Country Norway County Hordaland Municipality ID NO-1212 Elevation 3 m | Region Western Norway District Sunnhordland Adm. Center Skånevik Area 85 ha | |
 | ||
Skånevik is a former municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 1965 and it included the land surrounding both sides of the Skånevikfjorden and its smaller branches: the Åkrafjorden and Matersfjorden. It also included the eastern part of the island of Halsnøya and stretched quite a ways inland all the way to the Folgefonna glacier on the border with Odda. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Skånevik where Skånevik Church is located.
Contents
Map of 5593 Sk%C3%A5nevik, Norway
History
The parish of Skonevig was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The spelling of the name was changed in the early 20th century to its present spelling of Skånevik. On 1 January 1965, the municipality of Skånevik was dissolved due to the recommendations of the Schei Committee during a period of many municipal mergers across Norway. The area of Skånevik situated south of the Skånevikfjord and Åkrafjorden, as well as the parts of Skånevik located north of the fjord and east of the village of Åkra (population: 1,493) were consolidated with the neighboring municipality of Etne to the south. The rest of Skånevik lying north of the fjord and west of Åkra (population: 1,189), became a part of the neighbouring municipality of Kvinnherad to the north.
On 7 February 1978 a record-breaking dive occurred at 320 meters depth in the fjord, Skåneviksfjorden; one of the divers died during a break from welding metal pipes; the government had given the dive a dispensation from part of the regulations for occupational safety.