Erfjord is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1914 until its dissolution in 1965. The area is now part of Suldal Municipality in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre was the village of HÃÂ¥landsosen, where the Erfjord Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1965, the municipality was the 391st largest by area out of the 525 municipalities in Norway. Erfjord Municipality was the 517th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 3.4% over the previous 10-year period.
The municipality of Erfjord was established on 1 January 1914, when Jelsa Municipality was divided in two: the eastern district (population: 617) became the new Erfjord Municipality and the western district (population: 1,539) remained as a smaller Jelsa Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, Erfjord Municipality was dissolved. The following areas were merged to form a new, larger Suldal Municipality:
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Erfjord farm ( or ) since the first Erfjord Church was built there. The meaning of the first element of the name is uncertain, but there are two strong possibilities. The first possibility is that it comes from the word which means "alder", a type of common tree in the area (the more modern local name is ør which sounds a lot like Er-). The other main possibility is that it comes from the word which means "eider", a local type of waterfowl. The last element is which means "fjord".
The Church of Norway had one parish () within Erfjord Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Jelsa prestegjeld and the Ryfylke prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.
The municipality was centered around the Erfjorden. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Nattlandsnuten. Sand Municipality was located to the north, Suldal Municipality was located to the east, Hjelmeland Municipality was located to the south, and Jelsa Municipality was located to the west.
While it existed, Erfjord Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Ryfylke District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council of Erfjord Municipality was made up of 13 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.