The 1,131-square-kilometre (437 sq mi) municipality is the 98th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Åmli is the 292nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,786. The municipality's population density is 1.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (4.4/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 1.6% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
General information
View of the river NidelvaOld Stolpehus in the Tovdal valleyÅmli Church beneath a large mountainside
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Åmli farm (Old Norse: Almlíð) since the first Åmli Church was built there. The first element is almr which means "elm tree" or "elm wood". The last element is hlíð which means "slope" or "hillside". Historically, the name was historically spelled Omlid before being changed to Aamli.[7] On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Aamli with the digraph "Aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Åmli, using the letter Å instead.[8][9]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 23 October 1987. The official blazon is "Azure, a beaver rampantregardantargent" (Norwegian: På blå grunn ein oppreist sølv bever med hovudet vendt bakover). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a beaver. The beaver has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white or gray, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The beaver was chosen because the Åmli area was one of the few remaining beaver habitats in Europe. By the late 19th century, only about 100 beavers were left in Europe, mostly in the Åmli area. They were protected and after World War I, the beavers from this area have been used to help re-populate other areas in Europe where the beaver had gone extinct in the wild. The arms were designed by Odd Einar Ufsvatn who won a competition for designing the arms. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[10][11][12][13]
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.[14]
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.[14]
Geography
Road Rv41 in Åmli in JulyLifjellet mountain in March with a frozen waterfall
Åmli is located in northern Agder county. It is bordered on the north by Fyresdal and Nissedal municipalities (in 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 700 to 800 metres (2,300 to 2,600 ft) above sea level. At 930 metres (3,050 ft), 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 43 square kilometres (17 sq mi) 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 (0 °C (32 °F) or −3 °C (27 °F). The all-time high is 32 °C (90 °F) set 10 August 1975, a month with 8 days above 30 °C (86 °F). The warmest month on record is July 2018 with mean 20.8 °C (69.4 °F). The all-time low is −35 °C (−31 °F) recorded 10 February 1966.[15]
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Åmli is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Note: Originally, after the election, there were 2 members from Høgre and 8 members of the Senterpartiet. In 2021, one member switched parties from Høgre to the Arbeidarpartiet. In 2022, another member switched parties from Arbeidarpartiet to Senterpartiet.[21]
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.
