Editing Vestvågøy Municipality

{{short description|Municipality in Nordland, Norway}}
{{Infobox kommune
|name                   = Vestvågøy
|native_name            =
|native_name_lang       =
|other_name             =
|former_name            =
|image_skyline          = Ballstad.jpg
|image_caption          = View of Ballstad in Vestvågøy
|idnumber               = 1860
|county                 = Nordland
|district               = Lofoten
|capital                = [[Leknes]]
|established            = 1 Jan 1963
|preceded               = [[Borge Municipality (Nordland)|Borge]], [[Buksnes Municipality|Buksnes]], [[Hol Municipality (Nordland)|Hol]], and [[Valberg Municipality|Valberg]]
|demonym                = Vestvågøyværing
|language               = Neutral
|coatofarms             = Vestvågøy komm.svg
|flag                   = 
|webpage                = www.vestvagoy.kommune.no
|mayor                  = Jonny Finstad
|mayor_party            = [[Conservative Party (Norway)|H]]
|mayor_as_of            = 2023
|elevation_max_m        = 955.91
|highest_point_ref      = <ref name="elev">{{Cite web |date=2024-01-16 |title=Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune |url=https://www.kartverket.no/til-lands/fakta-om-norge/hoyeste-fjelltopp-i-kommunen |publisher=[[Kartverket]] |language=no}}</ref>
|area_rank              = 231
|area_total_km2         = 424.29
|area_land_km2          = 406.99
|area_water_km2         = 17.30
|area_water_percent     = 4.1
|population_as_of       = 2024
|population_rank        = 99
|population_total       = 11619
|population_density_km2 = 27.4
|population_increase    = 5.7
|coordinates            = {{coord|68|13|17|N|13|47|04|E|region:NO|display=inline,title}}
}}

'''Vestvågøy''' is a [[List of municipalities of Norway|municipality]] in [[Nordland]] [[Counties of Norway|county]], [[Norway]]. It is part of the [[Districts of Norway|traditional district]] of [[Lofoten]]. The [[administrative centre]] of the municipality is the [[List of towns and cities in Norway|town]] of [[Leknes]]. Some of the villages in the municipality include [[Ballstad]], [[Borg, Vestvågøy|Borg]], [[Bøstad]], [[Gravdal, Nordland|Gravdal]], [[Knutstad]], [[Stamsund]], [[Tangstad]], and [[Valberg, Nordland|Valberg]]. With over 11,600 inhabitants, Vestvågøy is the most populous municipality in all of the [[Lofoten]] and [[Vesterålen]] regions in Nordland county.

The [[Lofotr]] museum in [[Borg, Vestvågøy|Borg]] shows a reconstructed [[Iron Age]] [[Viking]] chieftain's residence, with a house measuring {{convert|80|m|ft|0}}, built of [[Rock (geology)|stone]] and turf.

The {{convert|424|km2|adj=on}} municipality is the 231st largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Vestvågøy is the 99th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,619. The municipality's [[population density]] is {{convert|27.4|PD/km2}} and its population has increased by 5.7% over the previous 10-year period.<ref name="ssb pop">{{Cite web |last=Statistisk sentralbyrå |author-link=Statistics Norway |title=Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M) |url=https://www.ssb.no/en/statbank/table/06913/ |language=Norwegian}}</ref><ref name="ssb area">{{Cite web |last=Statistisk sentralbyrå |author-link=Statistics Norway |title=09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M) |url=https://www.ssb.no/en/statbank/table/09280/ |language=Norwegian}}</ref>

==General information==
The municipality of Vestvågøy was created on 1 January 1963 when the four municipalities on the island of [[Vestvågøya]] were merged into one municipality for the whole island. The old municipalities on the island were [[Borge Municipality (Nordland)|Borge Municipality]] (population: 4,056), [[Buksnes Municipality]] (population: 4,416), [[Hol Municipality (Nordland)|Hol Municipality]] (population: 3,154), and [[Valberg Municipality]] (population: 662). Initially, Vestvågøy had 12,288 residents. The borders have not changed since.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jukvam |first=Dag |year=1999 |title=Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen |url=http://www.ssb.no/emner/00/90/rapp_9913/rapp_9913.pdf |publisher=[[Statistics Norway|Statistisk sentralbyrå]] |language=no}}</ref>

===Name===
The municipality is named after the island of [[Vestvågøya]]. The [[Old Norse]] name of the island was {{lang|non|Lófót}} (see [[Lofoten]]), but when ''Lofoten'' became the name of the whole [[archipelago]], the island became known as ''Vestvågøy''. The first element of the name is the prefix {{wikt-lang|no|vest}} which means "west". The middle element derives from the word {{wikt-lang|non|vágr}} which means "[[bay]]" or "[[inlet]]". The last element is the definite form of the word {{wikt-lang|no|øy}} which means "the [[island]]". Thus it means "the west bay island".<ref name="snl">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Vestvågøy |encyclopedia=[[Store norske leksikon]] |publisher=[[Kunnskapsforlaget]] |url=https://snl.no/Vestv%C3%A5g%C3%B8y#-Navn_og_kommunev%C3%A5pen |date=2023-06-01 |editor-last=Thorsnæs |editor-first=Geir |language=no |accessdate=2023-11-19}}</ref> {{See also|Austvågøya}}

===Coat of arms===
The [[coat of arms]] was granted on 7 September 1984. The official [[blazon]] is ''"[[Azure (heraldry)|Azure]], two stockfish [[addorsed]]"'' ({{langx|no|I blått to opprette og motstilte sølv tørrfisker}}). This means the arms have a blue [[field (heraldry)|field]] (background) and the [[charge (heraldry)|charge]] is two dried [[cod]]fish (also known as [[stockfish]]. The fish have a [[tincture (heraldry)|tincture]] of [[argent]] which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This was chosen since the municipality is one of the main Norwegian exporters of (dried) cod or [[stockfish]] and has been since the [[Middle Ages]]. The arms were designed by Kjell Kvivesen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen |url=https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Vestvågøy |access-date=2023-02-05 |publisher=Heraldry of the World}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Vestvågøy, Nordland (Norway) |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/no-18-60.html |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=Flags of the World}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1984-11-23 |title=Godkjenning av våpen og flagg |url=https://lovdata.no/dokument/LF/forskrift/1984-09-07-1692 |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=Lovdata.no |publisher=Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet |language=no}}</ref>

===Churches===
The [[Church of Norway]] has five parishes ({{lang|no|sokn}}) within Vestvågøy Municipality. It is part of the [[Lofoten prosti]] ([[deanery]]) in the [[Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland]].

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ style="font-size:medium"|'''''Churches in Vestvågøy'''''
!Parish ({{lang|no|sokn}})!!Church name!!Location of the church!!Year built
|-
|rowspan="2"|Borge||[[Borge Church]]||[[Bøstad]]||1986
|-
|[[Knutstad Chapel]]||[[Knutstad]]||1915
|-
|Buksnes||[[Buksnes Church]]||[[Gravdal, Nordland|Gravdal]]||1905
|-
|Hol||[[Hol Church (Nordland)|Hol Church]]||[[Leknes]]||1806
|-
|Stamsund||[[Stamsund Church]]||[[Stamsund]]||1937
|-
|Valberg||[[Valberg Church]]||[[Valberg, Nordland|Valberg]]||1889
|}

==Geography==
[[File:Utakleiv beach.jpg|thumb|left|Uttakleiv beach.]]
Vestvågøy Municipality is among the most scenic in Norway. It encompassed the whole island of Vestvågøya with the [[Norwegian Sea]] to the north and the [[Vestfjorden]] to the south. The island has rugged [[cliff]]s and peaks facing the southeastern coast. Towards the northwest, however, the land is flat, with extensive farmlands. Most people are found in the town of Leknes and its suburb Gravdal, where [[Nordland Hospital Lofoten]] is located. Along the southeastern coast, one finds picturesque fishing villages like Ballstad and Stamsund, where the [[Hurtigruten]] (coastal ferry) stops.

The coastline is dominated by high mountains, such as the {{convert|671|m|adj=on}} tall [[Skottinden]], and on the west coast also sandy white [[beach]]es. Uttakleiv the most romantic beach in [[Europe]], according to the British newspaper [[The Times]], and the neighbouring Hauklandsstranden is ranked by the Norwegian newspaper [[Dagbladet]] as the best beach in Norway. The highest point in the municipality is the {{convert|955.91|m|adj=on}} tall mountain Himmeltindan.<ref name="elev" />

In [[Leknes]], the sun ([[midnight sun]]) is above the horizon from May 26 until July 17, and in winter the sun does not rise from December 9 until January 4. The midnight sun is best viewed from the western beaches, such as [[Uttakleiv]] and [[Eggum]].

===Climate===
There is an official weather station at Leknes Airport. Vestvågøy has the rare [[cold-summer mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Csc''). Autumn and winter is much wetter than spring and summer. The driest month (July) get less than one fifth of the precipitation in the wettest month (December), fitting the mediterranean category with only 38 mm of rain, under the 40 mm required for such a classification. 
{{Weather box
|metric first = yes
|single line  = yes
|location     = Leknes Airport 1991–2020
|Jan high C = 1
|Feb high C = 1
|Mar high C = 2
|Apr high C = 6
|May high C = 10
|Jun high C = 12
|Jul high C = 16
|Aug high C = 15
|Sep high C = 12
|Oct high C = 8
|Nov high C = 4
|Dec high C = 3 
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
|Jan mean C=0
|Feb mean C=-0.6
|Mar mean C=0
|Apr mean C=2.8
|May mean C=6.5
|Jun mean C=9.9
|Jul mean C=12.8
|Aug mean C=12.2
|Sep mean C=9.4
|Oct mean C=5.2
|Nov mean C=2.6
|Dec mean C=1
|year mean C=
|Jan low C = -2
|Feb low C = -2
|Mar low C = -2
|Apr low C = 1
|May low C = 4
|Jun low C = 8
|Jul low C = 11
|Aug low C = 10
|Sep low C = 7
|Oct low C = 4
|Nov low C = 2
|Dec low C = 0
<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
|precipitation colour=green <!-- Enter "green" for green precipitation colours, remove this line for blue colouring. -->
|Jan precipitation mm=203
|Feb precipitation mm=174
|Mar precipitation mm=161
|Apr precipitation mm=93
|May precipitation mm=74
|Jun precipitation mm=45
|Jul precipitation mm=38
|Aug precipitation mm=78
|Sep precipitation mm=123
|Oct precipitation mm=161
|Nov precipitation mm=173
|Dec precipitation mm=223
|year precipitation mm=
<!-- Mandatory fields, source -->
|source 1= Weatheronline climate robot (avg highs/lows) <ref>{{Cite web |title=Weatheronline climate robot Leknes Airport |url=https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?FMM=1&FYY=1996&LMM=12&LYY=2020&WMO=01141&CONT=euro&REGION=0004&LAND=NO&ART=TMX&R=0&NOREGION=1&LEVEL=162&LANG=en&MOD=tab |access-date=27 March 2021 |publisher=Weather online |language=en}}</ref>
}}

{{Weather box|collapsed=yes 
|metric first = yes
|single line  = yes
|location     = Kvalnes, on northern Vestvågøya 1961-90
<!-- Average high temperatures -->
|Jan high C=1.8
|Feb high C=1.4
|Mar high C=2.1
|Apr high C=4.4
|May high C=8.6
|Jun high C=12.2
|Jul high C=14.1
|Aug high C=14.0
|Sep high C=10.8
|Oct high C=7.3
|Nov high C=4.2
|Dec high C=2.5
|year high C=7.0
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
|Jan mean C=-0.2
|Feb mean C=-0.3
|Mar mean C=0.4
|Apr mean C=2.6
|May mean C=6.5
|Jun mean C=9.5
|Jul mean C=11.5
|Aug mean C=11.9
|Sep mean C=8.9
|Oct mean C=5.7
|Nov mean C=2.5
|Dec mean C=0.5
|year mean C=5.0
<!-- Average low temperatures -->
|Jan low C=-2.5
|Feb low C=-2.8
|Mar low C=-2.0
|Apr low C=0.2
|May low C=3.8
|Jun low C=7.2
|Jul low C=9.5
|Aug low C=9.7
|Sep low C=6.9
|Oct low C=3.5
|Nov low C=0.3
|Dec low C=-1.8
|year low C=2.7
<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
|precipitation colour= <!-- Enter "green" for green precipitation colours, remove this line for blue colouring. -->
|Jan precipitation mm=117
|Feb precipitation mm=93
|Mar precipitation mm=89
|Apr precipitation mm=70
|May precipitation mm=48
|Jun precipitation mm=50
|Jul precipitation mm=71
|Aug precipitation mm=68
|Sep precipitation mm=111
|Oct precipitation mm=153
|Nov precipitation mm=126
|Dec precipitation mm=139
|year precipitation mm=1135
<!-- Average number of precipitation days -->
|unit precipitation days=1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days=16.2
|Feb precipitation days=14.2
|Mar precipitation days=15.1
|Apr precipitation days=11.7
|May precipitation days=8.9
|Jun precipitation days=9.9
|Jul precipitation days=11.5
|Aug precipitation days=11.0
|Sep precipitation days=15.8
|Oct precipitation days=18.0
|Nov precipitation days=18.2
|Dec precipitation days=17.7
|year precipitation days=168.2
<!-- Mandatory fields, source -->
|source 1= Norwegian Meteorological Institute<ref>{{Cite web |title=eKlima Web Portal |url=http://eklima.met.no |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040614073527/http://eklima.met.no/ |archive-date=2004-06-14 |publisher=Norwegian Meteorological Institute}}</ref>
}}

[[File:2010-08-03_-_Lofoten_Vestvågøy_-_Borg.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Borg in Vestvågøy]]

==Government==
Vestvågøy Municipality is responsible for [[primary education]] (through 10th grade), outpatient [[Health care|health services]], [[old age|senior citizen]] services, [[welfare spending|welfare]] and other [[Social work|social services]], [[zoning]], [[economic development]], and municipal [[road]]s and utilities. The municipality is governed by a [[Municipal council (Norway)|municipal council]] of [[Direct election|directly elected]] representatives. The [[mayor]] is [[Indirect election|indirectly elected]] by a vote of the municipal council.<ref name="ks">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=kommunestyre |encyclopedia=[[Store norske leksikon]] |publisher=[[Kunnskapsforlaget]] |url=https://snl.no/kommunestyre |date=2022-09-20 |editor-last=Hansen |editor-first=Tore |language=Norwegian |editor2-last=Vabo |editor2-first=Signy Irene |accessdate=2022-10-14}}</ref> The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the [[Salten og Lofoten District Court]] and the [[Hålogaland Court of Appeal]].

===Municipal council===
The [[Municipal council (Norway)|municipal council]] ({{lang|no|Kommunestyre}}) of Vestvågøy is made up of 33 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political [[Political party|party]].
{{div col}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 2023
|end                       = 2027
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Nordland |url=https://valgresultat.no/valg/2023/ko/nordland/vestvågøy#seats |access-date=2023-12-27 |publisher=Valg Direktoratet}}</ref>
|Total                     = 33
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 7
|Demokratene               = 1
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 8
|Grønne                    = 1
|Høyre                     = 7
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 2
|Rødt                      = 1
|Senterpartiet             = 3
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2
|Venstre                   = 1
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 2019
|end                       = 2023
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Nordland |url=https://valgresultat.no/valg/2019/ko/nordland/vestvågøy#seats |access-date=2019-10-28 |publisher=Valg Direktoratet}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 33
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 8
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 5
|Grønne                    = 1
|Høyre                     = 4
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 2
|Rødt                      = 1
|Senterpartiet             = 10
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 2015
|end                       = 2019
|reference                 = <ref name="ssb valg">{{Cite web |title=Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M) |url=https://www.ssb.no/en/statbank/table/04813/ |publisher=Statistics Norway |language=no}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 33
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 11
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 3
|Høyre                     = 8
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 2
|Senterpartiet             = 5
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2
|Venstre                   = 1
|Grønne                    = 1
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 2011
|end                       = 2015
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Nordland |url=https://valgresultat.no/valg/2011/ko/nordland/vestvågøy#seats |access-date=2019-10-28 |publisher=Valg Direktoratet}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 35
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 10
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 4
|Grønne                    = 1
|Høyre                     = 10
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 3
|Senterpartiet             = 4
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2
|Venstre                   = 1
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 2007
|end                       = 2011
|reference                 = <ref name="ssb valg" />
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 35
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 8
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 5
|Høyre                     = 8
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 4
|Senterpartiet             = 6
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2
|Kyst                      = 1
|otherparty                = Vestvågøy list
|otherparty_no             = Vestvågøylista
|otherparty_number         = 1
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 2003
|end                       = 2007
|reference                 = <ref name="ssb valg" />
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 35
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 7
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 6
|Høyre                     = 3
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 4
|Senterpartiet             = 6
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 4
|RV/NKP                    = 1
|Kyst                      = 1
|otherparty                = Vestvågøy list
|otherparty_no             = Vestvågøylista
|otherparty_number         = 3
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 1999
|end                       = 2003
|reference                 = <ref name="ssb valg" />
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 35
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 7
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 6
|Høyre                     = 3
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 6
|Senterpartiet             = 6
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2
|RV/NKP                    = 1
|Kyst                      = 1
|otherparty                = Vestvågøy list
|otherparty_no             = Vestvågøylista
|otherparty_number         = 3
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 1995
|end                       = 1999
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |date=1996 |title=Kommunestyrevalget 1995 |url=https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/nos_c342.pdf |access-date=2020-03-18 |publisher=Statistisk sentralbyrå |language=no |location=Oslo-Kongsvinger}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 35
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 5
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 5
|Høyre                     = 3
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 6
|Senterpartiet             = 11
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1
|otherparty                = Vestvågøy list
|otherparty_no             = Vestvågoylista 
|otherparty_number         = 4
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 1991
|end                       = 1995
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |date=1993 |title=Kommunestyrevalget 1991 |url=https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/nos_c057.pdf |access-date=2020-03-18 |publisher=Statistisk sentralbyrå |language=no |location=Oslo-Kongsvinger}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 43
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 9
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 2
|Høyre                     = 7
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 5
|Pensjonistpartiet         = 1
|Senterpartiet             = 12
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 4
|otherparty                = Hol and Valberg district list
|otherparty_no             = Hol og Valberg Distriktliste
|otherparty_number         = 3
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 1987
|end                       = 1991
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |date=1988 |title=Kommunestyrevalget 1987 |url=https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/nos_b765.pdf |access-date=2020-03-18 |publisher=Statistisk sentralbyrå |language=no |location=Oslo-Kongsvinger}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 43
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 13
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 2
|Høyre                     = 9
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 6
|Senterpartiet             = 5
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2
|Pensjonistpartiet         = 1
|otherparty                = Hol and Valberg district list
|otherparty_no             = Hol og Valberg distriktsliste
|otherparty_number         = 5
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 1983
|end                       = 1987
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |date=1984 |title=Kommunestyrevalget 1983 |url=https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/nos_b450.pdf |access-date=2020-03-18 |publisher=Statistisk sentralbyrå |language=no |location=Oslo-Kongsvinger}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 43
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 15
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 1
|Høyre                     = 8
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 5
|Senterpartiet             = 7
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1
|Venstre                   = 1
|otherparty                = For the referendum
|otherparty_no             = For Folkeavstemning
|otherparty_number         = 1
|otherparty1               = Hol and Valberg district list
|otherparty_no1            = Hol og Valberg distriktslista
|otherparty_number1        = 4
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 1979
|end                       = 1983
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |date=1979 |title=Kommunestyrevalget 1979 |url=https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/nos_b093.pdf |access-date=2020-03-18 |publisher=Statistisk sentralbyrå |language=no |location=Oslo}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 43
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 15
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 2
|Høyre                     = 8
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 7
|Senterpartiet             = 6
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1
|Venstre                   = 1
|otherparty                = Hol and Valberg district list
|otherparty_no             = Hol og Valberg distriktsliste 
|otherparty_number         = 3
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 1975
|end                       = 1979
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |date=1977 |title=Kommunevalgene 1975 |url=https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/nos_a769.pdf |access-date=2020-03-18 |publisher=Statistisk sentralbyrå |language=no |location=Oslo}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 43
|Fremskrittspartiet        = 3
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 16
|Høyre                     = 5
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 8
|Senterpartiet             = 9
|Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1
|Venstre                   = 1
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 1971
|end                       = 1975
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |date=1973 |title=Kommunevalgene 1972 |url=https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/nos_a457.pdf |access-date=2020-03-18 |publisher=Statistisk sentralbyrå |language=no |location=Oslo}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 43
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 18
|Høyre                     = 5
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 4
|Senterpartiet             = 8
|Sosialistisk_Folkeparti   = 1
|Venstre                   = 1
|Local_Lists               = 6
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 1967
|end                       = 1971
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |date=1967 |title=Kommunevalgene 1967 |url=https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/nos_a214.pdf |access-date=2020-03-18 |publisher=Statistisk sentralbyrå |language=no |location=Oslo |volume=I}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 43
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 17
|Høyre                     = 7
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 3
|Senterpartiet             = 7
|Sosialistisk_Folkeparti   = 2
|Venstre                   = 2
|Local_Lists               = 5
|}}
{{Kommunestyre table
|name                      = Vestvågøy
|start                     = 1963
|end                       = 1967
|reference                 = <ref>{{Cite web |date=1964 |title=Kommunevalgene 1963 |url=https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/nos_xii_138.pdf |access-date=2020-03-18 |publisher=Statistisk sentralbyrå |language=no |location=Oslo}}</ref>
|collapsed                 = yes
|Total                     = 53
|Arbeiderpartiet           = 24
|Høyre                     = 10
|Kristelig_Folkeparti      = 4
|Senterpartiet             = 9
|Sosialistisk_Folkeparti   = 1
|Venstre                   = 3
|Local_Lists               = 2
|note = Vestvågøy Municipality was established on 1 January 1963 when [[Borge Municipality (Nordland)|Borge Municipality]], [[Buksnes Municipality]], [[Hol Municipality (Nordland)|Hol Municipality]], and [[Valberg Municipality]] were merged.
|}}
{{div col end}}

===Mayors===
The [[Mayor#Scandinavia|mayor]] ({{langx|no|ordfører}}) of Vestvågøy is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2013121708098 |title=Vestvågøy kommune... - gjennom 30 år. |publisher=Vestvågøy Kommune |year=1993 |editor-last=Hope |editor-first=Johannes |pages=30 & 48 |language=no}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* 1963-1963: Alsing Wik ([[Conservative Party (Norway)|H]])
* 1964–1967: Walter Tjønndal ([[Labour Party (Norway)|Ap]])
* 1968–1969: [[Boy Rist]] ([[Conservative Party (Norway)|H]])
* 1970–1971: Karl Leirfall ([[Centre Party (Norway)|Sp]])
* 1972–1973: [[Eivind Bolle]] ([[Labour Party (Norway)|Ap]])
* 1974–1975: Johannes Sundrønning ([[Labour Party (Norway)|Ap]])
* 1976–1977: Petter Limstrand ([[Centre Party (Norway)|Sp]])
* 1978–1981: Johannes Sundrønning ([[Labour Party (Norway)|Ap]])
* 1982–1983: Petter Limstrand ([[Centre Party (Norway)|Sp]])
* 1984–1987: [[Søren Fredrik Voie]] ([[Conservative Party (Norway)|H]])
* 1988–1991: [[Karl Sverre Klevstad]] ([[Christian Democratic Party (Norway)|KrF]])
* 1992–1999: Frank Rist ([[Centre Party (Norway)|Sp]])
* 1999–2007: [[Guri Ingebrigtsen]] ([[Labour Party (Norway)|Ap]])
* 2007–2015: [[Jonny Finstad]] ([[Conservative Party (Norway)|H]])
* 2015–2023: Remi Solberg ([[Labour Party (Norway)|Ap]])
* 2023–present: [[Jonny Finstad]] ([[Conservative Party (Norway)|H]])
{{div col end}}

==Transportation==
[[File:Leknes, main street (Storgata), Vestvågøy municipality, Lofoten, Nordland, Norway.JPG|thumb|right|Main street of Leknes by night]]
Leknes is the municipal and [[administrative centre]] and is situated in the geographical middle of Lofoten, approximately {{convert|68|km|mi|0}} west of the town of [[Svolvær]] and {{convert|65|km|mi|0}} east of the village of [[Å, Moskenes|Å]]. Leknes is the trading and shopping centre of Lofoten, only rivaled by Svolvær. [[Leknes Airport]] is for smaller aircraft, with 7 daily scheduled flights to [[Bodø Airport]] and some daily flights to Svolvær and [[Røst Airport]] with [[Widerøe]] airlines. There is a small [[bus]] [[Bus terminus|terminal]] which serves as a hub with bus links to the rest of Lofoten. The ''Leknes Havn'' ([[harbor]]) is one of Norway's most important and visited harbors for [[cruise ship]]s. The [[Hurtigruten]] boats have been an important means of communication and transportation for a century. It docks in [[Stamsund]] twice every night, one heading south towards [[Bodø (town)|Bodø]] the other heading north towards [[Svolvær]].

The [[European route E10]] highway crosses the municipality (and island) with the [[Sundklakkstraumen Bridge]] connecting to [[Vågan Municipality]] in the north and the [[Nappstraumen Tunnel]] connecting to [[Flakstad Municipality]] in the south.

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway}}

===Twin towns – Sister cities===
Vestvågøy has [[Twin towns and sister cities|sister city]] agreements with the following places:

*{{flagicon|ISL}} [[Skeiða- og Gnúpverjahreppur]], [[Iceland]]<ref name="Iceland">{{Cite web |title=Twin municipalities Norway-Iceland |url=http://www.noregur.is/Norsk/friendship/twincities/ |access-date=24 April 2012 |publisher=Norwegian government |language=no}}</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:Edvarda Lie.jpg|140px|thumb|Edvarda Lie, 1935]]
* [[Hartvig Jentoft]] (1693 in Borge – 1739), a tradesman and sailor
* [[Karl Uchermann]] (1855 in Borge – 1940), a painter of dogs and altarpieces
* [[Mikael Heggelund Foslie]] (1855 in Borge – 1909), a botanist and [[algae]]ologist
* [[Jens R. Nilssen]] (1880 in Valberg – 1964), an illustrator, comics creator, and cartoonist
* [[Edvarda Lie]] (1910–1963), a painter, drawer, and illustrator who was brought up in Vestvågøy
* [[Boy Rist]] (1912 in Gravdal – 1972), a naval officer and member of the [[Norwegian resistance movement|Norwegian resistance]] in WWII
* [[Harald Sverdrup (writer)|Harald Sverdrup]] (1923 in Gravdal – 1992), a poet and children's writer
* [[Kari Wærness]] (born 1939 in Leknes), a sociologist
* [[Søren Fredrik Voie]] (born 1949 in Vestvågøy), a politician who was Mayor of Vestvågøy from 1983-1987
* [[Guri Ingebrigtsen]] (1952–2020), a [[politician]] who was Mayor of Vestvågøy from 1999 to 2007
* [[Aga Khan V]] (born 1971), who bought a house in Unstad in 2019 (before succeeding to the Imamate)

==Media gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
Unnstad.JPG|Unstad; Vestvågøy has the largest areas of lowland in Lofoten
Bulitinden-vestvagoya-lofoten-norway.jpg|View south-west from the summit of Bulitinden
Sundklakkstraumen bru.JPG|Sundklakkstraumen Bridge
File:Lake_near_Borg.jpg|Near Borg in Vestvågøy
Vestvagoya-skottinden-winter.jpg|The mountain Skottinden in winter sunshine
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://ssb.no/kommunefakta/vestvagoy Municipal fact sheet] from [[Statistics Norway]] {{in lang|no}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vestvaagoy}}
[[Category:Vestvågøy| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Nordland]]
[[Category:Populated places of Arctic Norway]]
[[Category:1963 establishments in Norway]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1963]]