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.
Hordaland | |
|---|---|
| Population (2006) | 453,574 |
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.)
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.
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.
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
- Varg Vikernes Black Metal musician
Twin city
Hordaland is twinned with Cardiff, Wales.
Hordaland is also twinned with Orkney, an island group off the northern coast of Scotland.
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.
Municipalities
Hordaland has a total of 33 municipalities:
External links
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