Giske kommune | |||
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Municipality | |||
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Giske within Møre og Romsdal |
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Coordinates: 62°33′45″N 06°06′07″E / 62.56250°N 6.10194°ECoordinates: 62°33′45″N 06°06′07″E / 62.56250°N 6.10194°E | |||
Country | Norway | ||
County | Møre og Romsdal | ||
District | Sunnmøre | ||
Administrative centre | Valderhaug | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor (2003) | Knut Støbakk (KrF) | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 40.19 km2 (15.52 sq mi) | ||
• Land | 39.53 km2 (15.26 sq mi) | ||
• Water | 0.66 km2 (0.25 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 422 in Norway | ||
Population (2013) | |||
• Total | 7,541 | ||
• Rank | 150 in Norway | ||
• Density | 190.8/km2 (494/sq mi) | ||
• Change (10 years) | 16.1 % | ||
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
ISO 3166 code | NO-1532 | ||
Official language form | Nynorsk | ||
Website | www |
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Giske is an island municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality lies north-northwest of the town of Ålesund in the traditional district of Sunnmøre. The municipal center is Valderhaugstrand. Other population centers include the villages of Roald (on Vigra island) and Alnes and Leitebakk (both on Godøy island). The municipality is part of the Ålesund Region.
Giske Municipality was established on 1 January 1908 when it was separated from the large municipality of Borgund. The initial population of the new municipality was 1,708 and it included the islands of Valderøya, Godøya, and Giske. Then on 1 January 1964, the neighboring Vigra Municipality (on the island of Vigra was merged into Giske Municipality. The newly enlarged municipality had a population of 4,644.
The municipality is named after the farm and island Giske (Old Norse: Gizki), since the first church (Giske Church) was built there. The name is (probably) identical with the word gizki which means "tablecloth" or "rag" (maybe because the island is small and flat).
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. It was granted on 14 June 1985, but it has old roots. It is a gold lion rampant (i.e., in walking position) guardant (i.e., facing the viewer) on a blue shield. The arms are based on the old seal of Erling Vidkunsson, who already used the lion on his seal in 1355. His family was one of the most wealthy and influential families in the county, and had their origins and estate on Giske.