Vest-Agder (Norway)

Adopted on 12 December 1958.

Proportions 11:18.
Mark Sensen, 18 November 1995

Designer: Hallvard Traeteberg
Željko Heimer, 2 March 2008

Vert, an oak Or. An oak should represent the rich nature in the area.
Željko Heimer, 19 November 1995

The arms and flag was approved in 1958, most likely with drawings made for both. This is normal procedure for civic arms and flags in Norway. The official description in the Royal resolution is the supreme definition and the drawings made are considered good examples of how the arms and flags could be drawn. In all cases, municipalities and counties will take the arms into use, while it is not uncommon to leave the flag in the drawer. So it is not so strange Whitney Smith knew the flag drawing even though the flag was not actually made and used.

The flag does not appear to have been much used. In "Fylkesvåpenet for Vest-Agder" by Eiliv Ulltveit-Moe (published in Jan Henrik Munksgaard (ed): Vår barndoms have. Årbok 2005. Segl, våpen og flagg, Kristiansand: Vest-Agder Fylkesmuseum, 2006) it is said that two flags were acquired in 1985, apparently for the first time. Ulltveit-Moe also writes that the use of the flag has been limited with Vest-Agder County Museum as the most active user.

I understand that this drawing has been discussed and criticized in the county because it does not make a good flag according to some, but that this has not led to any changes.

But note that the original drawings are not part of the official approval by Royal resolution, as this is in writing only. The drawings follow the approval as examples of well executed drawings and do not preclude other ways of drawing the arms and flag as long as these are in line with the blazon.

The drawings made at the time of approval tend to be treated as authoritative. At least the one of the arms. The original drawing is regularly used as the model even when municipalities or counties make computer drawings of their arms. Frequently the drawing of the flags tend to be placed in a file and forgotten with the result that it is not uncommon to see that municipalities have had flags made consisting of the arms (shield) placed on a white field.
Jan Oskar Engene, 2, 4 March 2008

In 2017 the government decided to abolish some of the counties and to merge them with other counties to form larger ones, reducing the number of counties from 19 to 11, to be implemented from 2020.:"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counties_of_Norway

The new regions:
Aust-Agder and Vest Agder became Agder.
Valentin Poposki, 16 January 2020