Bokn

Bokn is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Føresvik, the only urban area in Bokn. Other villages in Bokn include Arsvågen, Trosnavåg, and Loten. The island municipality is mostly located on the three islands of Ognøya, Vestre Bokn, and Austre Bokn. All three main islands are connected to the mainland via a network of bridges. The municipality is the 348th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Bokn is the 342nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 855. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 0.5% over the previous ten-year period. The municipality of Bokn (historically spelled Bukken) was established in 1849 when it was separated from the large municipality of Skudenes. Initially, Bokn had 1,035 residents. The borders of Bokn have not changed since that time. The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the islands of Austre Bokn and Vestre Bokn (Bókn). The meaning of the name is uncertain. It is possible that the word was derived from the Old High German word bouchen which means "sea mark" or "beacon", possibly referring to the local mountain that was a navigational mark for boats. Before 1889, the name was spelled "Bukken". The coat of arms was granted on 8 August 1986. The official blazon is "Azure, six plates, one over two over three" (På blå grunn seks sølv myntar, 1-2-3). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a set of six circles. The set of circles has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The blue background represents the sea and the set of six circles represent coins, which symbolize the richness from the sea since it is an island municipality and therefore dependent on fishing and sailing. The six circles are set in a triangle to symbolize a cairn, representing the fact that the island was historically used as a sea mark for sailors.