Åkra is a former municipality of the traditional district

Districts of Norway

The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...

  of Haugaland

Haugaland

Haugaland is a traditional district situated on the western coast of Norway. Haugaland is one of the 15 traditional district located within the Region of Vestlandet.-Location:...

 in Rogaland

Rogaland

is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...

 county, Norway. Åkrehamn is the official name of Åkra. Locally the name is Haugalandet under Åkra. It is part of the settlement Åkrehamn

Åkrehamn

or Åkrahamn is a small town located on the west side of Karmøy in Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Haugaland...

 / Vedavågen

Vedavågen

Vedavågen is a Norwegian village with 2728 inhabitants, by the 1. of january 2009, living in about 900 households. It is situated between Åkrehamn and Kopervik in the municipality of Karmøy, neighbouring the municipality of Haugesund in Rogaland. A side road of Riksvei 47 leads to the village...

 which has 9,946 inhabitants (1 January 2009),

Åkra was created by a split from Skudenes

Skudenes

Skudenes is a former municipality of the traditional district of Haugaland in Rogaland county, Norway.The parish of Skudesnæs was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 ....

 on January 1, 1892. The new municipality had a population of 1,962. On 1 January 1965 Åkra was merged with Avaldsnes

Avaldsnes

Avaldsnes was an ancient centre of power on the west coast of Norway and is the site of one of Norway’s more important areas of cultural history...

, Kopervik

Kopervik

Kopervik is the largest city on the island of Karmøy in the county of Rogaland, Norway and is the administrative centre of the municipality of Karmøy, and Kopervik have 8,192 inhabitants. It is part of the traditional district of Haugaland. -Population:...

, Skudenes

Skudenes

Skudenes is a former municipality of the traditional district of Haugaland in Rogaland county, Norway.The parish of Skudesnæs was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 ....

, Skudeneshavn

Skudeneshavn

is a city on the southernmost tip of the island of Karmøy in Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Haugaland...

, Stangaland

Stangaland

Stangaland is a former municipality of the traditional district of Haugaland in Rogaland county, Norway.It was created by a split from Avaldsnes on January 1, 1909. The new municipality had a population of 1.001....

 and Torvastad

Torvastad

-History:The parish of Torvestad was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . On 1 February 1855 the district Haugesund was separated from Torvastad to form a municipality of its own. The split left Torvastad with 3,242 inhabitants. Further division took place when Skåre broke out on 1...

 to form the new municipality 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....

. Before the merger Åkra had a population of 6,008.

Åkra Old Church (Åkra gamle kyrkje) dates from 1821. It was built of wood and has 320 seats. The church was restored in 1852 and 1899. Rogaland Fishery Museum (Rogaland Fiskerimuseum) is situated on the harbor. It contains a restored Herring

Herring

Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...

 works with a collection of artifacts and equipment associated with the local fishing and shipping industries.

Other Sources

• Falkeid, Kolbein
  Kolbein Falkeid
  Kolbein Falkeid is one of the most widely read contemporary Norwegian poets. He is known for a lyrical poet's voice that is at once philosophical and approachable.-Biography:...
  
  Haugalandet: Ferd i folk og natur (Wigestrand Forlag. 1999)