| Ofoten | |
| Herred: | yes |
| Former: | yes |
| Idnumber: | 1853 |
| County: | Nordland |
| District: | Ofoten |
| Capital: | Narvik |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1838 |
| Preceded: | none |
| Disestablished: | 1 Jan 1884 |
| Succeeded: | Ankenes Municipality and Evenes Municipality |
| Demonym: | Ofoting[1] |
| Mayor: | Bertheus Normann |
| Mayor Party: | 1882-1884 |
| Elevation Max M: | 1893.7 |
| Highest Point Ref: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 2998.3 |
| Population As Of: | 1884 |
| Population Total: | 4131 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Coordinates: | 68.4363°N 17.3983°W |
Ofoten is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 2998.3km2 municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1884. The municipality included the areas on both sides of the inner part of the Ofotfjorden mostly in what is now Narvik Municipality and Evenes Municipality. The administrative centre of Ofoten was the village of Narvik (which later became a town in 1902). After the municipality was dissolved in 1884, the name Ofoten has been used to refer to the region that once was this municipality.[3]
The municipality of Ofoten was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1884, the municipality ceased to exist when it was split into two: Ankenes Municipality (population: 1,734) in the east and Evindnæs Municipality (population: 2,397) in the west.[4]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the local Ofotfjorden (Norse, Old: Ófóti) since the fjord is the central feature of the area as well as the name of the whole Ofoten region. The first element of the name has an uncertain meaning. The last element is which means "foot". The oldest form of the name could have been Norse, Old: Úffóti. In this case, the first element is Norse, Old: úfr which means "Eurasian eagle-owl". The three inner branches of the Ofotfjord might have been compared with the three claws of an owl.[5]
The Church of Norway had one parish (Norwegian: sokn) within Ofoten Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Ofoten prestegjeld and the Nordre Salten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.[6]
| Ankenes | Ankenes Church | Ankenesstranda | 1867 | |
| Evenes | Evenes Church | Evenes | 1800 |
The highest point in the municipality is the 1893.7m (6,212.9feet) tall mountain Storsteinsfjellet. The municipality was located at the inner part of the Ofotfjorden, along the border with Sweden (to the east and south). To the west was Lødingen Municipality and Tjeldsund Municipality. To the north was Ibestad Municipality and Bardu Municipality (both in Troms county).
While it existed, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[7]
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Ofoten was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position::[8]
. Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt . 1905 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 16 . Kristiania, Norge . 296 . no . Oluf Rygh.
. Norges Sivile, Geistlige, Rettslige og Militære Inndeling 1. Januar 1951 . 1951-01-01 . H. Aschehoug & Co. . Norges Offisielle Statistikk . Oslo, Norge . no . PDF . Statistics Norway.