Hordaland

is a coonty in Norawa, borderin Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark an Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county efter Akershus an Oslo bi population. The coonty admeenistration is locatit in Bergen. Afore 1972, the ceety o Bergen wis its awn separate coonty apairt frae Hordaland.

## Aboot the Coonty
### The name ''Hordaland''
Hordaland (Auld Norse: *Hǫrðaland*) is the auld name o the region which wis revivit in modren times. The first element is the plural genitive case o *hǫrðar*, the name o an auld Germanic tribe (see Charudes). The last element is *land* which means "land" or "region".

Till 1919 the name o the coonty wis *[[Bergenhus len|Søndre Bergenhus amt]]* which meant "(the) soothren (pairt o) Bergenhus amt". (The auld *Bergenhus amt* wis creatit in 1662 an wis dividit in 1763.)

### Coat o airms
The Coat o airms wur offeecially grantit on 1 December 1961. They were designed by Magnus Hardeland, but the general design haed been oreginally used in the Sunnhordland region durin the 14t century. In the early 20t century, leaders o the coonty began uisin the auld airms as a seembol for the coonty ance again. The airms are on a red backgrund an consist o twa gowden axes that are crossed wi a gowden croun abuin them.

### Flag

The flag o Hordaland shows twa gowden axes an a croun in red. The flag is a banner o the coat o airms derivit frae the auld seal o the guild of St. Olav from Onarheim in Tysnes municipality. This seal wis uised bi the delegates o Sunnhordland in 1344 on the document tae instaw king Haakon V o Norawa. It wis thus the auldest seembol uised for the region an adaptit as the airms an flag in 1961. The seembols refer tae the patron saunt o the guild, Saunt Olav, King o Norawa, whose seembol is an axe.

The flag was officially granted on December 1, 1961.

## History
Hordaland coonty haes been aroond for mair nor ane thoosan years. Syne the 7t century, the aurie wis made up o mony petty kinricks unner the Gulating an wis kent as *Hordafylke* syne aroond the year 900. In the early 16t century, Norawa wis dividit intae fower *len*. The Bergenhus len wis heidquairtered in Bergen an encompassed hintle o wastren an northren Norawa.

In 1662, the *lens* wur replacit bi amts. *Bergenhus amt* consistit o Hordaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sunnmøre, Troms an Nordland. In 1763, the *amt* wis dividit intae northren an soothren pairts: *Nordre Bergenhus amt* an *Søndre Bergenhus amt*. Søndre Bergenhus amt wis re-namit *Hordaland fylke* in 1919.

The ceety o Bergen wis classifeed as a ceety-coonty *(byamt)* frae 1831-1972. Durin that time in 1915, the municipality o Årstad wis annexed intae Bergen. In 1972, the neebourin municipalities o Arna, Fana, Laksevåg an Åsane wur annexed intae the ceety o Bergen. At that same time an aw, the ceety o Bergen lost its coonty status, an became a pairt o Hordaland coonty.

## Govrenment

A coonty *(fylke)* is the chief local admeenistrative aurie in Norawa. The whole kintra is dividit intae 19 counties. A coonty is an election aurie an aw, wi popular votes takkin place ivery 4 years. In Hordaland, 57 members are electit tae form a coonty council *(Fylkesting)*. Heading the *Fylkesting* is the coonty mayor *(fylkesordførar)*. Syne 2003, the Hordaland coonty municipality haes been led bi Torill Selsvold Nyborg, the coonty mayor.

The coonty haes a Coonty Govrenor *(fylkesmann)* an aw who is the representative o the Keeng an Govrenment o Norawa. Lars Sponheim is the Coonty Govrenor o Hordaland.

The municipalities in Hordaland are dividit amang fower destrict courts *(tingrett)*: Nordhordland, Sunnhordland, Bergen an Hardanger. Hordaland is pairt o the Gulating Court o Appeal destrict based in Bergen an aw. 
* Nordhordland Destrict Court: Askøy, Austevoll, Austrheim, Fedje, Fjell, Fusa, Lindås, Masfjorden, Meland, Modalen, Os, Osterøy, Radøy, Samnanger, Sund, Vaksdal, Voss, Øygarden an Gulen
* Sunnhordland Destrict Court: Bømlo, Etne, Fitjar, Kvinnherad, Stord, Sveio an Tysnes
* Bergen Destrict Court: the ceety o Bergen
* Hardanger Destrict Court: Eidfjord, Granvin, Jondal, Kvam, Odda, Ullensvang and Ulvik

Maist o the municipalities in Hordaland are pairt o the Hordaland polis destrict. Gulen an Solund in Sogn og Fjordane coonty are pairt o the Hordaland polis destrict an aw. Bømlo, Etne, Fitjar, Stord an Sveio are a pairt o the *"[[Haugaland]] an [[Sunnhordland]]"* polis destrict, alang wi aicht ither municipalities in Rogaland coonty.

## Geography

Hordaland is semi-circular in shape. It is locatit on the wastren coast o Norawa, split frae soothwast tae northeast bi the lang, deep Hardangerfjorden, ane o Norawa's main fjords an a great tourist attraction. Aboot hauf o the Naitional pairk o Hardangervidda is in this coonty. The coonty includes mony well-kent waterfaws o Norawa an aw, such as Vøringsfossen an Stykkjedalsfossen. It includes the Folgefonna an Hardangerjøkulen glaciers an aw.

Mair nor 60% o the inhabitants live in Bergen an the surroondin aurie. Ither urban or semi-urban centres include Leirvik, Voss an Odda.

### Municipalities
In 1837, the coonties wur dividit intae local admeenistrative units each wi their awn govrenments. The number an borders o these municipalities hae chyngit ower time, an at present there are 33 municipalities in Hordaland. 

### Destricts

Hordaland is conventionally dividit intae traditional destricts. The inland destricts are Hardanger an Voss an the coastal destricts are Sunnhordland, Midhordland an Nordhordland [*sic*]. *[[Strilelandet]]* is the name o a mair informal region commonly held tae encompass Midhordland an Nordhordland. *Stril* is a name the inhabitants o Bergen apply tae the fowk livin in the traditionally agricultural auries surroondin the ceety.

## Sister regions
Hordaland coonty haes the follaein offeecial sister regions:
*  Basse-Normandie, France
*  Cairdiff, Wales, Unitit Kinrick
*  Kaunas, Lithuanie
*  Orkney Islands, Scotland, Unitit Kinrick

## References

## Freemit airtins
* Coonty wab steid 
* Map o Hordaland