Orust Municipality

Orust Municipality (Orusts kommun) is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Henån, with an approximate population of 1,800.

The municipality includes Sweden's third largest island Orust and some other small adjacent islets. The year-round population of around 15,000 increases significantly in the summer due to an influx of summer vacationers.

The former municipal entities on the island Orust and adjacent minor islands were grouped into larger units in 1952 and united into a single municipality in connection with the nationwide municipal reform of 1971.

Geography
The island Orust has a land area of 346 km2, Sweden's fourth largest island.

The villages in the municipality are Ellös, Henån, Hälleviksstrand, Mollösund, Svanvik and Varekil.

Demographics
This is a demographic table based on Orust Municipality's electoral districts in the 2022 Swedish general election sourced from SVT's election platform, in turn taken from SCB official statistics.

In total there were 15,322 residents, including 12,490 Swedish citizens of voting age. 44.3% voted for the left coalition and 54.5% for the right coalition. Indicators are in percentage points except population totals and income.

History
Historically, the area has been inhabited for thousands of years, as evident by ancient remains such as tombs, grave fields and rock carvings. Dating from the Viking Age, runestones are plentiful throughout Orust.

In the Nordisk familjebok the island of Orust is mentioned as a Geatish territory. Ramshult (the modern Swedish form), a hill fort, is mentioned in Beowulf as Hrefnesholt, the Geatish hill fort which became the prison of Onela, Ohthere and their mother until their rescue by Ongenþeow.

Economy
Industry wise, the area has always been dominated by fishing and boat production. Shipyard Hallberg-Rassy is the largest employer nowadays. Its shipyard is located in Ellös, on the north-west part of the island, and it has a significant export of sailing boats. The second largest employer is Najad-varvet, also a shipyard.

Points of interest
The geography offers several sights, with a couple of picturesque small villages. A nature reserve called Morlanda features a lookout point that offers a good overview of the area.