Værøy
Værøy is an island municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sørland on the main island of Værøya. The other village in Værøy is Nordland. Most of the residents live in the Sørland area surrounding the main harbor. The old Værøy Lighthouse sits at the end of that harbor. The municipality is the 351st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Værøy is the 347th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of only 728. The municipality's  population density is and its population has decreased by 4.3% over the previous 10-year period. General information. The municipality of Værøy was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). On 1 July 1928, the southern district of Værøy (population: 731) was separated to become the new Røst Municipality. Name. The Old Norse form of the name was "Veðrøy". The first element is "veðr" which means "weather" (here referring to harsh weather and the exposed and unsheltered position of the island). The last element is "øy" which means "island". Historically, the name has been spelled "Værø". Coat of arms. The  coat of arms is from modern times; they were granted on 10 July 1988. The arms show a puffin on a blue background. Puffins nest in large numbers in the area and used to be of great importance for the village, both for meat and down. Churches. The Church of Norway has one parish "(sokn)" within the municipality of Værøy. It is part of the Bodø domprosti ("arch-deanery") in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland. Geography. The island municipality is made up of many islands, the two largest islands being Værøya and Mosken. It is located at the end of  the Lofoten archipelago. The Norwegian Sea lies to the northwest and the Vestfjorden lies to the southeast. The Moskenstraumen maelstrom lies to the north between Værøya and Moskenesøya. Climate. The weather in Værøy can be very changeable. Sunshine, rain, wind, and mist may interchange rapidly. The winter climate is mild and the temperature seldom drops below . This makes conditions for stockfish exceptionally good. Røst and Værøy are among the most northern locations in the world where there is no meteorological winter because the average temperature generally stays above freezing all year. The winter temperatures in southern Lofoten represent the highest  temperature anomaly in the world relative to latitude. However, the winter weather is rather windy. The polar night occurs from December 13–29 and the midnight sun occurs from May 28- July 15. Værøy has a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) with short, cool summers and long winters. Government. All municipalities in Norway, including Værøy, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the  Salten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal. Municipal council. The municipal council of Værøy is made up of 13 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows: Mayor. The mayors of Værøy (incomplete list): Transportation. Helicopter transport is available from Bodø at the Værøy Heliport in Sørland. There was airplane service at Værøy Airport, but it was discontinued after the Værøy accident in 1990 in which five people lost their lives. The airport was determined to be in a bad position, due to the location next to a mountain  and the frequent presence of strong and unpredictable winds, which made takeoffs and landings dangerous. Ferry service is also available from Bodø, Moskenes, and Røst.