Kvitsøy

Kvitsøy is an island municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. At only 6.29-square-kilometre (2.43 sq mi), it is the smallest municipality in Norway by area and one of the smallest by population. Kvitsøy is located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ydstebøhamn on the island of Kvitsøy. The municipality is an archipelago located at the entrance to the large Boknafjorden. It sits about 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) northwest of the mainland Stavanger peninsula. The Rogfast tunnel is being built to eventually connect Kvitsøy to the mainland road network.

This article is about the municipality in Rogaland, Norway. For the island in Norway, see Kvitsøy (island).

Kvitsøy kommune
Municipality
View of Ydstebøhamn
Coat of arms Rogaland within Norway
Kvitsøy within Rogaland
Coordinates: 59°03′44″N 05°24′42″E
Country	Norway
County	Rogaland
District	Ryfylke
Established	1 Jan 1923
Administrative centre	Ydstebøhamn
Government
• Mayor (2019)	Stian Bjørsvik (KrF)
Area
• Total	6.29 km^2 (2.43 sq mi)
• Land	6.28 km^2 (2.42 sq mi)
• Water	0.01 km^2 (0.004 sq mi)  0.2%
Area rank	356 in Norway
Population  (2020)
• Total	517
• Rank	350 in Norway
• Density	82.3/km^2 (213/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	-1.9%
Demonym(s)	Kvitsøybu[1]
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-1144
Official language form	Neutral[2]
Website	kvitsoy.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

The 6-square-kilometre (2.3 sq mi) municipality is the 356th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway, making it the smallest in the nation. Kvitsøy is the 350th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 517. The municipality's population density is 82.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (213/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 1.9% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

General information

The islands of Kvitsøy were established as a municipality on 1 January 1923 when they were separated from the municipality of Mosterøy. Initially, the municipality had 581 residents. The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time.[5]

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Hvítingsøy(jar) which means "the white island(s)", probably because there is white quartz in the rocks on the islands. Originally, the spelling of the municipality was "Kvitingsø", but later it was shortened to "Kvitsøy".[5][6]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted in 1989. The arms show three silver lighthouses on a field of blue. The choice of lighthouses and the color blue are symbolic of the importance of the sea for this island municipality.[7]

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Kvitsøy. It is part of the Tungenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

Churches in Kvitsøy

Parish (sokn)	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Kvitsøy	Kvitsøy Church	Kvitsøy	1620

History

Kvitsøy is first mentioned in the Snorre Saga, where Snorre records a truce being made between King Olaf II of Norway later to be known as St. Olav (Norwegian: Hellige Olav) and Erling Skjalgsson, under the stone cross. Later it seems that the islands were owned by the Church until the reformation in 1536 (when the nation switched from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism), when it became Crown property. In 1591, the population had become large enough to fund the construction of the Kvitsøy Church, which is still standing and the first new church in the county after the reformation. From the mid-18th century, Kvitsøy was the location of one of the first navigation beacons in western Norway, and this was later converted to a lighthouse service when the Kvitsøy Lighthouse was built. Kvitsøy Vessel Traffic Service Centre opened on 3 January 2003.[8]

Transmitter

Kvitsøy used to be the site of high power short wave and medium wave broadcasting transmitters of the national broadcasting company, NRK. The aerial tower of the medium-wave transmitter is the Kvitsøy Tower. The transmitter for the medium-wave channel 1314 kHz was switched off at 22:00 UTC (Midnight local time) on Friday June 30, 2006, shortwave broadcasts continued until 2011. In May and June 2012, the entire site was dismantled.[9]

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Kvitsøy, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.[10] The municipality falls under the Stavanger District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Kvitsøy is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 2020–2024 [11]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	3
	Joint list of the Labour Party, Centre Party, and the Kvitsøy List (Felleslista: Arbeiderpartiet, Senterpartiet, og Kvitsøylisten)	7
	Joint list of the Christian Democratic Party and non-socialists (Felleslista Kristelig folkeparti og Frie borgerlige)	5
Total number of members:		15

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 2015–2019 [12]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	2
	Joint list of the Labour Party and bipartisan group (Felleslista: Arbeiderpartiet og tverrpolitisk gruppe)	3
	Joint list of the Christian Democratic Party and non-socialists (Felleslista Kristelig folkeparti og Frie borgerlige)	6
	Kvitsøy List (Kvitsøy Listen)	4
Total number of members:		15

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 2012–2015 [13]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	3
	Joint list of the Labour Party and bipartisan group (Felleslista: Arbeiderpartiet og tverrpolitisk gruppe)	7
	Joint list of the Christian Democratic Party and non-socialists (Felleslista Kristelig folkeparti og Frie borgerlige)	5
Total number of members:		15

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 2008–2011 [12]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Joint list of the Labour Party and bipartisan group (Felleslista: Arbeiderpartiet og tverrpolitisk gruppe)	6
	Joint list of the Christian Democratic Party and non-socialists (Felleslista Kristelig folkeparti og Frie borgerlige)	9
Total number of members:		15

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 2004–2007 [12]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Joint list of the Labour Party and bipartisan group (Felleslista: Arbeiderpartiet og tverrpolitisk gruppe)	7
	Joint list of the Christian Democratic Party and non-socialists (Felleslista Kristelig folkeparti og Frie borgerlige)	8
Total number of members:		15

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 2000–2003 [12]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Joint list of the Christian Democratic Party, Labour Party, and non-socialists (Felleslista Kristelig folkeparti, Arbeiderpartiet, og Frie borgerlige)	9
	Local list (Bygdeliste)	6
Total number of members:		15

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 1996–1999 [14]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	4
	Common list (Samlingliste)	8
Total number of members:		15

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 1992–1995 [15]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	3
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	3
	Kvitsøy local list (Kvitsøy bygdeliste)	6
Total number of members:		15

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 1988–1991 [16]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	3
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	5
	Kvitsøy local list (Kvitsøy bygdeliste)	4
Total number of members:		15

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 1984–1987 [17]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	3
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	4
	Non-party list (Upolitisk liste)	2
	Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste)	3
Total number of members:		15

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 1980–1983 [18]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	4
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	5
	Non-party list (Upolitisk liste)	1
Total number of members:		13

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 1976–1979 [19]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	10
Total number of members:		13

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 1972–1975 [20]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	10
Total number of members:		13

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 1968–1971 [21]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	2
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	11
Total number of members:		13

Kvitsøy Kommunestyre 1964–1967 [22]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	13
Total number of members:		13

Kvitsøy Herredsstyre 1960–1963 [23]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	10
Total number of members:		13

Kvitsøy Herredsstyre 1956–1959 [24]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	13
Total number of members:		13

Kvitsøy Herredsstyre 1952–1955 [25]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	8
Total number of members:		12

Kvitsøy Herredsstyre 1948–1951 [26]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	12
Total number of members:		12

Kvitsøy Herredsstyre 1945–1947 [27]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	8
Total number of members:		12

Kvitsøy Herredsstyre 1938–1941* [28]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	12
Total number of members:		12

Geography

The municipality is an archipelago located at the entrance to the large Boknafjorden. It sits about 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) northwest of the mainland Stavanger peninsula and south of the islands of Karmøy and Vestre Bokn. The largest island is Kvitsøy, and it is connected with a few of the other islands in the archipelago, but most of the islands are uninhabited.

Nature

View of Kvitsøy

Climate

The islands are completely engulfed by the Gulf Stream and hence have a typically wet West Nordic coastal climate. The sea between the islands and the mainland is never frozen. Due to the maritime influence, summers are often chilly with temperatures between 15 °C (59 °F) and 20 °C (68 °F) being the norm. Winter highs usually are in the mid-single digits in all of the Greater Stavanger region.

Fauna and flora

There are no larger mammals in Kvitsøy except for seals (kobbe) and small dolphins (nise). The islands have a rich marine bird life. Many different plants are found on the islands. Some are natural to Norwegian flora, while others have been transported by ships emptying their hulls of ballast before entering the port of the nearby city of Stavanger.

References

1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
3. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
4. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
5. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
6. Rygh, Oluf (1915). Norske gaardnavne: Stavanger amt (in Norwegian) (10 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 270.
7. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
8. Førde, Thomas (3 January 2003). "Kvitsøy passer på til havs". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). p. 19.
9. Vaage, Lars Idar (31 May 2012). "Her sprenges den 125 meter høye masten". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 December 2015.
10. Hansen, Tore, ed. (12 May 2016). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
11. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Rogaland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
12. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
13. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Rogaland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
14. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
15. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
16. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
17. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
19. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
20. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
21. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
22. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
23. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
24. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
25. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

External links

• Rogaland travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)