The 385-square-kilometre (149 sq mi) municipality is the 241st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vanylven is the 226th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,013. The municipality's population density is 8.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (21/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 9.7% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
The parish of Vanelven was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The spelling was later changed to Vanylven. On 1 February 1918, the area around the Syvdsfjorden (population: 1,260) was separated to become the new Syvde Municipality. This left Vanylven with 1,848 residents.[6]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Syvde Municipality (population: 1,458) and the Rovdestranda area (population: 436) of Rovde Municipality were both merged into Vanylven Municipality. This gave Vanylven a new population of 3,897.[6]
On 1 January 2002, the mainland Åram area north of Fiskåbygd (population: 380) was transferred from Sande Municipality to Vanylven Municipality.[6][7]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Vanylvsfjorden (Old Norse: Vaniflir). The meaning of the first element is uncertain, but it may come from the word vaðr which means "fishing line" or vannr which mean "dark" or "colorless", referring to the occurrence of olivine in the area. The last element is iflir which is frequently used in the Sunnmøre area in the names of fjords. It possibly comes from the word viflir which means "low, wet terrain".[8] Historically, the name was written Vanelven. In 1889, the spelling was changed to Vannelven. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Vanylven.[9]
The coat of arms was granted on 11 December 1987. The official blazon is "Vert, a pileembowedargent" (Norwegian: På grøn grunn ein nedvend sølv spiss laga med bogeliner). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a pileembowed (a triangle with curved sides). The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms are meant to show how the Vanylvsfjorden meets the sea, surrounded by the fertile green lands of Vanylven. The fertile lands and the sea which is full of herring are both important industries to the municipality which is why the colors green (land) and silver (sea) were chosen for the arms. The arms were designed by Jostein O. Mo. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[10][11][12][13]
Vanylven is located on the mainland of Norway and it is surrounded by several fjords. The Vanylvsfjorden lies to the west and the Rovdefjorden to the north. The Syvdsfjorden cuts into the municipality from the north and it empties into the Rovdefjorden. The Syltefjorden branches off the main Vanylvsfjorden, just past the village of Fiskåbygd.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Vanylven is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
