Iveland

Iveland is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Setesdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Birketveit. Other villages in the municipality include Bakken, Skaiå, and Vatnestrøm.

Iveland kommune
Municipality
View of the Vatnestrøm area in Iveland
Coat of arms
Agder within
Norway
Iveland within Agder
Coordinates: 58°26′28″N 07°57′21″E
CountryNorway
CountyAgder
DistrictSetesdal
Administrative centreBirketveit
Government
 • Mayor (2011)Gro Anita Mykjåland (Sp)
Area
 • Total261.63 km2 (101.02 sq mi)
 • Land246.30 km2 (95.10 sq mi)
 • Water15.33 km2 (5.92 sq mi)
Area rank293 in Norway
Population
 (2017)
 • Total1,342
 • Rank366 in Norway
 • Density5.4/km2 (14/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
12.7%
Demonym(s)Ivdøl[1]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-4218
Official language formNeutral[2]
Websitewww.iveland.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

The 262-square-kilometre (101 sq mi) municipality is the 293th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Iveland is the 366th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,342. The municipality's population density is 5.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (14/sq mi) and its population has increased by 12.7% over the last decade.[3]

General information

The municipality was established on 1 January 1886, when the old municipality of Hornnes og Iveland was split into two municipalities: Iveland (population 1103) and Hornnes (population 1113). The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time.[4]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Iveland farm (Old Norse: Ífuland), which is now part of Birketveit, since the first Iveland Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the river name Ífa (now called the Frøysåna), and the last element is land, which means "land" or "farm". The old river name is probably derived from the Norse word ýr, which means "yew" (Taxus baccata).[5]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is from modern times; they were granted on 9 October 1987. The arms are green with a white/silver stonemason's hammer in the centre. This design symbolizes the importance of mining in the area (such as quartz and nickel), and the green background represents forestry and agriculture.[6]

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Iveland. It is part of the Otredal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

Churches in Iveland
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
IvelandIveland ChurchBirketveit1837

History

Although nothing is found in written sources about Iveland before the 15th century, there is evidence of occupation for thousands of years prior to that. Stone Age implements have been found, which are 4000–5000 years old. A King’s road (Norwegian: Kongevegen), which allowed horse travel, went in an east-west direction through the area and was in use as early as the 9th century, and perhaps before. But the first written record of farms created by clearing the land goes back about 600 years.

The Setesdal Line was a narrow-gauge steam railway built in 1896, which went across Iveland on its route between Vennesla and Byglandsfjord in Bygland. The Setesdal Line's operation was terminated in 1962, and the track was removed between Byglandsfjord and Beihølen. When it was constructed, it revived the lumber industry. Large quantities of planks, poles, and timbers were brought by horse to the Iveland station and forwarded by railroad to Kristiansand. This resulted in better prices, since it provided competition with the floated timber.

Geography

Iveland is the smallest municipality in Setesdal. The Otra river, which flows through Iveland, is the largest river in the Sørlandet district. Towards the east it borders on lake Oggevatn.

The municipality is bordered in the northwest by Evje og Hornnes, in the northeast and east by Birkenes, and in the south and west by Vennesla. The municipality has three population centers: Birketveit, Vatnestrøm, and Skaiå.

The Iveland area includes several hundred old mines. These pegmatite mines and quarries yield more than 100 different minerals, including minerals containing rare-earth elements, beryllium, scandium, uranium, and thorium.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Iveland, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior-citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Iveland is made up of 17 representatives, which are elected every 4 years. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:[7]

Iveland Kommunestyre 2015–2019
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)3
 Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)1
 Conservative Party (Høyre)1
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)6
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)5
 Liberal Party (Venstre)1
Total number of members:17
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References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2017). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2017-11-05.
  4. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  5. Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nedenes amt (in Norwegian) (8 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 179.
  6. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  7. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway. 2015.
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