Hordaland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| County | NO-12 |
| Region | Vestlandet |
| Administrative centre | Bergen |
| County mayor | Torill Selsvold Nyborg (Krf) |
| Area - Total - Percentage |
Ranked 9 15,460 km² 4.78 % |
| Population - Total (2007) - Percentage - Change (10 years) - Density |
Ranked 3 462,674 9.72 % 6.8 % 31/km² |
| Gross Regional Product - Total (2001) - Percentage - GRP/capita |
Ranked 2 115,293 million NOK 7.55 % 263,056 NOK |
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. Before 1972 Bergen was a separate entity from Hordaland.
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[edit] The name
Hordaland (Norse: Hörðaland) (Frisian: Hörnaland) is the old name of the region - revived in modern times. The first element is the plural genitive case of hörðar, the name of an old Germanic tribe (see Charudes). The last element is land as in 'land, region'.
Until 1919 the name of the county was Søndre Bergenhus amt - with the meaning '(the) southern (part of) Bergenhus amt'. (The old Bergenhus amt, created in 1662, was divided in 1763.)
(See also Rogaland and Sogn og Fjordane.)
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms was made official for Hordaland in 1961 - but originally it was used by the region Sunnhordland in the 14th century.
[edit] Geography
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 Hardangerjøkulen.
More than 60% of the inhabitants live in Bergen and the surrounding area. Other urban or semi-urban centres include Leirvik, Voss and Odda.
[edit] Famous people from Hordaland
- Ole Bull, composer and violinist from Bergen
- Edvard Grieg, composer from Bergen
- Ludvig Holberg, playwright and author from Bergen
- Roald "Kniksen" Jensen, soccer player from Bergen
- Leif Andreas Larsen, naval officer from Bergen
- Christian Michelsen, politician from Bergen, Norway's first Prime Minister
- Kari Traa, skier from Voss
- Varg Vikernes, black metal musician
- Herman Friele, mayor and coffee king
- Sissel Kyrkebø, singer
[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 Midhordland and Nordhordland. Stril is a name the inhabitants of Bergen apply to the people living in the traditionally agricultural areas surrounding the city.
[edit] Municipalities
Hordaland has a total of 33 municipalities. See List of municipalities in Hordaland, Norway for a more detailed list of the municipalities.
[edit] External links
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