Sveio

Infobox_Kommune
name = Sveio
idnumber = 1216
county = Hordaland
landscape = Haugaland
capital = Sveio
language = Nynorsk
demonym = Sveibu


munwebpage = www.sveio.kommune.no
governor = Jorunn Skåden (Ap)
governor_as_of = 2003
arearank = 306
area = 246
arealand = 224
areapercent = 0.08
population_as_of = 2004
populationrank = 203
population = 4,687
populationpercent = 0.10
populationdensity = 21
populationincrease = 1.1
lat_deg = 59 | lat_min = 34 | lat_sec = 25 | lon_deg = 5 | lon_min = 21 | lon_sec = 48
utm_zone = 32V | utm_northing = 6609574 | utm_easting = 0294631 | geo_cat = adm2nd

Sveio is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre is the village of Sveio.

Sveio was separated from Finnås in 1861. Vikebygd was separated from Sveio on January 1, 1902. Valestrand (and the western part of Vikebygd) was merged back into Sveio on January 1, 1964.

General information

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the "Sveio" farm (Old Norse "Sviða"), since the first church was built there. The name is identical with the word "sviða" which means a "clearing made by burning". Before 1912, the name was written "Sveen".cite web|first=Dag|last=Jukvam|publisher=Statistisk sentralbyrå|title=Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen|date=1999|url=http://www.ssb.no/emner/00/90/rapp_9913/rapp_9913.pdf no icon]

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 19 February 1982. The arms show a cut fleur-de-lis, an unusual symbol, derived from the arms of Jon Gauteson from Sveio, who lived around 1500. He was the first of his family, who were incorporated in the Norwegian nobility in 1591, to use this symbol. [cite web|url=http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/s/sveio.htm|author=Norske Kommunevåpen|date=1990|title=Nye kommunevåbener i Norden|accessdaymonth=27 September|accessyear=2008]

References