Sogn

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Sogn
District
Hafslovatnet with Sognefjord behind
Hafslovatnet with Sognefjord behind
  Sogn
  Sogn
Country Norway
County Sogn og Fjordane
Region Vestlandet
Adm. Center Hermansverk[1]
Area
 • Total 10,675 km2 (4,122 sq mi)
Population (2006)
 • Total 38,858
 • Density 3.6/km2 (9.4/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Sogning

Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway (Vestlandet). It is located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, surrounding the Sognefjorden, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestrand, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. The district covers 10,675 square kilometres (4,122 sq mi) and contains about 35% of the county's population. The largest urban area in Sogn is the village of Sogndalsfjøra (in Sogndal municipality), with 3,455 residents. The second largest urban area is the village Øvre Årdal (in Årdal municipality), with 3,397 people (this village used to be the largest, but recently it was passed by Sogndalsfjøra).[2][3]

The district of Sogn comprises the southern part of the county Sogn og Fjordane. The districts of Sunnfjord and Nordfjord are the other two districts in the county.

Etymology

Shore community in Sogn, Norway.

The name Sogn is very old, and it originally belonged to the fjord (now called the Sognefjorden). The name is derived from the verb súga which means "suck"—referring to the strong tidal streams at the mouth of the fjord. A parallel name for the district in Norse times was Sygnafylki. The first element in this name is the genitive of sygnir which means "people from Sogn" and the last element is fylki which is an old form of "fylke" which translates as "county".[1][4]

History

Sogndalsfjorden and Barsnesfjorden.
Historical population
Year Pop. ±%
1769 19,366 —    
1951 41,846 +116.1%
1960 40,558 −3.1%
1970 40,254 −0.7%
1980 39,689 −1.4%
1990 38,996 −1.7%
2000 37,841 −3.0%
2010 36,511 −3.5%
2020 36,232 −0.8%
2030 36,773 +1.5%
Source: Statistics Norway.

Viking Age

Since early in the Viking Age, Sogn was a petty kingdom called Sygnafylki. Some notable Kings of Sogn were Harald Gullskjegg ("Goldbeard", father of Ragnhild, first wife of Halfdan the Black), Halfdan the Black, and Harald Fairhair.

1662-present

In 1662, Sogn fogderi was created as part of the Nordre Bergenhus amt (county). Sogn was further divided into Indre Sogn (Inner Sogn) and Ytre Sogn (Outer Sogn).

In 1919, Nordre Bergenhus amt was renamed Sogn og Fjordane fylke.[5]

References

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