Alstahaug

Alstahaug is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandnessjøen. Other villages in Alstahaug include Søvika and Tjøtta.

The administrative centre of Alstahaug is the town Sandnessjøen which is situated on the island of Alsta. The characteristic Seven Sisters mountain range is found on the eastern part of the island. Local legend has made this chain of peaks into seven sisters, two adjacent peaks representing twin sisters.

The island is connected to the mainland via the impressive Helgeland Bridge along Norwegian County Road 17. The Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka is located just south of Sandnessjøen.

General information
Alstahaug was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). In 1862, the southern district (population: 2,781) was separated to become the new municipality of Tjøtta (Vevelstad was later separated from Tjøtta). In 1864, the western island district (population: 2,438) was separated to become the new municipality of Herøy. Then on 1 July 1899, the northern district (population: 2,673) was separated to form the new municipality of Stamnes (Leirfjord was later separated from Stamnes).

On 1 January 1965, the Husvær area of Alstahaug (population: 461) was transferred from Alstahaug to Herøy. On the same day, the municipalities of Tjøtta (not including the Skogsholmen area), Sandnessjøen, and the rest of Alstahaug were all merged to form the new, larger municipality of Alstahaug. On 1 January 1971, the Skålvær islands (population: 32) were transferred from Vega to Alstahaug. On 1 January 1995, the mainland areas of Alstahaug (population: 70) were transferred to Vefsn.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Alstahaug farm (Old Norse: Alastarhaugr), since the first church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the island Alöst (now Alsta) and the last element is haugr which means "hill" or "mound".

Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times; they were granted on 8 August 1986. The arms show the Seven Sisters (De syv søstre), a row of mountains in the area, mirrored in the clear waters of the fjord.

Churches
The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Alstahaug. It is part of the Nord-Helgeland deanery in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

History
At Alstahaug, on the southern end of the island of Alsta, lies the medieval Alstahaug Church, where the poet and minister Petter Dass worked around 1700. Tjøtta, an island south of Alsta, is the place where the famous Viking Hårek resided in the 11th century.

Birdlife
Lying just south of the Arctic Circle in an area that is known as Outer Helgeland, Alstahaug offers the visiting bird watcher a chance to do some birding in spectacular scenery, be it coastal or inland where The Seven Sisters mountain chain marks the boundary between the habitats. One of the better areas to birdwatch is Tjøtta. Here you will find the small nature reserve Ostjønna.

Geography
Alstahaug is a municipality consisting entirely of islands. Most residents live on the main islands of Alsta and Tjøtta, and Alstahaug stretches from the Skålvær island group in the west, to the Vefsnfjorden in the east, and to Mindlandet island to the south. The municipalities of Leirfjord, Vefsn, and Vevelstad lie to the east and Dønna, Herøy, and Vega.

Climate
Alstahaug has an oceanic climate. February is often the coldest month, and August is often the warmest. October is almost as warm as May. The mean annual precipitation is 1510 mm at Sandnessjøen and 1020 mm at Tjøtta. The wettest period is from September to January with approximately 150 mm each month, while in May and June it averages 60 to 70 mm each month.