Strand, Norway

Strand Municipality
Strand kommune
View of the town of Jørpeland
View of the town of Jørpeland
Flag of Strand Municipality
Coat of arms of Strand Municipality
Rogaland within Norway
Rogaland within Norway
Strand within Rogaland
Strand within Rogaland
Coordinates: 59°03′48″N 06°01′40″E / 59.06333°N 6.02778°E / 59.06333; 6.02778
CountryNorway
CountyRogaland
DistrictRyfylke
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centreJørpeland
Government
 • Mayor (2015)Irene Heng Lauvsnes (H)
Area
 • Total261.82 km2 (101.09 sq mi)
 • Land235.74 km2 (91.02 sq mi)
 • Water26.08 km2 (10.07 sq mi)  10%
 • Rank#278 in Norway
Population
 (2023)
 • Total13,474
 • Rank#90 in Norway
 • Density57.2/km2 (148/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Increase +13.4%
DemonymsStrandbu
Strandabu[1]
Official language
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1130[3]
WebsiteOfficial website

Strand is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Jørpeland. The municipality lies across the fjord from the city of Stavanger. The Ryfast tunnel system connects Stavanger and Strand by a very long undersea tunnel.

The villages of Sørskår and Fiskå are located in northern Strand, on the southern shore of the Årdalsfjorden. This area of Strand produces fruit, vegetables, and dairy products. The Fiskå Mølle (Fiskå Mill) is located in Fiskå. The larger village of Tau is located on the western coast of Strand. It is a transportation hub with ferry connections to the city of Stavanger and bus services to nearby Hjelmelandsvågen and deeper into the Ryfylke district. About 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) southeast of Tau is the municipal center of Jørpeland. This town is the largest settlement in Strand with about 7,000 people.

The 262-square-kilometre (101 sq mi) municipality is the 278th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Strand is the 90th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 13,474. The municipality's population density is 57.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (148/sq mi) and its population has increased by 13.4% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]

The cross-country and marathon mountain biker Gunn-Rita Dahle comes from Bjørheimsbygd. She has won a gold medal in the Summer Olympics 2004, in Athens. Holtaheia was the mountain behind Holta farm where 34 school boys, 2 teachers and 3 crew died, when the Cunard Viking flight 'Papa Mike' crashed into the mountain, en route to Stavanger.

  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).