ROGALAND

is a county in Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder.

Contents
The name
Coat-of-arms
Geography
Districts
History
Places to visit
Municipalities
External links

The name


''Rogaland'' is the Old Norse name of the region - revived in modern times. (Until 1919 the name of the county was ''Stavanger amt''.) The first element is the plural genitive case of ''rygir'', the name of an old Germanic tribe (see Rugians). The last element is ''land'' n 'land, region'.
See also Hordaland

Coat-of-arms


The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1974). It shows (represents) the old stone cross in Sola, erected in memory of Erling Skjalgsson after his death in 1028.

Geography


Rogaland is mainly a coastal region with fjords, beaches and islands, the principal island being Karmøy. Boknafjorden is the largest bay, with many fjords branching off from it.
The third largest urban area of Norway is located in Rogaland. Stavanger, along with Sandnes, Randaberg and Sola, is ranked above Trondheim when it comes to population.
Cities/towns: Stavanger, Sandnes, Haugesund, Egersund, Sauda, Bryne and Kopervik.
Karmøy has large deposits of copper (some of which was used in the construction of the Statue of Liberty). Rogaland is the most important region for oil and gas exploration in Norway, and is one of the country's most important agricultural districts.

Districts


The county is conventionally divided into traditional districts. These are Haugalandet north of Boknafjorden, Ryfylke in the mountainous east, Jæren to the southwest and Dalane in the far south.

History


In the district are remains from the earliest times, such as the excavations in a cave at Viste in Randaberg (Svarthola). These include the find of a skeleton of a boy from the Stone Age. Various archeological findings stem from the following times, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Many crosses in Irish style have been found. Rogaland was called ''Rygjafylke'' in the Viking Age. Before Harald Fairhair and the Battle of Hafrsfjord, it was a petty kingdom. The Rugians were a tribe possibly connected with Rogaland.

Places to visit


Rogaland is home of many natural wonders, like Prekestolen, Kjerag and Gloppedalsura.
The Iron Age Farm at Ullandhaug in Stavanger is reconstructed on the original farm site dating back to 350-500 AD. The Viking Farm is a museum located at Karmøy.
Orrestranda in the Jæren district.

A series of festivals and congresses of international fame and profile are arranged, such as The Chamber Music Festival, The ''Maijazz'' Festival, The Gladmat (lit. food with a happy smile) Festival, and The ONS event, which has been held in Stavanger every second year since 1974. The ONS is a major international conference and exhibition with focus on oil and gas, and other topics from the petroleum industry. The Concert Hall and Music Complex at Bjergsted and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra provide important inspiration in the Norwegian musical environment. Another annual event in Stavanger, is The World Tour Beach Volleyball. During this tournament, the downtown is converted into a beach volleyball arena.
In Stavanger there is an archeological museum with many artifacts from early history in Rogaland.

Municipalities


Location of Rogaland Municipalities

Rogaland has a total of 26 municipalities:

  1. Bjerkreim
  2. Bokn
  3. Eigersund
  4. Finnøy
  5. Forsand
  6. Gjesdal

  7. Haugesund
  8. Hjelmeland
  9. Karmøy
  10. Klepp
  11. Kvitsøy
  12. Lund

  1. Randaberg
  2. Rennesøy
  3. Sandnes
  4. Sauda
  5. Sokndal
  6. Sola
  7. Stavanger
  8. Strand
  9. Suldal
  10. Time
  11. Tysvær
  12. Utsira
  13. Vindafjord

External links



Rogaland County Council - Official site

County web site (English) Last update: 2001

Map

Region Stavanger Official tourism site for the Stavanger region

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