Orust Municipality

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Orusts kommun

County	Västra Götaland County
Province	Bohuslän
Seat	Henån
V.G. County in Sweden; Orust to the west
Area • Total area • Land area	207th of 290 389 km²
Population • Total	x of 290 15,160 inhabitants
Density • Total	39 inhabitants/km²
Website
Population as of 2005

Orust Municipality (Orusts kommun) is a municipality in Västra Götaland County on the west coast of Sweden. It includes Sweden's third largest island Orust and some other small adjacent islets. The population of around 15,000 increases significantly in the summer due to all summer vacationers.

The municipal seat is in the town Henån, with an approximate population of 1,800.

The former municipal entities on the island Orust and adjacent minor islands were grouped into larger units in 1952 and united into a single municipality in connection with the nation-wide municipal reform of 1971.

1 History
2 Sights
3 Industry
4 Sources
5 See also
6 External links

Historically, the area has been inhabited for thousands of years, as evident by ancient remains such as tombs, grave fields and rock carvings. From the Viking Age, runestones are plenty.

In the Nordisk familjebok the island of Orust is mentioned as a Geatish territory. Ramshult (the modern Swedish form), a hillfort is mentioned in Beowulf as Hrefnesholt, the Geatish hillfort which became the prison of Onela, Ohthere and their mother until their rescue by Ongenþeow.

The geography offers several sights, with a couple of picturesque small towns. There is a nature reserve called Morlanda with a look out point offering a good view.

Industry wise, the area has always been dominated by fishing and boat production. Shipyard Hallberg-Rassy is the largerst employer nowadays. Its ship yard is located in Ellös, in the north-west part of the island, and it has a significant export of sailing boats. The second largest employer is Najad-varvet, also a shipyard.