Suldal is a municipality

Municipalities of Norway

Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...

 in the northeast of Rogaland

Rogaland

is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...

 county

Counties of Norway

Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 located in the Ryfylke

Ryfylke

Ryfylke is a traditional district in Norway, located northeast of Stavanger and east of Haugesund. In the east it borders Setesdal and Sirdal.Ryfylke comprises the contemporary municipalities of Sauda, Suldal, Finnøy, Hjelmeland, Forsand, Strand, Kvitsøy and Rennesøy...

 historically traditional district

Districts of Norway

The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...

. Sand i Ryfylke

Sand, Rogaland

Sand is a village and former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.The municipality was created by a split from Jelsa in 1859. At that time Sand had 1,600 inhabitants....

 is a the administrative center of Suldal.

The parish of Suledal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt

Formannskapsdistrikt

Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...

). Søvde

Sauda

is a municipality and industrial town in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Ryfylke. Sauda was separated from Suldal in 1842...

 was separated from Suldal in 1842. The municipalities of Erfjord

Erfjord

Erfjord is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It was created when the municipality Jelsa was split in two on January 1, 1914. Erfjord had 617 inhabitants by the time of the creation....

 and Sand

Sand, Rogaland

Sand is a village and former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.The municipality was created by a split from Jelsa in 1859. At that time Sand had 1,600 inhabitants....

, most of Jelsa

Jelsa, Norway

Jelsa is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.The parish of Jælse was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . In 1859 the municipality was divided, the district of Sand becoming a municipality of its own...

, and some parts of Imsland

Imsland

Imsland is a parish and former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.It was created by a split from Vikedal on 1 January 1923. At that time Imsland had a population of 604....

 and Vikedal

Vikedal

Vikedal is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.It was created as Vikedal formannskapsdistrikt in 1837. On 1 January 1923 the municipality was divided in three, creating the new municipalities Imsland and Sandeid. The split left Vikedal with a population of 924.On 1 January 1965 the...

, were merged with Suldal on 1 January 1965.

Name

The Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 form of the name was Súladalr. The first element is probably the plural genitive case

Genitive case

In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...

 of súla which means "pillar" or "column" (and then referring to the mountain pass Suldalsporten) and the last element is dalr which means "valley

Valley

In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...

" or "dale". Before 1891, the name was written "Suledal".

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 is from modern times. They were granted on 11 March 1976. The arms show three yellow lines on a red background. The lines represent the Suldalslågen

Suldalslågen

The Suldalslågen river is located in Rogaland County in southwest Norway.Suldalslågen has a natural watershed of 1463 km² of which 75% is above timberline in high mountain areas, making it western Norway's largest river...

, the local river that runs through the municipality.

History

Suldal municipality has a long history of trade connections to the Setesdal

Setesdal

Setesdal is a valley and a traditional district in Aust-Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes....

 valley to the east. The main mountain plateau trade route led east from Suldal municipality in Rogaland to Bykle municipality in Aust-Agder

Aust-Agder

is a county in Norway, bordering Telemark, Rogaland, and Vest-Agder. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which is 2.2% of the total population in Norway. Its area is . The administrative center of the county is in Arendal....

 county.

Geography

The municipality is with its 1736 km² the biggest in Rogaland

Rogaland

is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...

.

In the north, the municipality is bordered by Sauda

Sauda

is a municipality and industrial town in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Ryfylke. Sauda was separated from Suldal in 1842...

 and Odda

Odda

is a municipality and town in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Odda was separated from Ullensvang on 1 July 1913 and on 1 January 1964 Røldal was merged with Odda. The town of Odda is the centre of the landscape of Hardanger, located at the end of the Hardangerfjord.In 1927, Erling Johnson,...

, in the east by Vinje

Vinje

Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot.-Name:...

 and Bykle

Bykle

Bykle is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Setesdal. The administrative center is the village of Bykle in the southern part of the municipality. Another village nearby is Nordbygdi...

, in the south by Hjelmeland

Hjelmeland

is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. Hjelmeland was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Two other municipalities were later separated from it: Årdal and Fister , but these were both again merged with Hjelmeland on 1 January 1965.Hjelmeland is known for their fruit and fish...

, and in the west by Vindafjord

Vindafjord

Vindafjord is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Haugaland.Vindafjord was established as a new municipality on 1 January 1965 after the merger of the municipalities of Sandeid and Vats and large parts of Imsland, Skjold and Vikedal...

. Across the Jelsafjord and Vindafjord lie Finnøy

Finnøy

Finnøy is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is an island community located in Boknafjorden, 13 nautical miles north of Stavanger.The parish of Finnø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...

 and Tysvær

Tysvær

Tysvær is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Haugaland. The municipality is located at the northern side of Boknafjord, east of Karmøy. Tysvær has a population of 9,349 and an area of 419 km². Aksdalsvatnet is a lake in this municipality.Local...

 municipalities.

The Sandsfjord

Sandsfjord

Sandsfjorden is the outermost part of the northernmost arm of Boknafjorden in Rogaland. The fjord empties into Marvik and opens into Sand where it meets with Sauda and changes its name to Saudafjorden. It is famous for a man once riding down it on a snadufjordenborden or fjord surf-board....

 and Hylsfjord

Hylsfjord

Hylsfjord is a fjord in the municipality Suldal in Rogaland, Norway. It is a 20 km long branch of the fjord Boknafjord. The Hylen Hydroelectric Power Station is located in the inner end of Hylsfjord.-References:...

 lie within Suldal, as does lake Suldalsvatnet. The Saudafjord

Saudafjord

Saudafjord is a fjord which stretches from Sandsfjorden in Suldal, a municipality in the county of Rogaland Norway. It extends to the municipality and central town, Sauda...

 lies partially within the boundary of Suldal. The Erfjord

Erfjord

Erfjord is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It was created when the municipality Jelsa was split in two on January 1, 1914. Erfjord had 617 inhabitants by the time of the creation....

 and the lakes Blåsjø

Blåsjø

Blåsjø is the tenth largest lake in Norway by area. It is located in the municipality of Bykle in Aust-Agder county and the municipalities of Hjelmeland and Suldal in Rogaland county. The lake is about west of the village of Bykle. It has a surface area of...

, Holmavatnet

Holmavatnet

Holmavatnet is a lake the Setesdalsheiene mountains of Southern Norway. It is located on the border of the municipalities of Suldal , Vinje , and a small part in Bykle . The European route E134 passes through the village of Edland in Vinje, about northeast of the lake...

, and Holmevatnet

Holmevatnet

Holmevatnet or Holmevatn is a lake in the Setesdalsheiene area of Norway. It is located in the Setesdalsheiene mountains on the border of the municipalities of Bykle in Aust-Agder county and Suldal in Rogaland county. It's just west of the lake Store Urevatn and northeast of the lake Blåsjø....

 also lie on the boundary of Suldal.

Economy

The Ulla-Førre

Ulla-Førre

Ulla-Førre is a hydropower complex in Suldal, Hjelmeland and Bykle in Norway. It has an installed effect of approximately 2100 MW, and the annual average production is 4,45 TWh . The complex includes the artificial lake Blåsjø, which is made by dams around 1000 meters above the sea level...

 project of building huge hydroelectric dams in the mountains was initiated in the 1960s. At times the project employed over a thousand people. The finished hydroelectric complex has a total effect of 2100 MW and produces about 4,8 TWh yearly.

External links

• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
  Statistics Norway
  Statistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...
  
  
• Map hiking
• http://www.ryfylke.com