Aust-Agder

Aust-Agder (Norwegian: [ˈæ̂ʉstˌɑɡdər] , lit. '"East Agder"') was a county (fylke) in Norway from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, after it was merged with Vest-Agder county to form the new Agder county. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which was 2.2% of Norway's population. Its area was 9,212 square kilometres (3,557 sq mi). The county's administrative center was the town of Arendal. The county, located along the Skagerrak coast, extended from Gjernestangen in Risør Municipality to the Kvåsefjorden in Lillesand Municipality. The inner parts of the area included Setesdalsheiene and Austheiene mountain areas. Most of the population lived near the coast; about 78% of the county's inhabitants lived in the five coastal municipalities of Arendal, Grimstad, Lillesand, Tvedestrand, and Risør. The rest of the county was sparsely populated. Tourism was also important, as Arendal and the other coastal towns were popular attractions. The county included the larger islands of Tromøya, Hisøya, Justøya, and Sandøya. The interior of the county encompassed the traditional district of Setesdal, through which the river Otra flows to the coast. In 2017, the Parliament of Norway voted to merge Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder counties into one large county called Agder, effective 1 January 2020. The county was part of the Aust-Agder District Court and the Church of Norway Diocese of Agder og Telemark.