At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the 375-square-kilometre (145 sq mi) municipality was the 248th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Roan Municipality was the 396th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 957. The municipality's population density was 2.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (6.7/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 5.2% over the last decade.
A large wind park is located on the mountain plateau just southeast of Bessaker.
General information
View of the Skjørafjorden along the Roan coast
The municipality of Roan was established on 1 June 1892 when the old Bjørnør Municipality was divided into three parts: Roan Municipality (population: 2,069) in the centre, Osen Municipality (population: 1,575) in the north, and Stoksund Municipality (population: 1,122) in the south.
On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Sør-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county. On 1 January 2020, Roan Municipality was merged into the neighboring Åfjord Municipality.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Roan farm since the first Roan Church was built there. The name is probably derived from the Old Norse word róða which means "pole" a reference to a mountain peak behind the farm.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 22 May 1987 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Azure, three terns volantargent" (Norwegian: I blått tre oppflyvende sølv terner, 2-1). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a group of three flying terns. The bird design has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. Terns, a very watchful and energetic bird, are intended to symbolize the local inhabitants and the coast with the vast bird life in the area. The arms were initially designed by Solfrid Krogfjord with the final design by Einar H. Skjervold. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms. After the municipal merger on 1 January 2020, these arms were adopted as the arms for the new Åfjord Municipality.
Roan was located on the Fosen peninsula between Åfjord Municipality (to the south) and Osen Municipality (to the north), with Namdalseid Municipality to the east. Roan also included a number of islands in the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Three major fjords cut into the landscape: the Brandsfjorden in the north, Bersfjorden in the central part, and the Skjørafjorden in the south. The Kaura lighthouse was located on a small island in the mouth of the Brandsfjorden. The Hellfjorden is a small fjord arm that branches off the main Brandsfjorden.
The landscape was very hilly, with bare mountaintops reaching 400 to 600 metres (1,300 to 2,000 ft) above sea level. The highest point in the municipality is the 644.3-metre (2,114 ft) tall mountain Dåapma, located on the border with Namdalseid Municipality.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Roan Municipality is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Roan Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:
Almost all the inhabitants lived along the coast or in the Hofstaddalen valley. The islands were all generally uninhabited with few exceptions. The island of Brandsøya, which has a bridge connecting it to the mainland, had some inhabitants. There are only two roads leaving the municipality: one going south to Å in Åfjord Municipality and one to the north to Osen Municipality.
