Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is located inside the county of Vestland.
Lofthus
From Hardanger, a painting by Hans Gude, 1847
Western Norway is the region along the Atlantic coast of southern Norway. It consists of the counties Rogaland, Vestland, and Møre og Romsdal. The region has no official or political-administrative function. The region has a population of approximately 1.4 million people. The largest city is Bergen and the second-largest is Stavanger. Historically the regions of Agder, Vest-Telemark, Hallingdal, Valdres, and northern parts of Gudbrandsdal have been included in Western Norway.
Western Norway
Selje Abbey was a Benedictine monastery located on the island of Selja, formerly known as Selø, in the municipality of Selje, Sogn og Fjordane.
Moster gamle kyrkje, built in 995, it is one of the oldest churches in Norway. It is reported by Snorre that Olaf I of Norway had a church built there.
The United States contains the second-largest number of people of Norwegian descent after Ireland. Famous Americans with ancestry from this part of Norway include Marilyn Monroe, Walter Mondale, Knute Rockne, Michele Bachmann and Knute Nelson.
