Utsira

Utsira (pronounced [ˈʉ̌ːtˌsiːrɑ]) is the smallest municipality in Norway. The island municipality is located in northwestern Rogaland county, just off the western coast of Norway. Utsira is part of the traditional district of Haugaland.

This article is about the municipality in Rogaland, Norway. For other uses, see Utsira (disambiguation).
Utsira kommune
Utsire herred (historic)
Municipality
View of the Utsira harbor
View of the Utsira harbor
Flag of Utsira kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Utsira kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Utsira kommune
Rogaland within
Norway
Utsira within Rogaland
Utsira within Rogaland
Coordinates: 59°18′26″N 04°53′10″E
CountryNorway
CountyRogaland
DistrictHaugaland
Established1 July 1924
 • Preceded byTorvastad Municipality
Administrative centreUtsira
Government
 • Mayor (2012)Marte Eide Klovning (Ap)
Area
 • Total6.32 km2 (2.44 sq mi)
 • Land6.29 km2 (2.43 sq mi)
 • Water0.03 km2 (0.01 sq mi)  0.5%
 • Rank#355 in Norway
Population
 (2022)
 • Total188
 • Rank#356 in Norway
 • Density29.9/km2 (77/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −13.8%
DemonymSirabu[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1151
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

The municipality consists of the main island of Utsira as well as several small, uninhabited outlying islands. Utsira is located in the North Sea, about 18 kilometres (11 miles) west of the town of Haugesund. All of the 206 residents (as of 2015) live on the main island of Utsira, where the administrative centre and Utsira Church are located.

The 6-square-kilometre (2.3 sq mi) municipality is the 355th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway, making it the second smallest municipality in Norway after the nearby island municipality of Kvitsøy. Utsira is the 356th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 188, making it the smallest municipality in Norway by population. The municipality's population density is 29.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (77/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 13.8% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

General information
View of a house on Utsira
View of part of the island
Utsira Church

The municipality of Utsira was established on 1 July 1924 when it was separated from the municipality of Torvastad. Initially, Utsira had 414 residents. The municipal borders have not changed since that time.[5]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island of Utsira which makes up the vast majority of the municipality. The Old Norse forms of the island's name was just Old Norse: Síri (nominative case) or Síra (genitive case). The first element, út which means "out" or "offshore", was added during the 16th century (compare the "Out Skerries" in Shetland). The meaning of the last element is uncertain, but it may mean something like "strong stream". The inhabitants still call the island Sira (leaving off the ut prefix) and an inhabitant of the municipality is called a sirabu. The Norwegian language has had several spelling reforms during the 19th and 20th centuries. Before 1875, the name of the parish was written "Udsire", from 1875 to 1924 it was spelled "Utsire", and since 1925 it has used the spelling "Utsira".[6][7]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 23 July 1982. The official blazon is "Azure, four piles issuant conjoined in cross argent" (Norwegian: I blått et kors dannet ved fire motstøtende sølv spisser). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a set of four triangles whose points all meet in the centre, together making a cross shape. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design is meant to symbolize light beams flowing out of the Utsira Lighthouse which was built in the municipality in 1844. The municipality wanted to have the lighthouse on their arms since 1976, but no design they tried was approved by the government. Eventually, they hired John Digernes in 1980 to prepare a variant that could get approvaled. His design was approved in 1982. Since 2004 there have been wind turbines built in the municipality and the design of the arms is also seen to represent those with three wings and a tower. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[8][9][10]

See also: the coat of arms of Sandøy

Churches

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

Churches in Utsira
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
UtsiraUtsira ChurchUtsira1785

Transportation

The island municipality is only accessible by boat. There are roads on the island. A car ferry operated by Rutebåten Utsira runs four round-trips per day connecting the island to the town of Haugesund on the mainland. The trip takes about 70 minutes each way. There are ferry docks on the north and south side of the island. The northern port is more often used because the southern route takes a little longer; the southern is used if the weather demands. An ambulance helicopter can land at the football field in medical emergencies.[11]

Government

All municipalities in Norway are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[12] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Utsira is made up of 11 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:

Utsira kommunestyre 2020–2024 [13]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Utsira Common List (Utsira Fellesliste)8
 Utsira Local List (Utsira Bygdeliste)3
Total number of members:11
Utsira kommunestyre 2015–2019 [14]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Utsira Common List (Utsira Fellesliste)6
 Utsira Local List (Utsira Bygdeliste)5
Total number of members:11
Utsira kommunestyre 2012–2015 [15]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Utsira Common List (Utsira Fellesliste)9
 Youth list for Utsira (Ungdomslista for Utsira)2
Total number of members:11
Utsira kommunestyre 2008–2011 [14]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Utsira common list (Utsira fellesliste)6
 Local list for Utsira (Bygdelista for Utsira)5
Total number of members:11
Utsira kommunestyre 2004–2007 [14]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
 Local politics list (Lokalpolitisk liste)2
 Local list for Utsira (Bygdelista for Utsira)5
Total number of members:13
Utsira kommunestyre 2000–2003 [14]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
 Cross-party list (Tverrpolitisk liste)9
Total number of members:13
Utsira kommunestyre 1996–1999 [16]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
 Cross-party list (Tverrpolitisk liste)6
 Local list for Utsira (Bygdelista for Utsira)3
Total number of members:13
Utsira kommunestyre 1992–1995 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
 Cross-party list (Tverrpolitisk liste)5
 Local list for Utsira (Bygdelista for Utsira)4
Total number of members:13
Utsira kommunestyre 1988–1991 [18]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 7
Total number of members:13
Utsira kommunestyre 1984–1987 [19]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
 Local list for Utsira (Bygdeliste for Utsira)6
Total number of members:13
Utsira kommunestyre 1980–1983 [20]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 5
 Women's list (Kvinnelista)2
 Non-party list (Upolitisk liste)6
Total number of members:13
Utsira kommunestyre 1976–1979 [21]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 7
 Non-party list (Upolitisk liste)5
Total number of members:13
Utsira kommunestyre 1972–1975 [22]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 13
Total number of members:13
Utsira kommunestyre 1968–1971 [23]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 13
Total number of members:13
Utsira kommunestyre 1964–1967 [24]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 13
Total number of members:13
Utsira herredsstyre 1960–1963 [25]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 13
Total number of members:13
Utsira herredsstyre 1956–1959 [26]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 13
Total number of members:13
Utsira herredsstyre 1952–1955 [27]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 12
Total number of members:12
Utsira herredsstyre 1948–1951 [28]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 9
Total number of members:12
Utsira herredsstyre 1945–1947 [29]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 12
Total number of members:12
Utsira herredsstyre 1938–1941* [30]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 12
Total number of members:12
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Mayors

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Utsira:[31][32]

  • 1924–1925: Sivert Martin Helgesen
  • 1926–1928: Aasa Helgesen
  • 1929–1931: Sivert Martin Helgesen
  • 1932–1932: Mathias Larsen
  • 1932–1940: Gudmund Klovning
  • 1946–1951: Thorvald Austrheim
  • 1951–1959: Thore Nordvik
  • 1960–1975: Sverre Klovning
  • 1976–1979: Hersleb Helgesen
  • 1980–1991: Torbjørn Rasmussen
  • 1992–2003: Reidar Klovning
  • 2004–2007: Geir Helge Rasmussen (Sp)
  • 2008–2011: Jarle Nilsen (Ap)
  • 2012–present: Marte Eide Klovning (Ap)

History

There are remains from the Stone Age on the island. It has been populated since that time. Historically, the island was governed by Torvastad, based on the mainland, but on 1 July 1924 the island was separated and it was established as a separate municipality. At that time, a new municipal council was to be elected. It was intended that the twelve men on the interim council would be elected, but the official list of candidates listed eleven women and a man. This was not known to even the people involved until the day of the election and by then it was too late. Despite a legal challenge the twelve were elected and Aasa Helgesen, the local midwife, was elected the first Mayor of Utsira and the first female mayor in Norway. Helgesen was a successful Mayor until 1928.[33]

In 2004, Norsk Hydro installed a combined wind-hydrogen utility on Utsira. It is a full scale pilot project for energy self-sufficiency for a remote community. In periods when there is surplus wind energy, the excess power will be used for generating hydrogen by electrolysis. The hydrogen is stored, and is available for power generation in periods where there is little wind. Additional to this an energy storing flywheel exists to help out when for a short time more power is needed.

Climate

Utsira has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) with cool/mild summers and chilly winters with lots of rainfall. The climate is mild for the latitude; average lows in winter remain above freezing. The island has significant seasonal lag with February–March typically being the coldest months of the year while August is the warmest. The maritime position also renders low diurnal variation in temperature between day and night. The driest season is April - July while the wettest season is August - January. October on average get nearly three times as much precipitation as May. The extreme temperatures in Utsira ranged from −15.5 °C (4.1 °F) on February 6, 1895 to 29.3 °C (84.7 °F) on July 17, 2003.

Climate data for Utsira Lighthouse, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1867–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.0
(55.4)		 10.0
(50.0)		 14.8
(58.6)		 21.2
(70.2)		 25.7
(78.3)		 28.5
(83.3)		 29.3
(84.7)		 27.5
(81.5)		 23.3
(73.9)		 18.1
(64.6)		 14.3
(57.7)		 10.9
(51.6)		 29.3
(84.7)
Mean maximum °C (°F) 8.1
(46.6)		 7.3
(45.1)		 8.5
(47.3)		 13.6
(56.5)		 18.3
(64.9)		 19.3
(66.7)		 21.9
(71.4)		 21.7
(71.1)		 18.6
(65.5)		 14.4
(57.9)		 11.2
(52.2)		 9.1
(48.4)		 24.1
(75.4)
Average high °C (°F) 5.0
(41.0)		 4.2
(39.6)		 5.2
(41.4)		 8.0
(46.4)		 11.4
(52.5)		 14.2
(57.6)		 16.5
(61.7)		 17.1
(62.8)		 14.7
(58.5)		 11.0
(51.8)		 8.0
(46.4)		 6.0
(42.8)		 10.1
(50.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.6
(38.5)		 2.8
(37.0)		 3.5
(38.3)		 5.9
(42.6)		 9.0
(48.2)		 11.9
(53.4)		 14.3
(57.7)		 15.1
(59.2)		 13.0
(55.4)		 9.6
(49.3)		 6.6
(43.9)		 4.6
(40.3)		 8.3
(46.9)
Average low °C (°F) 2.0
(35.6)		 1.2
(34.2)		 1.9
(35.4)		 4.1
(39.4)		 7.0
(44.6)		 10.1
(50.2)		 12.6
(54.7)		 13.4
(56.1)		 11.4
(52.5)		 8.1
(46.6)		 5.1
(41.2)		 3.0
(37.4)		 6.7
(44.1)
Mean minimum °C (°F) −2.3
(27.9)		 −3.3
(26.1)		 −2.2
(28.0)		 0.3
(32.5)		 3.2
(37.8)		 6.9
(44.4)		 9.8
(49.6)		 10.2
(50.4)		 7.8
(46.0)		 3.8
(38.8)		 0.3
(32.5)		 −1.6
(29.1)		 −4.4
(24.1)
Record low °C (°F) −15.2
(4.6)		 −15.5
(4.1)		 −10.2
(13.6)		 −6.2
(20.8)		 −1.8
(28.8)		 0.8
(33.4)		 3.0
(37.4)		 4.0
(39.2)		 0.8
(33.4)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 −6.2
(20.8)		 −12.6
(9.3)		 −15.5
(4.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 132.9
(5.23)		 103.1
(4.06)		 93.7
(3.69)		 65.0
(2.56)		 54.6
(2.15)		 63.4
(2.50)		 83.9
(3.30)		 115.4
(4.54)		 121.6
(4.79)		 148.6
(5.85)		 146.6
(5.77)		 130.5
(5.14)		 1,259.3
(49.58)
Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) 3
(1.2)		 5
(2.0)		 3
(1.2)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 3
(1.2)		 10
(3.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 19 16 15 13 11 11 11 14 15 18 19 18 180
Average relative humidity (%) 83 83 82 82 81 83 84 82 80 78 80 81 81
Average dew point °C (°F) 0.1
(32.2)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 0.9
(33.6)		 3.1
(37.6)		 5.6
(42.1)		 9.0
(48.2)		 11.6
(52.9)		 11.8
(53.2)		 9.7
(49.5)		 6.1
(43.0)		 3.3
(37.9)		 1.8
(35.2)		 5.2
(41.4)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 27.5 66.2 115.9 178.7 217.4 250.2 212.1 203.4 129.4 78.2 43.0 26.3 1,548.3
Source 1: Norwegian Meteorological Institute (extreme snow depth, dew point and humidity 1991-2020, sunshine 1952-1974 and extremes)[34]
Source 2: NOAA WMO averages 91-2020 Norway[35]

Shipping forecast

Utsira (under the spelling Utsire) gives its name to "North Utsire" and "South Utsire", two of the sea areas of the British Shipping Forecast.

Notable people
  • Aasa Helgesen (1877–1968), a Norwegian midwife and politician. She served as Mayor of Utsira from 1926 to 1928, and was the first female mayor in Norway. She worked as a midwife in Utsira from 1903 to 1942.

Attractions

Utsira Lighthouse is the highest lighthouse light in Norway at 78.2 metres (257 ft) above mean sea level.

  • View of Utsira Lighthouse
    View of Utsira Lighthouse
  • Lighthouse tower
    Lighthouse tower
  • Utsira lighthouse sign
    Utsira lighthouse sign

Birding

Utsira is known as the best birding site in Norway. There have been 317 different species recorded on Utsira, of which 23 are new to Norway.

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. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  4. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "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. ISBN 9788253746845.
  6. Store norske leksikon. "Utsira" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  7. Rygh, Oluf (1915). Norske gaardnavne: Stavanger amt (in Norwegian) (10 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 411.
  8. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  9. "Utsira, Rogaland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  10. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 4 October 1982. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  11. Sykepleieren som må gjøre alt
  12. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  13. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Rogaland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  14. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  15. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Rogaland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  16. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  17. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  21. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  22. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  23. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  24. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  25. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  30. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  31. "Oversikt over ordførere i Utsira Kommune". geni.com (in Norwegian). Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  32. "Ordfører". Utsira kommune (in Norwegian).
  33. Baastad, Siri (15 December 1999). "Jordmor Helgesens "skjørteregime"". Kommunal Rapport (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  34. "Observations and weather statistics (Utsira Fyr/SN47300)". Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  35. "Utsira Climate Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.

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