| Orkland | |
| Idnumber: | 5059 |
| County: | Trøndelag |
| District: | Orkdalen |
| Capital: | Orkanger |
| Established: | 1 Jan 2020 |
| Preceded: | Agdenes, Orkdal, Meldal, and most of Snillfjord |
| Demonym: | Orklending |
| Language: | Neutral |
| Coatofarms: | Orkland komm.svg |
| Webpage: | https://www.orkland.kommune.no/ |
| Mayor: | Hanne Nyhus |
| Mayor Party: | Ap |
| Mayor As Of: | 2023 |
| Area Rank: | 42 |
| Area Total Km2: | 1906.28 |
| Area Land Km2: | 1817.77 |
| Area Water Km2: | 88.51 |
| Area Water Percent: | 4.6 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Rank: | 71 |
| Population Total: | 18690 |
| Population Density Km2: | 10.3 |
| Population Increase: | 6.8 |
| Coordinates: | 63.3067°N 9.8502°W |
Orkland is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Orkdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Orkanger.[1] Other notable population centres in the municipality include Krokstadøra, Selbekken, Ingdalen, Lensvik, Vassbygda, Vernes, Leksa, Kjøra, Geitastrand, Gjølme, Thamshavn, Fannrem, Vormstad, Svorkmo, Hoston, village of Meldal, Løkken Verk, Bjørnli, Å, and Storås.
The 1906km2 municipality is the 42nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Orkland is the 71st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 18,690. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 6.8% over the previous 10-year period.[2] [3]
The municipality of Orkland was established on 1 January 2020 after the merger of the old municipalities of Agdenes, Orkdal, Meldal, and most of Snillfjord.[4]
The name of the municipality comes from the name of the local river Orkla and the Orkladalen valley in which the river runs. There was another municipality of Orkland that existed from 1920 until 1963, and its area will be part of the new (much larger) municipality.
The coat of arms for the municipality was approved in 2019. It is somewhat of a combination of the old arms for Meldal and Orkdal. The arms are divided horizontally by a wavy line with green above and silver below representing agriculture and forestry (green) and the sea and water (silver). In the centre of the arms there is a gear which represents the industry of the community. The colors of the gear are inverted from the background.[5]
The Church of Norway had eight parishes (Norwegian: sokn) within the municipality of Orkland. It is part of the Orkdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.
| Agdenes | Agdenes Church | Vernes | 1857 | |
| Lensvik Church | Lensvik | 1863 | ||
| Ingdal Chapel | Ingdalen | 1960 | ||
| Geitastrand | Geitastrand Church | Geitastrand | 1859 | |
| Løkken | Løkken Church | Bjørnli | 1929 | |
| Meldal | Meldal Church | Meldal | 1988 | |
| Orkanger | Orkanger Church | Orkanger | 1892 | |
| Orkdal | Orkdal Church | Fannrem | 1893 | |
| Søvasskjølen Church | Svorksjødalen | 1981 | ||
| Orkland | Moe Church | Vormstad | 1867 | |
| Snillfjord | Snillfjord Church | Krokstadøra | 1898 |
Orkland Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[6] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council Norwegian: (Kommunestyre) of Orkland is made up of 43 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Orkland: