- Andøy
Infobox_Kommune
name = Andøy
county = Nordland
idnumber = 1871
landscape = Vesterålen
capital =Andenes
governor = Jonni Helge Solsvik (H)
governor_as_of = 2005
arearank = 169
area = 656
arealand = 616
areapercent = 0.20
population_as_of = 01.01.2006
populationrank = 182
population = 5,245
populationpercent = 0.12
populationdensity = 9
populationincrease = -13.4
demonym = Andværing
language = Neutral
lat_deg = 69
lat_min = 5
lat_sec = 40
lon_deg = 15
lon_min = 45
lon_sec = 52
utm_zone = 33W
utm_northing = 7665098
utm_easting = 0530452
geo_cat = adm2nd
munwebpage = www.andoy.netAndøy is the northernmost municipality in the county of
Nordland ,Norway , and belongs to theVesterålen archipelago. The largest island in the municipality isAndøya .Andøy was created as a new municipality
January 1 ,1964 - after the merger of the old municipalities ofAndenes ,Bjørnskinn andDverberg .The name
The Norse form of the name was "Andarøy" (from "*Amdarøy"). The first element is the genitive case of the old uncompounded name of the island: "Ömd", the last element is "øy" f 'island'. The meaning of the uncompounded name is unknown.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1983). It shows a
wave .History
The village of
Andenes has been an important fishing village since theIron Age , and today it is the starting point of whale safaris (whale watching ) to see thesperm whales off the island that migrate here in the summer.Geography
The municipality of Andøy is spread across
Andøya , the northernmost island in the archipelago ofVesterålen , andHinnøya , the largest and most populous island in Norway. The municipality also consists of smaller skerries like Bleiksøya, Vomma and Stavaøyan.The bird cliff Bleiksøya, [ [http://nordland.miljostatus.no/msf_themepage.aspx?m=1537#7565 Miljøstatus - Nordland - Tema - Naturområder - Naturvernområder - Naturvernområder i Nordland ] ] outside of
Bleik , is a spectacular and photogenic landmark outside the Northern part of Andøya, with many species of sea birds including puffin. The midsection of the island consists ofmarsh es, known for their Arctic cloudberries. The island is also the only place in continental Norway wherecoal and fossils fromdinosaur s are to be found. Forfjorddalen nature reserve on Hinnøya has some of the oldest pine trees in Scandinavia, some more than 700 years old. [ [http://nordland.miljostatus.no/msf_themepage.aspx?m=1569#8400 Miljøstatus - Nordland - Tema - Naturområder - Naturvernområder - Naturvernområder i Nordland ] ]Business, science and military
Andenes is still a thriving fishing village and enjoys a number of tourists every year.
Andøya Air Station is located next to Andenes. It is the home of 333 Squadron of theRoyal Norwegian Air Force and houses allP-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft in the Norwegian armed forces.Andøya Rocket Range is a civilian facility for launching sounding rockets, located a few kilometres south of Andenes.Communication
Hurtigruten stops atRisøyhamn .Andøya Airport at Andenes is served by
Widerøe .During the summer, Andenes is connected to
Gryllefjord on the island ofSenja by ferry.By car you reach Andøy on Route 82, northbound from
Sortland .Birdlife
Lying furthest north in the area known as Vesterålen, Andøy is a mixture of vast areas of marshland fens, with a backdrop of high peaked mountains. The coast is not only famous for its sea bird colonies such as Bleiksøya, you will also find sheltered bays with white sandy shores. The area has a rich bird life and this is reflected in some good birding localities like Forfjorden Nature Reserve and Skogvoll, the latter a Ramsar site of international importance.
Footnotes
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