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| Norway | Introduction | Back to Top |
Norway, officially Kingdom of Norway (in Norwegian, Kongeriket Norge), constitutional monarchy in northern Europe, occupying the western and northern portions of the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is bordered on the north by the Barents Sea, an arm of the Arctic Ocean, on the north-east by Finland and Russia, on the east by Sweden, on the south by the Skagerrak Strait and the North Sea, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, which in Norway is also called the Norwegian Sea. Norway's deeply indented and glaciated coastline measures about 21,925 km (13,624 mi) including all the fiords and offshore islands. The passageway between the screen of more than 150,000 offshore islands-known locally as the skerry guard-and the mainland is naturally protected. "Norway" means "northern way", which reflects the importance of the sheltered coastal waters in linking the many small fiord and valley communities that are otherwise separated by rugged mountains. Norway has an area of 323,877 sq km (125,016 sq mi). Oslo is Norway's capital and largest city.
Population 4,369,957 (1996 estimate) Population Density 13 persons/sq km (35 people/sq mi) (1996 estimate) Urban/Rural Breakdown 75%Urban 25%Rural Largest Cities Oslo483,401 Bergen221,717 Trondheim142,927 Stavanger103,590 (1995 estimate) Ethnic Groups 98%Norwegian 2%Other including Finns, Sami (Lapps), Danes, Americans, Britons, Swedes, and Pakistanis Languages Official Language Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk dialects) Other Languages Sami Religions 89%Norwegian Evangelical Lutheranism 11%Other including Pentecostalism and other Protestant denominations
| Norway | Provinces | Back to Top |
19 provinces (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold
| Norway | People | Back to Top |
The population of Norway is 4,503,440 (2001 estimate). Norway has the lowest population density in continental Europe, with 12 persons per sq km (30 per sq mi). The population is growing very slowly, with an annual rate of increase of only 0.49 percent in 2001. Life expectancy in Norway is among the highest in the world: 82 years for women and 76 years for men. About half of the country’s population lives in the southeast, and more than three-quarters of all Norwegians live within about 16 km (about 10 mi) of the sea. Some 74 percent of Norway’s population lives in urban areas.
In most parts of Norway the nucleus of the population is Nordic in heritage and appearance. Between 60 and 70 percent have blue eyes. An influx of people from southern Europe has been strong in southwestern Norway. Nord-Norge has about nine-tenths of the 20,000 to 30,000 Sami (Lapps, or Laplanders) living in Norway. Only about 2,800 of them still live on the Finnmark Plateau and move their reindeer herds down to the coast for summer grazing. The Sami were Norway's first inhabitants; they arrived at least 10,000 years ago, probably from Central Asia.
| Norway | History | Back to Top |
Norway was inhabited as early as 14,000 years ago by a hunting people with a Paleolithic culture derived from that of western and central Europe. Later, colonies of farming people from Denmark and Sweden were established in the region. These settlers spoke a Germanic language that became the mother tongue of the later Scandinavian languages. These new arrivals made their homes on the shores of the large lakes and along the jagged coast. Mountains and fjords formed natural boundaries around most of the settled areas. In time social life in the separate settlements came to be dominated by an aristocracy and, eventually, by petty kings. By the time of the first historical records of Scandinavia, about the 8th century ad, some 29 small kingdoms existed in Norway.
The earliest traces of human occupation in Norway are found along the coast, where the huge ice shelf of the last ice age first melted between 11,000 and 8000 BC. The oldest finds are stone tools dating from 9500 to 6000 BC, discovered in Finnmark in the north and Rogaland in the southwest. Theories of a “Komsa” type of stone-tool culture north of the Arctic Circle and a “Fosna” type from Trøndelag to Oslo Fjord were rendered obsolete in the 1970s. More recent finds along the entire coast revealed to archaeologists that the difference between the two can simply be ascribed to different types of tools and not to different cultures. Coastal fauna provided a means of livelihood for fishermen and hunters, who may have made their way along the southern coast about 10,000 BC when the interior was still covered with ice.
the kings turned their attention to the sea, the easiest way of communication with the outside world. About ad 800, ships of war were built and sent on raiding expeditions, initiating the era of the Vikings. The northern sea rovers were traders, colonizers, and explorers as well as plunderers. Around ad 875 they established settlements in Ireland, Britain, and Iceland and in the Orkney, Faroe, and Shetland islands. A century later, in about ad 985, Eric the Red led Vikings to Greenland from Iceland; a few years later, his son, Leif Eriksson, was one of the first Europeans to explore North America. Bands of the northern Vikings penetrated Russia, where their influence on the Russian state is still the subject of scholarly debate and research. Others settled in France, where they became the ancestors of the Normans of Normandy.
| Norway | Culture | Back to Top |
Norway has preserved a rich folk culture that retains elements from the Viking age. Norwegians today have a great interest in preserving folk art and music. The collecting and recording of folk music is supported by the government. Modern Norwegian culture has evolved from the great flowering of the arts that occurred in the 19th century under the influence of national romanticism. Early expressions of a truly Norwegian style were produced by painter Johan Christian Dahl and composer Edvard Grieg. Other important artists include playwright Henrik Ibsen, writer Knut Hamsun, composer Christian Sinding, painter Edvard Munch, and sculptor Gustav Vigeland, whose sculpture park in Oslo has gained international attention.
Located on the outskirts of Europe and with much of its inland population almost completely isolated until the 20th century, Norway has been able to preserve much of its old folk culture. On the other hand, as seafarers and traders the Norwegians have always received fresh cultural stimuli from abroad. A number of Norwegians have made important contributions in return, notably the playwright Henrik Ibsen and the composer Edvard Grieg. The Norwegian recipients of the Nobel Prize for Literature are Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Knut Hamsun, and Sigrid Undset.
Permanent theatres have been established in several cities, and the state traveling theatre, the Riksteatret, organizes tours throughout the country, giving as many as 1,200 performances annually. The Norwegian Opera, opened in 1959, requires state subsidies (as do most other theatres). Films in Norway are subject to censorship, primarily on grounds of violence and, to a lesser extent, erotic content. The production of Norwegian-made feature films is subsidized, but they usually number about 10 each year.
| Norway | Life | Back to Top |
The population of Norway is ethnically homogenous. Apart from several thousand Saami and people of Finnish origin in North Norway, the country has no other significant minority groups, although small numbers of Danes, Swedes, Britons, Pakistanis, Americans, and Iranians live in Norway.
| Norway | Land | Back to Top |
Glaciation and other forces wore down the surface and created thick sandstone, conglomerate, and limestone deposits known as sparagmite; numerous extensive areas called peneplains, whose relief has been largely eroded away, also were formed. Remains of the latter include the Hardanger Plateau—3,000 feet (900 metres) above sea level—Europe's largest mountain plateau, covering about 4,600 square miles (11,900 square km) in southern Norway; and the Finnmark Plateau (1,000 feet [300 metres] above sea level), occupying most of the northernmost and largest county of Norway.
| Norway | Plants and Animal | Back to Top |
Scotch pine and Norway spruce, but also contain birch, alder, aspen, and mountain ash. Wild berries, such as blueberries, cranberries, and cloudberries, grow in most woodland areas. In the far north and at high elevations are tundra regions. The tundra is a treeless heath, with vegetation consisting mainly of hardy dwarf shrubs and wildflowers. Reindeer, polar foxes, polar hare, wolves, wolverines, and lemmings are common in the north and in the higher mountain areas. Elk, deer, foxes, otters, and marten are found in the south and southeast. Both freshwater and saltwater fishes abound. Salmon, trout, grayling, perch, and pike are common in the streams and lakes. Herring, cod, halibut, mackerel, and other species inhabit coastal waters.
| Norway | Economy | Back to Top |
The Norwegian economy is dependent largely on the fortunes of its important petroleum industry. Thus, it experienced a decline in the late 1980s as oil prices fell but by the late 1990s had rebounded strongly, benefiting from increased production and higher prices. Norway reversed its negative balance of payments, and the growth of its gross national product (GNP)—which had slowed during the 1980s—accelerated. By the late 1990s Norway's per capita GNP was the highest in Scandinavia and among the highest in the world. In an effort to reduce economic downturns caused by drops in oil prices, the government in 1990 established the Government Petroleum Fund, into which budget surpluses were deposited for investment overseas.
Norwegian economy is based on free enterprise, the government exercises a considerable amount of supervision and control. Extraction of commercial quantities of offshore petroleum beginning in the early 1970s allowed Norway to expand its already extensive social welfare system. Norway’s economy has since grown highly dependent upon petroleum production and is subject to fluctuations in foreign oil prices. A sharp price drop in the mid-1980s resulted in a recession that lasted throughout the later part of the decade; the government responded by initiating measures to diversify the nation’s economy. Norway’s large merchant fleet remains of great importance to the economy. The 20th century was a period of great industrial expansion for Norway, based primarily on extensive and inexpensive waterpower resources, but also aided by the exploitation of offshore mineral resources. The country has one of the highest standards of living in the world; estimated gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 1999 was $34,290.
The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector (through large-scale state enterprises). The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil production and international oil prices; in 1999, oil and gas accounted for 35% of exports. Only Saudi Arabia exports more oil than Norway. Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994. Growth picked up in 2000 to 2.7%, compared to the meager 0.8% of 1999, but may fall back in 2001. The government moved ahead with privatization in 2000, even proposing the sale of up to one-third of the 100% state-owned oil company Statoil. Despite their high per capita income and generous welfare benefits, Norwegians worry about that time in the next two decades when the oil and gas begin to run out. Accordingly, Norway has been saving its oil-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund, which is invested abroad and now is valued at more than $43 billion.
| Norway | Communications | Back to Top |
modern in all respects; one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in Europe domestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover the prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular mobile systems instead of fixed wire systems international: 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999)
| Norway | Languages | Back to Top |
Two forms of the Norwegian language are officially recognized as equal. The older form, Bokmål, is used by about 80 percent of children in schools; 20 percent use Nynorsk (Neo-Norwegian). Saami is spoken by the Saami people in the north.
| Norway | Politics | Back to Top |
Center Party [Odd Roger ENOKSEN]; Christian People's Party [Kiell Magne BONDEVIK]; Conservative Party [Jan PETERSEN]; Labor Party [Jens STOLTENBERG]; Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM]; Progress Party [Carl I. HAGEN]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN]
| Norway | Government | Back to Top |
Norway is a constitutional and parliamentary monarchy that is hereditary. The constitution was enacted on May 17, 1814. Although this document has been amended many times, the principal features remain unchanged. Executive power is vested in the king. The king’s powers, however, are nominal, and administrative duties are carried out by the Council of State, which is headed by the prime minister. The king makes all governmental appointments on the recommendation of the party in power.
| Norway | Legal | Back to Top |
Legal system: mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch (born 20 July 1973) head of government: Prime Minister Kjell Magne BONDEVIK (since 17 October 2001) cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of the Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the largest party or leader of a coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the Parliament Legislative branch: modified unicameral Parliament or Storting which, for certain purposes, divides itself into two chambers (165 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 15 September 1997 (next to be held 10 September 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 35%, Center Party 7.9%, Conservative Party 14.3%, Christian People's Party 13.7%, Socialist Left Party 6%, Progress Party 15.3%, Liberal Party 4.4%, other parties 1.6%; seats by party - Labor Party 65, Center Party 11, Conservative Party 23, Christian People's Party 25, Socialist Left Party 9, Progress Party 25, Liberal Party 6, other parties 1 note: for certain purposes, the Parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the monarch)
| Norway | organization | Back to Top |
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
| Norway | Education | Back to Top |
Compulsory education was established in Norway by the Primary School Act of 1827. Changes made since the 1960s have reduced regional disparities and increased access for all social groups to the educational system. Education is free and compulsory in all municipalities for children from age 7 to age 15. Norway has almost no illiteracy. For their primary education, children attend a six-year lower school and a three-year upper school. Three years of secondary school is then available.
| Norway | Defence | Back to Top |
Military branches: Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy (includes Coast Artillery and Coast Guard), Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home Guard
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,101,384 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 913,534 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 27,341 (2001 est.)
| Norway | International Disputes | Back to Top |
territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land); Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute between Norway and Russia
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| Norway | Time | Back to Top |
| Norway | Currency and General Information | Back to Top |
| Countries Currency Unit | NOK/Unit | Units/NOK | |
| DZD | Algeria Dinars | 0.114369 | 8.74362 |
| USD | United States Dollars | 8.85366 | 0.112948 |
| ARS | Argentina Pesos | 3.00634 | 0.332631 |
| AUD | Australia Dollars | 4.72356 | 0.211705 |
| ATS | Austria Schillings ** | 0.560426 | 1.78436 |
| BSD | Bahamas Dollars | 8.85366 | 0.112948 |
| BBD | Barbados Dollars | 4.44907 | 0.224766 |
| BEF | Belgium Francs ** | 0.191166 | 5.23105 |
| BMD | Bermuda Dollars | 8.85366 | 0.112948 |
| BRL | Brazil Reals | 3.80802 | 0.262603 |
| GBP | United Kingdom Pounds | 12.6241 | 0.0792136 |
| BGL | Bulgaria Leva | 3.96018 | 0.252514 |
| CAD | Canada Dollars | 5.55031 | 0.180170 |
| CLP | Chile Pesos | 0.0134872 | 74.1445 |
| CNY | China Yuan Renminbi | 1.06962 | 0.934913 |
| CYP | Cyprus Pounds | 13.4759 | 0.0742066 |
| CZK | Czech Republic Koruny | 0.249758 | 4.00388 |
| DKK | Denmark Kroner | 1.03806 | 0.963338 |
| XCD | East Caribbean Dollars | 3.27913 | 0.304959 |
| EGP | Egypt Pounds | 1.91121 | 0.523230 |
| EUR | Euro | 7.71162 | 0.129674 |
| FJD | Fiji Dollars | 3.96137 | 0.252438 |
| FIM | Finland Markkaa ** | 1.29700 | 0.771009 |
| FRF | France Francs ** | 1.17563 | 0.850608 |
| DEM | Germany Deutsche Marks ** | 3.94289 | 0.253621 |
| XAU | Gold Ounces | 2,675.98 | 0.000373695 |
| GRD | Greece Drachmae ** | 0.0226313 | 44.1865 |
| HKD | Hong Kong Dollars | 1.13514 | 0.880947 |
| HUF | Hungary Forint | 0.0317136 | 31.5322 |
| ISK | Iceland Kronur | 0.0885421 | 11.2941 |
| INR | India Rupees | 0.181413 | 5.51229 |
| IDR | Indonesia Rupiahs | 0.000901188 | 1,109.65 |
| IEP | Ireland Pounds ** | 9.79174 | 0.102127 |
| ILS | Israel New Shekels | 1.86670 | 0.535704 |
| ITL | Italy Lire ** | 0.00398272 | 251.085 |
| JMD | Jamaica Dollars | 0.185962 | 5.37744 |
| JPY | Japan Yen | 0.0667445 | 14.9825 |
| JOD | Jordan Dinars | 12.4875 | 0.0800799 |
| LBP | Lebanon Pounds | 0.00584786 | 171.003 |
| LUF | Luxembourg Francs ** | 0.191166 | 5.23105 |
| MYR | Malaysia Ringgits | 2.33052 | 0.429088 |
| MXN | Mexico Pesos | 0.982612 | 1.01770 |
| NZD | New Zealand Dollars | 3.89989 | 0.256418 |
| NOK | Norway Kroner | 1.00000 | 1.00000 |
| NLG | Netherlands Guilders ** | 3.49938 | 0.285765 |
| PKR | Pakistan Rupees | 0.147438 | 6.78251 |
| PHP | Philippines Pesos | 0.173533 | 5.76259 |
| XPT | Platinum Ounces | 4,594.85 | 0.000217635 |
| PLN | Poland Zlotych | 2.15325 | 0.464414 |
| PTE | Portugal Escudos ** | 0.0384654 | 25.9974 |
| ROL | Romania Lei | 0.000268822 | 3,719.93 |
| RUR | Russia Rubles | 0.284501 | 3.51493 |
| SAR | Saudi Arabia Riyals | 2.36094 | 0.423560 |
| XAG | Silver Ounces | 40.9910 | 0.0243956 |
| SGD | Singapore Dollars | 4.80602 | 0.208072 |
| SKK | Slovakia Koruny | 0.184643 | 5.41585 |
| ZAR | South Africa Rand | 0.779525 | 1.28283 |
| KRW | South Korea Won | 0.00670323 | 149.182 |
| ESP | Spain Pesetas ** | 0.0463478 | 21.5760 |
| XDR | IMF Special Drawing Rights | 11.0389 | 0.0905889 |
| SDD | Sudan Dinars | 0.0340525 | 29.3664 |
| SEK | Sweden Kronor | 0.854524 | 1.17024 |
| CHF | Switzerland Francs | 5.26607 | 0.189895 |
| TWD | Taiwan New Dollars | 0.253324 | 3.94752 |
| THB | Thailand Baht | 0.203291 | 4.91907 |
| TTD | Trinidad and Tobago Dollars | 1.44668 | 0.691240 |
| TRL | Turkey Liras | 0.00000658706 | 151,812.70 |
| VEB | Venezuela Bolivares | 0.00961528 | 104.001 |
| ZMK | Zambia Kwacha | 0.00198068 | 504.876 |
| Norway : Geographic coordinates | 62 00 N, 10 00 E |
| Norway : Population growth rate | 0.49% |
| Norway : Birth rate | 12.6 births/1,000 population |
| Norway : Death rate | 9.83 deaths/1,000 population |
| Norway : People living with HIV/AIDS | 1,600 |
| Norway : Independence | 7 June 1905 |
| Norway : National holiday | Constitution Day, 17 May |
| Norway : Constitution | 17 May 1814 |
| Norway : GDP | purchasing power parity - $124.1 billion |
| Norway : GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $27,700 |
| Norway : Electricity - consumption | 110.795 billion kWh |
| Norway : Exports | $59.2 billion petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish |
| Norway : Imports | $35.2 billion machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs |
| Norway : Telephones | 2.735 million |
| Norway : Mobile cellular | 2,080,408 |
| Norway : Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM at least 650, shortwave 1 |
| Norway : Radios | 4.03 million |
| Norway : Television broadcast stations | 360 |
| Norway : Televisions | 2.03 million |
| Norway : Internet country code | .no |
| Norway : Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 13 |
| Norway : Internet users | 2.36 million |
| Norway : Railways | 4,012 km |
| Norway : Highways | 91,180 km |
| Norway : Waterways | 1,577 km |
| Norway : Pipelines | refined petroleum products 53 km |
| Norway : Ports and harbors | Bergen, Drammen, Floro, Hammerfest, Harstad, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Larvik, Narvik, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Stavanger, Tromso, Trondheim |
| Norway : Merchant marine | 764 ships |
| Norway : Airports | 103 |
| Norway : Heliports | 1 |
| Norway : Military branches | Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy (includes Coast Artillery and Coast Guard), Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home Guard |
| Norway : Military expenditures | $3.113 billion |