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Bømlo

Bømlo kommune
Municipality
View of southern Bømlo
View of southern Bømlo
Coat of arms of Bømlo kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Bømlo kommune
Hordaland within
Norway
Bømlo within Hordaland
Bømlo within Hordaland
Coordinates: 59°46′46″N 05°13′06″E / 59.77944°N 5.21833°E / 59.77944; 5.21833Coordinates: 59°46′46″N 05°13′06″E / 59.77944°N 5.21833°E / 59.77944; 5.21833
Country Norway
County Hordaland
District Sunnhordland
Administrative centre Svortland
Government
 • Mayor (2011) Odd Harald Hovland (Ap)
Area
 • Total 246.56 km2 (95.20 sq mi)
 • Land 235.43 km2 (90.90 sq mi)
 • Water 11.13 km2 (4.30 sq mi)
Area rank 308 in Norway
Population (2015)
 • Total 11,761
 • Rank 96 in Norway
 • Density 49.9/km2 (129/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years) 8.6 %
Demonym(s) Bømling
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
ISO 3166 code NO-1219
Official language form Nynorsk
Website www.bomlo.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

Bømlo /ˈbʌmˌl/ is a municipality in the southern part of Hordaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Svortland. Other villages in Bømlo include Mosterhamn, Rubbestadneset, Lykling, and Langevåg. Most of the municipal residents live on the island of Bømlo, which makes up the majority of the municipality.

Bømlo was actively involved in the Shetland bus operation during the Second World War. A 23-year-old male from Bømlo, Nils Nesse, was the first of the Shetland Bus men to be killed.

The municipality of Bømlo was established on 1 July 1916 when the old municipality of Finnås was divided into three smaller municipalities: Bømlo, Bremnes, and Moster. Initially, the municipality encompassed the southern part of the island of Bømlo and it had a population of 1,217. On 1 January 1963, the municipalities of Bremnes (population: 4,829) and Moster (population: 1,834) were merged with Bømlo (population: 1,463) which together formed a new, larger municipality called Bømlo. On 1 January 1970, a small area along the Valvatnavågen bay on the island of Stord was transferred from Bømlo to the neighboring municipality of Stord. On 1 January 1995, the islands of Aga, Agasystra, Gisøya, Vikøya, Selsøy, Risøya, and many smaller surrounding islands (population: 225) were transferred from the neighboring municipality of Fitjar to Bømlo. These islands had recently been connected to Bømlo by road bridges which precipitated the municipal transfer.


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