Sogn Facts for Kids

For other uses, see Sogn (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Sogn
District
Hafslovatnet with Sognefjord behind
Districts of Vestland: Nordfjord Sunnfjord Inner Sogn Outer Sogn Nordhordland Midthordland Sunnhordland Hardanger Voss
Country	Norway
County	Vestland
Region	Vestlandet
Adm. Center	Hermansverk
Area
• Total	10,675 km² (4,122 sq mi)
Population (2006)
• Total	38,858
• Density	3.64009/km² (9.4278/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Sogning

Sogn is a beautiful traditional area in Western Norway. It is located in the county of Vestland. Sogn is famous for surrounding the Sognefjord. This is the longest and largest fjord in all of Norway.

The Sogn district includes many different municipalities. These are Aurland, Balestrand, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. Sogn covers a large area of about 10,675 square kilometers. It is home to about 35% of the people living in the Vestland county.

The biggest town in Sogn is Sogndalsfjøra. It is part of the Sogndal municipality and has about 3,455 residents. The second largest town is Øvre Årdal in Årdal municipality. It has about 3,397 people. Sogndalsfjøra recently became bigger than Øvre Årdal.

Sogn makes up the southern part of the old county called Sogn og Fjordane. The other two main areas in that county were Sunnfjord and Nordfjord.

What Does the Name Sogn Mean?
A Look at Sogn's History
- Sogn in the Viking Age
- Sogn from 1662 to Today
Images for kids
See also

What Does the Name Sogn Mean?

Shore community in Sogn, Norway.

The name Sogn comes from the name of the Sognefjord. The word súga means "to suck" in an old language. This refers to the strong ocean currents at the entrance of the fjord.

An old name for this area was Sygnafylki. The first part, sygnir, means "people from Sogn". The last part, fylki, means "county".

A Look at Sogn's History

Sogndalsfjorden and Barsnesfjorden.

Sogn has a long and interesting history.

Sogn in the Viking Age

Long ago, during the Viking Age, Sogn was a small kingdom. It was known as Sygnafylki. Some important kings ruled here. One was Harald Gullskjegg, whose daughter was the first wife of Halfdan the Black. Both Halfdan the Black and Harald Fairhair were also kings of Sogn.

Sogn from 1662 to Today

In 1662, the area was organized into Sogn fogderi. This was part of a larger county called Nordre Bergenhus amt. Sogn was then split into two parts: Indre Sogn (Inner Sogn) and Ytre Sogn (Outer Sogn).

Inner Sogn included the towns deeper inside the fjord. These are today's municipalities of Aurland, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, and Årdal. The town of Sogndalsfjøra was its main center.
Outer Sogn included the towns closer to the coast. These are today's municipalities of Balestrand, Gulen, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Solund, and Vik. The town of Høyanger was its main center.

Later, in 1919, the Nordre Bergenhus amt county changed its name. It became Sogn og Fjordane fylke.