Hadsel

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Hadsel kommune

Administrative centre

Stokmarknes

Mayor (2003)

Reidar Johnsen (Sp)

Official language form

Bokmål

Area
- Total
- Land
- Percentage

Ranked 188
566 km²
551 km²
0.17 %

Population
- Total (2004)
- Percentage
- Change (10 years)
- Density

Ranked 126
8,039
0.18 %
-7.8 %
15/km²

Coordinates

68°32′N 14°49′E

www.hadsel.kommune.no

Data from Statistics Norway

Coordinates: 68°32′N 14°49′E

Hadsel is a municipality in the county of Nordland, Norway. It is the southernmost municipality in the Vesterålen region.

The municipality is spread over four islands, Hadseløya, Hinnøya, Langøya (lit. The Long Island) and Austvågøy. About 70% of the population live on Hadseløya island. Hadseløya island is connected to Langøya with a bridge. (See Hadsel Bridge.) There's also a small airport, Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen, which is the busiest small aircraft airport in Norway, serving 100,000 passengers annually (1997).

The administrative centre of Hadsel is Stokmarknes, one of two towns on Hadseløya island, the other being Melbu.

[edit] The name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old farm Hadsel (Norse Höfðasegl), since the first church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of höfði m 'high and steep cliff', the last element is segl n 'sail'. (A cliff near the farm have been compared in form with a sail.)

[edit] Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1976). It shows four golden rings (to represent the four islands of Hadseløya, Austvågøya, Hinnøya and Langøya).