Florø

About

Florø

Coordinates: 61°35′58″N 5°1′58″E
Country Norway
County Sogn og Fjordane
District Sunnfjord
Municipality ID NO-1401
Granted City Status 1860
Administrative Center Florø

Area
- Total 5.98 km2 (2.3 sq mi)
Population (2009)
- Total 8,448
- Density 1,413/km2 (3,659.7/sq mi)
Merged into Flora in 1964



Florø is a town and the administrative centre of Flora municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. The town was founded by royal decree in 1860. In 2009, the city of Florø had 8,448 inhabitants. Florø is Norway's (and thus the Scandinavian Peninsula's) westernmost town, west of Amsterdam, Brussels and Nice. It is the most western town on the mainland in the Nordic countries.

The basis for the foundation of the town was the rich herring fisheries, symbolised by the three herrings in the municipality's coat of arms. Fishing is still an important part of the economy, in addition to shipbuilding and service industries. After the discovery of petroleum in the North Sea in the 1960s, Florø has been used as a supply base for the petroleum industry.


History

Florø was founded as a town (ladested) in 1860. Upon its founding, it was removed from the municipality of Kinn and made into a municipality of its own with a population of 846.
On 1 January 1964, the city of Florø was merged with the municipalities of Kinn and Eikefjord and parts of the municipalities of Bru, Vevring, and Bremanger in order to form the new municipality of Flora.


The name Florø

The municipality is named after the farm Flora (Old Norse Flóra) since the town of Florø was built on its ground in 1860. The name is probably derived from flóð which means '(strong) stream'. The name of the town Florø is the same name, but it has the Danish word ø (island) added to the end.