Åmli
Åmli is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The main population centre and administrative center is the village of Åmli which lies along the river Nidelva. Other villages in Åmli include Askland, Dølemo, Eppeland, Flaten, Hillestad, Homdrom, Lauveik, Nelaug, Øvre Ramse, Skjeggedal, Tveit, Vehus, and Ytre Ramse. The municipality is the 98th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Åmli is the 289th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,836. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 1.3% over  the previous 10-year period. General information. Name. The municipality (originally the prestegjeld) is named after the old "Åmli" farm (), since the first Åmli Church was built there. The first element is "almr" which means "elm" and the last element is "líð" which means "hillside". The name was historically spelled "Omlid" and "Aamli". Coat of arms. The coat of arms was granted in 1987. It shows a silver or white beaver on a blue background. Odd Einar Ufsvatn was the designer. The beaver was chosen because the Åmli area is one of the few remaining beaver habitats in Europe, and  beavers from Norway have been used to help re-populate other areas in Europe where the beaver had gone extinct in the wild. Churches. The Church of Norway has two parishes () within the municipality of Åmli. It is part of the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. History. The parish of "Omlid" was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1876, the southwestern district of Åmli (population: 663) was separated from it to become the municipality of Mykland. This left Åmli with 2,564 inhabitants. On 1 January 1908, Åmli was  split into three municipalities: the northern area surrounding the river Gjøv (pop: 590) became the municipality of Gjevedal, the southwestern area surrounding the Tovdalselva river (pop: 389) became Lille Topdal, and the remainder of the old municipality (population: 2,024) continued as Åmli municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, the neighboring municipality of Gjøvdal (pop: 362) was merged with Åmli to form a new, larger municipality called Åmli. The combined population was 2,309. On 1 January 1962, the Espestølsgrenda area (pop: 7) was transferred  from Åmli (and Aust-Agder county) to neighboring Nissedal municipality (in Telemark county). Several uninhabited areas (the Espestøl, Reinefoss, and Espestølstykket farms) were transferred to Nissedal municipality in Telemark county on 1 January 1965. Then on 1 January 1967, the neighboring municipality of Tovdal (pop: 161) was merged back into the municipality of Åmli. Åmli then had a total of 2,211 inhabitants. On 1 January 1968, the Flateland farm (pop: 6) was transferred to the municipality of Froland. Geography. Åmli is located in northern Agder county. It is bordered on the north by Fyresdal and Nissedal municipalities (in Vestfold og  Telemark county), on the east by Vegårshei municipality, on the south by Froland municipality, and on the west by Bygland municipality. The most densely populated area is around the municipal center of Åmli, which lies on the banks of the river Nidelva. The village has about 682 residents (in 2017). Side valleys which join the main valley include Gjøvdal and Tovdal. The rivers Nidelva and Tovdalselva flow through the valleys. In the southern part of the municipality the Sørlandsbanen railway line passes through the area, stopping at the Nelaug Station. The largest villages in Åmli include Dølemo, Nelaug, Hillestad, and  Askland. The rest of the population is scattered among the valleys. The Åmli hills are wooded and typically range from above sea level. At , the highest point is Trongedalsfjell, which lies between the Tovdal and Gjøvdal valleys. Several lakes are located in Åmli including Måvatn, Nasvatn, and Nelaug. There are several protected areas, for instance, the Årdalen nature reserve, bordering on the Rukkevatn nature reserve, and the Furubuhei marsh reserve, provide approximately of nature reserves. Climate. Situated inland in Agder, Nelaug in Åmli has a humid continental climate or temperate oceanic climate, depending on winter threshold used ( or . The all -time high is set 10 August 1975, a month with 8 days above . The warmest month on record is July 2018 with mean . The all-time low is recorded 10 February 1966. Government. All municipalities in Norway, including Åmli, 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 Aust-Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal. Municipal council. The municipal  council () of Åmli is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows: Economy. Lumbering in Åmli provides for about 12% of the old Aust-Agder county's total timber production making it the third most import source of timber in Aust-Adger (after Froland and Birkenes). Agriculture, including sheep husbandry, provides a minor contribution to the economy. Electrical power is generated by a hydroelectric plant at Flatefoss, which regulates the level of the lake, Nelaug. The newspaper "Åmliavisa" has been published in Åmli since 2008. Transportation. The main road  through Åmli is the north–south Norwegian National Road 41. Other roads include Norwegian County Road 412, Norwegian County Road 413, and Norwegian County Road 415. There are also two railway lines running through southern Åmli: the main Sørlandsbanen railway line which stops at Nelaug Station and the branch line Arendalsbanen which terminates at Nelaug Station, but also stops at Flaten Station.