Dalane is a
traditional district in the southwestern part of
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 ...
, consisting of the municipalities of
Lund,
Sokndal,
Eigersund
Eigersund is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Dalane. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Egersund. The tow ...
, and
Bjerkreim. Dalane is one of the 15 districts in
Western Norway. It sits to the southeast of the very flat
Jæren region and south of the
moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...
of
Ryfylke. The district has about 24,159 residents (as of 2014).
Dalane has a distinctive hilly, rugged, often treeless, bare, rocky land. There are numerous rivers and lakes, some of which are quite large. The rocky soil is very thin and is of poor quality compared to the fertile farmland in Jæren. The coastline is largely unprotected by any islands. The elevation of the land is low near the sea, while in the northern areas the mountains can reach heights of up to . The uplands of Dalane are often used for sheep grazing. Geographically, the southern part of
Hå municipality fits with the landscape of Dalane, but that municipality is usually grouped with Jæren.
The largest urban areas in Dalane are the town of
Egersund
Egersund is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Eigersund municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The town is located along the southwestern coast of Norway, about south of the city of Stavanger (city), Stavanger. The town is situat ...
and the villages of
Moi in Lund,
Hauge in Sokndal, and
Vikeså in Bjerkreim. These four areas hold about 70% of the area's population (2013). There are also scattered settlements along the coast and in the large valleys inland.
References
{{Rogaland
Districts of Rogaland
Bjerkreim
Eigersund
Sokndal
Lund, Norway