Årdal
Årdal Municipality
Årdal kommune | |
|---|---|
| Aardal herred (historic name) | |
Øvre Årdal in early-June 2008 | |
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Vestland within Norway | |
Årdal within Vestland | |
| Coordinates: 61°17′29″N 07°47′53″E / 61.29139°N 7.79806°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Vestland |
| District | Sogn |
| Established | 1863 |
| • Preceded by | Lærdal Municipality |
| Administrative centre | Årdalstangen |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2023) | Christian Sønstlien (Ap) |
| Area | |
• Total | 976.57 km2 (377.06 sq mi) |
| • Land | 930.06 km2 (359.10 sq mi) |
| • Water | 46.52 km2 (17.96 sq mi) 4.8% |
| • Rank | #119 in Norway |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 5,172 |
| • Rank | #179 in Norway |
| • Density | 5.6/km2 (15/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) | −6.3333% |
| Demonym | Årdøl |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Nynorsk |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-4643 |
| Website | Official website |
Årdal is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located at the end of the Årdalsfjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Årdalstangen is the administrative center of the municipality. The other main village is Øvre Årdal. The municipality of Årdal was created in 1863 when it was separated from the municipality of Lærdal.
Årdal is a modern industrial community, with ties to the old society of farming and fishing. It is surrounded by dramatic nature with high mountains and waterfalls. The climate is rather mild and with less rain than normal in the west part of Norway. Årdal is a good starting point to explore the wild nature of Jotunheimen National Park, and with summer and winter activities within its boundaries. The Vettisfossen waterfall (highest in Norway) is located within the municipality.
The 977-square-kilometre (377 sq mi) municipality is the 119th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Årdal is the 179th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,172. The municipality's population density is 5.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (15/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 6.3% over the previous 10-year period.
In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station in Årdal be closed.