Agder facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Agder fylke
County
Coat of arms
Agder within Norway
Country	Norway
County	Agder
Region	Southern Norway
County ID	NO-42
Area
• Total	16,434.12 km2 (6,345.25 sq mi)
Population  (2020)
• Total	307,233
• Density	18.69483/km2 (48.41937/sq mi)
Demonyms	Egde, Egd,
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)

Agder is a county (which is like a large region) in the southernmost part of Norway. It's also a very old historical area.

Before January 1, 2020, Agder was split into two separate counties: Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder. For over 100 years, people have called this region Sørlandet, meaning "south country." Sometimes, the nearby region of Rogaland is also included in this term. Before the 1900s, this area was actually considered part of Western Norway.

The Agder area was once a small kingdom in the Middle Ages. After Norway became one united country, it was known as Egdafylki and later Agdesiden. The name Agder wasn't used for a while after 1662, when the area was divided into smaller government parts. But in 1919, the name was brought back when two counties that matched the old Agdesiden area were renamed Aust-Agder (East Agder) and Vest-Agder (West Agder).

Even before these two counties officially joined in 2020, they worked together a lot. For example, the University of Agder had campuses in both Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. Many other important groups, like the Diocese of Agder og Telemark (a church region) and the Agder Police District, also covered both areas.

Understanding the Name Agder

The name Agder is very old, even older than the Norwegian language we know today. We don't know for sure what it means. It comes from the Old Norse word Agðir. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair united Norway, Agðir was a small kingdom. People who lived there were called the Egðir.

Historians believe the Egðir might be the same people as the Augandzi, who were mentioned in a 6th-century book called Getica. This book described a place called Scandza (Scandinavia). Some think the name Agder might come from an even older word, *agwjō, which meant "island." This makes sense because people at the time thought Scandinavia was an island. However, this idea is just a guess.

Agder's Municipalities

Agder county is made up of 25 smaller local areas called municipalities.

Agder's History

During the Viking Age, Norway was divided into many small kingdoms. Each kingdom was ruled by a chief or king. These rulers often fought for land, control of the sea, or political power. They also tried to form alliances or gain control through marriages. These events led to many exciting stories found in old texts like the Heimskringla.

For example, one story tells us about Harald Redbeard, the chief of Agðir. He refused to let his daughter, Åsa, marry Gudröd Halvdanson. Because of this, Gudröd attacked Agðir, killed Harald and his son, and took Åsa. Åsa later had a son named Halvdan (the Black). She then arranged for Gudröd to be killed. These kinds of events were quite common among the royal families back then. Åsa's grandson, Harald Fairhair, eventually united all of Norway.

Kings of Agder

Here are some of the known kings who ruled Agder throughout history:

Legendary Kings

• Harald Agderking
• Víkar
• Kissa
• King Bjæring

Monarchs of Agder: 790–987

• Harald Granraude, 7??–815 (father of Åsa)
• Åsa, between 815 and 834-838 (mother of Halfdan the Black)
• Halfdan the Black, from 838 (father of Harald Fairhair)
• Kjotve the Rich, late 9th century
• Harald Gudrødsson Grenske, 976–987

There's a gap in the history of this region for a few hundred years before the Viking Age. However, ancient writers like Jordanes also mentioned regions with similar names. These were likely small kingdoms with unknown chiefs. Another old source, Ptolemy, only briefly mentioned all of Norway as the Chaedini (meaning "country people"). Perhaps the differences between these small kingdoms weren't important enough to mention individually.

Even earlier, the Roman writer Tacitus described the Suiones in his book Germania. He said they were divided into different groups along the coast of Scandinavia. They had special fleets of ships that were pointed at both ends and powered by oars. These ships could be used in rivers too. They sound a lot like Viking ships! These groups lived all the way around Scandinavia, up to the Arctic.

It seems that during the Roman Iron Age, Norway was populated by people who shared an identity with those in Sweden. These groups were divided by the land itself. Their states often took names from geography, individuals, or myths. Agder was one of these early states.

After Harald Fairhair united Norway in the 10th century, all these small states became provinces (called fylker). When Norway became Christian, these areas also became church regions (dioceses or parishes). Over time, the Old Norse language developed into different local dialects. Also, people's customs changed due to being isolated in different areas. This created a unique local culture that is still valued today.

See also

In Spanish: Agder para niños