User:Aqwis/Fedje

Fedje is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Located on the edge of the North Sea, it consists of an archipelago of about 125 islands, of which few are inhabited. The eponymous main island makes up 7.4 km2 of the municipality's total area of 9.4 km2, and has the vast majority of its population. The westernmost municipality in Norway, the windswept vegetation of Fedje consists of mostly low vegetation, and almost no trees. Temperatures are mild, with an annual average temperature of 7.4 °C. The highest point in the municipality, located on the main island, is only 42 metres above sea level, and the population centre north on the island is almost entirely flat.

History
The municipality of Fedje was created 1 January 1947, when it was separated from Austrheim.

The Old Norse form of the name was Feðjar. The meaning of the name is unknown.

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted in 1990 and they show two silver oars on a blue background. This symbolizes the rich boating history of this island municipality.

There are traces of human activity on Fedje from as long as 4,000 years ago. In the 1700s, Fedje was an important trading place, with the small island Kræmmerholmen being the location where the trading took place. Kræmmerholmen was reopened in 1991, and is now a restaurant/hotel/museum area, as well as the location where one can buy whale meat. Fedje was previously a substantial producer of peat. The peat led to the construction of Norway's first railway. The railway was given up together with the peat industry in 1920.

During the Second World War Fedje was occupied by over 300 German soldiers. There are still remains of the German cannons and bunkers all over the island, especially in the eastern part close to the traffic station, which is actually built on the remains of a German radar station.

In February 1945 a German submarine called U-864 was sunk by British naval forces outside western Fedje. The U-boat was, unfortunately for the environment, loaded with 70 tons of mercury. The mercury, which was being shipped to Japan, is now resting on the bottom of the North Sea 150 metres below the surface, as a potential environmental disaster like the Minamata disaster in Japan, in the 1960s.

On 12 January 2007, M/V Server sunk outside Fedje. The ship leaked oil and caused major environmental damage.

Education
Fedje has an elementary school, and a lower secondary school, both of which are situated in the center of the island, and in the same building. The school is also used as a movie theater twice a week.

Sports
The main sporting activity on Fedje is football, which can be played on the football grounds in the eastern part of the island. The football ground is also the home ground of the local football team called Fedje A-lag. The club is currently playing in the Norwegian 6th division. Swimming is also popular, as there is a beautiful beach located on Fedje, which is to be found in the centre of the island on the shoreline of Lake Husavatnet. The water is clean and brackish, as a freshwater spring runs out in the vicinity of the beach.

Geography
The main island of Fedje is surrounded by about 125 smaller islands and rocks mostly north of the main island, and the name Fedje applies both to the main island, and to all the islands and rocks as a whole. Fedje is an island, covering a total area of about 7.4 square kilometres. Counting the main island and the smaller islands, the area is about 9.4 square kilometres. It has a population of approximately 600 people.

The highest point on Fedje is the 42-meter-high hill called Fedjebjørnen. The largest lake is Storevatnet.

Most of the people live on the lagoon-like northern part of the island, in the vicinity of the grocery shop, the church and the ferry. Fedje is inhabited by many fishermen and whalers, who represent the most important industries on the island.

Islands
The best known smaller island is called Holmengrå. Holmengrå has a 16-metre tall lighthouse. In the southern part of Fedje which is called Stormark, there is a lighthouse called Hellisøy fyr, maybe the most famous feature of Fedje. Hellisøy fyr was built in 1855, and is 32.3 metres tall, painted red and white. Fedje travel information

Demographics
The population of the island community is decreasing due to the high percentage of people over 60 years (25% as of 1 January 2003), and because many people decide to move from the island, many because of the lack of work.

The population of Fedje has generally been decreasing since its peak in 1954, owing to reasons such as an old population and a lack of work opportunities.

Industry
Fedje has one whaling ship, and is famous for its fisheries.

Infrastructure
There is an important traffic-station on Fedje. The station surveils the coastal sea-traffic. The island is supplied with power, telephone and internet cables from an underwater pipe connected to the mainland. A ferry, crossing 20 times a day, connects Fedje to the mainland. The voyage lasts for about 30 minutes. Fedje is about a 1 hour 40 minute drive (including a 30-minute ferry voyage) from the city of Bergen.