Karmsund is a strait

Strait

A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...

 dividing Karmøy

Karmøy

Karmøy is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located southwest of the city of Haugesund in the traditional district of Haugaland....

 and Haugesund

Haugesund

is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.-Location:Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town and municipality of its own in 1855. The rural municipality of Skåre was merged with Haugesund on January 1, 1958. Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km²...

 municipalities in western Norway. The Karmsund Bridge

Karmsund Bridge

Karmsund Bridge over the Karmsund strait links Karmøy island in Rogaland to the Norwegian mainland.It is in length and has a maximum span of . It was completed in 1955.-See also:*List of bridges in Norway...

 linking Karmøy to the mainland was completed in 1955.

Near the Norsk Hydro Factory three powerlines cross Karmsund on 143 metres tall electricity pylons, which are the tallest in Norway.

The eddic poem Grímnismál

Grímnismál

Grímnismál is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda. It is preserved in the Codex Regius manuscript and the AM 748 I 4to fragment. It is spoken through the voice of Grímnir, one of the many guises of the god Odin, who is tortured by King Geirröth...

says that Thor

Thor

In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...

, the weather god, wades the straits at Karmsund every morning on his way to Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil

In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. It was said to be the world tree around which the nine worlds existed...

, the tree of life.

Standing above Karmsund, near Haugesund, is Haraldshaugen

Haraldshaugen

Haraldshaugen is a national monument in Haugesund, Norway. The monument was erected during the millennial celebration of Norway's unification into one kingdom under the rule of King Harald I of Norway .Haraldshaugen was unveiled on July 18, 1872 by Crown Prince Oscar in...

, a monument commemorating the traditional burial site for several early Norwegian rulers including Harald I.

Karmsund is also the name of a local newspaper, Karmsund Avis.