Welcome to Akershus!
The Oslo region is the central area of East Norway including the capital Oslo and the Akershus district surrounding it. It's a contiguous metropolitan area with more than 25% of Norway's population and the visitor can regard it as one city. The Oslo region is Norway's economic center of gravity and transport hub. Oslo Airport sits at Gardermoen on the flatlands near Jessheim. In addition to Oslo Airport, Norway's major roads (E6, E18, E16) as well as all railway lines to/from Oslo pass through.
Akershus is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county that included most of Eastern Norway, and from the 17th century until 2020, Akershus also had a more narrow meaning as a (sub) county that included most of the Greater Oslo Region. After 2020 the former county of Akershus was merged into Viken along with the former counties of Østfold and Buskerud. In 2021 the county executive of Viken county initiated the process to dissolve Viken and reestablish Akershus. Originally Akershus was one of four main fiefs in Norway and included almost all of Eastern Norway. The original Akershus became the main county (Stiftamt or Stift) in 1662 and was sometimes also known as Christiania Stift. It included several sub-counties (Amt or Underamt), in 1682 its most central areas, consisting of modern Oslo and Akershus, became the sub-county of Akershus within the larger main county of the same name. In 1842 the capital city of Christiania, which at the time consisted of a tiny part of modern Oslo, became a separate sub-county within Akershus main county. The main county of Akershus was disestablished in 1919, and the sub-county continued as Akershus county (fylke). During its history Akershus (sub) county ceded territory to Oslo several times, Akershus' most central and important municipality, Aker, was transferred to Oslo in 1948.
The remaining county of Akershus after 1948 borders Hedmark, Oppland, Buskerud, Oslo, and Østfold, it also has a short border with Sweden (Värmland). Akershus, with a little over 614,000 inhabitants, is the second most populated county by population after Oslo. The county administration is in central Oslo, which is not part of the modern county per se.