Toten

Toten is a traditional district in Oppland county in the eastern part of Norway. It consists of the municipalities Østre Toten, Vestre Toten, and Gjøvik.

Toten was a petty kingdom in the early Viking Ages, with Halfdan Hvitbeinn as the most notable king.

The combined population of Toten is approximately 54,000. The largest town is Gjøvik with approximately 16,000 inhabitants. The other major town is Raufoss with approximately 6000 inhabitants. In the mostly rural municipality of Østre Toten, Lena is the biggest settlement with approximately 800 inhabitants.

Agriculture is an integral aspect of the economy of Toten. The agricultural focus lies mostly in Østre Toten, whereas Vestre Toten is a center for industry. In Toten, large forest areas can be found. These are important recreational areas, and serve as popular hunting and fishing grounds. The forests are hosts to elk and deer as well as small game such as rabbits and fowl. There are plenty of smaller lakes in which fish such as char, perch, pike and trout can be found.

The highest point in Østre Toten is Torseterkampen at 841 meters above sea level. In Vestre Toten, Lauvhøgda at 722 meters above sea level is the highest point.

The dialect spoken in Toten is North-East Norwegian. It has preserved some archaic elements, like dative case (einn hæst - hæst`n, hæstér - hæstá in nominative, but hæstà - hæstóm in dative). A characteristic of North-East Norwegian dialects is that feminine nouns may end in -u or -o, and masculine nouns may end in -a or -å. Infinitives end in -e, -a and -å.