Stangaland (also spelled Stangeland) is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1909 until its dissolution in 1965. The area is now part of Karmøy Municipality in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre was the village of Stangaland just outside the town of Kopervik (the town of Kopervik was a separate municipality).
Prior to its dissolution in 1965, the municipality was the 487th largest by area out of the 525 municipalities in Norway. Stangaland Municipality was the 334th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 21.6% over the previous 10-year period.
The municipality was established on 1 January 1909 when the large Avaldsnes Municipality was divided. The southern part of the municipality on the island of Karmøy (population: 1,001) became the new Kopervik Municipality () and the northern part of the municipality (population: 3,213) remained as a smaller Avaldsnes Municipality. This new rural municipality surrounded the town of Kopervik which was a separate municipality. The name was somewhat confusing in that Kopervik (town) and Kopervik Municipality were different, neighboring areas. In 1917, the name of the municipality was changed to Stangaland Municipality to better distinguish the neighboring town.
On 1 January 1965, Skudenes Municipality (population: 2,678) was dissolved upon recommendations of the Schei Committee and its lands were merged with the following areas to form the new Karmøy Municipality:
The municipality was originally named Kopervik in 1909, and it was named after the neighboring town of Kopervik. The name has an uncertain meaning, but the Old Norse form of the name may have been . The first element is possibly named after a very small, nearby skerry, Koparnaglen, which was originally named Kobbanaglen. That name likely comes from the word which means "seal". The last element is which means "inlet" or "bay".
In 1917, the municipal name was changed to Stangaland, after the old Stangeland farm (). The name was changed to help distinguish it from the neighboring town of Kopervik. The first element is the plural genitive case of which means "staff" or "pole". The last element is which means "land" or "district".
The Church of Norway had one parish () within Stangaland Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Kopervik prestegjeld and the Karmsund prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.
The municipality encompassed the rural areas surrounding the coastal town of Kopervik on the central part of the island of Karmøy. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Søre SÃÂ¥lefjell. Avaldsnes Municipality was located to the north and east, Bokn Municipality was located to the southeast, Skudenes Municipality was located to the south, and àkra Municipality was located to the west. The town of Kopervik was an exclave on the eastern side of Stangaland Municipality.
While it existed, Stangaland Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Karmsund District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council of Stangaland Municipality was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.