Sortland (town)

or is a town and the administrative centre of Sortland Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The town is located on the east coast of the island of Langøya, along the Sortlandsundet strait. In 1997, the municipality decided to declare "town status" for the urban area of Sortland. Sortland is the largest town and commercial centre in the whole Vesterålen region and is often referred to as "the blue town by the strait" since many of the buildings are painted blue.
The town has a population of 5,609 and a population density of.
The Norwegian National Road 85 highway begins at Sortland and crosses the Sortland Bridge to connect the town to the nearby European route E10 highway on the neighboring island of Hinnøya.
The town has a regional high school, a cultural centre, library, cinema, Sortland Museum, and Sortland Church. The town is also a regular stop of the Hurtigruten boats.

Etymology

The town is named after the old Sortland farm since the first Sortland Church was built there. The first element is Svort which is the genitive case of the local river name Svorta. The river name is derived from which means "black" or "dark". The last element is which means "land" or "farm".