or is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sortland. Other population centres in Sortland include Bø, Holand, Holmstad, Liland, Sigerfjord, Strand, and Vik. The Norwegian Coast Guard has its northern base in Sortland, called Kystvaktskvadron Nord. In 1997, the municipal council declared "town status" for the urban area of Sortland. Sortland is the largest town and commercial centre in Vesterålen. The town of Sortland is located close to the Sortland Bridge which crosses the Sortlandsundet strait and connects the two large islands of Langøya and Hinnøya by road. Since a lot of houses in the town are painted blue, Sortland is sometimes referred to as "the blue city". The 722km2 municipality is the 155th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Sortland is the 112th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 10,401. The municipality's population density is 14.9PD/km2 and its population has increased by 7.5% over the last decade. In January 2012, the number of citizens in Sortland reached 10,000 for the first time.
