Kvitsøy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kvitsøy kommune | |||
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Rogaland | ||
| District | Ryfylke | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-1144 | ||
| Administrative centre | Ydstebøhavn | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2004) | Ole Olsen (KrF) | ||
| Area (Nr. 432 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 6 km² (2.3 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 6 km² (2.3 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| - Total | 538 | ||
| - Density | 83/km² (215/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | 3.7 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 424 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Neutral | ||
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| Website: www.kvitsoy.kommune.no | |||
Kvitsøy is a municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway. It is the smallest municipality in Norway (in area).
Kvitsøy was separated from Mosterøy January 1, 1923.
The municipality is an archipelago situated 2 nautical miles (4 km) northwest of the coast of the Stavanger peninsula. The largest island is connected with only a few of the other islands in the archipelago.
[edit] The name
The Norse form of the name was Hvítingsøy(jar) 'the white island(s)'. There are white quartz in the rocks of the islands.
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1989). It shows three lighthouses.
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[edit] History
Kvitsøy (Kvitsoey) is first mentioned in the Snorre Saga, where Snorre records a truce being made between King Olaf II of Norway later to be known as St. Olav (Hellige Olav) and Erling Sjalgsson, under the stone cross. Later it seems that the islands was owned by the Church until the reformation in 1536 (from roman-catholic to lutheranism), when it became Crown property. In 1591 the population had become large enough to fund the raising of a church, which is still standing and the first new church in the county after the reformation. From the mid 18th century Kvitsøy was the location of one of the first navigation beacons in western Norway, and this was later converted to a lighthouse service. To this date it is the home of the region's naval navigation service.
[edit] Climate
The islands are engulfed totally by the Gulf Stream and hence have a typically wet Nordic coastal climate. The sea between the islands and the mainland are never frozen.
[edit] Fauna and flora
There are no larger mammals except seal (kobbe) and small dolphins (nise). The islands have a rich marine bird life. A lot of different plants have found its way to the islands. Some natural to Norwegian flora, and some transported by ship emptying their hull of ballast before entering Stavanger.
[edit] Transmitter
Kvitsøy is the site of high power transmitters for short wave and medium wave broadcasting transmitters of the broadcasting company of Norway. The aerial tower of the mediumwave transmitter is the Kvitsøy Tower.
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