Kvitsøy

Kvitsøy is a municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway. It has as many islands as there are days in the year, 365.

Kvitsøy is an archipelago situated 2 nautical miles northwest of the coast of the Stavanger peninsula. The largest island is connected with only a few of the other islands in the archipelago, but even some of the islands that are not connected by road have all year inhabitants.

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 (Hellige Olav) and Erling Sjalgsson, under the stone cross. Later it seems that the islands was owned by the Church until the reformation, when it became Crown property. Later its significance has been as a location for lighthouse service.

Climate

The islands are engulfed totally by the Gulf Stream and hence have a typically wet Nordic costal climate. The sea between the islands and the mainland are never frozen.

Fauna and flora

There are no larger mammals except seal (kobbe) and small dolphins (nise). The islands have a rich marine bird life. A lot of different plants have found its way to the islands. Some natural to Norwegian flora, and some transported by ship emptying their hull of ballast before entering Stavanger.

Transmitter

Kvitsøy is the site of high power transmitters for short wave and medium wave broadcasting transmitters of the broadcasting company of Norway. The aerial tower of the mediumwave transmitter is the Kvitsoy-Tower.