Hafrsfjord

Hafrsfjorden
Hafrsfjord
Satellite image of North Jæren showing the hammer-shaped Hafrsfjord on the left
Hafrsfjorden Location in Rogaland county
Location	Rogaland county, Norway
Coordinates	58°55′41″N 5°38′55″E / 58.9280°N 5.6485°E / 58.9280; 5.6485Coordinates: 58°55′41″N 5°38′55″E / 58.9280°N 5.6485°E / 58.9280; 5.6485
Basin countries	Norway
Max. length	9 kilometres (5.6 mi)

Hafrsfjord or Hafrsfjorden is a fjord in the Stavanger Peninsula in Rogaland county, Norway. The 9-kilometre (5.6 mi) long fjord forms the border between the municipalities of Stavanger and Sola. On the west side of the fjord is the large village of Tananger, on the south is the village of Solakrossen, and on the east end of the fjord is the borough of Madla in the city of Stavanger. The Møllebukta bay area, located on the innermost part of the fjord, is the site of a popular beach and the Sverd i Fjell statues. The only bridge over the fjord is the Hafrsfjord Bridge which runs between Kvernevik in Stavanger and Jåsund in the village of Tananger in Sola.

Hafrsfjord is also the name of a neighbourhood (delområde) in the borough of Madla in Stavanger. It has a population of 4,003, distributed on an area of 5.78 square kilometres (2.23 sq mi).

Hafrsfjord is also the location of the , the Basic Training Establishment for the Royal Norwegian Navy. The camp had been used for military purposes since 1871 and in 1934 it was renamed Madlaleiren. In 1952, Parliament decided that the Navy's boot camp would be added to the camp and also that the Navy would formally take over the camp. Three years later, the camp was named KNM Harald Hårfagre. Today KNM Harald Hårfagre is the principal training camp for both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Officer Candidate School for the Navy moved the intake and basic education from Horten to KNM Harald Hårfagre during the summer of 2005.

Historically, the Hafrsfjorden was principally known for its association with the Battle of Hafrsfjord (Slaget i Hafrsfjord). King Harald "Fairhair", the first king of Norway, won a great naval battle during the year 872 which resulted in the unity of Norway into one kingdom. The battle paved the way for Harald to gain control over most of western coast of Norway and rightly call himself king of the country.