Sunnfjord (municipality)

Sunnfjord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Førde. Other villages in the municipality include Naustdal, Sande, Vassenden, and Skei. The 2208 km2 municipality is the 27th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sunnfjord is the 56th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 22,215. The municipality's population density is 10.8 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 4.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality was established on 1 January 2020 when the old municipalities of Førde, Gaular, Jølster, and Naustdal were merged.

Name
The municipality was named after the traditional district of Sunnfjord, in which it is located. The first element is which means "southern". The last element is which means "fjord", thus it is the southern fjord region (as opposed to the nearby Nordfjord region (the northern fjord region).

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted in 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020 when the municipality was established. The arms have a dark green field (background) and the charge is four small vertical stripes meeting in the centre with one large vertical stripe. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms symbolize four rivers joining a larger body of water. The rivers symbolize the four main rivers of Sunnfjord: Nausta, Gaula, Anga, and Jølstra all flowing in to a large fjord. It was also meant to symbolize the many waterfalls and rivers in the municipality as well as strength and unity.

Churches
The Church of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Sunnfjord. It is part of the Sunnfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government
Sunnfjord 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 Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sunnfjord is made up of 37 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 (ordførar) of Sunnfjord:
 * 2020-2021: Olve Grotle (H)
 * 2021-present: Jenny Følling (Sp)

Climate
Situated slightly inland and along the innermost part of a narrow fjord, Sunnfjord's climate is somewhat colder in winter than places along the outer coast, but also with slightly warmer summer days. Førde is one of Norway's wettest towns. The wettest season is autumn and winter with December as wettest month. The driest season is late spring and summer with May as the driest month. The climate data for Førde is consistent with an oceanic climate with the original Köppen climate threshold of -3 C (using the 0 C threshold for coldest month as in the United States, Førde would be classified as a humid continental climate). The all-time high is 32.5 C recorded 16 July 2003. The all-time low is -21 C.

Public service

 * Kolbeinn hrúga, a 12th-century Norse chieftain in Orkney who was born in Sunnfjord and is part of the Orkneyinga saga
 * Audun Hugleiksson (ca.1240–1302), a Norwegian nobleman, grew up in Jølster
 * Brita Alvern, a woman who was accused of witchcraft and put on trial at the Indredale Skipreide in Sunnfjord in 1729
 * John P. Munson (1860 in Jølster – 1928), a Norwegian-American zoologist and academic
 * Ingolf Elster Christensen (1872 in Førde – 1943), a jurist, military officer, and politician
 * Nikolai Andreas Schei (1901–1985) & Andreas Olai Schei (1902–1989), jurists and civil servants from Førde
 * Leiv Erdal (1915 in Naustdal – 2009), a military officer, bailiff, and politician
 * Åsmund Reikvam (born 1944 in Førde), a Norwegian professor in medicine and former politician
 * Arild Stubhaug (born 1948 in Naustdal), a mathematician, poet, and biographer
 * Anlaug Amanda Djupvik (born ca.1965 in Førde), an astronomer of star formation and initial mass function
 * Bård Vegar Solhjell (born 1971), a former politician and minister who grew up in Sunnfjord
 * Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (born 1974 in Naustdal), a member of the Cabinet of Norway
 * Himanshu Gulati (born 1988 in Førde), a Norwegian politician

The arts

 * Anders Askevold (1834 in Askvoll – 1900), a painter of landscapes and animals
 * Johannes Haarklou (1847 in Haukedalen – 1925), a composer, organist, conductor, and music critic
 * Hauk Aabel (1869 in Førde – 1961), a comedian and actor in Norwegian and Swedish silent films
 * Hjalmar Christensen (1869 in Sunnfjord – 1925), a writer and prominent literary critic
 * Helene Bergsholm (born 1992 in Førde), an actress
 * Ludvig Eikaas (1920 in Jølster – 2010), a Norwegian painter, graphic artist, and sculptor
 * Gunnar S. Gundersen (1921 in Førde – 1983), a modernist painter known as Gunnar S
 * Eldrid Lunden (born 1940 in Naustdal), a poet and Norway's first professor of creative writing
 * Arve Furset (born 1964 in Askvoll), a composer, jazz musician, and music producer
 * Ole Jonny Eikefjord (born 1970 in Førde), a chef, cookbook author, and restaurateur
 * Kristian Eivind Espedal (born 1975 in Sunnfjord), a black metal vocalist, musician, and painter whose stage name is Gaahl
 * Gunnar Garfors (born 1975), a traveller, author, media professional, and public speaker who grew up in Naustdal
 * Olaug Nilssen (born 1977 in Førde), a novelist, playwright, children's writer, and magazine editor
 * Marianne Clementine Håheim (born 1987 in Jølster), a Norwegian author
 * Thea Hjelmeland (born 1987 in Førde), a Norwegian musician, singer, and songwriter
 * Iselin Solheim (born 1990 in Naustdal), a Norwegian singer and songwriter

Sport

 * Håkon Fimland (1942 in Naustdal – 2016), a Norwegian hurdler and politician
 * Martinus Grov (born 1974 in Førde), a retired archer who competed at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics
 * Asgeir Årdal (born 1983 in Jølster), a Norwegian cross-country skier who lives in Skei