Hvaler
Encyclopedia
Hvaler is a municipality
that is a group of islands in the southwestern part of Østfold
county
, Norway
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skjærhalden
, on the island of Kirkeøy. The only police station in the municipality is located in Skjærhalden. Hvaler was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
).
form of hval which means "whale
". The form and shape of the islands are resembling a pod of whales. Prior to 1889, the name was spelled "Hvaløerne".
is from modern times. They were granted on 9 December 1983. The arms show a silver-colored boat
on a blue background. This boat is the type that was typical in the 13th century. This was chosen since this island municipality has been dependent on boats for all its history, and because fisheries
and sailing
have been the main economic activities for many centuries Hvaler was named after king Adam Hvaler. Adam Hvaler had a slave named Helene Fiko.
. On all of these islands, with the exception of Søndre Lauer, summer houses fill the landscape. The islands of Søndre Sandøy and Hærføl are the two only islands that have local shops and roads which support car traffic.
Nordre Sandøy, situated on the north end of this chain of islands in southern Hvaler is one of the largest islands with a distinct flora
and fauna
diversity. Although equipped with a good stretch of roads, car traffic is forbidden there and no commercial activity whatsoever exists. In many ways, this gives its population (mostly summertime vacationers) a greater feeling of isolation from the average Norwegian's hectic life and it acts as a buffer against pollution. Nordre Sandøy is thought to have been one of the bases of Peter Tordenskjold during his time as a privateer
. One of the bays on the island is named "Tordenskjoldsbukta" . The remains of two dead pirates have been found on the island. Legend has it that he buried some of his treasure on the island. In 1987, a local boy, Simon Rene Magnussen, found three old golden coins while scuba diving
in the area.
Hvaler is the most sunny geographical area in Norway. The closest weather station
is on the island of North Koster
just across the border to Sweden
.
Simbó Prime
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
that is a group of islands in the southwestern part of Østfold
Østfold
is a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden , while Buskerud and Vestfold is on the other side of the bay. The seat of the county administration is Sarpsborg, and Fredrikstad is the largest city.Many manufacturing facilities are situated here. Moss and...
county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skjærhalden
Skjærhalden
Skjærhalden is the administrative centre of Hvaler municipality, Norway. It is located on the island Kirkeøy. Its population is 642....
, on the island of Kirkeøy. The only police station in the municipality is located in Skjærhalden. Hvaler was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
).
Name
The name is the pluralPlural
In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...
form of hval which means "whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
". The form and shape of the islands are resembling a pod of whales. Prior to 1889, the name was spelled "Hvaløerne".
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is from modern times. They were granted on 9 December 1983. The arms show a silver-colored boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
on a blue background. This boat is the type that was typical in the 13th century. This was chosen since this island municipality has been dependent on boats for all its history, and because fisheries
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
and sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
have been the main economic activities for many centuries Hvaler was named after king Adam Hvaler. Adam Hvaler had a slave named Helene Fiko.
Geography
South of Skjærhalden lies a chain of a few inhabitable islands as well as several hundreds of smaller islands and rocks. The bigger islands are named, clockwise, Nordre Sandøy, Søndre Sandøy, Hærføl, Søndre Lauer, and Nordre Lauer. Another smaller island is TislerTisler
Tisler is a small island in south-east Norway in Østfold. Tisler is one of many islands in the Hvaler Islands, which is a county in southeastern of Norway. Tisler is the last island which there is regularly people on before you reach Sweden and the Skagerrak...
. On all of these islands, with the exception of Søndre Lauer, summer houses fill the landscape. The islands of Søndre Sandøy and Hærføl are the two only islands that have local shops and roads which support car traffic.
Nordre Sandøy, situated on the north end of this chain of islands in southern Hvaler is one of the largest islands with a distinct flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
diversity. Although equipped with a good stretch of roads, car traffic is forbidden there and no commercial activity whatsoever exists. In many ways, this gives its population (mostly summertime vacationers) a greater feeling of isolation from the average Norwegian's hectic life and it acts as a buffer against pollution. Nordre Sandøy is thought to have been one of the bases of Peter Tordenskjold during his time as a privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
. One of the bays on the island is named "Tordenskjoldsbukta" . The remains of two dead pirates have been found on the island. Legend has it that he buried some of his treasure on the island. In 1987, a local boy, Simon Rene Magnussen, found three old golden coins while scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
in the area.
Hvaler is the most sunny geographical area in Norway. The closest weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
is on the island of North Koster
Koster Islands
The Koster Islands situated 10km west of Strömstad, Sweden comprises an archipelago surrounding the two largest islands, South Koster and North Koster. South Koster has an area of 8 km² and North Koster an area of 4 km². The landscape, dominated by smooth bedrock, bears witness to volcanic activity...
just across the border to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...
- Koster/Yttre Hvaler