CHRISTIANSAND, a fortified seaport town of South Norway, capital of a stift of the same name, on a fiord of the Skagerrack, in 58° 8' N. lat. and 8° 3' E. long. The town, which is surrounded on three sides by water, is defended by the fort of Fredericksholm, at the mouth of a deep and well sheltered harbour. The houses, mostly of painted wood, are regularly built, and the streets are wide. Christiansand has a fine cathedral, and a cathedral school; it is a naval station, and the seat of a bishop, and of a stiftsamtmand or governor of the province. The principal branches of industry are tanning, tobacco-manufacture, ship-building, dyeing, and brewing, and the exportation of timber, pitch, skins, copper and iron, fish, and lobsters. The mackerel and salmon brought to the harbour are packed in ice on their arrival, and shipped mostly to England. The number of fresh mackerel exported in 1874 was 897,110, value £5441, inclusive of the expense of ice and packing; of salmon, 209,131 lb, value £9273; of lobsters the number exported was 201,980. The number of British ships in cargo and in ballast at Christiansand in 1873 was 203. The town was founded in 1641 by Christian IV., after whom it was named. In 1807 it was held for a time by the British. Population (1870), 11,468.