Rogaland (Norwegian: [ˈrûːɡɑlɑn] ⓘ) is a county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. As of 1 January 2024, it had a population of 499,417 people.

The administrative centre of the county is the city of Stavanger, which is the third largest city in Norway.

Etymology

Rogaland is the region's Old Norse name, which was revived in modern times. During Denmark's rule of Norway the county was named Stavanger amt, after the large city of Stavanger, and this name continued to be used until 1919. The first element in the name Rogaland is the plural genitive case of rygir, probably referring to the name of an old Germanic tribe (see Rugians). The second element is land which means "land" or "region".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is modern; it was granted on 11 January 1974. The arms are blue with a white or silver pointed cross in the centre. The cross is based on the old stone cross in Sola Municipality, the oldest national monument in Norway. It was erected in memory of Erling Skjalgsson after his death in 1028. This type of cross was very common in medieval Norway.

Geography

Rogaland is mainly a coastal region with fjords, beaches, and islands, the principal island being Karmøy. The vast Boknafjorden is the largest bay, with many fjords branching off from it.

Stavanger/Sandnes, the third-largest urban area of Norway, is also a central area for the Norwegian petroleum industry. The area includes the large cities of Stavanger and Sandnes. Randaberg Municipality and Sola Municipality are also in close proximity. Together, this conurbation is ranked above the city Trondheim in population rankings in Norway.

Cities/towns in Rogaland other than Stavanger and Sandnes include Haugesund, Egersund, Sauda, Jørpeland, Bryne, Kopervik, Åkrehamn, and Skudeneshavn.

Karmøy Municipality has large deposits of copper (some from the Visnes mine was used in the construction of the Statue of Liberty). Sokndal Municipality has large deposits of ilmenite. Rogaland is the most important region for oil and gas exploration in Norway, and the Jæren district in Rogaland is one of the country's most important agricultural districts.

History

There are remains in Rogaland from the earliest times, such as the excavations in a cave at Viste in Randaberg Municipality (Svarthola). These include the find of a skeleton of a boy from the Stone Age. Various archeological finds stem from the following times, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Many crosses in Irish style have been found. Rogaland was called Rygjafylke in the Viking Age. Before Harald Fairhair and the Battle of Hafrsfjord, it was a petty kingdom. The Rugians were a tribe possibly connected with Rogaland.

Culture and tourism

A series of festivals and congresses of international fame and profile are arranged, such as The Chamber Music Festival, The Maijazz Festival, The Gladmat (lit. happy food) Festival, and The ONS event, which has been held in Stavanger every second year since 1974. The ONS is a major international conference and exhibition with focus on oil and gas, and other topics from the petroleum industry. The Concert Hall and Music Complex at Bjergsted and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra provide important inspiration in the Norwegian musical environment. Another annual event in Stavanger is The World Tour Beach Volleyball. During this tournament, the downtown is converted into a beach volleyball arena.

Rogaland is home to many natural wonders, like Prekestolen, Kjerag and Gloppedalsura. In Stavanger, there is an archeological museum with many artifacts from early history in Rogaland. An Iron Age farm at Ullandhaug in Stavanger is reconstructed on the original farm site dating back to 350–500 AD. The Viking Farm is a museum at Karmøy.

Government

A county (fylke) is the chief local administrative area in Norway. The whole country is divided into 11 counties. A county is also an election area, with popular votes taking place every 4 years. In Rogaland, the government of the county is the Rogaland County Municipality. It includes 47 members who are elected to form a county council (Fylkesting). Heading the Fylkesting is the county mayor (fylkesordførar). Since 2020, the Rogaland County Municipality has been led by Marianne Chesak, the county mayor.

The county also has a county governor (fylkesmann) who is the representative of the King and Government of Norway. Bent Høie is the incumbent governor, in office since 1 November 2021.

The municipalities in Rogaland are divided among several district courts (tingrett): Dalane District Court, Haugaland District Court, Jæren District Court, and Stavanger District Court. All of these courts are subordinate to the Gulating Court of Appeal district based in Bergen.

Subdivisions

Municipalities

Rogaland County has a total of 23 municipalities:

Municipal NumberNameAdm. CentreLocation in the countyEstablishedIncludes (former municipalities)
1101Eigersund MunicipalityEgersund1 Jan 19651101 Egersund (town) 1113 Heskestad Municipality (part) 1115 Helleland Municipality
1103Stavanger MunicipalityStavanger1 Jan 18381124 Håland Municipality (part) 1125 Madla Municipality 1126 Hetland Municipality (part) 1132 Fister Municipality (part) 1133 Hjelmeland og Fister Municipality (part) 1140 Sjernarøy Municipality 1141 Finnøy Municipality 1142 Rennesøy Municipality
1106Haugesund MunicipalityHaugesund1 Jan 18551152 Torvastad Municipality (part) 1153 Skåre Municipality
1108Sandnes MunicipalitySandnes1 Jan 18381123 Høyland Municipality 1126 Hetland Municipality (part) 1128 Høle Municipality (part) 1129 Forsand Municipality (part)
1111Sokndal MunicipalityHauge1 Jan 18381107 Sogndal Municipality
1112Lund MunicipalityMoi1 Jan 18381113 Heskestad Municipality (part)
1114Bjerkreim MunicipalityVikeså1 Jan 1838
1119Hå MunicipalityVarhaug1 Jan 19641117 Ogna Municipality 1118 Varhaug Municipality 1119 Nærbø Municipality
1120Klepp MunicipalityKleppe1 Jan 1838
1121Time MunicipalityBryne1 Jan 1838
1122Gjesdal MunicipalityÅlgård1 Jan 18381128 Høle Municipality (part)
1124Sola MunicipalitySolakrossen1 Jan 19301124 Håland Municipality (part)
1127Randaberg MunicipalityRandaberg1 July 1922
1130Strand MunicipalityJørpeland1 Jan 18381129 Forsand Municipality (part)
1133Hjelmeland MunicipalityHjelmelandsvågen1 July 18841131 Årdal Municipality 1132 Fister Municipality (part) 1133 Hjelmeland og Fister Municipality (part)
1134Suldal MunicipalitySand1 Jan 18381136 Sand Municipality 1137 Erfjord Municipality 1138 Jelsa Municipality 1156 Imsland Municipality (part)
1135Sauda MunicipalitySauda1 Jan 1842
1144Kvitsøy MunicipalityYdstebøhamn1 Jan 1923
1145Bokn MunicipalityFøresvik1 Jan 1849
1146Tysvær MunicipalityAksdal1 Jan 18491139 Nedstrand Municipality 1147 Avaldsnes Municipality (part) 1154 Skjold Municipality (part)
1149Karmøy MunicipalityKopervik1 Jan 19651104 Skudeneshavn (town) 1105 Kopervik (town) 1147 Avaldsnes Municipality (part) 1148 Stangaland Municipality 1149 Åkra Municipality 1150 Skudenes Municipality 1152 Torvastad Municipality (part)
1151Utsira MunicipalityUtsira1 July 1924
1160Vindafjord MunicipalityØlensjøen1 Jan 19651154 Skjold Municipality (part) 1155 Vats Municipality 1156 Imsland Municipality (part) 1157 Vikedal Municipality 1158 Sandeid Municipality 1159 Ølen Municipality

Districts

Cities

Parishes

  • Askøy (Askø)
  • Avaldsnes
  • Bjerkreim
  • Bokn (Bukken)
  • Bore
  • Bø
  • Domkirken, Stavanger
  • Egersund
  • Erfjord
  • Falnes
  • Ferkingstad
  • Finnøy (Hesby)
  • Fister
  • Forsand (Fossan)
  • Frue, see Hetland
  • Førdesfjorden
  • Gjestal
  • Haugesund
  • Hausken
  • Helleland
  • Hesby
  • Heskestad
  • Hetland
  • Hjelmeland
  • Hvidingsø
  • Høgsfjord
  • Høle
  • Høyland
  • Hå
  • Håland
  • Imsland
  • Jelsa (Jelsø)
  • Klepp
  • Kopervik
  • Kvitsøy (Hvidingsø)
  • Lund
  • Lye
  • Madla
  • Malle, see Madla
  • Mosterøy
  • Nedstrand (Hinderå)
  • Norheim
  • Nærbø
  • Nærem
  • Ogna
  • Orre
  • Randaberg (Randeberg)
  • Rennesøy
  • Riska (Riskekvernen)
  • Røldal (in Hordaland after 1848)
  • Sand
  • Sandeid
  • Sandnes
  • Sankt Johannes, Stavanger
  • Sankt Petri, Stavanger
  • Saude (Sauda)
  • Sjernarøy
  • Skjold
  • Skudenes
  • Skudeneshavn
  • Skåre
  • Sokndal
  • Sola (Sole)
  • Soma
  • Stavanger
  • Strand
  • Suldal
  • Sørbø
  • Talgøy (Talgje)
  • Tananger
  • Time (Lye)
  • Tjora
  • Torvastad (Torvestad)
  • Tysvær
  • Utsira
  • Utstein Kloster
  • Varhaug
  • Vats
  • Veavågen
  • Vikedal
  • Vår Frue, see Hetland
  • Åkra
  • Åkra (old)
  • Åna-Sira
  • Årdal
  • Egersund Branch (LDS, 1899–1913)
  • Haugesund Branch (LDS, 1905–1950)
  • Stavanger Branch (LDS, 1850–1938)
  • Stavanger (Dissentermenigheter: Stavanger, Klepp, and Haugesund 1859–1903)
  • Stavanger (Vennenes Samfund- Quakers, 1821–1951)

Villages

Former municipalities

Education

Higher Education

Demographics

Religion in Rogaland
religionpercent
Christianity85.47%
Islam1.53%
Buddhism0.24%
Other/atheism12.76%

Total population:

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1951211,512—
1961239,052+13.0%
1971268,684+12.4%
1981305,490+13.7%
1991337,906+10.6%
2001375,225+11.0%
2011436,087+16.2%
2021482,645+10.7%
2031 (est.)594,278+23.1%

In popular culture

Rogaland is a playable region within Norway in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, called Rygjafylke in the game. It is also the homeland of the game’s main character, Eivor Varinsdottir.

External links

  • Official tourism site for the Stavanger region