Innlandet

Innlandet is a county in Norway.[3] It was created on 1 January 2020[4] with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (the municipalities of Jevnaker and Lunner were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken on the same date). The new county has an area of 52,113 square kilometres (20,121 sq mi), making it the second largest county in Norway after Troms og Finnmark county.[5]

The county name translates to “The Inland” which reflects that the county is the only landlocked county in Norway. The county covers approximately 17% of the total area of the mainland area of Norway. It stretches from the Viken county and the Oslo region in the south to Trøndelag county in the north. In the north-west the county borders Møre og Romsdal and the Vestland county in the west. To the east the county borders the Swedish counties of Värmland and Dalarna.

The northern and western areas of the county are dominated by the mountainous areas Rondane, Dovrefjell and Jotunheimen. The Galdhøpiggen mountain is located within the Innlandet part of Jotunheimen and at 2,469 m (8,100 ft) it is the tallest mountain in Norway. The eastern and southern areas of the county are mainly made up of forests and agricultural land. Mjøsa, Norway’s largest lake, is located in the southern end of Innlandet, and Glomma the longest river in Norway also flows through the county.

Agriculture and forestry are two important industries in the county with approximately 20% of Norway’s agricultural production[6] and about 40% of timber.[7]

The 1994 Winter Olympics were held at Lillehammer, the second largest city in Innlandet county.