Huftarøy

Huftarøy
Interactive map of Huftarøy
Geography
LocationVestland, Norway
Coordinates59°59′47″N 5°15′24″E / 59.9964°N 5.2568°E / 59.9964; 5.2568
ArchipelagoAustevoll
Area50.4 km2 (19.5 sq mi)
Length14.8 km (9.2 mi)
Width6.8 km (4.23 mi)
Highest elevation244 m (801 ft)
Highest pointLoddo
Administration
Norway
CountyVestland
MunicipalityAustevoll Municipality
Demographics
Population2,435
Pop. density48.3/km2 (125.1/sq mi)

Huftarøy[1] is the largest island in Austevoll Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The 50.4-square-kilometre (19.5 sq mi) island lies in the Austevoll archipelago, just west of the Bjørnafjorden, south of the Korsfjorden, east of the Mokstrafjorden, and north of the Selbjørnsfjorden.[2] The largest settlement on the island is the village of Storebø on the northern part of the island (Storebø is the administrative centre of the municipality.)[3]

Location

The 1.53-square-kilometre (380-acre) village of Storebø has a population (2013) of 1,322; giving the village a population density of 864 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,240/sq mi).[4] Austevoll Church (Norwegian: Austevoll kirke), located in the village of Storebø, is the main church for the island. Other villages on the island include Birkeland, Haukanes, Husavik, Kolbeinsvik, Otterå, and Vinnes.[5]

Transportation

The island currently has no bridge or tunnel connections (as of 2025), however the planned Hordfast bridge-tunnel network may connect the island to the mainland. This project is currently in the planning stages and the Austevoll option is one of several possibilities.[6]

The island has two regular ferry connections. The northern ferry stops at Hufthammar and runs northward to Krokeide (near Fanahammaren in Bergen Municipality) on the mainland. The southern ferry stops at Husavik and it runs southward to Sandvika on the island of Stord and on to Tysnes Municipality. The island of Stord is connected to the mainland by an undersea tunnel.[2]

There are several smaller islands surrounding Huftarøy which are connected to each other by road bridges. The Storholmbrua-Austevollsbrua bridge network connects Huftarøy to the islands of Hundvåko and Storakalsøy to the northwest. Two very short causeways connect Huftarøy to the small islands of Drøna and Rostøya to the west. The Selbjørn Bridge runs across the Bekkjarvik Strait connecting to the islands of Selbjørn and Stolmen.[2][7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Informasjon om stadnamn". Norgeskart (in Norwegian). Kartverket. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  2. ^ a b c Thorsnæs, Geir; Lauritzen, Per Roger, eds. (2025-12-20). "Huftarøy". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  3. ^ Thorsnæs, Geir; Lauritzen, Per Roger, eds. (2025-11-04). "Storebø". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  4. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå (2025-10-27). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
  5. ^ "Austevoll kirke". Den Norske Kirke. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  6. ^ Bolstad, Jon (2014-02-02). "Vil ha fleire bruer inn i Hordfast" (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved 2014-12-31.
  7. ^ "Austevollsbrua mellom Huftarøy og Hundvåkøy ferdig i 2008". Byggeindustrien. Retrieved December 1, 2017.