Stavangeris a city andmunicipalityinNorway.The urban area of Stavanger stretches across many neighboring municipalities, making it the third largest city in Norway by total urban population with 197 852 inhabitants as of January 1, 2011.Stavanger's core is to a large degree 18th- and 19th-century wooden housesthat are protected and considered part of the city's cultural heritage. This has caused the town centre and inner city to retain a small-town character with an unusually high ratio of detached houses,and has contributed significantly to spreading the city's population growth to outlying parts ofGreater Stavanger.
The city's rapid population growth in the late 20th century was primarily a result of Norway's booming offshore oil industry. Today the oil industry is a key industry in the Stavanger region and the city is widely referred to as the Oil Capital of Norway.Multipleeducational institutionsforhigher educationare located in Stavanger. The largest of these is theUniversity of Stavanger.