ARENDAL

arendal, a seaport of norway, in nedenaes _amt_ (county), on the south coast, 46 m. n.e. from christiansand. pop. (1900) 11,155. it rises picturesquely above the mouth of the river nid, with a good harbour protected by an island from the open waters of the skagerrack. the town itself occupies several islets, and some of the houses are supported above the water on piles. the chief exports are timber (very largely exported to great britain), wood-pulp, sealskins and felspar. in 1879 arendal ranked second (after christiania) as a ship-owning port; in 1899 it had dropped to the fifth place. in and near the town are factories for wood-pulp, paper, cotton and joinery; and at fevig, 8 m. north-east, a shipbuilding yard and engineering works. the neighbourhood is remarkable for the number of beautiful and rare minerals found there; one of these, a variety of epidote, was formerly called arendalite. louis philippe stayed here for some time during his exile.