Kristiansand (help·info) (earlier Christianssand) is a city and municipality, and the capital of the county of Vest-Agder, Norway. The city of Kristiansand was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipalities of Oddernes, Randesund and Tveit were merged with Kristiansand January 1, 1965. Kristiansand was founded by King Christian IV in 1641. It was created as a market town to encourage growth in this area of strategic significance, providing a local economic base for construction of fortifications and population for defense of the area. The centre of Kristiansand is called Kvadraturen due to its square gridline of streets. The zoological garden, Kristiansand Dyrepark (Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park) just east of the city, has a wide selection of animals in, for the most part, natural habitats. This includes animals such as wolves, tigers and the lynx. Due to the allocation of areas the combination of zoo and recreational park turns out surprisingly well. Each year in July, Kristiansand is the site of the Quart Festival, a multi-day music festival - the largest of its kind in Norway. Kristiansand is also home to Agder Theatre. Kristiansand is connected to continental Europe by air and sea. The local airport, Kjevik, is located 12 km (7 miles) east of the city and has routes to European and Norwegian cities. From the town centre, the ferry harbour has routes to Hirtshals (Denmark) and Hanstholm (Denmark). There are also buses and trains that connect Kristiansand to other Norwegian cities. Kristiansand has major shipbuilding and repair facilities that support Norway's North Sea oil industry.

Near Kristiansand there is the static inverter plant of the HVDC Cross-Skagerak. Kristiansand and the Agder counties usually have a lot of summer sunshine compared to most of Norway. There may be heavy snowfall in winter with south-southeasterly winds (snow record at Kjevik is 170 cm), but the snow rarely stays long at the coast; see climate. Note: Even though the names are different, Kristiansand is often noted as Kristiansand S (S for South) to distinguish it from Kristiansund, also in Norway, in such cases noted as Kristiansund N. The practice originated before postal codes were introduced, as mail sometimes was sent to the wrong city. Occasional mix-ups with the Swedish city of Kristianstad have also been known to happen.

Wikipedia articles for Kristiansand

• Kristiansand
• Diocese of Agder og Telemark
• University of Agder
• Oddernes
• Baneheia
• Sør Arena
• Ravnedalen, Kristiansand
• Kristiansand Prison
• Kristiansand Stadion
• Christiansholm Fortress
• Otra
• Kristiansand Station
• New Varodd Bridge
• Varodd Bridge
• Agder Teater
• Krossen Railway Converter Station
• Justvik
• Justvik
• List of lighthouses in Norway