Sandnes

Infobox_Kommune
name = Sandnes
idnumber = 1102
county = Rogaland
landscape = Jæren
capital = Sandnes
governor = Norunn Østråt Koksvik (H)
governor_as_of = 2007
arearank = 273
area = 303
arealand = 286
areapercent = 0.09
population_as_of = 2008
populationrank = 8
population = 62,832
populationpercent = 1.24
populationdensity = 212
populationincrease = 18.3
language = Neutral
lat_deg = 58 | lat_min = 51 | lat_sec = 5.80 | lon_deg = 5 | lon_min = 44 | lon_sec = 9.61
utm_zone = 32V | utm_northing = 6527143 | utm_easting = 0317073 | geo_cat=city(60,922),adm2nd




munwebpage = www.sandnes.kommune.noAudio|Sandnes.ogg|Sandnes is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.

History

Sandnes was separated from Høyland as a municipality of its own in 1860, and gained city status the same year. On January 1, 1965, the rural municipalities of Høyland and Høle, as well as parts of Hetland, were merged with Sandnes.

Name

The first element is "sandr" m 'sand, sandy beach', the last element is "nes" n 'headland'.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from 1972. It shows a ocarina (the ocarinas made in Sandnes, "sandnesgauker", are well known in Norway).

Geography

The city of Sandnes is located about 15 km south of Stavanger, and these two cities have expanded so as to form a conurbation. The municipality of Sola is located to the west, Klepp and Time to the south, and Gjesdal and Forsand to the east. The fjord Gandsfjorden is situated north-south and ends in the centre of Sandnes. The international airport of Stavanger is situated in Sola.

Sandnes's districts are Lura, Trones, Stangeland, Soma, Malmheim, Sandved, Ganddal, Figgjo, Austrått, Sviland, Hana (includes Aspervika and Dale), Høle, Riska.

The landscape of the Stavanger and Sandnes region is quite flat. On the long west coast there are several beaches and further inland the land is raised to form low plains with some small peaks rising up to 400-500 meters above sea level. From Stavanger and Sandnes it is approximately one hour by car to alpine and skiing resorts. In Sandnes there are some easily accessible small mountain peaks, such as dalsnuten and Dale, with a view over the Sandnes/Stavanger area. The renowned Lysefjord is also easily accessible by car or boat.

Economy

Sandnes hosts a large array of retail shops of most kinds and is used by the neighbouring municipalities appreciating the service and wide range of selections. Sandnes is known as Norway's bicycle city, mainly due to the fact that the bicycle manufacturer Øglænd DBS was situated here for decades. The city offers a variety of routes for everyday riders and tourists. Since 1996 a public bicycle rental programme has been in operation in the city.

The city holds a vibrant industry mainly in the Ganddal area in the south and the Lura and Forus area in the north towards the Stavanger boundary. There is a significant activity towards the oil exploration in the North Sea and also some IT related companies. In this suburban region between Stavanger and Sandnes malls and department stores have also been established. Among these malls is one of Norway's biggest malls, Kvadrat meaning "square" (although it is not square shaped anymore as it has expanded several times since it opened in 1984).

Around 30% are employed in Stavanger (Q4 2004)

Sandnes was formerly known as the "pottery town" of Norway - due to the important ceramics industry based on the extensive occurrence of clay in the surroundings.

Culture

The primary football team (Sandnes Ulf) is currently competing in the second highest division of Norwegian professional football, Adeccoligaen.

Sandnes is the only city in Norway which is a member of the World Health Organisation’s network of Healthy Cities.

Sandnes is the birthplace of professional poker player Annette Obrestad who became the youngest ever winner of a WSOP bracelet when winning the Betfair World Series of Poker Europe title in September 2007 at the age of 18.

Sandnes and its neighbor city Stavanger has been chosen along with Liverpool, United Kingdom, to be a European Capital of Culture for 2008.

External links

* [http://www.sandnes.kommune.no/ Municipality website] no icon en icon
* [http://www.sandnes-guide.no City map]
* [http://www.regionstavanger.no/?c=4&intro=null&PR=85_4_1&mi=di5&pc=24&sp=GB The official tourism site of the Stavanger region]
* [http://www.sandnes.info Website about the city of Sandnes-Norway]