Hordaland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hordaland is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is in Bergen. It was formerly called Søndre Bergenhus amt. Before 1972 Bergen was a separate entity from Hordaland.
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| County | NO-12 | |
| Region | Vestlandet | |
| Administrative centre | Bergen | |
| County mayor | ||
| Area - Total - Percentage |
Ranked 9 15,460 km² 4.78 % |
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| Population - Total (2006) - Percentage - Change (10 years) - Density |
Ranked 3 453,574 9.72 % 6.8 % 31/km² |
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| Gross Regional Product - Total (2001) - Percentage - GRP/capita |
Ranked 2 115,293 million NOK 7.55 % 263,056 NOK |
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Hordaland is semi-circular in shape. It is located on the western coast of the country, split from southwest to northeast by the long, deep Hardangerfjorden, one of Norway's main fjords and a great tourist attraction. About half of the National park of Hardangervidda is in the county. The county also includes many well-known waterfalls of Norway, like Vøringsfossen and Stykkjedalsfossen. It also includes the glaciers Folgefonna and Hardangerjøkullen.
More than 60% of the inhabitants live in Bergen and the surrounding area. Other urban or semi-urban centres include Leirvik, Voss and Odda.
Famous people from Hordaland:
- Edvard Grieg Composer from Bergen
- Christian Michelsen Politician from Bergen, Norway's first Prime Minister
- Ole Bull Composer from Bergen
- Ludvig Holberg Playwright and author from Bergen
- Roald "Kniksen" Jensen Soccer player from Bergen
- Kari Traa Skier from Voss
- Leif Andreas Larsen Naval officer from Bergen
Hordaland is twinned with Cardiff, Wales.
[edit] Districts
The county is conventionally divided into traditional districts. The inland districts are Hardanger and Voss and the coastal districts are Sunnhordland, Midhordland and Nordhordland [sic]. Strilelandet is the name of a more informal region commonly held to encompass Midthordland and Nordhordland.
[edit] Municipalities
Hordaland has a total of 33 municipalities:
[edit] External links
| Counties of Norway |  |
|---|---|
| Akershus | Aust-Agder | Buskerud | Finnmark | Hedmark | Hordaland | Møre og Romsdal | Nordland | Nord-Trøndelag | Oppland | Oslo | Østfold | Rogaland | Sogn og Fjordane | Sør-Trøndelag | Telemark | Troms | Vest-Agder | Vestfold | |
