Rogaland () is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Western Norway Western Norway (; ) is the Regions of Norway, region along the Atlantic coast of southern Norway. It consists of the Counties of Norway, counties Rogaland, Vestland, and Møre og Romsdal. The region has no official or political-administrative fu ...

, bordering 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 ...

to the west and the counties of

Vestland Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...

to the north,

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

to the east and

Agder Agder is a counties of Norway, county () and districts of Norway, traditional region in the southern part of Norway and is coextensive with the Southern Norway region. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Au ...

to the east and southeast. As of 1 January 2024, it had a population of 499,417 people. 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 county is the city of Stavanger, which is the third largest city in Norway.

Etymology

''Rogaland'' is the region's

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

name, which was revived in modern times. During Denmark's rule of Norway the county was named ''

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 ...

amt'', after the large city of Stavanger, and this name continued to be used until 1919. The first element in the name ''Rogaland'' is the plural genitive case of ''rygir'', probably referring to the name of an old Germanic tribe (see Rugians). The second element is ''land'' which means "land" or "region".

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 ...

is modern; it was granted on 11 January 1974. The arms are blue with a white or silver pointed cross in the centre. The cross is based on the old stone cross in Sola, the oldest national monument in Norway. It was erected in memory of Erling Skjalgsson after his death in 1028. This type of cross was very common in medieval Norway.

Geography

Rogaland is mainly a coastal region with fjords, beaches, and islands, the principal island being Karmøy. The vast Boknafjorden is the largest bay, with many fjords branching off from it. Stavanger/Sandnes, the third-largest urban area of Norway, is also a central area for the Norwegian petroleum industry. The area includes the large cities of

and

Sandnes Sandnes () is a city and municipality in Rogaland, Norway. It lies immediately south of Stavanger, the 4th largest municipality in Norway, and together the Stavanger/Sandnes area is the third-largest urban area in Norway. The urban city of Sand ...

. The municipalities Randaberg, and Sola are also in close proximity. Together, this

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

is ranked above the city

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

in population rankings in Norway. Cities/towns in Rogaland other than

and

include Haugesund,

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 ...

, Sauda, Jørpeland,

Bryne Bryne (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Time, Norway, Time municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality of Time and it is also List of urban areas in Norway by population ...

, Kopervik, Åkrehamn, and Skudeneshavn. Karmøy has large deposits of

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

(some from the Visnes mine was used in the construction of the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

). Sokndal has large deposits of ilmenite. Rogaland is the most important region for oil and gas exploration in Norway, and the Jæren district in Rogaland is one of the country's most important agricultural districts.

History

There are remains in Rogaland 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 The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

. Various archeological finds stem from the following times, the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

and the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

. Many crosses in Irish style have been found. Rogaland was called ''Rygjafylke'' in the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

. Before Harald Fairhair and the Battle of Hafrsfjord, it was a

petty kingdom A petty kingdom is a kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the numerous kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England unified into t ...

. The Rugians were a tribe possibly connected with Rogaland.

Culture and tourism

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. happy food) 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. 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

farm at Ullandhaug in Stavanger is reconstructed on the original farm site dating back to 350–500 AD. The

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

Farm is a museum at Karmøy.

Government

A county ''(fylke)'' is the chief local administrative area in

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 ...

. The whole country is divided into 11 counties. A county is also an election area, with popular votes taking place every 4 years. In Rogaland, the government of the county is the Rogaland County Municipality. It includes 47 members who are elected to form a

county council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...

''(Fylkesting)''. Heading the ''Fylkesting'' is the county mayor ''(fylkesordførar)''. Since 2020, the Rogaland County Municipality has been led by Marianne Chesak, the county mayor. The county also has a county governor ''(fylkesmann)'' who is the representative of the

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

and

Government of Norway The Council of State () is a formal body composed of the most senior government minister (government), ministers chosen by the Prime Minister of Norway, Prime Minister, and functions as the collective decision-making organ constituting the Go ...

Bent Høie Bent Høie (born 4 May 1971) is a Norwegian politician from the Conservative Party who has served as county governor of Rogaland since 2021. He previously served as Minister of Health and Care Services from 2013 to 2021, and a member of the St ...

is the incumbent governor, in office since 1 November 2021. The municipalities in Rogaland are divided among several district courts ''(tingrett)'': Dalane District Court, Haugaland District Court, Jæren District Court, and Stavanger District Court. All of these courts are subordinate to the Gulating Court of Appeal district based in Bergen.

Subdivisions

Municipalities

Rogaland County has a total of 23 municipalities:

Districts

Dalane Dalane is a traditional district in the southwestern part of Norway, consisting of the municipalities of Lund, Sokndal, Eigersund, and Bjerkreim. Dalane is one of the 15 districts in Western Norway. It sits to the southeast of the very flat ...

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 ...

* Jæren *

Ryfylke Ryfylke is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the northeastern part of Rogaland county, Norway. The district, encompassing about 60% of the county's area is located northeast of Stavanger and east of Haugesund. It includes the mainla ...

Cities

* Haugesund * Jørpeland * Kopervik * Sauda *

* Skudeneshavn *

* Åkrehamn

Parishes

* Askøy (Askø) *

Avaldsnes Avaldsnes is a village in Karmøy municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the northeastern part of the island of Karmøy (island), Karmøy, along the Karmsundet strait, just south of the town of Haugesund (town), Hauge ...

* Bjerkreim * Bokn (Bukken) * Bore * Bø * Domkirken, Stavanger * Egersund * Erfjord * Falnes * Ferkingstad * Finnøy (Hesby) * Fister * Forsand (Fossan) * Frue, see Hetland * Førdesfjorden * Gjestal * Haugesund * Hausken * Helleland * Hesby * Heskestad * Hetland * Hjelmeland * Hvidingsø * Høgsfjord * Høle * Høyland * Hå * Håland * Imsland * Jelsa (Jelsø) * Klepp * Kopervik * Kvitsøy (Hvidingsø) * Lund * Lye * Madla * Malle, see Madla * Mosterøy * Nedstrand (Hinderå) * Norheim * Nærbø * Nærem * Ogna * Orre * Randaberg (Randeberg) * Rennesøy * Riska (Riskekvernen) * Røldal (in Hordaland after 1848) * Sand * Sandeid * Sandnes * Sankt Johannes, Stavanger * Sankt Petri, Stavanger * Saude (Sauda) * Sjernarøy * Skjold * Skudenes * Skudeneshavn * Skåre * Sokndal * Sola (Sole) * Soma * Stavanger * Strand * Suldal * Sørbø * Talgøy (Talgje) * Tananger * Time (Lye) * Tjora * Torvastad (Torvestad) * Tysvær * Utsira * Utstein Kloster * Varhaug * Vats * Vedavågen * Vikedal * Vår Frue, see Hetland * Åkra * Åkra (old) * Åna-Sira * Årdal * Egersund Branch (LDS, 1899–1913) * Haugesund Branch (LDS, 1905–1950) * Stavanger Branch (LDS, 1850–1938) * Stavanger (Dissentermenigheter: Stavanger, Klepp, and Haugesund 1859–1903) * Stavanger (Vennenes Samfund- Quakers, 1821–1951)

Villages

* Aksdal * Amdal * Askje * Åkrehamn *

Åmøy Åmøy is an island in Stavanger Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The island lies just north of the Stavanger (city), city of Stavanger in a group of islands. The islands of Sokn and Bru, Rogaland, Bru both lie to the west of Åmøy an ...

* Bjerkreim * Bjoa * Bore * Bru * Brusand * Dirdal * Dueland * Eik * Eike * Erfjord * Ferkingstad * Feøy * Figgjo * Fiskå * Fister * Fogn * Forsand * Foss-Eikeland * Frafjord * Føresvik * Førre * Gjesdal * Gilja * Grinde * Grødem * Hauge i Dalane * Hellandsbygd * Helleland * Hellvik * Hervik * Hesby * Heskestad *

Hestnes Hestnes is a small village in Eigersund municipality in Rogaland 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 i ...

* Hindaråvåg * Hjelmelandsvågen * Hommersåk * Hundvåg * Hæen *

Høle Høle is a previous borough and a village in the eastern part of Sandnes municipality in Rogaland county, Norway, located along the Høgsfjorden. The area was historically a part of the municipality of Høle. Høle Church and Høle School ...

* Hålandsmarka * Hålandsosen * Idse * Imslandsjøen * Innbjoa * Jelsa * Judaberg * Jøsenfjorden * Klepp stasjon * Kleppe * Krossberg *

Kvernaland The larger Kvernaland area is an amalgamation of villages in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located along the north end of the lake Frøylandsvatnet. The village is located in both the municipalities of Klepp and Time, Norway, Time (and ...

* Li * Lyefjell * Lysebotn * Marvik *

Moi Moi or MOI may refer to: People * Moi (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Moisés Delgado (born 1994), Spanish footballer commonly known as simply Moi * Moisés Rodríguez (born 1997), Spanish footballer commonly known as ...

* Mossige * Nedstrand * Nesflaten * Norheim * Nærbø * Oanes * Obrestad * Ogna * Oltedal * Orre * Pollestad * Randaberg * Rekefjord * Røvær * Sand i Ryfylke * Sandeid * Sandve * Saudasjøen * Sirevåg * Sjernarøyane * Skjold * Skjoldastraumen * Sogndalsstrand * Solakrossen * Stenebyen * Stronda * Suldalsosen * Susort * Sviland * Sør-Hidle * Sørbø * Sørnes * Talgje *

Tau Tau (; uppercase Τ, lowercase τ or \boldsymbol\tau; ) is the nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless alveolar plosive, voiceless dental or alveolar plosive . In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 300 ...

* Torvastad * Tysværvåg * Undheim * Varhaug * Vassøy * Vatne i Sandnes * Vatne i Vindafjord * Veavågen * Verdalen * Vigrestad * Vikebygd * Vikedal * Vikeså * Vikevåg * Visnes * Voll * Vormedal * Yrke * Ydstebøhamn *

Ølensjøen Ølensjøen or Ølen is the administrative centre of Vindafjord municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located at the southern end of the Ølsfjorden, along the European route E134 highway, just east of the village of Ølensvå ...

* Ølensvåg (Ølsvågen) * Øvrebygd *

Ålgård Ålgård (historic: ''Aalgaard'') is the administrative centre of Gjesdal municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located along the European route E39 highway, about southeast of the Sandnes (town), city of Sandnes in the Jær ...

* Åna-Sira * Årdal i Ryfylke

Former municipalities

* Erfjord * Finnøy * Fister * Forsand * Helleland * Heskestad * Hetland * Hjelmeland og Fister *

* Høyland * Håland * Imsland * Jelsa * Kopervik *

Madla Madla is a borough of the Stavanger (city), city of Stavanger which lies in the southwestern part of the large municipality of Stavanger in Rogaland county, Norway. It lies in the western part of the city, along the coast of the Hafrsfjorden. T ...

* Nedstrand * Nærbø * Ogna * Rennesøy *

Sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

* Sandeid * Sjernarøy * Skjold * Skudenes * Skudeneshavn * Skåre * Sogndal * Stangaland * Torvastad * Vats * Varhaug * Vikedal *

Ølen Ølen is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the Vestlandet region of Norway. The municipality existed from 1916 until 2006, and originally it was a part of Hordaland county, but in 2002 it was transferred to Rogala ...

* Åkra * Årdal

Education

Higher Education

* University of Stavanger * VID Specialized University (Stavanger) * Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (Haugesund) * Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Sandnes)

Demographics

Total population:

In popular culture

Rogaland is a playable region within Norway in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, called Rygjafylke in the game. It is also the homeland of the game’s main character, Eivor Varinsdottir.

References

External links

Official county website

Region Stavanger
Official tourism site for the Stavanger region {{Authority control Counties of Norway Petty kingdoms of Norway 1662 establishments in Norway