Iveland

Iveland is a municipality in Agder County, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Setesdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Birketveit. Other villages in the municipality include Bakken, Skaiå, and Vatnestrøm.

The 262 km2 municipality is the 279th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Iveland is the 307th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,344. The municipality's population density is 5.5 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 4.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality was established on 1 January 1886, when the old municipality of Hornnes og Iveland was split into two municipalities: Iveland (population 1103) and Hornnes (population 1113). The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Iveland farm (Ífuland) since the first Iveland Church was built there. This old farm is now part of the village of Birketveit. The first element is the genitive case of the local river name which now called the Frøysåna. The river name is probably derived from the word which means "yew" (Taxus baccata). The last element is which means "land" or "district".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 9 October 1987. The official blazon is "Vert, a hammer bendwise argent" (I grønt en skråstilt sølv hammer). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a stonemason's hammer. The hammer has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field symbolizes the importance of forestry and agriculture in the municipality. The hammer was chosen to symbolize the importance of mining in the area (such as quartz and nickel). The arms were designed by Ulf Skauge. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Iveland. It is part of the Otredal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

History
Although nothing is found in written sources about Iveland before the 15th century, there is evidence of occupation for thousands of years prior to that. Stone Age implements have been found, which are 4000–5000 years old. A King's road (Kongevegen), which allowed horse travel, went in an east–west direction through the area and was in use as early as the 9th century, and perhaps before. But the first written record of farms created by clearing the land goes back about 600 years.

The Setesdalsbanen was a narrow-gauge steam railway built in 1896, which went across Iveland on its route between Vennesla and Byglandsfjord in Bygland. The Setesdal Line's operation was terminated in 1962, and the track was removed between Byglandsfjord and Beihølen. When it was constructed, it revived the lumber industry. Large quantities of planks, poles, and timbers were brought by horse to the Iveland station and forwarded by railroad to Kristiansand. This resulted in better prices, since it provided competition with the floated timber.

Geography
Iveland is the smallest municipality in Setesdal. The Otra river, which flows through Iveland, is the largest river in the Sørlandet district. Towards the east it borders on lake Oggevatn.

The municipality is bordered in the northwest by Evje og Hornnes, in the northeast and east by Birkenes, and in the south and west by Vennesla. The municipality has three population centers: Birketveit, Vatnestrøm, and Skaiå.

The Iveland area includes several hundred old mines. These pegmatite mines and quarries yield more than 100 different minerals, including minerals containing rare-earth elements, beryllium, scandium, uranium, and thorium.

Government
Iveland Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Iveland is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Iveland (incomplete list):


 * 1934-1942: Einar Iveland (V)
 * 1945-1950: Einar Iveland (V)
 * 1962-1968: Olav Andreas Vatnestrøm (Sp)
 * 1972-1979: Karstein Lie (Sp)
 * 1995-2011: Ole Magne Omdal (Sp)
 * 2011-2021: Gro-Anita Mykjåland (Sp)
 * 2021-2023: Terje Møkjåland (KrF)
 * 2023-present: Jan André Myhren (H)

Notable people

 * Einar Iveland (1892 in Iveland – 1975), a politician who held various positions on Iveland's municipal council from 1933-1950
 * Anne Gerd Eieland (born 1982 in Iveland), Norway's third best female high jumper