The municipality is centered on the Masfjorden which almost divides the municipality completely into a north side and a south side. A cable ferry crosses the fjord from Masfjordnes to Duesund in the western part of the municipality. The Matre Hydroelectric Power Station is located in the eastern part of the municipality.
The 556-square-kilometre (215 sq mi) municipality is the 195th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Masfjorden is the 297th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,654. The municipality's population density is 3.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (8.3/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
The parish of Masfjorden was established as a municipality on 1 March 1879 when it was separated from the large municipality of Lindås. Masfjorden was the northern part of Lindås, and its initial population was 2,336. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Einestrand, Eikebotn, and Kikallen area along the Austfjorden (population: 25) was transferred from Lindås to Masfjorden.[6]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Masfjorden (Old Norse: Matrsfjǫrðr) since that fjord is a central geographical feature of the municipality. The first element is the genitive case of the old (uncompounded) name of the fjord: Matr. That name is identical to the word matr which means "food". The last element is fjǫrðr which means "fjord" or "firth". Therefore, the meaning of the name is "the fjord that's full of food (fish)". The village of Matre lies at the inner end of the fjord, and that name has a similar origin.[7]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, three clasps Orin pall" (Norwegian: På raud grunn tre gule heldrer stilte i trepass). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three heldrer, traditional tools made of wood for fastening a rope around a load. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. They are meant to symbolize unity as well as the importance of forestry. The arms were designed by Rune Garmann. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[8][9][10]
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Masfjorden is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Masfjorden municipality lies to the east of the Fensfjorden and Austfjorden. The Masfjorden runs east to west bisecting the municipality. The eastern part has mountains and as one heads westward, the land levels out before reaching the fjord in the east.
The municipality lies along the west coast in the central part of the county. The municipalities of Gulen and Høyanger lie to the north, the municipality of Modalen to the east, and the municipality of Alver lies to the south and west.
The European route E39 highway runs through eastern Masfjorden heading north and south. The 4.1-kilometre (2.5 mi) long Masfjord Tunnel and the 2.5-kilometre (1.6 mi) long Jernfjell Tunnel (and a few other tunnels) are part of the E39 highway which winds its way through some valleys in the mountainous eastern region of Masfjorden.
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