Tanum Municipality (; ''Tanums kommun'') is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1 ...

in southwestern

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

. Its seat is the town of

Tanumshede Tanumshede is a locality and the seat of Tanum Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is th ...

, with 1,600 inhabitants. The present municipality was formed in 1971 through the amalgamation of three former units. Before the subdivision reform of 1952, there were seven entities in the area.

Etymology

The parish is named after the old farm Tanum ( Norse ''Túnheimr''), since the first church was built there. The first element is ''tún'' 'country

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

', the last element is heimr 'homestead, farm'.

Towns

Grebbestad Grebbestad () is a locality situated in Tanum Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. As of 2010, there were 1,401 inhabitants, though this number can increase by as much as ten-fold during the summer. The town is also the harbour where th ...

Fjällbacka Fjällbacka is a locality situated in Tanum Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 859 inhabitants in 2010. Fjällbacka is mostly known as a summer tourist resort, with a long history, and as the setting for many of best-selling Swe ...

Hamburgsund Hamburgsund is a locality situated in Tanum Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Ki ...

* Kämpersvik * Rabbalshede *

Sights

The rock carvings at Tanum have been declared a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. The heritage area is located around the seat of

, covering an area of 18 km². Most carvings show men and ships. Several show animals such as oxen and horses. Tanum Municipality has made its rock carving the subject of its

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

. The Greby grave field, the largest grave field in Bohuslän, lies near the locality of

. Tanum is one of the first municipalities to require

urine separation Urine diversion, also called urine separation or source separation, refers to the separate collection of human urine and feces at the point of their production, i.e. at the toilet or urinal. Separation of urine from feces allows human waste t ...

toilets to help combat the looming global shortage of

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ea ...

References

External links

Tanum Municipality
- Official site
Tanums Hällristningsmuseum Underslös
- Underslös Museum and Rock Art Research Centre {{authority control Municipalities of Västra Götaland County Gothenburg and Bohus Rock art in Europe Nordic Stone Age