
Vega, Norway

Vega is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Gladstad. Other villages include Holand and Ylvingen.
The municipality comprises about 6,500 islands in the Vega Archipelago. The main island of the municipality is the island of Vega, and it is also the largest at . Bremstein Lighthouse is located in the southwestern part of the municipality.
The municipality is the 314th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vega is the 322nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,200. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 6.8% over the previous 10-year period.
General information.
The municipality of Vega was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). On 1 January 1965, the Skogsholmen area (population: 196) was transferred from Tjøtta Municipality to Vega Municipality. Then on 1 January 1971, the Skålvær islands (population: 32) in the northeastern part of Vega was transferred to Alstahaug Municipality.
Name.
The municipality is named after the main island of Vega (). The name is probably derived from "veig" which means "liquid" or "fluid" (referring to the lakes and the marshes of the island). The name was written "Vegø" prior to 1891.
Coat of arms.
The coat of arms was granted on 20 November 1987. The arms show a gold-colored bailer for a boat on a red background. A bailer is an essential tool that is important to the municipality due to its dependence on the sea. An earlier suggestion for the Vega coat of arms picturing the black silhouette of a sailing boat on a yellow background is now used as the coat of arms of Nordland county.
Churches.
The Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Vega. It is part of the Sør-Helgeland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
History.
Early settlements on the main island date back 10,000 years, making it one of the oldest places of inhabitance in Northern Norway. Agriculture and fishing are at present as they were in the past, key fields of labour. Today's inhabitants are concentrated in Holand, Valla, Igerøy, Ylvingen, and Gladstad, the latter being the location of the municipal council and most of the island's commerce.
Geography.
In 2004, the archipelago's cultural landscape was inscribed by UNESCO on the World Heritage Site list as representative of "the way generations of fishermen/farmers have, over the past 1,500 years, maintained a sustainable living in an inhospitable seascape near the Arctic Circle, based on the now unique practice of eider down harvesting." The oceanic climate and limestone bedrock has allowed 10 different species of orchids to grow in Vega, and 210 species of birds have been recorded at the archipelago.
Eidemsliene nature reserve has many warmth-loving species of plants and the most oceanic pine forest in North Norway. Holandsosen nature reserve is an important wetland area with a shallow lake and soil rich in lime; 149 species of birds have been observed in this reserve which has a rich bird life all year (many birds use this as their winter quarter). Lånan nature reserve preserves many types of coastal nature and is a very important area for many species of birds; eider down harvesting is still practiced here.
Climate.
Vega has a temperate oceanic climate marine west coast climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb). The all-time high of was recorded July 27 2019, and the all-time low was recorded February 2010 (extremes database from 2003).
Government.
All municipalities in Norway, including Vega, 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. The municipality falls under the Brønnøy District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.
Municipal council.
The municipal council () of Vega is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows: