Bokn is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. As of 1 January 2024, it had a population of 49 ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Haugaland Haugaland or Haugalandet is a traditional district situated on the western coast of Norway. Haugaland is one of the 15 traditional districts located within the Vestlandet region. Geographically, Haugaland is a peninsula between Bømlafjorden i ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the municipality is the village of

Føresvik Føresvik (sometimes called ''Bokn'') is the administrative centre of Bokn municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the northeastern shore of the island of Vestre Bokn, along the rather narrow Boknasundet strait which se ...

, the only urban area in Bokn. Other villages in Bokn include Arsvågen, Trosnavåg, and Loten. The island municipality is mostly located on the three islands of

Ognøya Ognøya or Ogn is an island in Bokn municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The island lies between the mainland and the islands of Austre Bokn and Vestre Bokn. The islands are connected by a series of bridges as part of the European route E3 ...

Vestre Bokn Vestre Bokn is an island in Bokn municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The island is the main island of the municipality. It lies on the northern side of the Boknafjorden at the southern end of the Karmsundet strait. Vestre Bokn lies bet ...

, and

Austre Bokn Austre Bokn is an island in Bokn municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The island lies on the northern side of the Boknafjorden between the islands of Ognøya and Vestre Bokn. It's connected to the other two islands and to the mainland by ...

. All three main islands are connected to the mainland via a network of bridges. The municipality is the 348th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Bokn is the 341st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 868. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

is and its population has increased by 0.3% over the previous ten-year period.

General information

The municipality of Bokn (historically spelled ''Bukken'') was established in 1849 when it was separated from the large municipality of

Skudenes Skudenes is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It was part of the traditional district of Haugaland. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1965. The administrative centre was the town of Skudeneshavn (whi ...

. Initially, Bokn had 1,035 residents. The borders of Bokn have not changed since that time.

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

) is named after the islands of

and

(). The meaning of the name is uncertain. It is possible that the word was derived from the Old High German word which means "

sea mark A sea mark, also seamark and navigation mark, is a form of aid to navigation and pilotage that identifies the approximate position of a maritime channel, hazard, or administrative area to allow boats, ships, and seaplanes to navigate safely. ...

" or "

beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

", possibly referring to the local mountain that was a navigational mark for boats. Before 1889, the name was spelled ''"Bukken"''.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted on 8 August 1986. The official

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''"Azure, six

plates Plate may refer to: Cooking * Plate (dishware), broad, mainly flat vessel commonly used to serve food * Plates, tableware, dishes or dishware used for setting a table, serving food and dining * Plate, the content of such a plate (for example: ...

, one over two over three"'' (). This means the arms have a blue

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

(background) and the

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is a set of six circles. The set of circles has a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The blue background represents the sea and the set of six circles represent coins, which symbolize the richness from the sea since it is an island municipality and therefore dependent on fishing and sailing. The six circles are set in a triangle to symbolize a

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

, representing the fact that the island was historically used as a

for sailors. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

has one parish () within the municipality of Bokn. It is part of the

Haugaland prosti This list of churches in Rogaland is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Stavanger in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Rogaland county. The diocese is based at the Stavanger Cathedral in the city of Stavanger (city) ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Stavanger The Diocese of Stavanger () is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers all of Rogaland county in western Norway. The cathedral city is Stavanger, where the Stavanger Cathedral is located. The bishop is Anne Lise Ådnøy, who has held the p ...

Buildings and structures

There is a tall

guyed mast A guyed mast is a tall thin vertical structure that depends on guy lines (diagonal tensioned cables attached to the ground or a base) for stability. The mast itself has the compressive strength to support its own weight, but does not have the ...

for FM-/TV-broadcasting at located at .

Geography

The island municipality of Bokn is located on the northern side of the

Boknafjorden Boknafjord or Boknafjorden () is a fjord located in Rogaland county, Norway. The huge fjord lies between the cities of Stavanger and Haugesund and dominates the central part of the county. The main part of the fjord is shared between the municip ...

, at the southern end of the

Karmsundet Karmsund is a strait located in Rogaland county, Norway. The long strait separates the island of Karmøy on the west and the mainland of Norway and island of Vestre Bokn in the east. The strait runs through the municipalities of Haugesund, Ka ...

strait. The island of

Karmøy Karmøy is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is southwest of the town of Haugesund in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kopervik. Most of the municipality lies on ...

lies to the west and the mainland of

Tysvær Tysvær is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Rogaland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Haugalandet Districts of Norway, region. The municipality is located on the Haugalandet peninsula on the northern side ...

is located to the northeast. The island municipality of

Kvitsøy Kvitsøy is an island municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. At only , it is the smallest municipality in Norway by area and one of the smallest by population. Kvitsøy is located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative cen ...

lies south of Bokn and the island municipality of

Rennesøy Rennesøy is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It was merged into Stavanger municipality on 1 January 2020. It was located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of ...

lies to the southeast of Bokn. Bokn is one of the smallest municipalities in Rogaland, consisting of three main islands:

, and

. There are also some smaller, uninhabited islands surrounding the main islands. The islands are rugged with many small hills with small lakes in the

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

s. The hills are largely covered with heather, but bushes and trees are increasingly competing, especially

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

. The highest point is the high Boknafjellet, a small mountain on

island.

Climate

Government

Bokn Municipality is responsible for

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the

Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court () is a district court (Norway), district court located in Vestland and Rogaland counties in Norway. This court is based at two different courthouses which are located in Haugesund (town), Haugesund and Le ...

and the

Gulating Court of Appeal The Gulating Court of Appeal () is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Bergen. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Vestland and Rogaland plus Sirdal Municipality in Agder county ...

Municipal council

The

() of Bokn is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...

Mayors

The

mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

() of Bokn: * 1849–1851: Lars Rasmusson Loden * 1852–1853: Daniel Larsson Trosnavåg * 1854–1855: Kristoffer Larsson Øvrabø * 1856–1857: Ingebrigt Ingebrigtsson Laupland * 1858–1865: Lars Rasmusson Loden * 1866–1867: Bjørn Torbjørnsson Nerabø * 1868–1869: Torgils Olsson Alvestad * 1870–1873: Valentin Tormodsson Våga * 1874–1885: Kristoffer Perdersson Vatnaland * 1886–1910: Jakob Pedersson Torland * 1911–1913: Gabriel Dybing * 1914–1916: Jakob Hognaland * 1917–1919: Gabriel Dybing * 1920–1922: Martin Jøsang * 1923–1925: Julius Håland * 1925–1934: Elisæus Vatnaland ( Bp) * 1935–1937: Julius Håland * 1938–1941: Jens L. Vatnaland ( Bp) * 1942–1945: Tønnes Bryningsland ( NS) * 1945–1945: Jens L. Vatnaland ( Bp) * 1946–1947: Monrad Alvestad ( Ap) * 1948–1951: Helge Alvestad * 1952–1955: Osmund S. Våga ( Bp) * 1956–1963: Jens L. Vatnaland ( Sp) * 1964–1969: Ingolf Kro ( Sp) * 1970–1971: Sigvart Våga ( Sp) * 1972–1975: Leif Vatnaland ( Sp) * 1978–1979: Ingolf Kro ( Sp) * 1980–1981: Leif Vatnaland ( Sp) * 1982–1983: Arne Øvrebø ( H) * 1984–1995: Leif Vatnaland ( Sp) * 1995–1999: Sigrunn Hole Hosaas ( Sp) * 1999–2007: Svein Ove Alvestad ( H) * 2007–2015: Kyrre Lindanger ( Ap) * 2015–2019: Tormod Våga ( Sp) * 2019–2023: Osmund Våga ( Sp) * 2023-present: Egil Våge ( Sp)

Transportation

The three islands of Bokn are now linked via bridges to

municipality on the mainland. These bridges are part of the

European route E39 European route E39 is the designation of a north–south road in Norway and Denmark from Klett, just south of Trondheim (city), Trondheim, to Aalborg via Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand. In total, there are nine ferries, more than any other ...

highway and they are part of the main coastal highway between the cities of

Stavanger Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...

and

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

. There is a ferry connection southward across the

which is connected by road to Stavanger. The planned

Rogfast Rogaland Fixed Link or simply the Rogfast, is a project to construct a sub-sea road tunnel in Rogaland County, Norway, running between the municipalities of Randaberg (near the city of Stavanger) and Bokn, with a spur connecting to the island m ...

undersea tunnel An underwater tunnel is a tunnel which is partly or wholly constructed under the sea or a river. They are often used where building a bridge or operating a ferry link is unviable, or to provide competition or relief for existing bridges or ferry l ...

will directly connect both sides of the Boknafjorden from Stavanger to Bokn, with a planned completion date of 2023.

Economy

Apart from a factory producing various tanks made of glassfiber-reinforced plastic (Bokn Plast), there is no industry on the islands other than some

fish farming Fish farming or pisciculture involves commercial breeding of fish, most often for food, in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds. It is a particular type of aquaculture, which is the controlled cultivation and harvesting of ...

. People have traditionally lived off

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

and

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, but more recently, some work has been in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

petroleum industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry, includes the global processes of hydrocarbon exploration, exploration, extraction of petroleum, extraction, oil refinery, refining, Petroleum transport, transportation (often by oil tankers ...

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

is likely to play a bigger part in the future.

Notable people

Asbjørn Kloster Asbjørn Kloster (21 December 1823 – 18 January 1876) was an educator, social reformer and leader of the Norwegian temperance movement in the 19th century. Background Asbjørn Olsen Kloster was born in Vestre Bokn in Bokn, Rogaland, Norwa ...

(1823 in Vestre Bokn – 1876), a social reformer, minister, teacher, publisher, and leader of the Norwegian temperance movement *

Lars Elisæus Vatnaland Lars Elisæus Vatnaland (18 April 1892 – 9 March 1983) is a Norwegian politician for the Farmer's Party. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Rogaland in 1945, and was re-elected on three occasions. He had previously served in th ...

(1892 in Bokn – 1983), a Norwegian politician and Mayor of Bokn municipality from 1925 to 1934

References

External links

* *
Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All rele ...

{{use dmy dates, date=June 2020 Municipalities of Rogaland 1849 establishments in Norway