The 1,274-square-kilometre (492 sq mi) municipality is the 80th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Meråker is the 259th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,454. The municipality's population density is 1.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (4.9/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 3.9% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
The municipality markets itself as a recreational area. The main areas of employment are in industry and agriculture. The municipality is noted for its characteristic dialect.
General information
The municipality of Meråker was established on 1 January 1874 when the old Øvre Stjørdalen Municipality was divided into two: Hegra Municipality (population: 3,409) in the east and Meråker Municipality (population: 1,861) in the west. The municipal borders have not changed since then.[7] On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Meråker farm (spelled "Mørakre" around 1430) since the first Meråker Church was built there. The meaning of the first element is uncertain (maybe merr which means "mare" or mýrr which means "bog" or "marsh"). The last element is akr which means "field" or "acre".[8] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Meraker. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Meraaker.[9] On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Meraaker with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Meråker, using the letter å was instead.[10][11]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, a cart argent" (Norwegian: I rødt en sølv vogn). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a mining cart. The mining cart has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This design was chosen to symbolize the fact that mining has traditionally played a major role in the area and has been of great economic importance for Meråker. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[12][13][14]
In 1898, a carbide factory was opened at Kopperå, later this factor was rebuilt as a silicon smelter. The smelter was in operation until June 2006. Its main product was microsilica which is used as an additive to cement.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Meråker 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 mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Meråker is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:[35][36]
