Vindafjord is a municipality

Municipalities of Norway

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

 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%...

 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...

. It is part of the 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,...

 of Haugaland

Haugaland

Haugaland is a traditional district situated on the western coast of Norway. Haugaland is one of the 15 traditional district located within the Region of Vestlandet.-Location:...

.

Vindafjord was established as a new municipality on 1 January 1965 after the merger of the municipalities of Sandeid

Sandeid

Sandeid is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.It was created by a split from Vikedal on 1 January 1923. At that time Sandeid had a population of 558....

 and Vats

Vats

Vats is a village in the municipality of Vindafjord, in Rogaland county, Norway. Vats is located in the traditional district of Haugaland.An important industrial location, the oil platforms Statfjord, Gullfaks and Troll were built here. The Norwegian computer and software company Hatteland Group is...

 and large 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....

, Skjold

Skjold, Rogaland

Skjold is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.It was created as Skjold formannskapsdistrikt in 1837. The district Tysvær was separated from Skjold in 1849 to constitute a municipality of its own, and the same thing happened to Vats in 1891...

 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...

. It was further significantly enlarged from on 1 January 2006 when it merged with the neighboring municipality of Ølen

Ølen

Ølen is a former municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.It was created on 1 July 1916 by a split from Fjelberg. Before 1 January 2002, Ølen belonged to the county of Hordaland....

 which was a few years earlier transferred from Hordaland

Hordaland

is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...

 county to 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.

Name

The municipality (created in 1965) are named after the fjord

Fjord

Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...

 Vindafjorden. The first element is probably derived from the verb vinda which means "turn" or "twist" referring to the sharp turn of the fjord at Dragneset.

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 a recent mix from 2006 when Ølen and Vindafjord were merged together. The design is taken from the old coat-of-arms of Ølen

Ølen

Ølen is a former municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.It was created on 1 July 1916 by a split from Fjelberg. Before 1 January 2002, Ølen belonged to the county of Hordaland....

 and the colurs are from the old arms of Vindafjord. The design of the arms show in a symbolized way all the roads that come together in the municipality. The municipality thus is an important centre of trade

Trade

Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...

.

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...