Ofoten (municipality)


Ofoten is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1884. The municipality included the areas on both sides of the inner part of the Ofotfjorden mostly in what is now the municipalities of Narvik, Ballangen, and Evenes. The administrative centre of Ofoten was the village of Narvik. After the municipality was dissolved in 1884, the name Ofoten has been used to refer to the region that once was this municipality.

History

The municipality of Ofoten was established on 1 January 1838. On 1 January 1884, the municipality ceased to exist when it was split into two municipalities: Ankenes in the east and Evindnæs in the west.

Name

The municipality was named after the local Ofotfjorden. The meaning of the first element is unknown and the last element is derived from the Old Norse word fótr which means "foot". The oldest form of the name could have been Úffóti. In this case, the first element is úfr which means "Eurasian eagle-owl". The three inner branches of the Ofotfjord might have been compared with the three claws of an owl.