The 195-square-kilometre (75 sq mi) municipality is the 302nd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Sømna is the 282md most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,976. The municipality's population density is 10.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (26/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 3.5% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
The oldest remains of a boat ever found in Norway (the 2,500-year-old Haugvikbåten) was discovered in a bog in Sømna.
Sømna has some of the best agriculture in the region. Dairy and beef cows as well as grains are produced in Sømna. There is also a dairy in Berg that produces milk and cheese.[7]
The new Vik Municipality was established on 1 January 1901 when it was separated from the large Brønnøy Municipality. The initial population of Vik Municipality was 2,731. In 1941, the municipality was renamed Sømna Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, a major municipal merger took place. The following areas were merged to form a new, larger Brønnøy Municipality:[8]
This merger was short-lived because on 1 January 1977, all of the old Sømna Municipality (except the Hongsetbygda area) was removed from Brønnøy Municipality to become a separate Sømna Municipality once again. There were 2,107 residents in the newly recreated Sømna Municipality.[8]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Vik farm (Old Norse: Vík) since the first Sømna Church was built there. The name is identical with the word vík which means "bay" or "inlet", here referring to the bay near the church that is now called Vikvågen.[9]
On 13 November 1940, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sømna starting on 1 December 1940.[10] The new name was reminiscent of an old name for the area that was historically spelled as Sæmnese or Sørsøm (Old Norse: Søfn). The meaning of the name is unknown, but it is possibly derived from the word sveifa which means "wind" or "wave" or it could be derived from the word svefja which means a "quiet sleep".[7][11]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 14 June 1991. The official blazon is "Gules, three trefoilsargentin pall stems conjoined" (Norwegian: I rødt tre sølv kløverblad forent i trepass). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a group of three clover leaves (trefoils). The clover has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms symbolize agriculture, culture, and prosperity combined. The arms were designed by Rolf Tidemann.[12][13][14][15]
The municipality of Sømna is mostly made up of the southern part of a peninsula off the mainland of Norway and the surrounding islands. It borders Brønnøy Municipality to the north by land and Bindal Municipality to the south and east by sea, across the Bindalsfjorden.
Sømna consists mainly of a wide Strandflaten lowland (coastal brim), and is one of few municipalities in Northern Norway where the farmers still grow some grain. The highest point in the municipality is the 648.45-metre (2,127.5 ft) tall mountain Lysingen, on the border with Brønnøy Municipality.[1]
Sømna has an oceanic climate with few temperature extremes, similar to Brønnøysund. However, Sømna has one national heat record: The warmest night ever recorded in Norway was July 29, 2019 at Sømna-Kvaløyfjellet (302 m) in Sømna with overnight low 26.1 °C (79.0 °F).[16]
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sømna 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.
Note: On 1 January 1977, Sømna Municipality was separated from Brønnøy Municipality and a temporary 2-year municipal council took office until the next regular election.
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Sømna 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:[33]
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