- 12,000 years ago, Hvaler was under a 1km-thick ice layer. Today it’s one of the sunniest places in Norway.

- A lot of juniper grows on Hvaler. Norway’s highest juniper tree can be found on Spjærøy. It is 14.5m high.

- The first marine national park in Europe opened in Hvaler in September 2009 (read more on this in former entry on this blog).

- More artists live on Hvaler than anywhere else in Østfold.

- Hvaler is the municipality in Norway with the highest number of boats per inhabitant.

- More rare and endangered flowers can be found on Hvaler than anywhere else in Norway. The first ‘protected’ plant in Norway was found here – the eseltistel (Scotch Cotton Thistle, Latin name Onopordum acanthium), which was protected in 1912.

- Hvaler is the biggest fishing community in Eastern Norway, with about 140 professional fishermen.

- The population of Hvaler increases almost ten-fold in the summer, going from 3,700 permanent inhabitant to 30,000 between July and August. There are some 5,000 hytter (summer houses) in the archipelago.