Flora is a municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the town of Florø, which was founded in 1860, has 8,642 inhabitants (2012). The Eikefjord area, which is the second largest settlement in Flora, has about 1000 inhabitants. Other village areas in the municipality include Rognaldsvåg, Stavang, Grov, Norddalsfjord, Nyttingnes, Steinhovden, and Brandsøy.

The municipality stretches from inner fjords where the mountains ascend to the Ålfotbreen glacier, to the outermost islands off the mainland coast. The town is today both a charming little community, and at the same time a town with busy industries that are developing continuously. Trade and industry in Flora is mainly fishing industry, shipyards, and supply for the oil and gas industry in the North Sea.

The municipality is named after the farm Flora (Old Norse Flóra) since the town of Florø was built on its ground in 1860. The name is probably derived from a Germanic root meaning “flat” or “even” (cf. English floor). Flora itself is the accusative/dative case form of “Flore” (Old Norse Flóri), from which the names Florø and Florelandet are derived. A common misunderstanding is that the name Florø is the Danish word ø (“island”) suffixed to Flora. Although not true, it almost lead to the town being renamed “Florøy” in the 1930s.

...
Wikipedia