:''See also Hangö,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

.'' Hankø Island is located in the

Oslo Fjord The Oslofjord (, ; en, Oslo Fjord) is an inlet in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the and lighthouses and down to in the south to Oslo in the north. It is part of the Skagerrak strait, connecting the Nor ...

Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side o ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It used to be the property of the

Dano-Norwegian Dano-Norwegian (Danish and no, dansk-norsk) was a koiné/mixed language that evolved among the urban elite in Norwegian cities during the later years of the union between the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway (1536/1537–1814). It is from this ...

king, the site where the king hunted

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

. Later an island of retreat, notable visitors are the Norwegian king,

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 22 September 1971) is a member of the Norwegian royal family, a businesswoman and a self-described clairvoyant. The only daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja, she is fourth in the line of success ...

,and her husband

Ari Behn Ari Mikael Behn (; , or ; 30 September 1972 – 25 December 2019) was a Norwegian author, playwright, and visual artist. Known as Mikael Bjørshol until 1996, Behn achieved early literary success with his 1999 short story collection ''Trist so ...

. Their second child,

Leah Isadora Behn Leah Isadora Behn (born 8 April 2005) is a member of the Norwegian Royal family. She is the second daughter of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and her late former husband Ari Behn, and a grandchild of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway. S ...

was born at their estate "Bloksberg" in 2005 Hankø is well known internationally as a venue for the sport of sailing, having hosted several world championships in different yacht classes. It is the host of annual sailing competitions in the summer, drawing international competitors in many classes including the Melges class. The island has many summer cottages, mainly owned by inhabitants from Oslo (Norway's capital). This is due to the close proximity to the capital. The island is connected to the mainland, at a beautiful place called Vikene, by a ferry, going to and fro as the need arises. There is a hotel on the island with a spa (after recent refurbishment), which is heavily dependent on corporate customers.

Climate

In the summer the temperature is usually in the mid 20s (Celsius), and the water temperature can exceed 20 degrees Celsius in July/ August. The winters can be harsh, especially for the deer living on the island year round.

Geography

The island stretches north to south for about 6 km. It is divided from the mainland by the Hankøsund, a stretch of water which runs about the length of the island. The north point is called "the north cape", and the southern tip marks the end of the "Hankøsund". The yachting is centered around the "Hankø Yacht Club" which lies in the Hankøsund close to the mainland. This private club has only about 150 members, membership only available upon invitation.

The name

The name (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

''Hanki'') is derived from ''hǫnk'' f

handle A handle is a part of, or attachment to, an object that allows it to be grasped and manipulated by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt with intuitively or by following tra ...

. The island was probably considered to be the 'handle' of the greater island

Onsøy Onsøy is a peninsula and a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre was Gressvik. History The parish of ''Onsø'' was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). A part of Onsøy w ...

. Oslofjord {{Østfold-geo-stub