On 15 October 1923,
Alversund Municipality was divided into two separate municipalities: the western part (population: 1,716) became the new Meland Municipality and the eastern part (population: 1,771) remained as a smaller Alversund Municipality. Meland Municipality was one of many municipalities in Norway that were created for geographical reasons: Meland was separated from the rest of Alversund by the
Radfjorden, and transportation between the different parts of the municipality was unreliable and time-consuming. The creation of the municipality was approved in 1922, and the first election for the municipal council was held 23 August 1923, with the municipality becoming official on 15 October 1923. Meland Municipality encompassed the southern two-thirds of the island of
Holsnøy (the northern third belonged to
Herdla Municipality), a small area on the northeast coast of the island of
Askøy, as well as some very small surrounding islands. In 1962, the
Schei Committee concluded its survey of the organization of Norway's municipalities. The committee recommended several changes in the areas surrounding Meland Municipality.
Hamre Municipality was to be dissolved and its lands were divided between
Lindås Municipality,
Osterøy Municipality, and Meland Municipality. Also
Herdla Municipality would also be dissolved and its territories were divided between
Askøy Municipality,
Øygarden Municipality, and Meland Municipality. This would result in the follow border adjustments: • the northern part of
Holsnøy island and the minor island of Øpsøy (population: 811) were moved from
Herdla Municipality to Meland Municipality • the island of
Flatøy (population: 166) was transferred from
Hamre Municipality to Meland Municipality. • the parts of Meland Municipality located on the island of
Askøy were transferred to
Askøy Municipality. Hordaland county approved the changes, and they came into effect on 1 January 1964. On 1 January 2020, the neighboring Meland Municipality,
Radøy Municipality, and
Lindås Municipality were merged into the new
Alver Municipality. Historically, this municipality was part of the old
Hordaland county. On 1 January 2020, the new Alver Municipality became a part of the newly-formed
Vestland county (after
Hordaland and
Sogn og Fjordane counties were merged).
Name The municipality (originally the
parish) is named after the old
Meland farm () in the south-central part of the island of
Holsnøy. The first element is which means "middle" or "amongst". The last element is which means "land" or "farm". Therefore, the name as a whole roughly means "the farm that is located in the middle (of the island)". Historically, the name was spelled
Mæland.
Coat of arms The
coat of arms was granted on 15 May 1987 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official
blazon is
"Gules, an auger palewise issuant from chief argent" (). This means the arms have a red
field (background) and the
charge is a local type of
auger which is used in
carpentry. The auger has a
tincture of
argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This design was chosen because in the 1850s, auger manufacturing started in the municipality, and the local drills were considered to be high quality. The design was meant to symbolize and emphasize the local traditions to be proud of and skills to be keep alive. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.
Churches The
Church of Norway had one parish () within Meland Municipality. It is part of the
Nordhordland prosti (
deanery) in the
Diocese of Bjørgvin. ==Geography==