Fjord Municipality

and Valldal) The municipality was established on 1 January 2020 after the government of Norway approved the merger of Stordal Municipality (population: 972) and Norddal Municipality (population: 1,670). The borders have not changed since that time. Name The municipality was named Fjord to signify its location at the inner part of the Storfjorden. The name Fjord has no historical basis or tradition in the area; according to the municipality, the name was chosen in 2020 because of a desire to optimize search engine results and that it wanted Google results for the common word "fjord" to be dominated by the municipality to attract tourists. The official Language Council of Norway criticized the name of the municipality and stated that "fjord is a common word that has been appropriated as the name of a municipality, which we opposed." The council also stated that it is an important principle that municipal names should be based on names with a historical tradition in the area, and that "invented names" with no tradition such as Fjord are unfortunate. Churches The Church of Norway has two parishes () within Fjord Municipality: Stordal in the north and Norddal in the south. The municipality is part of the Nordre Sunnmøre prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre. ==Geography==

Fjord Municipality is located along the inner Storfjorden and around the Norddalsfjorden and the Tafjorden which flow west to east. The majority of the municipality lies east and south of the fjord, while a small previously inhabited mountainous area on the west side of the fjord is also part of Fjord. Ytste Skotet is a preserved historic farm/museum that is located on the steep mountainsides on the west side of the fjord. Most of the municipality surrounds the Stordalen valley and the Valldalen valley, both on the east side of the fjord. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Puttegga, on the border with Rauma Municipality. The large Valldalen valley runs to the northeast from the Norddalsfjorden. The valleys are surrounded by the Tafjordfjella mountain range. The mountains Puttegga, Karitinden, and Tordsnose sit on the eastern border of the municipality. The mountain Høgstolen lies in the northern part of the municipality. Reinheimen National Park is located partially in the municipality. Tafjorden is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site West Norwegian Fjords. ==Climate==

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute has kept records of the temperature in Tafjord since 1925, documenting a temperate oceanic climate (marine west coast climate; Köppen climate zone: Cfb). The all-time high was recorded July 1945, and the all-time low in January 1942. Tafjord, in a narrow fjord area surrounded by high mountains, often experiences foehn in winter when strong Atlantic lows pushes mild air towards the coast. Tafjord has the national high for November with and the national high for December. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below ) in spring is 17 April and the average date for the first freeze in autumn is 24 October giving a frost-free season of 189 days (1981–2010 average). ==Government==

Fjord Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Sunnmøre District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal. Municipal council The municipal council of Fjord Municipality is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party. {{Kommunestyre table {{Kommunestyre table Mayors The mayor () of Fjord Municipality 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: • 2020–2023: Eva Hove (Ap) == Notable people ==

• Martin Linge, (1894 in Norddal – 1941), an actor who worked for SOE in WWII • Marta Schumann (1919 in Valldal – 1994), a novelist, poet, and short story writer • Almar Heggen (1933 in Norddal – 2014), an opera singer • Stian Omenås (born 1980 in Valldal), a jazz musician (trumpet), music conductor, and composer ==References==