Norway - Stavanger

NORWAY
Lake Breiavatnet at Stavenger.

Sent by Jörg, a postcrosser from Norway.

This is from Wikipedia : Stavanger (Norwegian pronunciation: [stɑˈʋɑŋjær]) is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.

Stavanger municipality has a population of 121,610[2], but there are 189,828[3] people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the de facto third largest city in Norway. Stavanger is also the centre of the Stavanger metropolitan area which has a population of 297,569, and the administrative centre of Rogaland county. The city is commonly referred to as the Petroleum Capital of Norway.

The city, despite its age, only grew to become among the most influential and important Norwegian cities in the second half of the 20th century, after oil was discovered in the North Sea. Today there are significant foreign influences as a result of several major international oil companies' presence in the city. Several other foreign influences can be found, and among the more prominent is the NATO Joint Warfare Center.

Norway's oldest cathedral, Stavanger domkirke, is situated in the city centre, right next to lake Breiavatnet. The two most popular recreational areas in Stavanger are situated around lakes, namely Mosvatnet and Stokkavatnet.