Gjesdal
Gjesdal is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ålgård. Other villages in Gjesdal include Dirdal, Frafjord, Gilja, Gjesdal, and Oltedal. The municipality lies about 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the southwest of the city of Stavanger in southwestern Norway.
Gjesdal Municipality
Gjesdal kommune | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Gjestal herred (historic name) Gjæsdal herred (historic name) | |
View of the Gjesdal landscape | |
|
Flag | |
Rogaland within Norway | |
Gjesdal within Rogaland | |
| Coordinates: 58°46′55″N 06°00′31″E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Rogaland |
| District | Jæren |
| Established | 1 Jan 1838 |
| • Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt |
| Administrative centre | Ålgård |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2013) | Frode Fjeldsbø (Ap) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 617.99 km2 (238.61 sq mi) |
| • Land | 558.25 km2 (215.54 sq mi) |
| • Water | 59.73 km2 (23.06 sq mi) 9.7% |
| • Rank | #187 in Norway |
| Population (2023) | |
| • Total | 12,302 |
| • Rank | #95 in Norway |
| • Density | 22/km2 (60/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) | +11.4% |
| Demonym | Gjesdalbu |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Neutral |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-1122 |
| Website | Official website |
The European route E39 highway runs through the western side of the municipality. On the east side of the municipality, the Frafjord Tunnel connects the Frafjord valley with the rest of the municipality.
The 618-square-kilometre (239 sq mi) municipality is the 187th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Gjesdal is the 95th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 12,302. The municipality's population density is 22 inhabitants per square kilometre (57/sq mi) and its population has increased by 11.4% over the previous 10-year period.