Østfold
Østfold (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈœ̂stfɔɫ] ⓘ) is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side of Oslofjord. The county's administrative seat was Sarpsborg. The county controversially became part of the newly established Viken County on 1 January 2020. On 1 January 2024, Østfold is re-established as an independent county, however without the former municipality of Rømskog, which was amalgamated with the Akershus municipality Aurskog-Høland in 2020.
Østfold | |
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| Østfold fylke | |
Rødenes in late - June 2006 | |
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Flag | |
Østfold within Norway | |
| Country | Norway |
| County ID | NO-31 |
| Administrative centre | Sarpsborg |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Valgerd Svarstad Haugland (2019-) |
| • County mayor | Sindre Martinsen-Evje Arbeiderpartiet (2023-) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,180.7 km2 (1,614.2 sq mi) |
| • Land | 3,887 km2 (1,501 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 17th in Norway, 1.28% of Norway's land area |
| Population (30 September 2019) | |
| • Total | 299,647 |
| • Rank | 6th (5.61% of country) |
| • Change (10 years) | 7.5 % |
| Demonym | Østfolding |
| Time zone | UTC+01 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02 (CEST) |
| Official language form | Bokmål |
| Income (per capita) | 138,600 NOK |
| GDP (per capita) | 200,084 NOK (2001) |
| GDP national rank | 8 (3.30% of country) |
| Website | ofk |
Many manufacturing facilities are situated here, such as the world's most advanced biorefinery, Borregaard in Sarpsborg. Fredrikstad has shipyards. There are granite mines in Østfold and stone from these were used by Gustav Vigeland.
The county slogan is "The heartland of Scandinavia". The local dialects are characterized by their geographical proximity to Sweden.