Sandnes

Sandnes is a city and municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Jæren. Sandnes was separated from Høyland as a municipality of its own in 1860, and gained city status the same year. On 1 January 1965, the rural municipalities of Høyland and Høle, as well as parts of Hetland, were merged with Sandnes. The city is named after an old farm ("Sandnæs" 1723), since the city was built on its ground. The first element is sand which means "sand" or "sandy beach", the last element is nes which means "headland". The coat-of-arms was granted on 21 April 1972. The arms show a piece of pottery, as pottery was one of the main industries in the late 18th century.