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Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties (fylker, singular - fylke), and 431 municipalities/communes (kommuner). Oslo (the capital) is considered as both a county and a municipality.

Municipalities are the atomic unit of local government in Norway and 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. Law enforcement and church services are provided at a national level in Norway. Municipalities do not collect taxes directly but are instead awarded block grants through the national budget.

Municipalities are undergoing continuous consolidation. In the beginning of the 1960s, there were 744 municipalities in Norway. At this writing there are 431, and there are plans for further mergers and political pressure to do so.

The consolidation effort is complicated by a number of factors. Since block grants are made by the national government to the municipalities based on an assessment of need, there is little incentive for the municipalities to lose local autonomy. The national policy is that municipalities should only merge voluntarily, and studies are underway to identify potential gains.

There are also an Municipalities of Norway and a list by municipality number. See also the list of former municipalities of Norway.

Akershus

Aust-Agder

Buskerud

Finnmark

Hedmark

Hordaland

Møre og Romsdal

Nordland

Nord-Trøndelag

Oppland

Oslo

Østfold

Rogaland

Sogn og Fjordane

Sør-Trøndelag

Telemark

Troms

Vest-Agder

Vestfold

Norway's largest municipalities

With population as of January 1, 2006 (source: SSB*)

  1. Oslo, 538.411
  2. Bergen, 242.158
  3. Trondheim, 158.613
  4. Stavanger, 115.157
  5. Bærum, 105.928
  6. Kristiansand, 76.917
  7. Fredrikstad, 70.791
  8. Tromsø, 63.596
  9. Sandnes, 58.947
  10. Drammen, 57.759
  11. Asker, 51.484
  12. Skien, 50.761
  13. Sarpsborg, 50.115
  14. Bodø, 44.992
  15. Skedsmo, 43.201
  16. Sandefjord, 41.555
  17. Larvik, 41.211
  18. Ålesund, 40.801
  19. Arendal, 39.826
  20. Karmøy, 37.928
  21. Tønsberg, 36.919
  22. Porsgrunn, 33.550
  23. Ringsaker, 31.923
  24. Haugesund, 31.738
  25. Lørenskog, 30.929

External links

Lists of municipalities Municipalities of Norway | Municipalities | Subnational entities in Europe

Norské obce | Kommuner i Norge | Lista de comunas da Noruega

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Municipalities of Norway".

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