{{Short description|Strait in Rogaland, Norway}} {{Infobox body of water |name = Karmsundet |native_name = |other_name = Karmsund ''(unofficial)'' |image = [[File:Høgspentmaster på Fosen Karmøy.jpg|150px]] |alt = |caption = View of the fjord and the electric pylons |location = [[Rogaland]] county, Norway |mapframe = yes |mapframe-zoom = 9 |mapframe-caption= Interactive map of the fjord |basin_countries = [[Norway]] |coords = {{coord|59.29722|5.32639|region:NO_type:waterbody |display=inline, title}} |type = [[Strait]] |inflow = Røværsfjorden |outflow = [[Boknafjorden]] |catchment = |length = {{convert|30|km}} |width = |area = |depth = |max-depth = |volume = |shore = |frozen = |islands = |cities = [[Haugesund (town)|Haugesund]], [[Kopervik]] |reference = }}
'''Karmsundet'''<ref name="name">{{Cite web |title=Informasjon om stadnamn |url=https://stadnamn.kartverket.no/fakta/1101 |access-date=2026-03-02 |website=Norgeskart |publisher=[[Norwegian Mapping Authority|Kartverket]] |language=no}}</ref> is a [[strait]] located in [[Rogaland]] county, [[Norway]]. The {{convert|30|km|adj=on}} long strait separates the [[Karmøy (island)|island of Karmøy]] on the west and the [[Mainland-Karmøy|mainland]] of Norway and island of [[Vestre Bokn]] in the east. The strait runs through [[Haugesund Municipality]], [[Karmøy Municipality]], and [[Bokn Municipality]]. The [[Haugesund (town)|town of Haugesund]] lies at the northern end of the strait and the town of [[Kopervik]] lies in the central part of the strait, and the town of [[Skudeneshavn]] lies near the southern end where the strait flows into the [[Boknafjorden]]. The [[Karmsund Bridge]], a part of the [[European route E134]] highway, links Karmøy island to the mainland. The bridge was completed in 1955. The small islands of [[Vibrandsøya]], [[Risøy|Risøya]], and [[Hasseløy|Hasseløya]] lie in the strait at the northern end, just off shore from the town of Haugesund.<ref name="snl">{{Cite SNL|Karmsundet|Karmsundet|2026-03-02|Thorsnæs|Geir|2024-11-27}}</ref>
Near the [[Norsk Hydro]] Factory on Karmøy island, there are three powerlines that cross the Karmsundet on {{convert|143|m|adj=on}} tall electricity [[Transmission tower|pylons]], which are the tallest in Norway. A local newspaper in this area is named after the strait: ''Karmsund Avis''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Karmsund Avis |url=http://www.karmsundavis.no |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070102072939/http://www.karmsundavis.no/ |archive-date=2007-01-02}}</ref>
==History== The [[Elder Edda|eddic]] poem ''[[Grímnismál]]'' says that [[Thor]], the weather god, wades the straits at Karmsundet every morning on his way to [[Yggdrasil]], the tree of life.
Standing above Karmsundet, near the town of [[Haugesund (town)|Haugesund]], is [[Haraldshaugen]], a monument commemorating the traditional burial site for several early Norwegian rulers, including [[Harald Fairhair|Harald I]].
The professor in [[philology]] [[Magnus Olsen]] wrote that the name of the country [[Norway#Etymology|Norway]], which means the northbound route, refers to the inner-archipelago sailing route, which begins at Karmsund, and originally to the southernmost part of this sailing route, the home area of [[Harald Fairhair]], the first king of Norway.<!-- This was taken from Norwegian Wikipedia-->
==References== {{reflist}}
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[[Category:Straits of Norway]] [[Category:Landforms of Rogaland]] [[Category:Haugesund Municipality]] [[Category:Karmøy Municipality]] [[Category:Bokn Municipality]]