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 the island of Karmøy. The island is connected to the mainland by the Karmøy Tunnel and the Karmsund Bridge. It is known for its industries, as well as for fishing. Karmøy is also well known in Norway for its beautiful heather moors and the white sand surfing beaches. The municipality is the 294th largest by area out of the 356  municipalities in Norway. Karmøy is the 24th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 42,186, making it one of the largest in the region. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 6.5% over the previous 10-year period. The island itself is the 4th most populated island in all of Norway. General information. The municipality of Karmøy is a recent creation. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, Karmøy municipality was created upon the merger of two towns  and parts of five municipalities into one large municipality with 23,217 residents. The areas that were merged were: Name. The municipality was named after the island of Karmøy, on which the majority of the municipality is located. The Old Norse form of the name was "Kǫrmt". The name is probably derived from 'bargeboard' (here in the sense 'sheltering island'). The last element in the word, "øy", means 'island' and was added later. Coat of arms. The coat of arms was granted on 18 April 1975. The arms are a silver or white diamond interwoven with a cross on a red  background. The diamond symbolizes the name "Karmøy" since the island protects the mainland. The cross symbolizes the historic Avaldsnes Church which was a royal chapel in the Middle Ages. Churches. The Church of Norway has eight parishes () within the municipality of Karmøy. It is part of the Karmøy prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger. History. There are several finds from the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Large burial mounds, stone monuments, and many other ancient monuments are found on the island. Karmøy is the site of the Storhaug, Grønhaug, and Flagghaugen burial mounds. Karmøy was known for  sailing in the old times. The eddic poem "Grímnismál" says that Thor, the weather god, wades the Karmsundet strait every morning on his way to Yggdrasil, the tree of life. The ocean outside Karmøy is dangerous, filled with underwater currents and rocks. Thus the ships were forced into the narrow Karmsundet. Chieftains and kings controlled the ships passing up and down the coast and demanded taxes. The Karmsundet strait was also the source of the name of the kingdom, at the time when the first king of the unified Norway, Harald Fairhair, lived on Karmøy. (See History of Norway.) Avaldsnes  is located on the northeastern coast of the island. King Augvald who has given his name to this ancient site is mentioned in the Old Norse sagas as having his home here. Later the residence of Harald Fairhair and other kings are mentioned. There is also a medieval church, St. Olav's church of Avaldsnes, located on this coast. Visnes, a village in the northwest of Karmøy was once the site of an important copper mine. This mine was source of the copper used for the Statue of Liberty in New York City. In the 18th century, two girls from  Uyea in Shetland rowed to Haaf Gruney to milk some of the cows grazing there. Unfortunately, their return was marred by a strong storm, and eventually they found their tiny boat blown to Karmøy. The Uyea girls ended up marrying Karmøy men, and their descendants still live there. The Dyrland family of Karmoy are believed to be the family that the two girls married into after they arrived on Karmøy. Sivert Dyrland was a member of the Norwegian government in the early 20th century. Geography. The majority of the municipality is located on the large island of Karmøy, but it  also includes the mainland peninsula between the Karmsundet strait and Førresfjorden, plus the island of Feøy and several other small islands. The natural and cultural landscape is highly heterogeneous, encompassing chalk-white sands, moorland, and several piers around the island. The landscape in the north is mainly agricultural, while large parts of the inland south are heather moors. The island has many white, sandy beaches facing the North Sea, attracting surfers as one of the top spots for windsurfing in Norway. Towns and villages are mostly located along the coast. The three towns in Karmøy are all on the island , the administrative center Kopervik is on the east side, Åkrehamn is on the west side, while Skudeneshavn is on the southern tip. On the mainland part of Karmøy, the village of Norheim is contiguous with the neighboring town of Haugesund. To the south of Norheim is the village of Vormedal while the village of Kolnes is in the northeastern part of mainland Karmøy. Other villages in Karmøy include Avaldsnes, Eike, Ferkingstad, Sævelandsvik, Sandve, Veavågen, and Visnes. Haugesund Airport is also located on the island rather than in the town of Haugesund proper. The Geitungen Lighthouse lies at the southern end  of the municipality, marking the entrance to the Boknafjorden. Districts. The municipality is divided into 79 circuits, grouped into 10 areas: Government. All municipalities in Norway, including Karmøy, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the Haugaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal. Municipal council. The municipal council () of Karmøyis made up of 17 representatives that are elected to  four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows: Industry. Norsk Hydro is a large aluminium smelter operator located on the island of Karmøy. The power supply of this facility is done by three overhead power lines, which cross the Karmsundet strait on tall pylons. These pylons are the tallest electricity pylons in Norway. Bauer-Nilsen design and produce high-pressure hydraulics located at Karmøy. International relations. Twin towns – Sister cities. Karmøy has sister city agreements with the following places: