Flatanger

Flatanger is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lauvsnes. Other villages include Jøssund, Hasvåg, and Vik.

The municipality is the 217th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Flatanger is the 326th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,101. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 3.5% over the previous 10-year period.

Flatanger is also known for having some of the most difficult sport climbing routes in the world.

General information

Flatanger was established as a municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county on 1 January 1871 when it was separated from the large municipality of Fosnes. Initially, Flatanger had 1,472 residents. It is one of the few municipalities in Norway whose boundaries have not changed since it was established. In 2018, it became part of the new Trøndelag county.

Name

The municipality is named after the old name for one of the fjords in the area, but it is not known which one. The name is composed of two parts: ''flat'', which probably means "shallow water", and ''angr'', which means "fjord or inlet".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 12 October 1990. The arms show three silver or white chevrons on a green background. The design was chosen to represent the bow of a boat, seen from the front, since boats have a great historical significance in this coastal fishing community.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Flatanger. It is part of the Namdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

Geography

The municipality consists mostly of mainland, but also includes almost 1,400 islands of various sizes. Some of the major islands include Bjørøya, Lauvøya, Villa, Halmøya, and Kvernøya. Ellingråsa Lighthouse is located on the island of Bjørøya and Villa Lighthouse is on Villa. These islands all lie on the south side of the Folda firth. The Namsenfjorden forms part of the northern boundary of the municipality.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Flatanger, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Flatanger is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Politics

In the 2007 municipal elections, Flatanger had the highest vote for the Venstre party in all of Norway, at 42.9 per cent.

Rock climbing

Flatanger is home to some of the world's hardest sport climbs, particularly in Hanshelleren Cave near town. ''Change'', given the grade 9b+/5.15c+, was first redpointed by Adam Ondra on 4 October 2012. Ondra also redpointed the first 9c climbing route in the world in Flatanger on 3 September 2017. The route was originally named ''Project Hard'' by Ondra because of its many difficulties, but after completion—when it was no longer a project—he renamed it ''Silence''.

Notable residents

* Ole Konrad Ribsskog (1865 in Flatanger – 1941) a Norwegian teacher and politician, Mayor of Trondhjem
* Toralf Sandø (1899 in Flatanger – 1970) a Norwegian film director and actor IMDb Database
retrieved 08 October 2020
* Julie Dahle Aagård (born 1978 in Flatanger) a Norwegian Jazz singer
* Brede Moe (born 1991 in Flatanger) a Norwegian footballer with 180 club caps

References

External links

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*
Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway

{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022

Municipalities of Trøndelag
1871 establishments in Norway