Jæren
Jæren is a traditional district stretching across some 65 kilometers on the southwestern coast of Norway. It is located south of Boknafjorden and northwest of Dalane in the county of Rogaland. It has a geographical size of 1,070 km², and the population is about 260,000. Jæren is often separated into Nord-Jæren (north) and Sør-Jæren (south). The south consists of the municipalities Klepp, Time and Hå (550 km², 48,135 inhabitants), while the northern part is Randaberg, Stavanger, Sola and Sandnes (464 km², 216,984 inhabitants).
Høg-Jæren is the topographically elevated area which encompasses parts of Bjerkreim and Gjesdal municipalities. If this region is included, Jæren's population exceeds 276,000.
Jæren is the largest flat lowland area in Norway. The coast is mostly very flat, with sandy beaches along the entire coastline. Jæren is one of the most important agricultural areas of Norway, with a long crop period and a varied and well-developed livestock production. Industry here is also strongly connected to the farming industry, with one of the largest producers of agricultural machines in the world, Kverneland, located in Time and Klepp.
Author and poet Arne Garborg grew up on Jæren, and in several of his works he describes the landscape and its inhabitants around the turn of the 19th century.
The name
The Norse form of the name was Jaðarr. The name is identical with the word jaðarr m 'edge, brim'. Several farms in Norway (around 30) have the same name.