Åmål Municipality
Åmåls kommun
Municipality
Åmål town hall
Åmål town hall
Coat of arms of Åmål Municipality
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 59°03′N 12°42′E / 59.050°N 12.700°E / 59.050; 12.700
CountrySweden
CountyVästra Götaland County
SeatÅmål
Area
[1]
 • 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 2021)[2]
 • Total12,318
 • Density14/km2 (36/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeSE
ProvinceDalsland
Municipal code1492
Websitewww.amal.se

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

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 grey heron, osprey, mallard, goldeneye, goosander, the black-throated diver and hobby in the bays; on the cobs are colonies of herring gull, and the common tern; while on the fir-covered islands are capercaillie, woodpeckers and other birds.

Population centers in the municipality include Åmål, Fengersfors, and Tösse.

Demographics

This is a demographic table based on Åmål Municipality's electoral districts in the 2022 Swedish general election sourced from SVT's election platform, in turn taken from SCB official statistics.[3]

Residents include everyone registered as living in the district, regardless of age or citizenship status. Valid voters indicate Swedish citizens above the age of 18 who therefore can vote in general elections. Left vote and right vote indicate the result between the two major blocs in said district in the 2022 general election. Employment indicates the share of people between the ages of 20 and 64 who are working taxpayers. Foreign background is defined as residents either born abroad or with two parents born outside of Sweden. Median income is the received monthly income through either employment, capital gains or social grants for the median adult above 20, also including pensioners in Swedish kronor. The section about college graduates indicates any degree accumulated after high school.

In total there were 12,302 residents, including 9,585 Swedish citizens of voting age.[3] 46.3 % voted for the left coalition and 52.5 % for the right coalition.

Economy

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:

FinlandLoimaa, Finland
EstoniaTüri, Estonia
NorwayDrøbak, Norway
DenmarkGrenaa, Denmark
GermanyGadebusch, Germany
United StatesDe Pere, Wi, United States
BulgariaKubrat, 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 2021" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "Valresultat 2022 för Åmål i riksdagsvalet" (in Swedish). SVT. 11 September 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
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