Welcome to Vest-Agder!
South Norway, in Norway called Agder or Sørlandet, is the southernmost region of Norway. The coast of southern Norway (Skagerrak) is often called the Norwegian Riviera. The picturesque towns and the enchanting archipelago is surrounding the Skagerrak - coast, inland is perfect for hiking and the mountains there are good opportunities for skiing in winter. All are surrounded by beautiful natural scenery. The climate, particularly along the coast is mild for this latitude. Southern Norway has the highest number of recorded hours of sunshine per day in Norway. The south coast is a popular area for holiday homes and some of Norway's most expensive properties are in this area.
The secluded interior is a different place and well-preserved traditional culture that is included on the UNESCO world heritage list.
Vest-Agder (Norwegian: "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (fylker) in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. Its area was about 7,277 square kilometers (2,810 sq mi). The county administration was located in its largest city, Kristiansand.
Vest-Agder was a major source of timber for Dutch and later English shipping from the 16th century onwards. Historically, the area exported timber, wooden products, salmon, herring, ships, and later nickel, paper, and ferrous and silica alloys. Compared to other counties of Norway, today's exports-intensive industry produces shipping and offshore equipment (National Oilwell Varco), cranes (Cargotec), ships (Umoe Mandal, Flekkefjord Slip), wind turbine equipment, nickel (Glencore), and solar industry microsilica (Elkem). A major tourist attraction is Kristiansand Dyrepark.
Vest-Agder grew to political prominence with the decision of King Christian IV to establish Kristiansand as a key naval base, trading center, and bishopric in 1641, forcing urban citizens and merchants from all over Agder to settle in the city. The county had large-scale emigration to North America from the 1850s onwards.