About the region, "Sørlandet"
The name Sørlandet was first introduced in 1902 by the local author Vilhelm Krag, after whom the main hall is named. Prior to this, the area was considered a part of the west country, still known as “Vestlandet.”
The region is generally associated with the coastline, called the Skagerrak, rather than the inland areas of Southern Norway. Sørlandet includes the twin counties of Aust and Vest Agder, Aust meaning East and Vest meaning West. Arendal and Grimstad are located in Aust Agder, and Kristiansand in Vest Agder.
Sørlandet is the number one summer tourist destination in Norway for Norwegians because of its sunny reputation. (Høllen, just west of Kristiansand, boasts the highest number of sunny days in the country.)
Sørlandet's main industries have historically been shipping and fishing, but now chemical production, nickel refining and tourism also make up a large part of the economy.
University of Agderpost@uia.no
Phone: +47 38 14 10 00 Fax: +47 38 14 10 01
