Hordaland. The Central County of Western Norway

Transcription

1 Hordaland The Central County of Western Norway

2 Hordaland County Hordaland County, with its more than 455,000 inhabitants, is the home of 10% of Norway s population. Only the capital Oslo and the surrounding county of Akershus have larger populations. Hordaland is almost divided in two by the 179 km long Hardangerfjord, one of Norway s main fjords and a great tourist attraction. Hordaland is a region of islands and skerries and sheltered bays, fjords with steep mountainsides, magnificent waterfalls, mountain plateaux and glaciers, and fertile valleys. Hordaland comprises 33 municipalities governed by district councils. The majority of the population live in the coastal areas and on the low-lying narrow strip of farming land along the fjords. Bergen, one of Europe s great scenic cities, is known as the gateway to Western Norway. It is the centre of Hordaland County and the site of the county administration. Hordaland has more than 100 natural parks. The Hardanger Mountain Plateau is the largest national park in Norway and the largest mountain plateau in Northern Europe. The park is the home of the largest herd of wild reindeer in Europe. The Hardanger Mountain Plateau with Mount Hårteigen. 1690m, is the largest plateau in Northern Europe. Photo:Hardangervidda Natursenter Eidfjord Photo: Oddmund Lunde

3 Bergen gateway to the fjords Bergen, the «Second City» of Norway, is the gateway to the world famous fjords of Western Norway. There is much in this beautiful city to remind us of its long and glorious history as a centre of trade and shipping. «Bryggen», the Quayside on the old harbour front, with its characteristic old timber houses still stands as a monument to the city s widespread trading activities during the era of the Hanseatic League. The birthplace of Edvard Grieg still retains a solid position as one of Scandinavia s most «cultural» cities, with its International Festival, its well-known symphony orchestra, a richly endowed musical life, ballet, theatre and other cultural activities. With its mixture of modern, efficient bigcity facilities and traditional picturesqueness, Bergen is a popular tourist destination and a frequent host to congresses and meetings. Photo left: Bergen, view from Fløyen. (Stanley Hauge) Photo under: World Heritage Site Bryggen. (Robin Strand, Bergen Reiselivslag)

4 6 Trade and Industry Trade and industry in Hordaland is characterized by multiplicity. The county can boast a wide variety of industries. Most of these consist of small or medium-sized companies, often with a long tradition of doing business internationally. Products range from aluminium ingots to highly advanced catamaran vessels, from knitwear to remotely operated under-water vehicles, from tinned sardines to gas-fuelled engines, from smoked salmon to the largest offshore platforms in the world. The manufacturing industry includes leading companies in electronics, microwave and satellite communications. Hordaland has strong metallurgical and mineral industries producing ferrous alloys, aluminium, calcium carbide, zinc and ilmenite. Important industrial areas are Bergen, Stord, Odda, Husnes, Ålvik, Øygarden and Mongstad. About 30,000 persons (2005) are employed in the manufacturing industry in Hordaland. Only the neighbouring county of Rogaland employes more (39,000). Several major oil companies have offices in Bergen and several huge oil and gas fields are operated from here. On the island of Stord there are a number of companies that build sections and equipment for platforms and the offshore industry. Shipyards in Hordaland build vessels, act as subcontractors and service companies for the fishing and the merchant fleets, the offshore industry and the transport and passengers market. Some of the major players on the international shipping stage operate out of Bergen. More fruit is grown in Hordaland than in any other county in Norway, and Hordaland is the leading county in fish farming. Photo: Statoil

5 Facts about Hordaland Population, 1 Oct ,599 Area (total) 15,449 km2 Continental area 13,367 km2 Offshore islands 2,083 km2 Area of freshwater lakes 669 km2 Area of glaciers 518 km2 Agricultural area in use (2005) 42,284 ha Offshore islands 6,482 Islands in freshwater lakes 2,645 Freshwater lakes 15,529 Length of the mainland coastline 2,237 km Length of the islands coastline 6,504 km Length of coastline, total 8,741 km Largest island: Osterøy 329 km2 Highest mountain: Hardangerjøkulen 1,863 m Highest waterfall (approximate vertical fall): Skykkjedalsfossen (Eidfjord) 300 m Tyssestrengene (Odda) 300 m Highest waterfall, not regulated, (approximate vertical fall): Vedalsfossen in Eidfjord 200 m Longest fjord: Hardangerfjorden 179 km (The second longest fjord in Norway. Sognefjorden km - is the longest.) Largest glacier: Folgefonna 212 km2 (The third largest glacier in Norway. Jostedalsbreen and Svartisen are larger.) Longest road tunnel: Folgefonntunnelen 11,150 m Bømlafjordtunnelen (under sea) 7,931 m Vallaviktunnelen 7,510 m Longest railway tunnel: FInsetunnelen 10,589 m Longest road bridge: Nordhordlandsbrua, pontoon 1,610 m Askøybrua, suspension bridge, 1,056 m centre span 850 m Climate: Highest annual precipitation: Kvittingen in Samnanger (1967) 5,087 mm Precipitation during 24 hours: Matre in Sunnhordland (1940) mm Highest recorded air temperature: Voss (3 August 1982) C Lowest recorded air temperature: Finse (7 Jan 1982) 39.6 C Large quantities of high-quality fruit is gathered from some 550,000 trees every autumn. As the most important fruitgrowing county in Norway, Hordaland produces 1/3 of the country s apples and pears, and 70 % of the cherries. Tourism is another industry of major importance, in particular in the Bergen, Voss, and Hardanger areas. Hordaland county is Norway s second most popular tourist area in the summer. Beautiful mountain scenery, a well-developed network of ski-trails and lifts have turned Voss into one of Norway s popular winter sport resorts. Employment by sector in Hordaland Employed persons years, by sex, 4th quarter 2005 Total 2005 Hordaland county Agriculture, hunting and forestry Manufacturing and mining Extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas Electricity, gas and water supply 219,329 Males 114,848 Females 104,481 5,129 3,896 1,233 30,461 23,459 7,002 1,864 1, Construction 15,881 14,687 1,194 Wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants 37,143 17,115 20,028 Transport, storage and communications 15,814 11,888 3,926 5,222 2,532 2,690 Real estate, leasing and business activites 21,937 13,535 8,402 Public administration and defence, compulsory social security 12,234 6,931 5,303 Financial intermediation Education 19,990 7,493 12,497 Health and social sevices 44,326 7,777 36,549 Other social and personal activities 8,257 3,705 4,552 Unspecified 1, Photo top: Waterfall. (Stanley Hauge) Photo middle: Rafting in Raundalselva. (Voss Rafting) Photo bottom: Glacierwalking on Folgefonna. (A. Stevenson, Hordaland Reiseliv)

6 10 11 Fishing and aquaculture Fishing and aquaculture are important industries in Hordaland. In 2005 fishing fleets from Hordaland delivered fish with a first hand value of 1,937 mill. NOK around 20 % of the total Norwegian catch. Only about 1/5 of the catch was delivered in Hordaland. Hordaland is Norway s most important aquaculture county and a pioneering region in modern aquaculture. In fish farms in Hordaland produced 102,108 tons of salmon and 20,070 tons of trout, 19% of the total Norwegian production of salmon and trout. More than 80% of the production is exported, the most important markets being Russia, Denmark, France and Japan. The first hand value of the production was 2,380 million NOK. The aquaculture industry is now widening the range of species farmed to include crustaceans, molluscs, cod, halibut, turbot, catfish and eel. The export value of fish from Hordaland was 3,084 million NOK in 2005, about 10 % of the total Norwegian fish export. Photo left: The fishing fleet in Austevoll. (Linda Mathilde Økland, Austevoll Forlag) Photo under: A typical fish farm. (Inge Døskeland)

7 13 12 Municipalities The population of Hordaland is 455,599 (1st Oct 2006). More than half the population, 243,960, live in Bergen. Eight other municipalities have more than 10,000 AUSTRHEIM FEDJE ÅRÅS inhabitants. Modalen is the smallest FEDJE municipality with 349 inhabitants. MASFJORDEN MODALEN MASFJORDNES MO RADØY The map shows the municipalities in Hordaland and part of the road system 2,506 Bergen ,960 Bømlo ,868 1, ,842 Eidfjord Etne Fedje Fitjar 152 2,889 Fjell ,693 Fusa 379 3,738 Granvin Jondal 199 1,063 Kvam 616 8,229 Kvinnherad 1,093 13,076 Lindås ,538 Masfjorden 558 1,650 Meland 91 5,968 Modalen Odda 1,584 7,176 Os ,521 Osterøy 254 7,197 Radøy 111 4,649 Samnanger 266 2,351 Stord ,845 Sund 99 5,660 Sveio 224 4,748 Tysnes 245 2,774 1,306 3,428 Ulvik 722 1,140 Vaksdal 738 4,096 1,816 13, ,111 Ullensvang Voss Øygarden KLEPPESTØ KVAM BERGEN STRAUME ULVIK EIDE FJELL BERGEN SAMNANGER TYSSE EIDFJORD NORHEIMSUND SKOGSVÅG KINSARVIK SUND OS OSØYRO EIKELANDSOSEN JONDAL FUSA JONDAL ULLENSVANG STOREBØ AUSTEVOLL N 4, GRANVIN N 114 Austrheim ULVIK OSTERØY ASKØY O Austevoll DALE VAKSDAL LONEVÅG TYSNES F 22,843 VOSSEVANGEN KNARVIK FREKHAUG E 100 MELAND UGGDALSEIDET ODDA G Askøy ØYGARDEN L Population 1.Oct 2006 VOSS ROSENDAL FITJAR O Area Km2 LINDÅS F Municipality: MANGER TJELDSTØ FITJAR ODDA KVINNHERAD SVORTLAND STORD LEIRVIK BØMLO ETNE SVEIO SVEIO ETNE EIDFJORD

8 15 14 Energy sources: Water and petroleum Hordaland has a unique position in the Norwegian energy market. The key words are water and petroleum. Norway s net export of crude oil and petroleums products (including NGL) is about 3 million barrels per day. This puts Norway in third place among the world s leading net crude exporters. Four-fifths of the oil and gas come from the fields off the coast of Hordaland. Two crude oil terminals are located in the county, at Sture and Mongstad. Mongstad is also the location of Norway s largest refinery - producing 10 million t.o.e. per year. Natural gas from the vast Troll field (total reserves 1,286 billion Sm3) is processed at Kollsnes (Øygarden) and piped to Europe. Troll gas will be an important source of energy and chemical feedstock for continental Europe for at least 50 years. The Troll field is the biggest offshore gas reservoir in Europe. The power stations in Hordaland yearly produce 13,50018,500 GWh of electric energy, more than anywhere else in the country. Photo left: Skykkjedalsfoss. (Helge Sunde) Photo under: The Mongstad Oil Refinery. (Statoil)

9 16 17 Recognised centres of research and education Hordaland and Bergen can boast some of the most important centres of education and expertise, in terms of scope and quality, in the whole of Norway. The most important institutions include the University of Bergen (UiB), the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH), the Foundation for Social and Industrial Research (SNF), Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI) and its subsidiary Chr. Michelsen Research A/S, the Marine Research Institute, the Norwegian Underwater Technology Centre (Falck NUTEC), Bergen High-Technology Centre (HIB), etc. Other important education institutions are: Bergen University College, Stord/Haugesund University College, Bergen National Academy of the Arts, NLA - College of Teacher Education & NLA - Academy of Religion and Education. A total of students were registered at the universities and colleges in Hordaland in 2005, i.e. 15% of the total number of students in Norway. Photo left: The University of Bergen is a young and modern university. Its focus on international cooperation has been essential from the beginning and has earned the institution the reputation of being Norway s most international university. (Universitetet i Bergen) The Hordaland Coat of Arms The Hordaland Coat of Arms is based on the ancient seal of the Onarheim «ting» or council at Tysnes, attached to an address to the Norwegian king in The Onarheim seal was approved as the county Coat of Arms by royal decree in The Hordaland Coat of Arms is made by Magnus Hardeland.

10 18 19 Communications Bergen Airport at Flesland with its more than 4 million passengers a year is the main gateway to Western Norway. The Bergen-Oslo railway, express buses, local buses, ferries and fast-moving catamarans are other important means of transportation. Bergen is the point of departure for the coastal route between the southern and northern parts of Norway, «Hurtigruta». There are ferry links from Bergen to Denmark, Great Britain, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. On a nation wide basis, the total volume of cargo loaded and unloaded within the port district of Bergen (2005: 75 million tons) represents around 50% of the cargo volume in all the Norwegian port districts combined. The road network in Hordaland is constantly being improved and developed, in particular the major roads. The Bergen peninsula and the surrounding district are connected by bridges. In 2000 the longest tunnel in Hordaland (111 km), under the Folgefonna glacier, was opened. The Triangle Link (opened 2000/01), with its two suspension bridges and the longest underwater tunnel in Northern Europe, connects the islands of Stord and Bømlo with the mainland in the south. A major project in the next decade in Western Norway is the further development of the «The coastal trunk road E39» between Kristiansand and Trondheim. Road development is to a great extent financed by toll charges. Photo left: E39 Nordhordlandsbrua. (Ann Steindal) Photo under: Each year ferries in Hordaland transport 3,3 million cars and 3,9 million passengers. (Stanley Hauge)

11 20 21 Culture Hordaland is a major cultural centre in Norway. Bergen was European Cultural City in the year Bergen, the birthplace of Edvard Grieg, has one of the oldest symphony orchestras in Europe, important festivals, including the well-known Bergen International Festival, and a wide range of museums and galleries. Norway s first theatre was established in Bergen in 1850, with Henrik Ibsen as one of the first directors. The city has managed to preserve much of its unique wooden architecture and monumental stone buildings. Bergen has developed into a major international centre in popular music with a wide range of artists performing world-wide. The other parts of the county can also boast rich cultural traditions which form the basis of a strong and healthy cultural infrastructure. A wide range of festivals all over the county have visitors both from Norway and abroad. Films, technology, music, theatre, dance, youth, environment, arts and media are just some of the themes at these festivals. Photo left: Henrik Ibsens s famous «Peer Gynt» played at Hordaland Teater in Bergen. (Tom Erik Mathiesen) Photo under: The 17th century castle the Barony of Rosendal and the renaissance garden. (Ann Steindal)

12 22 23 The political structure The County Council Control Committee 5 members Hordaland County Council 57 councillors The County Executive Board 15 members Committee for Culture, Resources and Environmental Issues 13 members Committee for Education and Health Issues 13 members Committee for Transport and Communication 13 members Hordaland County Council is responsible for county policies within the following fields: Secondary education, cultural affairs, communications, dental health, economic development and regional planning, including the development of the road system. The County Council employs around people with an annual budget of around 4 million NOK (2007). Almost 60% of the work carried out by the council employees is related to secondary education. 45 secondary schools (including branches) situated in various parts of the county have more than 18,000 pupils. County Mayor of Hordaland, Torill Selsvold Nyborg representing The Christian Democratic Party. Chief Executive, Paul M.Nilsen head of the administration and the council s principal policy adviser. The council s income is derived principally from local taxes (46%), central government block grants (31%), earmarked central government grants and from certain services provided by the council. The level of income is defined by the central government. The County Strategy Plan draws up the aims and strategies for the development of the county. The County Council is the elected body responsible for county policies. The Hordaland Council has 57 members elected every four years. For the election period nine political parties are represented in the Council: The Labour Party 13 representatives, The Progress Party 13, The Conservative Party 11, The Christian Democratic Party 5, The Red Electoral Alliance 2, The Socialist Left Party 6, The Liberal Party 2, The Centre Party 4, The Pensioners Party 1. Detailed decision making is delegated to the County Executive Board elected by the County Council among its 57 members. The full council meets 4-5 times a year, the County Executive Board about once a month and the other principal committees once a month.

13 Links to information about Norway Public sector information and services on the Internet Gateway to information about Norway, government etc. Innovation Norway The Official Norwegian Trade Portal Hordaland County s European Office Statistics Norway The Norwegian Parliament s official web site Tourist information: Agnes Mowinckels gate 5, Postboks 7900 N-5020 Bergen, Norway Published by Hordaland County Council, Information Services. February Printed: 2000 copies. Printed by: Grafisk Trykk Tel [email protected]