Flakstad
Flakstad is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of the island group Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ramberg. Other villages include Fredvang, Napp, Nusfjord, and Vareid. The municipality is located in the Lofoten Islands and comprises the entire island of Flakstadøya and the northern part of the island of Moskenesøya. The European route E10 highway runs across the whole municipality. The municipality is the 311th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Flakstad is the 317th most populous municipality in Norway with a  population of 1,272. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 7.6% over the previous 10-year period. General information. The municipality of Flakstad was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). On 1 July 1916, the southern part of the municipality (population: 1,306) was separated to form the new Moskenes Municipality. This left Flakstad with 1,667 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Flakstad (population: 2,067) was merged into the neighboring municipality of Moskenes (population: 2,001 ), creating a new, larger municipality of Moskenes. This merger, however, only lasted for twelve years. On 1 January 1976, the merger was undone with Moskenes (population: 1,705) and Flakstad (population: 2,007) becoming separate municipalities once again. Name. The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old "Flakstad" farm (Norse "Flakstaðir"), since the first Flakstad Church was built there. Historically, the name was spelled ""Flagstad"". The first element could be a Norse nickname ("flak" meaning "reckless") or it could come from the word "flag" meaning "rock wall", possibly referring to the large cliff near the church site. The last element  is "staðir" which means "homestead" or "farm". Coat of arms. The coat of arms is from modern times (1989). The arms show a white fastening device used on boats on a blue background. The fastening device was chosen as a symbol for the community's seafaring history. Churches. The Church of Norway has one parish "(sokn)" within the municipality of Flakstad. It is part of the Lofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland. Economy. The municipality's economy is dominated by fishing. The fishing fleet mainly consists of small boats. There are also several fish farm in Flakstad . There is some agriculture in Flakstad, but mostly cattle and sheep farming rather than growing crops. Government. All municipalities in Norway, including Flakstad, 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 Lofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal. Municipal council. The municipal council of Flakstad is made up of 11 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The  party breakdown of the council is as follows: Mayor. The mayors of Flakstad (incomplete list): Geography. Located near the southern end of the Lofoten archipelago, Flakstad comprises all of the island of Flakstadøya and the northern part of the island of Moskenesøya. The islands are connected by the Fredvang Bridges and the Kåkern Bridge. The large lake Solbjørnvatnet lies on the northern part of Moskenesøya in Flakstad. Vestvågøy Municipality lies to the northeast on the island of Vestvågøya, the Vestfjorden lies to the southeast, the Moskenes Municipality lies to the southwest on the island of Moskenesøya, and the Norwegian Sea  lies to the northwest.