The 792-square-kilometre (306 sq mi) municipality is the 146th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Hjartdal is the 299th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,588. The municipality's population density is 2.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (5.7/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 1.3% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the valley name, Hjartdalen (Old Norse: Hjartdalr) since the first Hjartdal Church was built there. The first element is the old name for the local river Hjartdøla. The old river name is likely derived from the word hjǫrtr which means "red deer". The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". Prior to the 20th century, the name was often spelled Hierdal, a corruption of the original name. In the 20th century, the spelling was standardized to Hjartdal, bringing back more of the original spelling.[7]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 17 February 1989. The official blazon is "Vert, a deer at bayargent" (Norwegian: På grøn grunn ein ståande sølv hjort). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a red deer (Cervus elaphus) standing at bay. The deer has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. They are canting arms because the name of the municipality is derived from the word for deer, a common animal in the rural municipality. The color green was chosen to represent the forests in the area. The arms were designed by Svein G. Carlsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[8][9][10][11]
See also: The coats of arms of Gjemnes, Hitra, and the old arms for Voss
The municipal council(Kommunestyre) of Hjartdal is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The rural municipality is located in the mountains of Telemark. The mountain Gaustatoppen is located on the northern border of the municipality. The main river of the municipality is the Hjartdøla which empties into the Heddøla river at Sauland.
Transportation
The European route E134 highway runs through the municipality. The Mælefjell Tunnel is a road tunnel that is part of the E134 highway and it runs through the Mælefjell mountain.