Rogaland fylke | |||
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— County — | |||
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Rogaland within Norway | |||
Country | Norway | ||
County | Rogaland | ||
Region | Vestlandet | ||
County ID | NO-11 | ||
Official language form | Neutral | ||
Demonym | Rogalending [1] | ||
Administrative centre | Stavanger | ||
Government | |||
• Governor | Harald Thune (acting) (since 2008) |
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• County Mayor | Tom Tvedt Arbeiderpartiet (since 2007) |
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Area(#13 in Norway, 2.82% of Norway's land area) | |||
• Total | 9,378 km2 (3,621 sq mi) | ||
• Land | 8,590 km2 (3,320 sq mi) | ||
Population (2008) | |||
• Total | 416,943 | ||
• Density | 45/km2 (120/sq mi) | ||
• Change (10 years) | 9.8 % | ||
• Rank in Norway | 4 (8.49% of nation) | ||
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
Income (per capita) | 155,000 NOK | ||
GDP (per capita) | 267,340 NOK (2001) | ||
National Rank: | 4 (6.63% of nation) | ||
Website | www.rogfk.no | ||
Rogaland (help·info) is a county in Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder, and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry; as a result of that, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%.[2]
Etymology[]
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 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
Cities/towns: Stavanger, Sandnes, Haugesund, Egersund, Sauda, Bryne, Kopervik, and Skudenshavn.
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.
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.
Administrative divisions[]
The county is conventionally divided into traditional districts. These are Haugalandet north of Boknafjorden, Ryfylke in the mountainous east, and Jæren to the southwest and Dalane in the far south.
Rogaland has a total of 26 municipalities:
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Culture[]
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.
Tourism[]
Rogaland is home to many natural wonders, like Prekestolen, Kjerag, and Gloppedalsura. In Stavanger, there is an archeological museum with many artifacts from early history in Rogaland. An 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.
External links[]
- Rogaland County Council - Official site
- County web site (English) Last update: 2001
- Map
- Region Stavanger Official tourism site for the Stavanger region
- Google Map
- Maps City, District and Regional maps - Rogaland
References[]
- ^ "Personnemningar til stadnamn i Noreg". Språkrådet. http://www.sprakrad.no/Sprakhjelp/Rettskriving_Ordboeker/Innbyggjarnamn. (Norwegian)
- ^ http://www.nav.no/805350468.cms, Norwegian article on unemployment from www.nav.no
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This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Rogaland. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |