Date Established: July 1980, under Mayor Jim McConn
SC President: Ms. Judy McEnany, Representative mcEnany@aol.com

GEOGRAPHY
Location: Norway is on the western side of the Scandinavian Peninsula, bordered by Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Stavanger is in the extreme southwest of the country on the North Jaeren peninsula between the North Sea, the Fjords Islands, and the mountains of Ryfylke.
Description: Oil capital of Norway, headquarters of Statoil, the state oil company. (Statoil also has an office in Houston.) One of Norway's largest ports and it's fourth largest city.

PEOPLE
Ethnicity: Norwegian
Language: Norwegian, English
City Population: 97,000
Religion: Christian (Evangelical Lutheran)

ECONOMY
Natural Resources: Offshore oil and natural gas
Industries: Oil and natural gas, shipbuilding and repair, tourism, fishing
Exports: Oil, natural gas, engineering equipment and products, fish, building and construction materials, bicycles, automobile parts
Imports: Fresh fruits and vegetables
Currency: Norwegian kroner (NOK)

HISTORY
Stavanger Siddis (the colloquial name for Stavangerian people), claim to be the oldest true Norwegians. The City of Stavanger was founded over 850 years ago in 1125, when construction of its cathedral began. Oil was discovered in the 1960s and offshore drilling began soon after. In 1969, the giant Ekofisk oil and gas field was discovered in the very center of the North Sea. As a result of a resolution passed by the Norwegian Parliament in 1972, Stavanger was appointed as the center of oil activities in Norway.

FACTS
* Stavanger has become the headquarters for the Norwegian Oil Board, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, and 10 foreign oil companies
* Because of the large international population in Stavanger (8%), there are American, French, and English schools

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
Head of State: King Harald V
Type: Parliamentary monarchy. The king has limited executive power and operates as head of the military and as a symbol of continuity and stability. Executive power is vested in the Prime Minister who presides over the dominant party in the country's parliament. Members of the parliament are elected every four years.

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
Head of City: Mayor Leif Johan Sevland (since 1995)
Term: Two year terms; no term limits. Next Election: September 2001