time to Time", "Birdman" and a cover of The Creation's "How Does It Feel to Feel?", which was released as a single. The album was not well received by critics, Bell explaining "These were good times but the music took second place. When we recorded the Carnival of Light album we got indulgent". By the end of 1994 even the band themselves were critical of the album, referring to it within the group as "Carnival of Shite".

1996: The break-up
1995 saw the dissolution of the band while recording Tarantula. Gardener and Bell had led the band away from their shoegazing roots to become more contemporary, hoping to change their style with the times. Queralt has remarked that the band had two future directions open to them, and they chose the wrong option. Gardener had become interested in dance music, and wanted Ride to incorporate that into their style, while Bell disagreed. The track listing of Carnival of Light gives an indication of the tension that was mounting between the two guitarists, with the first half of the album being songs written by Mark Gardener and the last half by Bell, who refused to let his songs be interspersed with Gardener's.

By the time Tarantula appeared, the band was beginning to self-destruct. Bell penned most of the songs while Gardener provided only one - the tension within the band leading to an inability to write meaningful musical pieces. Castle on the Hill, written by Bell, was a lament for the band's situation and contains references to Gardener's self-imposed exile from the group. Gardener walked out during the album's mixing sessions, and the band announced their break-up shortly before its release in March 1996. The album was released and remained on sale for one week before being withdrawn. Critics and fans alike had panned the album (although the first single off the album, "Black Nite Crash", was awarded "single of the week" by weekly music magazine Melody Maker). The album was described by AllMusic as "an abomination of '70s/Lenny Kravitz clichés, full of third- and fourth-rate tunes and, ultimately, bad blood", going on to say "the words are just plain awful throughout, not even worth printing". Rolling Stone were more complimentary, stating "the album is saved from maudlin self-obsession because it's rawer and rocks harder than anything else Ride have recorded".

Since the break-up, both Bell and Gardener have been more reflective about the group's disintegration, with Bell especially admitting his own part in the process.

1997–2001: Post-break-up years
After the split, Andy Bell formed a new band called Hurricane No. 1 but this project was permanently dissolved when he was asked to play bass for Oasis after having turned down the opportunity to join Gay Dad. He lived in Stockholm during this period. Mark Gardener and Laurence Colbert joined with Sam Williams to form the Animalhouse. As BMG signings, they were successful in Japan. The band was, however, short lived and split in 2002.

2001–2013: Channel Four and beyond
On 16 October 2001, all four members of Ride agreed to be filmed by Channel 4. The footage was used for the show Pioneers, a documentary on Sonic Youth, and featured a thirty-minute improvised jam. The recording of this song, plus two short sound checks, were released in 2002 as Coming up for Air. The interest in this limited release CD caused the band to consider future releases. In late 2002, Ride released a 3-CD box set which is made up of OX4_ The Best of Ride, Firing Blanks (Unreleased tracks) and Live_Reading Festival 1992. In 2003 they released Waves, a collection of tracks from five radio sessions recorded for the BBC.

Mark Gardener then pursued a solo career. From 2003 to 2005, Gardener toured extensively, sometimes with the help of Oxford friends Goldrush, in order to personally fund a full-length studio album. During the tour, a three-track EP with Goldrush (Falling Out into the Night) and a live album (the acoustic solo Live @ the Knitting Factory, New York City) were released. He also spent part of 2005 working with the French duo rinôçérôse. In late 2005, Gardener's album These Beautiful Ghosts was released in North America on United For Opportunity.

Any thoughts of permanently re-forming the band, however, were previously explicitly denied by Bell, with the reasoning that it would not live up to expectations. However, band members, Bell included, had stated that they would not mind working with each other again. Since then, Bell and Colbert have made an appearance at one of Gardener's early shows; Bell later shared two nights of acoustic sets with Gardener in November 2003 when Gardener made a tour stop in Bell's then home of Stockholm.

2014–present: Reunion albums
On 19 November 2014, it was announced that Ride had reunited again for a series of tour dates in Europe and North America, in May and June 2015. On 10 and 17 April 2015, Ride performed at Coachella, following a live performance broadcast by KCRW on 8 April 2015. The band played many European festivals such as Primavera Sound, Best Kept Secret, Melt! Festival, Field Day, Pukkelpop and Øyafestivalen. They also toured America with DIIV opening. The reunion was originally meant for touring only, but after playing shows together again, the band decided that the experience should also lead to the recording of a new album.

On 21 February 2017, the band premiered "Charm Assault", their first new song in 21 years. The next day, the band released another single, "Home Is a Feeling". On 23 March, Ride announced their first new studio album in 21 years, Weather Diaries. The album was released on 16 June 2017. It made number 11 in the UK album charts and gained critical and fan approval upon its release, supported by a tour of Europe and North America across the summer and autumn of 2017. On 27 May 2018 they played a hometown gig, as first support to James, in Oxford's South Parks, as part of the two-day "Common People" festival (the previous day had been in Southampton).

In March 2019, the band announced that their upcoming sixth studio album had already been finished, with the same producer as their previous album, Erol Alkan. The new album, called This Is Not a Safe Place, was released on 16 August 2019.

Ride played the 2022 edition of the Primavera Sound festival, performing Going Blank Again and Nowhere in full on two separate days. The band also toured for the 30th anniversary of Nowhere from 2022 to 2024, including a co-headlining "Between Nowhere" tour with The Charlatans (who played Between 10th and 11th in full) in North America.

In November 2022, Ride announced that the band had been working on a seventh album, set for release in 2023 or 2024. On 11 January 2024, Ride announced their seventh album, Interplay, with the release of the lead single "Peace Sign". The album was released on 29 March 2024.

Members

 * Mark Gardener – vocals, rhythm guitar
 * Andy Bell – vocals, lead guitar, keyboards
 * Steve Queralt – bass
 * Laurence "Loz" Colbert – drums

Compilations and live albums

 * Smile (1990) Sire/Creation
 * Kaleidoscope (1991) Sire (promotional only)
 * Grasshopper (1992) Sire/Warner Bros.
 * Cosmic Carnival (1994) Sire
 * Live Light (1995) Mutiny/Elektra
 * Ride (Box Set) (2001) Ignition
 * OX4 The Best of Ride (2001) Ignition
 * Firing Blanks Unreleased Ride Recordings 1988–95 (2001)
 * Live Reading Festival 1992 (2001)
 * Waves: Radio 1 Sessions 90-94 (2003)
 * Tomorrow's Shore (Wichita, 2018)
 * 4EPs (Wichita, 2022)

Videography

 * Ride: Today Forever (1991)
 * Ride: Live at Brixton Academy (1992)

title: Ride (band)


text:
Vestfold

Vestfold is a  county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city,  and the largest city is Sandefjord. With the exception of the city-county of Oslo, Vestfold is the smallest county in Norway by area. Vestfold was until 2019 the only county in which all municipalities had declared Bokmål to be their sole official written form of the Norwegian language.

Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Holmestrand, Horten, Åsgårdstrand, Tønsberg, Sandefjord, Larvik and Stavern; these towns run from Oslo in an almost constant belt of urban areas along the coast, ending in Grenland in neighbouring county Telemark. The river Numedalslågen runs through the county. Many islands are located at the coast. Vestfold is mostly dominated by lowland and is among the best agricultural areas of Norway. Winters last about three months, while pleasant summer temperatures last from May to September, with a July average high of 17 °C (63 °F).

Vestfold is traditionally known for shipping and sailing. Sandefjord was formerly a headquarters for the Norwegian whaling fleet, and Horten used to be Norway's main naval port. The coastal towns of Vestfold now engage in fishing and shipbuilding. Some lumbering is carried on in the interior. The area also includes some of the best farmland in Norway.

Vestfold merged with neighboring Telemark County on 1 January 2020 as part of a nationwide municipal reform. The new county name was Vestfold og Telemark. Vestfold county was re-established on 1 January 2024, following a vote of the county council of Vestfold og Telemark on 15 February 2022 to split the newly established county into its respective counties that existed before the merger took place; Telemark and Vestfold.

Etymology
Vestfold is the old name of the region which was revived in modern times. Fold was the old name of the Oslofjord, and the meaning of the name Vestfold is the region west of the Fold (see also Østfold). Before 1919, the county was called Jarlsberg og Larvik Amt. The amt was created in 1821, consisting of the two old counties of Jarlsberg and Larvik. In the Viking Age, Vestfold also referred to Eiker, Drammen, Kongsberg, Lier, now in Buskerud.

Vestfold Hills on Antarctica's Sørsdal Glacier is named after the county.

Viking history

Vestfold is mentioned for the first time in a written source in 813, when Danish kings were in Vestfold to quell an uprising amongst the Fürsts. There may have been as many as six political centers in Vestfold. At that time Kaupang, which was located in Tjølling near Larvik, had been functioning for decades and had a chieftain. Kaupang, which dates from the Viking Age, is believed to be the first town in Norway, although Tønsberg (which dates from ca. 900) is the oldest town in Norway still in existence. At Borre, there was a site for another chieftain. That site held chieftains for more than one hundred years prior to 813.

The stone mounds at Mølen have been dated to the Viking Age. The mounds at Haugar in present-day Tønsberg's town centre have been dated to the Viking period. At Farmannshaugen in Sem there seems to have been activity at the time, while activity at Oseberghaugen and Gokstadhaugen dates from a few decades later.

An English source from around 890 retells the voyage of Ottar (Ottar fra Hålogaland) "from the farthest North, along Norvegr via Kaupang and Hedeby to England", where Ottar places Kaupang in the land of the Dane - danenes land. Bjørn Brandlien says that "To the degree that Harald Hårfagre gathered a kingdom after the Battle of Hafrsfjord at the end of the 9th century - that especially is connected to Avaldsnes - it does not seem to have made such a great impression on Ottar". Kaupang is mentioned under the name of Skiringssal (Kaupangen i Skiringssal) in Ottar's tales.

By the 10th century, the local kings had established themselves. The king or his ombudsman resided in the old Royal Court at Sæheim i Sem, today the Jarlsberg Estate (Jarlsberg Hovedgård) in Tønsberg. The farm Haugar (from Old Norse haugr meaning hill or mound) became the seat for Haugating, the Thing for Vestfold and one of Norway's most important place for the proclamation of kings. The family of Harald Fairhair, who was most likely the first king of Norway, is said to have come from this area.

The Danish kings seem to have been weak in Vestfold from around the middle of the 9th century until the middle of the 10th century, but their rule was strengthened there at the end of the 10th century. The Danish kings seem to have tried to control the region until the 13th century.

Kings ruling some or all of Vestfold

 * Erik Agnarsson
 * Halfdan Hvitbeinn (part of Vestfold)
 * Eystein Halfdansson
 * Halfdan the Mild
 * Gudrød the Hunter
 * Halfdan the Black, together with his brother, Olaf Gudrødsson
 * Ragnvald the Mountain-High, Cousin of Harold Fairhair
 * Harald Fairhair
 * Bjørn Farmann
 * Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf, brother of Bjørn
 * Harald Gudrødsson Grenske, 976–987

Whaling
Whaling was an important 19th century industry in coastal cities such as Larvik, Tønsberg, and Sandefjord, which was the world centre for the world's modern whaling industry. Not only did men from Vestfold County make up practically all the crew on the Norwegian whaling fleet, but many were also involved in the whaling industry in other nations. As an example, the first phase of modern Australian whaling was almost entirely based on workers from Larvik. While the first whaling station in the Faroe Islands was established by Sandefjordians, Larvik played a similar role for the Shetland Islands. Tønsberg initiated much of the whaling industry in Iceland and the Hebrides.

The largest settlement in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Grytviken, was established by Carl Anton Larsen of Sandefjord on 16 November 1904. Sandefjordian Nils Larsen's expeditions to Antarctica in the early 20th century led to the Norwegian annexation of Bouvet Island (1927) and Peter I Island (1929). A cove on Peter I Island is named Sandefjord Cove in honor of Nils Larsen's hometown.

Sandefjord Harbor is now home to Southern Actor, the only whale-catcher from the Modern Whaling Epoch still to be in its original order. The museum ship is owned by Sandefjord Whaling Museum, Europe's only museum dedicated to whaling. Sandefjord has been named the centre of the Modern Whaling Epoch, and has been nicknamed "the whaling capital of the world."

Geography
Vestfold is Norway's smallest county, with the exception of the city-county of Oslo. It lies on the western shore of the Oslofjord. Vestfold borders with Buskerud County in the north and with Telemark County in the west. It is bordered by Skagerrak in the North Sea to both the south and east. The county has a total area of 2157 km² and has a 980 km coastline. Vestfjellet at 634.04 m is the tallest peak in the county. It is also home to 1,407 islands. Nøtterøy (60 km²) is the largest island in Vestfold, while Tjøme (39 km²) is the second-largest island.

There is a total of 634 freshwater lakes in Vestfold, with a total area of 79 square kilometers. Large lakes include Farris, Eikeren, Goksjø, Hallevannet, Akersvannet, and others. Vestfold makes up 0.7 percent of Norway's total land area. Ten Norwegian municipalities are larger in size than Vestfold County. As an example, Kautokeino Municipality in Finnmark County is over four times larger than Vestfold County. Finnmark county is 22 times larger than Vestfold county.

Geology
The county's soft soil is composed of varieties of moraine and sedimentary soils. The Ice Age left large parts of Vestfold below sea level, and the most cultivated soil can be found on the marine terraces. Marine clay and sand cover most of the lower lying country in the south-west and north. The Vestfold moraine, a continuation of the Østfold moraine at Moss, is an ice-formed formation which stretches as a cohesive gravel ridge through the county, from Horten in the east to Mølen in the south.

Preserved areas
Færder National Park was the county's first national park when the decision was formalized by King Harald V on 23 August 2013. The visitor center is at World's End, and was officially opened by Queen Sonja on 26 June 2015. The national park lies in Nøtterøy- and Tjøme municipalities, and is made up of 325 km² of ocean and 15 km² of land. It stretches from Ormøy in the north to Færder Lighthouse in the south. It is one of two marine national parks in Norway, and is made up of coast, skerries, islands and sea bed.

Mølen in Larvik is home to Norway's largest stone beach and is an ancient burial site consisting of 230 cairns, some exceeding 35 m in diameter. Excavations have dated the rock piles to about 250 A.D. It was the first UNESCO Global Geopark in the Nordics when established in 2008. Mølen is one of Larvik's most popular tourist attractions. It is home to over a hundred species of rock, including Norway's national stone, Larvikite, which is named from the area. It is a crucially important seabird habitat, where over 316 species of bird have been recorded.

Municipalities
Vestfold has experienced a large reduction in number of municipalities. As of 1949, the county was home to 19 rural municipalities and 7 city municipalities. There were 14 municipalities as of 2016, but the number decreased to 6 as of 2024. Vestfold has the least amount of municipalities of any county in Norway.

 * 1) Holmestrand Municipality
 * 2) Horten Municipality
 * 3) Tønsberg Municipality
 * 4) Færder Municipality
 * 5) Sandefjord Municipality
 * 6) Larvik Municipality

Towns and cities

 * Holmestrand
 * Horten
 * Larvik
 * Sandefjord
 * Stavern
 * Tønsberg
 * Åsgårdstrand

Villages

 * Andebu
 * Barkåker
 * Berger
 * Bergsåsen
 * Bjerkøya
 * Bjørnevåg
 * Borgheim
 * Borre
 * Brekkeåsen
 * Buerstad
 * Duken
 * Eidsfoss
 * Eik
 * Eikeberg
 * Fevang
 * Fokserød
 * Fon
 * Freberg
 * Føynland
 * Gjone
 * Glomstein
 * Gretteåsen
 * Grimestad
 * Gullhaug
 * Hafallen
 * Helgeroa
 * Hem
 * Hof
 * Hulebakk
 * Husvik
 * Husøy
 * Hvasser
 * Høyjord
 * Hårkollen
 * Kaupang
 * Kjose
 * Kjøpmannskjær
 * Klever
 * Kodal
 * Kvelde
 * Lahelle
 * Linnestad
 * Melsomvik
 * Nesbrygga
 * Nesbygda
 * Nykirke
 * Ormelet
 * Oterbekk
 * Ramnes
 * Revetal
 * Rånerudåsen
 * Råstad
 * Sande
 * Selvik
 * Sem
 * Skallestad
 * Skinmo
 * Skjerve
 * Skoppum
 * Solløkka
 * Solvang
 * Stokke
 * Storevar
 * Strand
 * Strengsdal
 * Sundbyfoss
 * Sundene
 * Svarstad
 * Svelvik
 * Svinevoll
 * Teie
 * Tenvik
 * Torød
 * Ula
 * Unneberg
 * Valberg
 * Vassås
 * Vear
 * Veierland
 * Verdens Ende
 * Verningen
 * Vestskogen
 * Vollen
 * Årøysund

Parishes

 * Andebu
 * Arnadal (Arendal)
 * Berg
 * Borre
 * Botne
 * Brunlanes
 * Fon
 * Fredricksværn, see Stavern
 * Hedrum
 * Hem
 * Hillestad
 * Hof
 * Holmestrand
 * Horten
 * Hvarnes
 * Høyjord
 * Kjose
 * Kodal
 * Konnerud
 * Kvelde
 * Langestrand
 * Lardal
 * Larvik
 * Nykirke
 * Nøtterøy
 * Ramnes
 * Sandar
 * Sande
 * Sandefjord
 * Sandeherred, see Sandar
 * Sankt Laurentii
 * Sem
 * Skjee
 * Skoger
 * Slagen
 * Stavern
 * Stokke
 * Strømm (Strømmen)
 * Strømsgodset
 * Styrvoll
 * Svarstad
 * Svelvik
 * Tanum
 * Tjølling
 * Tjøme
 * Tønsberg
 * Undrumsdal
 * Valløy
 * Vassås
 * Vivestad
 * Vor Frue (Maria)
 * Våle
 * Åsgårdstrand
 * Larvik Branch (LDS, early-1927)
 * Tønsberg Branch (LDS, early-1951)
 * Larvik (Katolske Apostoliske, 1888–1963)

Former municipalities

 * Andebu Municipality
 * Borre Municipality
 * Botne Municipality
 * Brunlanes Municipality
 * Hedrum Municipality
 * Hof Municipality
 * Lardal Municipality
 * Nøtterøy Municipality
 * Ramnes Municipality
 * Sandar Municipality
 * Sem Municipality
 * Skoger Municipality
 * Stavern Municipality
 * Stokke Municipality
 * Strømm Municipality
 * Tjølling Municipality
 * Tjøme Municipality
 * Våle Municipality
 * Åsgårdstrand Municipality

Political strength
Results from parliamentary elections in Vestfold County since 1973:

Bold letters represent the alliances (Leftwing Ap+SV. Centre KrF+V+Sp. Rightwing H+Frp). M = Number of elected parliamentarians.

Demographics
According to Statistics Norway, Vestfold County was home to 244,967 residents as of 1 January 2016. Immigrants made up 11.9 percent of the population in 2017. Most immigrants were from Poland (4,287 people), followed by Lithuania (2,794) and Iraq (1,549). Despite its small size, Vestfold had the third-highest population density in Norway. However, the population density may still have been considered low; as an example, the population density of the Netherlands was four times higher than that of Vestfold County in 1998.

Sandefjord was the most populous city of Vestfold County; one in four people from Vestfold were from Sandefjord, or 25.2 percent of the county population.

Economy
Traditional industries in Vestfold have included whaling and ship building. For over 50 years in the 19th century, Sandefjord and partially Tønsberg functioned as the world centre for the whaling industry. However, whaling ended in the 1960s and the ship building industry has gradually reduced since the 1980s. Information technology is currently a growing industry, and the county is home to large web shops such as Komplett, MPX.no and netshop.no. 18.9 percent of the county's total area is used for agriculture, the highest percentage of any county in Norway. 70% of agricultural lands are used for the cultivation of grains. Vestfold's farming area makes up five percent of Norway's cultivated areas. However, by area, Vestfold only makes up 0.7 percent of Norway's land area.

Vestfold has Norway's most expensive vacation homes. Sandefjord had Norway's most expensive vacation homes in 2012, while Tjøme had the most expensive homes as of 2010. General property values appreciated 28.3 percent between 2010 and 2015.

Tourism
Summer tourism is an important industry in Vestfold, particularly in coastal communities such as Sandefjord, Tjøme and Stavern. Coastal cities also have large numbers of vacation homes. There were 534,724 hotel stays in 2015, where the purpose was vacationing for 236,895. Most international tourists were from the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. There were 781,459 stays at rental cabins or campgrounds in 2015. Consequentially, the population increases drastically during summer months in municipalities such as Sandefjord, Tjøme, and elsewhere. The population at Tjøme goes from 4,500 to around 50,000 each summer. The population of islands such as Tjøme often quadruple during summer, while summer communities as Stavern often sees a doubling or tripling. Tjøme Island is home to nearly as many vacation homes as residential homes.

While Tjøme has the nickname Sommerøya ("the Summer Island"), Sandefjord is nicknamed Badebyen ("the Bathing City") due to its many beaches and former spas. Sandefjord is known for its many great beaches, and it is primarily known as a summer resort community. It first became a bathing destination when sulphur was discovered in 1837. The city gained further recognition when Sandefjord Sulfur Spa and Resort (Kurbadet) was established in 1837. The bath was one of the most visited in Europe during the late 19th century.

Vestfold's most visited tourist attractions include Borre mound cemetery, the largest burial site in Northern Europe, as well as numerous sites along the coast. Architectural sites include the villages of Åsgårdstrand, Karljohansvern in Horten, and Fredriksvern in Stavern. Other important attractions are Sandefjord Whaling Museum, Mølen Geopark in Larvik, as well as Tønsberg Fortress (Slottsfjellet) in Tønsberg.

Largest companies
Largest companies in Vestfold County based on operating income in 2015:

Culture
Vestfold is the county in Norway with the most traces from the Viking Age. Examples include the Oseberg- and Gokstad Burial Mounds. While the Oseberg Ship was discovered in Tønsberg, the Gokstad Ship was discovered in Sandefjord. The Gokstad Ship is Norway's largest preserved Viking ship. Both ships are now located at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Additional burial mounds are found at Borre mound cemetery and Mølen, an UNESCO Global Geopark. Borre mound cemetery is home to Northern Europe's largest burial mound site from Viking Age.

Vestfold is home to 21 churches dating to medieval times. It is also home to one stave church, Høyjord Stave Church in Andebu (Sandefjord). Nearby Andebu Church also has Norway's oldest parish register, dating to 1623. The city of Sandefjord proper is home to Europe's only museum dedicated to whaling, Sandefjord Museum in the city centre. This museum also owns Southern Actor, a whale-catcher turned museum ship. Southern Actor is the only whale-catcher from the Modern Whaling Epoch still to be in its original working order. Also at Sandefjord Harbor is the Harbour Chapel (Bryggekapellet), which is the only floating church in Norway and most likely Europe, perhaps the only floating church in the world.

The city of Tønsberg is Norway's oldest city, most likely founded in year 871. Tønsberg is home to Tønsberg Fortress, which is Scandinavia's largest ruin site. It includes ruins from Castrum Tunsbergis, Norway's largest castle in the 13th century. An outdoor music festival is held at Tønsberg Fortress every July. Ruins of a German fortress can be seen at Folehavna Fort on West Island, Sandefjord.

Transportation
The Vestfold Line is a railway line that runs from Drammen, through a number of towns in Vestfold and ending in the town of Skien in Telemark. European route E18 runs through the county roughly parallel to the railway.

There are two international ferry connections, both operated by Color Line. Larvik is connected to the Danish town Hirtshals, the other route is between Sandefjord and Strømstad in Sweden. Fjord Line is also a ferry operator between Sandefjord and Strømstad. In addition there is a domestic route connecting Horten and Moss.

Sandefjord Airport Torp is one of Norway's largest airports. Only Bergen- and Oslo Airports have more international flights than Torp Airport. Despite being located 74 miles south of Oslo, Torp is sometimes called Oslo Airport Torp. It is reached with a free shuttle bus from Sandefjord Airport Station on Vestfoldbanen. Torp is regional hub for low-cost carrier Norwegian, as well as low-cost carriers Ryanair and WizzAir also operate from the airport. Torp offers direct routes to over 30 international and domestic destinations, including daily flights to European cities such as London and Amsterdam.

Larvik

 * Bøkeskogen, world's northernmost beech tree forest.
 * Kaupang, home to remains for the oldest Nordic town yet discovered. The remains are from one of Scandinavia's earliest urban sites, established in year 800 A.D.
 * Mølen, Scandinavia's first UNESCO Global Geopark.
 * Nevlunghavn and Helgeroa, adjacent coastal villages.
 * Larvik Museum
 * Fritzøehus, largest privately owned estate in Norway.
 * Stavern, small coastal town, home of Citadell Island
 * Fredriksvern, Norway's main naval base from the mid-1750s until 1864.
 * Minnehallen (Hall of Remembrance), largest monument in Vestfold.

Horten

 * Borre National Park, largest burial mound site in Northern Europe.
 * Løvøy Chapel
 * Royal Norwegian Navy Museum
 * Preus Museum
 * Borre Church, romanesque medieval church constructed in the 1100s.
 * Tordenskioldeika
 * Åsgårdstrand, oceanside resort town.
 * Borre Golfbane

Tønsberg and Færder

 * Tønsberg Fortress, largest ruin park in the Nordic countries.
 * Oseberg Mound, site of the discovery of the Oseberg Ship
 * Haugar
 * Tønsberg Cathedral
 * Sem Church
 * Slottsfjellmuseet
 * Nordbyen
 * World's End, southernmost point at Tjøme.
 * Herkelås
 * Tjøme Church
 * Færder National Park, first National Park in Vestfold.

Sandefjord

 * Sandefjord Museum (the Whaling Museum), Europe's only museum dedicated to whaling.
 * Southern Actor, only whale-catcher from the Modern Whaling Epoch still to be in its original working order.
 * Gokstad Mound, site of the discovery of the 9th-century Gokstad Ship.
 * Gaia ship, replica of the Gokstad Ship docked at Museum's Wharf.
 * Sandar Church, built on ruins of a 13th-century medieval stone church. Present church was erected in 1792.
 * Whaler's Monument, rotating bronze monument erected in honor of pioneering whalers.
 * Sandefjord Church
 * Istrehågan, ancient burial ground which dates to the Roman Iron Age around 1500-500 BCE.
 * Kurbadet, former resort spa and one of Europe's most visited baths in the late 19th century.
 * Folehavna Fort, ruins from a German fortress erected in 1941 during the German occupation of Norway.
 * Høyjord Stave Church, the only stave church left in Vestfold County.
 * Langeby, popular bathing beach at West Island.
 * Goksjø, third-largest lake in Vestfold County.

Istrehågan
Istrehågan is an ancient burial ground which dates to the Roman Iron Age around 1500-500 BCE. It is located at Jåberg in Tjølling, on the border between Sandefjord and Larvik. The rock settings at Istrehågan resemble a ship. It is 24 m long, and 9 m meters broad. Archaeological excavations made in 1959-61 uncovered remains of bones, bear claws, pottery shards, a brooch, and more. At Haugen farm on the Sandefjord side is Vestfold County's largest collection of petroglyphs.

Borre National Park
At Borrehaugene near Borrre there are 9 large mounds and around 30 smaller ones. It is the largest burial mound site in Northern Europe.

Borre mound cemetery most likely contains graves belonging to kings of the Yngling dynasty. It is mentioned in the poem Ynglingatal as the burial site of one of two kings belonging to the royal dynasty of the Ynglingas.

Kaupang
Kaupang in Skiringssal (Larvik) is home to remains from the oldest Nordic town yet discovered. It was a trade centre established around year 800, making it one of Scandinavia's earliest urban sites. The settlement was abandoned in the mid-10th century. It is located in Kaupang Bay in Viksfjord, Larvik. Archeological finds include melting pots, jewelry parts, casting moulds and casting models. Most of Kaupang remains not excavated. There are replicas of Viking homes at Kaupang today, giving insight to how homes were constructed during the Viking Age.

Oseberg Burial Mound
Oseberg Mound is located in Tønsberg and is where the Oseberg Ship was discovered. The ship, which dates to 834 A.D., had a length of 22 m. Two female skeletons were found in the ship's burial chamber.

Viking burial site at Gulli
Gulli, outside Tønsberg, was the site of an archaeological excavation during the period from 2003 to 2004, prior to asphalt being laid for constructing the new E18 (road). There were 60 graves - 20 of those were preserved to a degree that [authorities decided] permitted examinations. "Perhaps the most spectacular [item] was a høvre" - used with a horse's harness. "There are few of those in Norway - one in Trøndelag and a gilded one found in Borre". The artifacts are on display at the Midgard Historical Centre in Borre.

Fevang
19th century archeologists were struck by the many burial mounds and artifacts discovered at Fevang near Torp Airport in Sandefjord. Local farmers had discovered various artifacts in the 19th- and early 20th centuries. Archeologist Nicolay Nicolaysen traveled to Fevang and concluded that Fevang was home to an array of ancient burial mounds. Nicolaysen further discovered that Fevang had been an active graveyard for over 1,000 years - since year 0 A.D. until the first Christian cemeteries were established. Among the artifacts discovered were a gold jewel named Berlokk, which was retrieved in a woman's grave along with two gold beads, two blue glass beads, a hairpin, ceramic, burnt bones, and two clips of bronze. Her tomb is dated to the Old Iron Age, around 0-400 A.D.

Gokstad Mound
Gokstad Mound in Sandefjord was where the Gokstad Ship was excavated by Nicolay Nicolaysen in 1880. The skeleton of a man was found in the ship, long believed to be Olaf Geirstad-Alf, former king of Vestfold and half-brother of Halfdan the Black, the father of Harald Fairhair, Norway's first king. However, recent discoveries have increased uncertainty and it therefore remains unknown what chieftain was buried at Gokstad.

The ship, which is the largest found in Norway, is currently located at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. The 23.8 m ship was buried along with numerous gifts, including weapons, jewels, a gaming board, fish-hooks, 64 shields, six beds, three smaller boats and kitchen utensils. Twelve horses, eight dogs, two goshawks and two peacocks were also discovered in the grave.

Interpretive signs have been put up at the mound and Gaia, an exact replica of the Gokstad Ship, can be seen on Museum's Wharf at Sandefjord Harbor.

Mølen
The Old Norse word Mol translates to cairns, a site often used by ancient peoples to mark a burial site. Mølen, which is Norway's largest stone beach, is home to 230 cairns, which have been built over ages. Some cairns have been dated to 250 A.D. The isthmus of Mølen is home to stone piles, grave mounds, and stone settings, which are all part of a protected historic site. The last Ice Age pushed large amounts of gravel and stones ahead of it, and deposited it as a moraine through all of Vestfold, known as Vestfoldraet. Raet meets the ocean at Mølen, where the moraine sinks into the sea. Its encounter with the Skagerrak ocean waves has uncovered and polished the huge round stone floor for centuries.

Bøkeskogen
Besides being the largest beech tree forest in Norway, and the most northernmost beech tree forest in the world, Bøkeskogen is also an important archeological area. 83-90 burial mounds have been discovered in the forest. Some of these include the largest burial grounds from the Pre-Roman Iron Age in Vestfold County.

Recreation
At least 238 kilometers of coastal hiking trails can be found in Vestfold County, from Larvik in the south to Svelvik in the north. Hiking trails are found throughout the county, including at World's End in Færder National Park. Furthermore, there is a 35 km (22 mi.) marked trail between the towns of Stavern and Helgeroa. Mølen, Kjærrafossen and Bøkeskogen are also home to various trails. Tønsberg Barrel, an old beacon dated to Sverris saga in the Middle Ages, sits at Yxnøy on Sandefjord's East Island. West Island is home to Folehavna Fort and additional trails. Combined, the trails on Sandefjord's East- and West Islands are 45 km (28 mi.), and a part of the international North Sea Trail. Bøkeskogen in Larvik is home to various trails, varying from 2.6 km (1.6 mi.) to 10 km (6.2 mi.) in length.

Fauna
Vestfold's fauna includes species such as the White-tailed eagle, Roe deer, Moose, European hedgehog, Eurasian eagle-owl, Mountain hare, European badger, European pine marten, and Norway lemming. Rare observations of Gray wolf, European lynx, and Brown bear do occur. A wolf shot in Lardal in 2013 was the first wolf killed in the county in over 100 years. Between 700 and 800 moose are annually hunted in Vestfold. Larvik has one of the highest numbers of moose in Norway.

The Harbor seal is the most commonly observed species of seal in Vestfold, and it was estimated to be at minimum 183 seals in Vestfold as of August 2014. Dolphins are uncommon, however, a Common bottlenose dolphin was observed by Nøtterøy in 2014, and a Striped dolphin was observed the same summer at Helgeroa in Larvik.

Common European Viper is the only venomous snake found in Norway. There are two non-venomous snake species in Vestfold County: European grass snake and European smooth snake.

Vestfold has a rich avifauna: over 130 bird species have been observed in Svelvik, while Mølen in Larvik has the national record of 320 species.

Wildlife refuge
Saltstein is part of a protected habitat for birds. From 2014 surfing was permitted off Saltstein.

Besides being an UNESCO Global Geopark, Mølen in Larvik is a habitat for a variety of rare bird species. Mølen became a protected sanctuary for birds in 1970. 320 species of birds have been recorded at Mølen, more species than at any other site in Norway.

Wildlife preserves include Melsom- and Hemskilen Wildlife Preserves. Hemskilen Wildlife Preserve lies on the Larvik-Sandefjord border and is an important habitat for shorebirds, geese, and Passerines. Melsom Plant- and Wildlife Preserve in Sandefjord is home to various older oaks, some of them home to as many as 1,500 different species of insects. Marøyskjæra Bird Preserve consists of two skerries west of Natholmen Island, which have been important nesting areas for Common tern and Common gull since the 1980s. Over 500 seagulls hatched on the islets in the 1990s.

In popular culture
Although not filmed in Vestfold, the City of Tønsberg appears in the films Thor (2011) and also in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and in Avengers: Endgame

Some films shot in Vestfold include:

 * Norway (2018), movie based on the 2011 Norway attacks, filmed in Tønsberg and Nøtterøy.
 * Olsenbanden tar gull (1972), filmed in Stavern (Larvik) and Sande in Vestfold.
 * Baadshah (1999), Tønsberg
 * Christmas Blood ("Juleblod") (2017), Tønsberg and Sandefjord.
 * Wisting (2018– ), Larvik and Sandefjord.
 * Nonni and Manni (1988–89), Horten.
 * Head Above Water (1993), filmed at East Island in Sandefjord.
 * Deadline Torp (2005), movie based on the 1994 Torp hostage crisis, filmed in Sandefjord and Larvik.
 * Valfångare (1939), Sandefjord.
 * Den starkaste (1929), Sandefjord.

title: Vestfold


text:
Jean Crotti

Jean Crotti (24 April 1878 – 30 January 1958) was a French painter.

Crotti was born in Bulle, Fribourg, Switzerland. He first studied in Munich, Germany at the School of Decorative Arts, then at age 23 moved to Paris to study art at the Académie Julian. Initially he was influenced by Impressionism, then by Fauvism and Art Nouveau. Around 1910 he began to experiment with Orphism, an offshoot of Cubism, and a style that would be enhanced by his association in New York City with Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia.

A refugee from World War I, he looked to America as a place where he could live and develop his art. In New York, he shared a studio with Marcel Duchamp and met his sister, Suzanne Duchamp. She was part of the Dada movement in which Crotti would become involved. In 1916, he exhibited Orphist-like paintings, several of which had religious titles that also included his Portrait of Marcel Duchamp and his much discussed Les Forces MÈcaniques de l'amour Mouvement, created by using found objects.

In the fall of 1916, Crotti separated from his wife, Yvonne Chastel, and returned to Paris. He had begun a relationship with Suzanne Duchamp that would culminate in his divorce in 1919 and immediate marriage to Suzanne. An artist in her own right, she would greatly influence Jean Crotti's painting. In 1920, he produced one of his best known works, a portrait of Thomas Edison. He participated in the 1925 Exposition International in Paris and the International Exhibition of Modern Art at the Brooklyn Museum in 1926–1927. Over the ensuing years, he would create numerous paintings and be the subject for several solo exhibitions at major galleries in England, France, Germany, and the United States.

Crotti died in Paris.

Jean Crotti's heirs donated his personal papers to the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, where they can be consulted by researchers.

In 2011, Francis M. Naumann Fine Art showed an exhibition, Inhabiting Abstraction, including important examples from every significant phase and development in the realm of abstraction that Crotti explored, as well as one-of-a-kind works such as "Parterre de reve" (1920), in which he framed his painting palette and then signed it.

title: Jean Crotti


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Østfold

Østfold is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side of Oslofjord. The county's administrative seat is Sarpsborg. The county controversially became part of the newly established Viken County on 1 January 2020. On 1 January 2024, Østfold was re-established as an independent county, however without the former municipality of Rømskog, which was amalgamated with the Akershus municipality Aurskog-Høland in 2020.

Many manufacturing facilities are situated here, such as the world's most advanced biorefinery, Borregaard in Sarpsborg. Fredrikstad has shipyards. There are granite mines in Østfold and stone from these were used by Gustav Vigeland.

The county slogan is "The heartland of Scandinavia". The local dialects are characterized by their geographical proximity to Sweden.

The name
The old name of the Oslofjord was Fold; Østfold means 'the region east of the Fold' (see also Vestfold). The name was first recorded in 1543; in the Middle Ages the name of the county was Borgarsysla 'the county/sýsla of the city Borg (now Sarpsborg)'. Later, when Norway was under Danish rule, the Danish king divided the area into many baronies. These were merged into one county (amt) in 1662 - and it was then named Smaalenenes Amt 'the amt consisting of small len'. The name was changed back to Østfold in 1919.

History
Østfold is among the nation's oldest inhabited regions, with petroglyphs (rock drawings) and burial mounds throughout the area.

In the Viking Age, the area was part of Vingulmark, which in turn was part of Viken and included Båhuslen (which is now the Swedish province called Bohuslän). It was partly under Danish rule until the time of Harald Fairhair.

Later, when Norway was under Danish rule, the Danish king divided the area into many baronies. The barony of Heggen og Frøland, consisting of the municipalities Askim, Eidsberg and Trøgstad, originally belonged to Akershus - but it was transferred to Østfold in 1768.

In October 2018, Norwegian archaeologists headed by the archaeologist Lars Gustavsen announced the discovery of a buried 20. m long Gjellestad Viking ship. An ancient well-preserved Viking cemetery for more than 1000 years was discovered using ground-penetrating radar. Archaeologists also revealed at least seven other previously unknown burial mounds and the remnants of five longhouses with the help of the radar survey.

Geography
Østfold sits between the Oslo Fjord and Sweden. It is dominated by flat landscape with a lot of woodland in the north and along the Swedish border, a major lake system in the central part, and densely populated lowland area along the coast, with a relatively large archipelago.

Norway's longest river, the Glomma, flows through the county and out into the Oslo Fjord in Fredrikstad.

Demography
Most of the county's population is located in the coastal area. The cities of Moss, Sarpsborg, Fredrikstad, and Halden are situated here, along with some relatively highly populated rural municipalities. Including these coastal cities, Østfold also has another two cities, Askim and Mysen.

Transport and infrastructure
Østfold is located strategically between Oslo and Sweden. The main highway E6 between Oslo and Gothenburg runs as a motorway through the county from the southern border with Sweden and the border with Akershus county. The main highway E18 between Oslo and Stockholm goes through the county from the Swedish border in a southeast-northwest direction. The railway from Oslo to Gothenburg runs roughly parallel with E6, and there is also a railway between Ski and Sarpsborg that covers the inner part. There is no public airport in the county. Moss Airport was one but is now closed. The main airport for Østfold is the Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, with a population of more than 2 million people within two hours distance.

Health care
Aimed at covering general medical needs of Østfold County and [Vestby Municipality] Østfold Hospital provides medical services, diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation to the population of the area. Hospitals, clinics or health stations are located in all municipalities of the county.

Municipalities
Østfold have 17 (former 18) municipalities:
 * 1) Aremark
 * 2) Askim
 * 3) Eidsberg
 * 4) Fredrikstad
 * 5) Halden
 * 6) Hobøl
 * 7) Hvaler
 * 8) Marker
 * 9) Moss
 * 10) Rakkestad
 * 11) Rygge
 * 12) Rømskog (is no longer a part of Østfold county)
 * 13) Råde
 * 14) Sarpsborg
 * 15) Skiptvet
 * 16) Spydeberg
 * 17) Trøgstad
 * 18) Våler

Districts

 * Kala
 * Skjeberg

Cities

 * Askim
 * Fredrikstad
 * Halden
 * Moss
 * Sarpsborg

Parishes

 * Aremark
 * Asak
 * Askim
 * Berg
 * Borge
 * Båstad
 * Degernes
 * Domkirken i Borge, see Vestre Fredrikstad
 * Eidsberg
 * Enningdal
 * Fredrikshald, see Halden
 * Fredrikstad
 * Glemmen
 * Gressvik
 * Hafslund
 * Halden
 * Heli
 * Hobøl
 * Hovin
 * Hvaler
 * Hærland
 * Idd
 * Ingedal
 * Kråkerøy
 * Moss
 * Onsøy
 * Os
 * Rakkestad
 * Rokke
 * Rolvsøy
 * Rygge
 * Rødenes
 * Rømskog
 * Råde
 * Sarpsborg
 * Skiptvet
 * Skjeberg
 * Skjebergdalen
 * Spjærøy (Dypedal)
 * Spydeberg
 * St. Peter's
 * Svinndal
 * Tom
 * Tomter
 * Torsnes
 * Trøgstad
 * Trømborg
 * Tune
 * Ullerøy (Ullerø)
 * Varteig
 * Vestre Fredrikstad
 * Våler
 * Østre Fredrikstad
 * Øymark
 * Fredrikstad Branch (LDS, 1852–1925)
 * Fredrikstad (Kristi Menighet, 1893–1914)
 * Vestre Fredrikstad (Kristi Menighet, 1904–1933)
 * Halden Branch (LDS, 1854–1949)
 * Moss Branch (LDS, 1905–1949)
 * Sarpsborg Branch (LDS, 1931–1949)
 * Sarpsborg (Metodistkirken, 1840–1923)

Villages

 * Alshus
 * Borgenhaugen
 * Degernes
 * Elvestad
 * Engalsvik
 * Fosby
 * Fuglevik
 * Glosli
 * Gressvik
 * Greåker
 * Grimstad
 * Hafslund
 * Hamnås
 * Hasle
 * Hauge
 * Heiås
 * Herføl
 * Hærland
 * Høysand
 * Ise
 * Isebakke
 * Jelsnes
 * Kambo
 * Karlshus
 * Kirkebygden
 * Knapstad
 * Kornsjø
 * Korshavn
 * Kykkelsrud
 * Larkollen
 * Lervik
 * Missingmyr
 * Mørkfoss
 * Prestebakke
 * Ringvoll
 * Rostadneset
 * Rygge
 * Rød
 * Saltnes
 * Sandbakken
 * Sandum
 * Sellebakk
 * Skantebygda
 * Skiptvet
 * Skjeberg
 * Skjærhalden
 * Skjærvika
 * Skjønhaug
 * Slevik
 * Slitu
 * Solbergfoss
 * Sponvika
 * Stikkaåsen
 * Strømsfoss
 * Svinesund
 * Svinndal
 * Tistedalen
 * Tomter
 * Tosebygda
 * Trømborg
 * Ullerøy
 * Utgård
 * Varteig
 * Våk
 * Yven
 * Ørje
 * Ørmen
 * Øyenkilen
 * Årum

Former Municipalities

 * Berg
 * Borge
 * Degernes
 * Glemmen
 * Idd
 * Jeløy
 * Kråkerøy
 * Mysen
 * Onsøy
 * Rolvsøy
 * Rødenes
 * Skjeberg
 * Torsnes
 * Tune
 * Varteig
 * Øymark

Coat of arms
The coat of arms is from modern times (1958). The lines represent sunrays at sunrise in the east. (See above under the name.) They also represent the worship of the Sun in the Bronze Age (depicted in several rock carvings found in the county).

Notable people

 * Roald Amundsen (1872–1928) - Explorer of polar regions
 * Berit Ås - Politician, professor and feminist.
 * Thea Foss (1857–1927) - founder of Foss Maritime
 * Hans Nielsen Hauge - (3 April 1771 – 29 March 1824) - Lay preacher
 * Peder Christian Hjorth - (1792-1855) - Norwegian politician
 * Egil Olsen - Norwegian Football coach.
 * Karl Ouren (1882–1943) - Norwegian-American artist
 * Petter Solberg - Rally driver
 * Nils Otto Tank (1800–1864) - Moravian Church religious leader
 * Harald Zwart - Movie director and producer

title: Østfold


text:
Talk:Periodic table (electron configurations)

Ununquadium needs to be done,

Ummm, could we get a better graphical representation?

Would it be possible to get a printable version of this. It's a brilliant periodic table - so useful. But printing seems tricky...Grj23 (talk) 14:48, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

biology
tell me more Samuelogunsuyi (talk) 16:24, 17 September 2021 (UTC)