Orkland Municipality should not be confused with Orkland Municipality (1920-1963).
| Orkland | |
| Idnumber: | 5059 |
| County: | Trøndelag |
| District: | Orkdalen |
| Capital: | Orkanger |
| Established: | 1 Jan 2020 |
| Preceded: | Agdenes, Orkdal, Meldal, and most of Snillfjord |
| Demonym: | Orklending |
| Language: | Neutral |
| Coatofarms: | Orkland komm.svg |
| Webpage: | https://www.orkland.kommune.no/ |
| Mayor: | Hanne Nyhus |
| Mayor Party: | Ap |
| Mayor As Of: | 2023 |
| Elevation Max M: | 1164.98 |
| Highest Point Ref: | [1] |
| Area Rank: | 42 |
| Area Total Km2: | 1906.28 |
| Area Land Km2: | 1817.77 |
| Area Water Km2: | 88.51 |
| Area Water Percent: | 4.6 |
| Population As Of: | 2024 |
| Population Rank: | 71 |
| Population Total: | 18793 |
| Population Density Km2: | 9.9 |
| Population Increase: | 2.6 |
| Coordinates: | 63.3067°N 9.8502°W |
Orkland is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Orkdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Orkanger.[2] Some of the other notable population centres in the municipality include Å, Bjørnli, Drogsetmoen, Fannrem, Geitastrand, Hoston, Ingdalen, Kjøra, Krokstadøra, Lensvik, Løkken Verk, Meldal, Råbygda, Selbekken, Storås, Svorkmo, Thamshavn, Vassbygda, Vernes, and Vormstad.
The 1906km2 municipality is the 42nd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Orkland Municipality is the 71st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 18,793. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 2.6% over the previous 10-year period.[3] [4]
Orkland Municipality was established on 1 January 2020 after a large municipal merger which combined Agdenes Municipality, Orkdal Municipality, Meldal Municipality, and most of Snillfjord Municipality.[5]
The municipality is named after the Orkdalen valley (non|Orkardalr). The first element is the genitive case of the name of the river Norse, Old: Ork (now called Orklaelva). The last element is which means "land".[6] From 1920-1963, there was another Orkland Municipality that existed within the borders of the present-day Orkland Municipality (although the historic one was vastly smaller.
The coat of arms for the municipality was approved in 2019. It is somewhat of a combination of the old Coat of arms of Meldal and Coat of arms of Orkdal. The arms are divided horizontally by a wavy line with green above and silver below representing agriculture and forestry (green) and the sea and water (silver). In the centre of the arms there is a gear which represents the industry of the community. The colors of the gear are inverted from the background.[7]
The Church of Norway had eight parishes (Norwegian: sokn) within Orkland Municipality. It is part of the Orkdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.
| Agdenes | Agdenes Church | Vernes | 1857 | |
| Lensvik Church | Lensvik | 1863 | ||
| Ingdal Chapel | Ingdalen | 1960 | ||
| Geitastrand | Geitastrand Church | Geitastrand | 1859 | |
| Løkken | Løkken Church | Bjørnli | 1929 | |
| Meldal | Meldal Church | Meldal | 1988 | |
| Orkanger | Orkanger Church | Orkanger | 1892 | |
| Orkdal | Orkdal Church | Fannrem | 1893 | |
| Søvasskjølen Church | Svorksjødalen | 1981 | ||
| Orkland | Moe Church | Vormstad | 1867 | |
| Snillfjord | Snillfjord Church | Krokstadøra | 1898 |
The municipality encompasses a lot of the Orkdalen valley, plus coastal areas along the Trondheimsfjorden and Trondheimsleia. Hitra Municipality, Heim Municipality, and Rindal Municipality are located to the west, Rennebu Municipality is to the south, and Midtre Gauldal Municipality, Melhus Municipality, and Skaun Municipality are located to the east. Trondheim Municipality is located to the east, on the opposite side of the Orkdalsfjorden. Indre Fosen Municipality and Ørland Municipality are both located to the north, across the Trondheimsfjorden. The highest point in the municipality is the 1164.98m (3,822.11feet) tall mountain Resfjellet, near the border with Rindal Municipality.
Orkland Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[8] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council Norwegian: (Kommunestyre) of Orkland Municipality is made up of 43 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor (no|ordfører) of Orkland Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:[9]
