Åmål Municipality

Åmål Municipality (Åmåls kommun) is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Åmål.

Åmål Municipality

Åmåls kommun
Municipality
Coat of arms
CountrySweden
CountyVästra Götaland County
SeatÅmål
Area
 • Total889.71 km2 (343.52 sq mi)
 • Land481.12 km2 (185.76 sq mi)
 • Water408.59 km2 (157.76 sq mi)
 Area as of 1 January 2014.
Population
 (31 December 2019)[2]
 • Total12,610
 • Density14/km2 (37/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeSE
ProvinceDalsland
Municipal code1492
Websitewww.amal.se

The present municipality was created in 1971 through the amalgamation of the former City of Åmål and the former rural municipality of Tössbo (the latter created in 1952).

Geography and natural resources

The city of Åmål is located in a scenic bay of Lake Vänern, the largest lake in Sweden. The municipality has a small archipelago with some 30 islands, called Tösse skärgård, to the south of the city. The islands are protected as a nature preserve; many of the islands are wooded, but a few are used for farming. They provide habitat for a number of bird species, including heron, osprey, mallard, goldeneye, goosander, the black-throated diver and hobby in the bays; on the cobs are colonies of herring gull, seagull and the common tern; while on the fir-covered islands are capercaillie, woodpeckers and other birds.

Fishing was once a major industry, as indicated by the fish appearing on the bottom of the coat of arms. Logging was also of importance. In recent years tourism, especially activities connected to the use of the lake, have increased.

Sister cities

Åmål has seven twin towns:

Loimaa, Finland
Türi, Estonia
Drøbak, Norway
Grenaa, Denmark
Gadebusch, Germany
De Pere, Wi, United States
Kubrat, Bulgaria

References
  1. "Statistiska centralbyrån, Kommunarealer den 1 januari 2014" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. 2014-01-01. Archived from the original (Microsoft Excel) on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
  2. "Folkmängd i riket, län och kommuner 31 december 2019" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.

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