Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town and municipality of its own in 1855. The rural municipality of Sk�re was merged with Haugesund on January 1, 1958. Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km�. The population is 34,619, giving the municipality a population density of 509 people per km�.
The town is situated on a strategically important sound through which ships could pass without traversing heavy seas. In the early years the coastal waters off Haugesund were a huge source of herring, and the town grew accordingly. Despite being barely a village back then, King Harald Fairhair lived at Avaldsnes, very close to the modern town of Haugesund. In the last decades, the town, like its neighbours, has been turning towards the petroleum industry, the herring being long gone.
Haugesund is the main cultural centre for its region, and is home to several festivals, the largest being the Norwegian International Film Festival and Sildajazz, an international jazz festival with approximately 70 bands and close to 200 concerts.
As of 2009, Haugesund's urban agglomeration has a population of approximately 100,000, of which 34,000 live in Haugesund and 40,000 live on Karm�y. The Haugesund Region, a statistical metropolitan area, consisting of the municipalities Karm�y, Haugesund, Tysv�r, Sveio and Bokn, has a population of approx. 100,000 as of 2009.
Haugesund has a coastline with the North Sea, however, the island of Karm�y and the archipelago R�v�r shelter most of the city from the rough waters of the ocean. The sound of Karmsund, located between Karm�y and Haugesund used to be very strategically important, since ships could pass without having to sail through heavy sea. Haugesund's city centre has a distinctive street layout, similar to those found in Kristiansand and Oslo. Haugesund has a typical maritime climate with mild winters, cool but pleasant springs, and mild summers lasting until the end of September. Monthly 24-hr
