 | This article needs to be updated. (January 2024) |
Akershus | |
|---|---|
| Akershus fylke | |
 Akershus Fortress, in modern Oslo, was the namesake and center of the region of Akershus since the Middle Ages, and was located within Akershus main county until 1919. | |
 Akershus within Norway | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Østlandet |
| County ID | NO-32 |
| Administrative centre | Oslo |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Valgerd Svarstad Haugland, KrF (2011–2018) |
| • County mayor | Anette Solli, Høyre (2013–2019) |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,918 km2 (1,899 sq mi) |
| • Land | 4,579 km2 (1,768 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 16th in Norway, 1.50% of Norway's land area |
| Population (30 September 2019) | |
• Total | 630,752  |
| • Rank | 2 (10.67% of country) |
| • Density | 134/km2 (350/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) | 13.7 % |
| GDP | |
| • Total | NOK 285.853 billion (€31.987 billion) |
| • Per capita | NOK 476,986 (€53,375) |
| Time zone | UTC+01 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02 (CEST) |
| Official language form | Bokmål |
| Website | afk |
Akershus (Norwegian pronunciation: [ɑkəʂˈhʉːs] )[2] is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo and ultimately after the medieval farm Aker in Oslo. From the Middle Ages to 1919, Akershus was a main fief and main county that included most of Eastern Norway, and from the 17th century until 2020 and again from 2024, Akershus also has a more narrow meaning as a smaller central county in the Greater Oslo Region. Akershus is Norway's largest county by population with over 716,000 inhabitants.
Originally Akershus was one of four main fiefs in Norway and included almost all of Eastern Norway. The original Akershus became a main county (Stiftamt or Stift) in 1662 and was sometimes also known as Christiania Stift. It included several subcounties (Amt or Underamt); in 1682 its most central areas, consisting of modern Oslo and Akershus, became the subcounty of Akershus within the larger main county of the same name. In 1842, the capital city of Christiania, which at the time consisted of a tiny part of modern Oslo, became a separate subcounty within Akershus main county. The main county of Akershus was disestablished in 1919, and the subcounty continued as Akershus county (fylke). During its history Akershus (sub) county ceded territory to Oslo several times; Akershus' most central and important municipality, Aker, was transferred to Oslo in 1948. Thus, while modern Akershus' capital is Oslo, Oslo is not located within the modern county itself. In 2020, the county of Akershus was merged into Viken along with the counties of Østfold and Buskerud, but Akershus was reestablished as a county from 2024 with slightly enlarged borders. Modern Akershus borders Oslo, Hedmark, Oppland, Buskerud, Oslo, and Østfold; it also has a short border with Sweden (Värmland).
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 183,116 | — |
| 1961 | 234,323 | +28.0% |
| 1971 | 324,390 | +38.4% |
| 1981 | 369,193 | +13.8% |
| 1991 | 418,114 | +13.3% |
| 2001 | 471,988 | +12.9% |
| 2011 | 545,653 | +15.6% |
| 2018 | 614,026 | +12.5% |
| Source: Statistics Norway.[3] | ||
- ^ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional GDP per Capita, OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
- ^ Berulfsen, Bjarne (1969). Norsk Uttaleordbok (in Norwegian). Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co (W Nygaard). p. 20.
- ^ "Projected population - Statistics Norway". Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
- ^ Statistics Norway - Church of Norway.
- ^ Statistics Norway - Members of religious and life stance communities outside the Church of Norway, by religion/life stance. County. 2006-2010 Archived 2011-11-02 at the Wayback Machine