More and Romsdal

Møre and Romsdal is one of 19 counties in Norway and is located in the northern part of Western Norway. Møre and Romsdal has a coastline with a total length of 7,700 kilometres facing the Norwegian Sea, and covers an area of 15,000 square kilometres.

A quarter of a million people inhabit this beautiful and diverse county. More than half live in the southern part of the county –

Sunnmøre. Sunnmøre is also home to the largest town in the county, Ålesund, with a population of more than 40,000.

Traditionally, the county has been divided into three districts. From north to south, these are Nordmøre, Romsdal and Sunnmøre. Although the districts do not have separate governments and despite modern road, sea and air connections throughout the county, the three districts still have their own identities in many ways. Historically speaking, connections have been stronger between Nordmøre and Sør-Trøndelag to the north, Romsdal and Oppland to the east, and Sunnmøre and Sogn og Fjordane to the south, than internally. Differences in dialects between the three districts bear clear evidence of this. Due to geographical features, the county has many populated islands and is intersected by several deep fjords. Due to its difficult terrain, Møre og Romsdal has been very dependent on boat traffic, and its main car ferry company, MRF, has existed since 1921.