Other population centres in Sortland include the villages of Bø, Holand, Holmstad, Liland, Sigerfjord, Strand, and Vik.

The Norwegian Coast Guard has its northern base in Sortland, called Kystvaktskvadron Nord.

[11] On 2 May 2017, the national government approved a resolution to add a co-equal, official Sami language name for the municipality: Suortá.

It is called Suortá when it is spelled alone, but it is Suorttá suohkan when using the Sami language equivalent to "Sortland municipality".

The official blazon is "Azure, a castle with three towers without crenelation Or" (Norwegian: I blått en gull borg med tre tårn uten krenelering).

This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a castle with a gate and three towers without crenelation.

The blue color in the field symbolizes the importance of sea and the castle is an updated version of an old coat of arms for Sortland.

The arms included a golden border with three black-white-black piles issuing from both flanks of the white castle.

Great places to observe the midnight sun }includes the Sortland Bridge, Ramnflauget, Godfjorden, Holm, and Skytterhaugen in the Vestmarka residential area.

Polar night occurs in Sortland from 30 November to 12 January when the sun remains below the horizon and is not visible at all.

The polar night does not mean that it becomes totally dark, typically daylight is visible for a few hours around noon.

Sortland and the Vesterålen region are perfect for observing the spectacular Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) phenomenon.

The aurora borealis trails its multi coloured banner across the sky and the moon lights the scene making it a breathtaking experience.

Here is a list of people who have held this position: Sortland has been regarded as one of the best music communities in Norway, and the local band Madrugada has been one of the best ones in the nation.

Sortland is the largest commercial centre in Vesterålen with several indoors shopping centers and many small businesses.