See also Hangö, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

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Hankø Island is located in the Oslo Fjord, Østfold

Østfold

is a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden , while Buskerud and Vestfold is on the other side of the bay. The seat of the county administration is Sarpsborg, and Fredrikstad is the largest city.Many manufacturing facilities are situated here. Moss and...

 county, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. It used to be the property of the Dano-Norwegian

Dano-Norwegian

Dano-Norwegian is a linguistic term for a koiné that evolved among the urban elite in Norwegian cities during the later years of the union between the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway . It is from this koiné that Riksmål and Bokmål developed...

 king, the site where the king hunted deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

. Later an island of retreat, notable visitors are the Norwegian king, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway is the only daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. She is fourth in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne, after her brother and his two children.-Early life:...

,and her husband Ari Behn

Ari Behn

Ari Mikael Behn is a Norwegian author, and is best known as the husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway. He has written two novels, a collection of short stories and a book about his wedding...

. Their second child, Leah Isadora Behn

Leah Isadora Behn

Leah Isadora Behn is the second daughter of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and husband Ari Behn. She was born at the princess's summer residence Bloksbjerg at Hankø island, in the municipality of Fredrikstad....

 was born at their estate "Bloksberg" in 2005

Hankø is well known internationally as a venue for the sport of sailing, having hosted several world championships in different yacht classes. It is the host of annual sailing competitions in the summer, drawing international competitors in many classes including the Melgis class. The island has many summer cottages, mainly owned by inhabitants from Oslo (Norway's capital). This is due to the close proximity to the capital. The island is connected to the mainland, at a beautiful place called Vikene, by a ferry, going to and fro as the need arises. There is a hotel on the island with a spa (after recent refurbishment), which is heavily dependent on corporate customers.

Climate

In the summer the temperature is usually in the mid 20's (Celsius), and the water temperature can exceed 20 degrees Celsius in July/ August. The winters can be harsh, especially for the deer living on the island year round.

Geography

The island stretches north to south for about 6 km. It is divided from the mainland by the Hankøsund, a stretch of water which runs about the length of the island. The north point is called "the north cape", and the southern tip marks the end of the "Hankøsund". The yachting is centered around the "Hankø Yacht Club" which lies in the Hankøsund close to the mainland. This private club has only about 150 members, membership only available upon invitation.

The name

The name (Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 Hanki) is derived from hǫnk f handle

Handle (grip)

A handle is a part of, or attachment to, an object that can be moved or used by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt with intuitively or by following tradition...

. The island was probably considered to be the 'handle' of the greater island Onsøy

Onsøy

Onsøy is a peninsula and a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre was Gressvik.-History:The parish of Onsø was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...

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