Ærø municipality
Encyclopedia
Ærø Municipality is a municipality
(Danish
, kommune) occupying the island of Ærø
in southern Denmark
. The municipality belongs to Region of Southern Denmark.
The first mayor of Ærø is Jørgen Otto Jørgensen, a member of the Social Democrats
(Socialdemokraterne) political party
, until 2005 mayor of Ærøskøbing Municipality
. The main town and seat of the municipal council is Ærøskøbing
.
The municipality was created as a result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007) on 1 January 2006, as a union of Marstal
and Ærøskøbing
municipalities. The Danish municipal reform was implemented on 1 January 2007, but politicians on Ærø
were given the go-ahead to unify the island one year ahead of the rest of the reform. The result is a municipality with an area of 91 km² and a total population of 6,712 (2008). The new municipality belonged to Funen County
in 2006 and is part of the new Region of Southern Denmark from 1 January 2007.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
(Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, kommune) occupying the island of Ærø
Ærø
Ærø is one of the Danish Baltic Sea islands, and part of Region of Southern Denmark. The western portion of the island was the municipality of Ærøskøbing; the eastern portion of the island was the municipality of Marstal...
in southern Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. The municipality belongs to Region of Southern Denmark.
The first mayor of Ærø is Jørgen Otto Jørgensen, a member of the Social Democrats
Social Democrats (Denmark)
The Social Democrats , is a Danish political party committed to the political ideology of social democracy. It is the major coalition partner in Denmark's government since the 2011 parliamentary election, and party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current Prime Minister of Denmark...
(Socialdemokraterne) political party
Politics of Denmark
The Politics of Denmark takes place in a framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic, constitutional monarchy, in which the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system...
, until 2005 mayor of Ærøskøbing Municipality
Ærøskøbing municipality
Ærøskøbing Municipality is a former municipality in Funen County on the island of Ærø in southern Denmark. Since January 1, 2006, it has been a part of Ærø Municipality The municipality covered an area of 74 km², and had a total population of 3,731...
. The main town and seat of the municipal council is Ærøskøbing
Ærøskøbing
Ærøskøbing is a town in central Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. The suffix -købing means a trade town in the languages that derive from Old Norse....
.
The municipality was created as a result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007) on 1 January 2006, as a union of Marstal
Marstal municipality
Marstal municipality, is a former municipality in Funen County on the island of Ærø in southern Denmark. Since January 1, 2006, it has been part of Ærø municipality. Its territory included the islands of Birkholm and Halmø, and covered an area of 17 km². In 2005, it had a total population of...
and Ærøskøbing
Ærøskøbing municipality
Ærøskøbing Municipality is a former municipality in Funen County on the island of Ærø in southern Denmark. Since January 1, 2006, it has been a part of Ærø Municipality The municipality covered an area of 74 km², and had a total population of 3,731...
municipalities. The Danish municipal reform was implemented on 1 January 2007, but politicians on Ærø
Ærø
Ærø is one of the Danish Baltic Sea islands, and part of Region of Southern Denmark. The western portion of the island was the municipality of Ærøskøbing; the eastern portion of the island was the municipality of Marstal...
were given the go-ahead to unify the island one year ahead of the rest of the reform. The result is a municipality with an area of 91 km² and a total population of 6,712 (2008). The new municipality belonged to Funen County
Funen County
Fyns Amt is a former county in central Denmark, comprising the islands of Funen, Langeland, Tåsinge, Ærø, and approximately 90 other islands, of which only 25 are inhabited. The county was formed on 1 April 1970, comprising the former counties of Odense and Svendborg. The county was abolished...
in 2006 and is part of the new Region of Southern Denmark from 1 January 2007.