The first element is veig which means "liquid" or "fluid" (referring to the lakes and the marshes of the island).

The official blazon is "Gules, a scoop Or" (Norwegian: I rødt en gull øsekar).

The bailer or scoop has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used.

Early settlements on the main island date back 10,000 years, making it one of the oldest places of inhabitance in Northern Norway.

Today's inhabitants are concentrated in Holand, Valla, Igerøy, Ylvingen, and Gladstad, the latter being the location of the municipal council and most of the island's commerce.

In 2004, the archipelago's cultural landscape was inscribed by UNESCO on the World Heritage Site list as representative of "the way generations of fishermen/farmers have, over the past 1,500 years, maintained a sustainable living in an inhospitable seascape near the Arctic Circle, based on the now unique practice of eider down harvesting."

The highest point in the municipality is the 800.56-metre (2,626.5 ft) tall mountain Trolltinden on the southwestern coast of the island of Vega.

[1] Eidemsliene nature reserve has many warmth-loving species of plants and the most oceanic pine forest in North Norway.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Vega is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms.