Stavanger is the fourth largest city of Norway. It is on the south-western coast of the country. The urban area of Stavanger stretches across many neighboring municipalities, making it the third largest city in Norway by total urban population.

Geography

The municipality of Stavanger is located in a coastal landscape, bordering the sea to the west and Boknafjorden in the northeast. The Byfjorden and Gandsfjorden run along the east side of the city. It is part of the Low-Jæren, a flat area of land consisting mostly of marsh, sand, and stone aur, that ranges from Ogna River in the south to Tungenes in the north; it is the northernmost part that includes Stavanger. The majority of the municipality lies between 0 and 50 meters (0 and 164 ft) in elevation. The landscape has a distinctive appearance with rocks and hills where there is no settlement or agriculture. The city of Stavanger is closely linked to the sea and water, with five lakes (including Breiavatnet, Stora Stokkavatnet, and Mosvatnet) and three fjords (Hafrsfjorden, Byfjorden, and Gandsfjorden); sea and water form the landscape, providing a shoreline rich with vegetation and wildlife.

The terrain is low-lying: 49% of the area is less than 20 meters (66 ft) above sea level, While 7% of the land is at 60 meters (200 ft). Stavanger's highest point is the 139-meter (456 ft) tall Jåttånuten with the 136-meter (446 ft) Ullandhaug as the second highest point.

The city has developed on both sides of a hollow that runs right through the terrain, with steep slopes up from the bottom. An extension of Boknafjorden and Byfjorden intersects the harbor into the hollow from the northwest, while Hillevåg lake intrudes from Gandsfjorden in the southeast. Breiavatnet is located between the two fjord arms.

The city includes many islands off the coast including Bjørnøy, Buøy, Engøy, Grasholmen, Hellesøy, Hundvåg, Kalvøy, Lindøy, Sølyst, and Vassøy. It also includes the eastern half of the island of Åmøy.

Parks
There are several parks and green spots in Stavanger municipality, both in the city and beyond. Central to the town is the city lake which is in turn surrounded by the city park, built as the city's first urban park in 1866–1868. Between the city park and the bay is located Kielland garden, which got its name because the poet Alexander Kielland's house at the time was here. Kielland Park went through a major renovation in 2007 as part of the Millennium in Stavanger municipality. At the opposite end of the city lake, there is a small park outside the station; here there is Emigration, a gift from the Norwegian emigrants in the United States, commemorating the men and women of Norwegian ancestry who built America.

Bjergstedparken, a park north of Old Stavanger, is the location of Bjergsted Music Center, including Stavanger Concert Hall, and its outdoor areas are often used for festivals and outdoor concerts. The Missing park, built in honor of Lars Missing, is located up the hill on the west side of the harbor and forms the entrance from the south towards the Old Town. Canon park forms the border between Stavanger and the exit from the E39. Northward go Løkkeveien against Bjergsted westward go Madlaveien the theater and Bergelandstunnelen, east towards E39. The park is located next to the old Stavanger Hospital, which also has a large park area around the main building. Through the park runs Kannik creek, which comes to the surface at the statue of the Little Mermaid and runs into Breiavannet. Kannikkbekken runs mostly underground, in pipes, before it reaches Kannik park.

Outside the city center, the park southerly in relation to the large inland lakes such as Mosvatnet, Stora Stokkavatnet, and Water Assen. Mosvatnet is 0.46 square kilometers (110 acres) making it the third largest in Stavanger after Hålandsvatnet and Store Stokkavatn. The lake supplied the city's drinking water from 1863 to 1931 and is now by far the most used recreation area in Stavanger. The path around the lake is 3.2 kilometers (2.0 mi) long, and much used by cyclist and joggers; sampling conducted in 1995 showed that an estimated 560,000 people used the walking trail around Mosvatnet. At the south end is Mosvangen Camping, Stavanger Svømmestadion old man and Vålandskogen, and to the west is Rogaland Kunstmuseum. Stora Stokkavatnet is 2.19 square kilometers (0.85 sq mi) –-the largest in Stavanger. Right at Stora Stokkavatnet is the 0.15-square-kilometer (0.058 sq mi) Litla Stokkavatnet. The hiking trail around the lakes is 8.2 kilometers (5.1 mi) long. In the lake is a small island, Storeholmen. Store Stokkavatnet supplied Stavanger's drinking water from 1931 to 1959 and was later demoted to the reserve drinking water. In 2009 it was relegated once more, and it is now legal to swim in the water.

Climate

The city is located on a peninsula on the southwest coast of Norway. The climate seems to be greatly influenced by the Gulf Stream which creates warmer temperatures throughout the year compared to other cities at similar latitudes. According to Köppen climate classification, Stavanger experiences an oceanic climate (Cfb) with four months above 10 °C (50 °F) mean temperature. The city has also a small continental climate influence which creates subzero lows during winter. The city is relative wet with precipitation average 1,180 millimeters (46 in) and 158.9 days with precipitation above 1.0 mm.