2015-04-13

Å, The Shortest Village Name in the World

Å is a village of Moskenes in Nordland county, Norway. It is located towards the southern end of the Lofoten archipelago. But in the Norwegian language, its pronunciation "O", Å, is listed in a shortened place name in the world. Å emerged as a small town whose economy depended on fishing, mainly salting cod. Nowadays, it mainly depends on tourism, with just over 1,000 inhabitants.

Å is a village of Moskenes in Nordland county, Norway. It is located towards the southern end of the Lofoten archipelago. But in Norwegian language its pronunciation "O". Å is listed in shorted place name in the world.

Shortest village name in the world

The town features the Lofoten Stockfish Museum and the Norwegian Fishing Village Museum as two big tourist attractions. It is connected to the rest of the archipelago by the European route E10 highway. In May 2004, Å became the starting point for a cycling trip from Å to Bee. In 1567, the village was originally a farm; at that time, it was pronounced "Aa". The name is from Old Norse "á", which means "(small) river". The name was spelt Aa until 1917, when the Norwegian language reform changed the letter 'aa' to 'å'.

Norway village Shortest Name in the World

There are many villages in Lofoten, but Å is one of the most remote and best-preserved, and the entire village forms the Fishing Village Museum. The boathouse is one of the gems of the Norwegian Fishing Village Museum. It contains a wonderful collection of old Nordland boats, from the little four-oar boat which is rowed by two people, via the six-oar boat rowed by three people, to the eight-oar boat that needs four people to row it.

There is also a converted Nordland boat with a motor, dating from the time motor power took over in 1915. It also contains an extensive range of fishing equipment, including hand lines that fishermen have used for thousands of years. There is a tanning vessel in which nets were soaked, an electric wheel for a hand line from the 1960s, and exhibitions about the whaling industry.

First photo credit: Marco