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Østfold

Coordinates: 59°20′00″N 11°20′00″E / 59.33333°N 11.33333°E / 59.33333; 11.33333
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Østfold
County
Østfold fylke
Rødenes in late - June 2006
Rødenes in late - June 2006
Flag of Østfold
Flag
Coat of arms of Østfold
Coat of arms
Østfold within Norway
Østfold within Norway
Country Norway
County IDNO-31
Administrative centreSarpsborg
Government
 • GovernorValgerd Svarstad Haugland (2019-)
 • County mayorSindre Martinsen-Evje Arbeiderpartiet (2023-)
Area
 • Total
4,180.7 km2 (1,614.2 sq mi)
 • Land3,887 km2 (1,501 sq mi)
 • Rank17th in Norway, 1.28% of Norway's land area
Population
 (30 September 2019)
 • Total
299,647 Increase
 • Rank6th (5.61% of country)
 • Change (10 years)
7.5 %
DemonymØstfolding
Time zoneUTC+01 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02 (CEST)
Official language formBokmål
Income (per capita)138,600 NOK
GDP (per capita)200,084 NOK (2001)
GDP national rank8 (3.30% of country)
Websiteofk.no
Data from Statistics Norway

Østfold (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈœ̂stfɔɫ] ⓘ) is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side of Oslofjord. The county's administrative seat is Sarpsborg. The county controversially became part of the newly established Viken County on 1 January 2020. On 1 January 2024, Østfold was re-established as an independent county, however without the former municipality of Rømskog, which was amalgamated with the Akershus municipality Aurskog-Høland in 2020.

Many manufacturing facilities are situated here, such as the world's most advanced biorefinery, Borregaard in Sarpsborg. Fredrikstad has shipyards. There are granite mines in Østfold and stone from these were used by Gustav Vigeland.

The county slogan is "The heartland of Scandinavia". The local dialects are characterized by their geographical proximity to Sweden.

The name

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The old name of the Oslofjord was Fold; Østfold means 'the region east of the Fold' (see also Vestfold). The name was first recorded in 1543; in the Middle Ages the name of the county was Borgarsysla 'the county/sýsla of the city Borg (now Sarpsborg)'. Later, when Norway was under Danish rule, the Danish king divided the area into many baronies. These were merged into one county (amt) in 1662 - and it was then named Smaalenenes Amt 'the amt consisting of small len'. The name was changed back to Østfold in 1919.

History

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
1951185,492—    
1961202,751+9.3%
1971221,386+9.2%
1981233,301+5.4%
1991238,345+2.2%
2001251,032+5.3%
2011274,827+9.5%
2021?309,613+12.7%
2031?339,601+9.7%
Source: Statistics Norway.[1]

Østfold is among the nation's oldest inhabited regions, with petroglyphs (rock drawings) and burial mounds throughout the area.

In the Viking Age, the area was part of Vingulmark, which in turn was part of Viken and included Båhuslen (which is now the Swedish province called Bohuslän). It was partly under Danish rule until the time of Harald Fairhair.

Later, when Norway was under Danish rule, the Danish king divided the area into many baronies. The barony of Heggen og Frøland, consisting of the municipalities Askim, Eidsberg and Trøgstad, originally belonged to Akershus - but it was transferred to Østfold in 1768.

In October 2018, Norwegian archaeologists headed by the archaeologist Lars Gustavsen announced the discovery of a buried 20 m (66 ft) long Gjellestad Viking ship. An ancient well-preserved Viking cemetery for more than 1000 years was discovered using ground-penetrating radar. Archaeologists also revealed at least seven other previously unknown burial mounds and the remnants of five longhouses with the help of the radar survey.[2][3][4][5]

Geography

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Østfold sits between the Oslo Fjord and Sweden. It is dominated by flat landscape with a lot of woodland in the north and along the Swedish border, a major lake system in the central part, and densely populated lowland area along the coast, with a relatively large archipelago.

Norway's longest river, the Glomma, flows through the county and out into the Oslo Fjord in Fredrikstad.

Demography

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Most of the county's population is located in the coastal area. The cities of Moss, Sarpsborg, Fredrikstad, and Halden are situated here, along with some relatively highly populated rural municipalities. Including these coastal cities, Østfold also has another two cities, Askim and Mysen.

Transport and infrastructure

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Østfold is located strategically between Oslo and Sweden. The main highway E6 between Oslo and Gothenburg runs as a motorway through the county from the southern border with Sweden and the border with Akershus county. The main highway E18 between Oslo and Stockholm goes through the county from the Swedish border in a southeast-northwest direction. The railway from Oslo to Gothenburg runs roughly parallel with E6, and there is also a railway between Ski and Sarpsborg that covers the inner part. There is no public airport in the county. Moss Airport was one but is now closed. The main airport for Østfold is the Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, with a population of more than 2 million people within two hours distance.

Health care

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Aimed at covering general medical needs of Østfold County and [Vestby Municipality] Østfold Hospital provides medical services, diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation to the population of the area.[6] Hospitals, clinics or health stations are located in all municipalities of the county.

Municipalities

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Municipalities of Østfold
Municipalities of Østfold

Østfold have 17 (former 18) municipalities:

  1. Aremark
  2. Askim
  3. Eidsberg
  4. Fredrikstad
  5. Halden
  6. Hobøl
  7. Hvaler
  8. Marker
  9. Moss
  10. Rakkestad
  11. Rygge
  12. Rømskog (is no longer a part of Østfold county)
  13. Råde
  14. Sarpsborg
  15. Skiptvet
  16. Spydeberg
  17. Trøgstad
  18. Våler

Districts

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Cities

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Main article: list of towns and cities in Norway

Parishes

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  • Aremark
  • Asak
  • Askim
  • Berg
  • Borge
  • Båstad
  • Degernes
  • Domkirken i Borge, see Vestre Fredrikstad
  • Eidsberg
  • Enningdal
  • Fredrikshald, see Halden
  • Fredrikstad
  • Glemmen
  • Gressvik
  • Hafslund
  • Halden
  • Heli
  • Hobøl
  • Hovin
  • Hvaler
  • Hærland
  • Idd
  • Ingedal
  • Kråkerøy
  • Moss
  • Onsøy
  • Os
  • Rakkestad
  • Rokke
  • Rolvsøy
  • Rygge
  • Rødenes
  • Rømskog
  • Råde
  • Sarpsborg
  • Skiptvet
  • Skjeberg
  • Skjebergdalen
  • Spjærøy (Dypedal)
  • Spydeberg
  • St. Peter's
  • Svinndal
  • Tom
  • Tomter
  • Torsnes
  • Trøgstad
  • Trømborg
  • Tune
  • Ullerøy (Ullerø)
  • Varteig
  • Vestre Fredrikstad
  • Våler
  • Østre Fredrikstad
  • Øymark
  • Fredrikstad Branch (LDS, 1852–1925)
  • Fredrikstad (Kristi Menighet, 1893–1914)
  • Vestre Fredrikstad (Kristi Menighet, 1904–1933)
  • Halden Branch (LDS, 1854–1949)
  • Moss Branch (LDS, 1905–1949)
  • Sarpsborg Branch (LDS, 1931–1949)
  • Sarpsborg (Metodistkirken, 1840–1923)

Villages

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Main article: list of villages in Østfold

Former Municipalities

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Main article: list of former municipalities of Norway

Coat of arms

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The coat of arms is from modern times (1958). The lines represent sunrays at sunrise in the east. (See above under the name.) They also represent the worship of the Sun in the Bronze Age (depicted in several rock carvings found in the county).

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd gen.)
in Østfold by country of origin in 2017[7]
Nationality Population (2017)
 Poland 6,711
 Iraq 4,470
 Somalia 3,068
 Kosovo 2,695
 Sweden 2,620
 Bosnia-Herzegovina 2,372
 Vietnam 1,889
 Lithuania 1,822
 Syria 1,334
 Denmark 1,291
 Iran 1,270
 Pakistan 1,188
 Philippines 1,008
 Thailand 992
 Germany 967
 Russia 879
 Turkey 829
 Afghanistan 816
 Iceland 579
 United Kingdom 494
 Cameroon 28
 Trinidad and Tobago 10

Notable people

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See also

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[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Østfold.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Østfold.

References

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Notes
  1. ^ "Projected population - Statistics Norway". Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  2. ^ "Viking ship burial discovered in Norway just 50cm underground". the Guardian. 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  3. ^ Starr, Michelle (15 October 2018). "A Rare Viking Ship Burial Was Just Discovered in Norway, Less Than 2 Feet Underground". ScienceAlert. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  4. ^ McGreevy, Nora. "For the First Time in a Century, Norway Will Excavate Viking Ship Burial". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  5. ^ miljødepartementet, Klima-og (2020-05-12). "Vil grave fram det første vikingskipet på 100 år". Regjeringa.no (in Norwegian Nynorsk). Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  6. ^ "Sykehuset Østfold". Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population". ssb.no. Retrieved 24 June 2017.

59°20′00″N 11°20′00″E / 59.33333°N 11.33333°E / 59.33333; 11.33333

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