Ålesund Municipality

Ålesund Municipality
Ålesund kommune
Aalesund  (historic name)
Ålesund town hall
Møre og Romsdal within Norway
Ålesund within Møre og Romsdal
Coordinates: 62°28′40″N 06°11′25″E / 62.47778°N 6.19028°E / 62.47778; 6.19028
CountryNorway
CountyMøre og Romsdal
DistrictSunnmøre
Established1 January 1838
  Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centreÅlesund
Government
  Mayor (2023)Håkon Lykkebø Strand (Frp)
Area
  Total
371.34 km2 (143.38 sq mi)
  Land353.08 km2 (136.32 sq mi)
  Water18.26 km2 (7.05 sq mi)  4.9%
  Rank#245 in Norway
Highest elevation
1,429.39 m (4,689.60 ft)
Population
 (2024)
  Total
58,509
  Rank#17 in Norway
  Density157.6/km2 (408/sq mi)
  Change (10 years)
 +8.9%
DemonymsÅlesundar
Ålesunder
Official language
  Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1508
WebsiteOfficial website

Ålesund (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈôːɫəsʉn] , sometimes spelled Aalesund in English) is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre and the centre of the Ålesund Region. The town of Ålesund is the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality, as well as the principal shipping town of the Sunnmøre district. The town is a sea port and is noted for its concentration of Art Nouveau architecture. Although sometimes internationally spelled by its older name Aalesund, this spelling is obsolete in Norwegian. However, the local football club Aalesunds FK still carries that spelling, having been founded before the official change.

The 371-square-kilometre (143 sq mi) municipality is the 245th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Ålesund Municipality is the 17th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 58,509. The municipality's population density is 157.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (408/sq mi) and its population has increased by 8.9% over the previous 10-year period.