Ombo is an
island
An island or isle is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be ...
in the municipality of
Stavanger
Stavanger (, , US usually , ) is a city and municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the administrative center of Rogaland county. T ...
in
Rogaland
Rogaland () is a county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 479,892. The admin ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. The island is the largest island in the
Ryfylke
Ryfylke is a traditional district in the northeastern part of Rogaland county, Norway. The district is located northeast of the city of Stavanger and east of the city of Haugesund and it encompasses about 60% of the county's area. It includes ...
region and the second largest island in
Rogaland
Rogaland () is a county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 479,892. The admin ...
county. There are several villages on the island including Jørstadvåg, Atlatveit, and Eidssund in the western part of the island and the villages of Tuftene, Skipavik, Skår, and Vestersjø are located on the southeastern part of the island.
Jørstad Church
Jørstad Church ( no, Jørstad kirke) is a chapel of the Church of Norway in the northern part of the large Stavanger Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Jørstadvågen on the island of Ombo. It is an annex ch ...
is located in the village of Jørstadvåg. The island is the northeasternmost part of the vast Stavanger municipality, nearly from the
city of Stavanger, the administrative centre of the municipality.
Prior to 2020, the island was divided between the municipalities
Hjelmeland
is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hjelmelandsvågen. Other villages in the municipality include Fister, Årdal, ...
and
Finnøy
Finnøy is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The island municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Stavanger Municipality. It was located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The adm ...
. In 2020, the island joined Stavanger municipality.
The island is at the northeastern edge of a large group of islands in the
Boknafjorden
Boknafjord or Boknafjorden ( en, Bokna Fjord) 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 bet ...
. Ombo is located north of the islands of
Randøy
Randøy is an island in Hjelmeland municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The island lies just off the mainland between the Jøsenfjorden and the Årdalsfjorden. The large island of Ombo lies to the north and the island of Halsnøya lies to t ...
and
Halsnøya, northeast of the island of
Finnøy
Finnøy is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The island municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Stavanger Municipality. It was located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The adm ...
, and east of the
Sjernarøyane
Sjernarøyane is an island group in Stavanger municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The islands are located in the Nedstrandsfjorden, west of the large island of Ombo and north of the large island of Finnøy. As of 2014, the islands were ...
archipelago. The highest point on the island is the tall ''Bandåsen''. Ombo is surrounded by
fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Icela ...
s that are connected to the main Boknafjorden. The Ombofjorden to the east, Gardssundfjorden to the south, Gapafjorden to the west, and Jelsafjorden to the north.
After the road was built around the island of Ombo, a distinctive rock formation was visible from the new road. The rock formation looks like a face, and was originally named Adam. Among the local residents, this is also called "Ombo-gubben".
There are no outside road connections to Ombo—it is only accessible by boat. There are regular ferry connections that stop at Eidssund on the west coast from
Judaberg
Judaberg is a village in Stavanger Municipality
Stavanger (, , US usually , ) is a city and municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) an ...
,
Sjernarøyane
Sjernarøyane is an island group in Stavanger municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The islands are located in the Nedstrandsfjorden, west of the large island of Ombo and north of the large island of Finnøy. As of 2014, the islands were ...
,
Nedstrand
Nedstrand (locally, ''Stranda'') is a village in Tysvær municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is on the Nedstrand peninsula's southeast coast, at the confluence of the Nedstrandsfjorden and Vindafjorden. The village of Hindar ...
,
Jelsa,
Halsnøya, and
Fogn. There are also regular ferry connections from Skipavik on the eastern shore of the island to Nesvik and
Hjelmelandsvågen
Hjelmelandsvågen is the administrative centre of Hjelmeland municipality, Norway. The village is located on the south side of the mouth of the Jøsenfjorden. The village has a population (2019) of 592 and a population density of .
The Norweg ...
on the mainland.
See also
*
List of islands of Norway
This is a list of islands of Norway sorted by name. For a list sorted by area, see List of islands of Norway by area.
A
* Alden
* Aldra
* Algrøy
* Alsta
* Altra
* Anda
* Andabeløya
* Andørja
* Andøya, Vesterålen
* Andøya, Agder
...
References
Islands of Stavanger
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