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Panoramic view on Senja island, Troms county, Norway
A panoramic view from a ridge between Segla and Hesten mountain summits on Senja island, with Øyfjorden to the left and Mefjorden to the right, in Troms county, Northern Norway.
Image: Motif Räsänen
 
Flag of Norway
Flag of Norway
Location map of Norway. Where in Europe is Norway?
Location map of Norway


A virtual guide to Norway, one of the Scandinavian kingdoms. The country is situated in Northern Europe, the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, with coastlines at the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Sweden, Finland, and Russia and it shares maritime borders with the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Denmark.

Norway's landscape offers rocky wilderness with mountains and glaciers and its coast is dented by coastal fjords, long, narrow inlets with steep cliffs, some of the fjords reach deep into the interior of the country.
Norway's mainland covers an area of 323,802 km², making it somewhat smaller than Germany, or slightly larger than the US state of New Mexico.

Just 5.2 million people live in this sparsely populated country, most of Norway's population is concentrated in the southern portion of the country. Capital and largest city is Oslo, spoken language is Norwegian, a North Germanic language.


Kingdom of Norway | Kongeriket Norge


Country Profile



Background:
The Viking period (9th to 11th centuries) was one of national unification and expansion. The Norwegian royal line died out in 1387, and the country entered a period of union with Denmark. By 1586, Norway had become part of the Danish Kingdom.

In 1814, as a result of the Napoleonic wars, Norway was separated from Denmark and combined with Sweden. The union persisted until 1905, when Sweden recognized Norwegian independence.
The Norwegian Government offered the throne of Norway to Danish Prince Carl in 1905. After a plebiscite approving the establishment of a monarchy, the parliament unanimously elected him king. He took the name of Haakon VII, after the kings of independent Norway.

Norway was a nonbelligerent during World War I, but as a result of the German invasion and occupation during World War II, Norwegians generally became skeptical of the concept of neutrality and turned instead to collective security.
Norway was one of the signers of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949 and was a founding member of the United Nations. The first UN General Secretary, Trygve Lie, was a Norwegian. Under the terms of the will of Alfred Nobel, the Storting (Parliament) elects the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee who award the Nobel Peace Prize to champions of peace.
Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. In a referendum held in 1972 and 1994, Norway's people rejected joining the EU.
(Source: various sources)

 

Official Name:
Kongeriket Norge
short form: Norge
int'l long form: Kingdom of Norway
int'l short form: Norway

ISO Country Code: no, nor

Time:
Time Zone: Central European Time (CET)
Local Time = UTC +1h
Actual Time: Sun-Mar-17  19:05
Daylight Saving Time (DST) 27 March - 30 October (UTC +2h)

Country Calling Code: +47

Capital City: Oslo

Other Cities:
Bergen (236 000), Trondheim (153 000), Stavanger (111 000), Bærum (102 000).

Government:
Type: Hereditary constitutional monarchy.
Independence: 1905.
Constitution: 17 May 1814.

Geography:
Location: Northern Europe.
Area: : 323,802 km² (125,020 sq. mi.)
(not included the island territories of Svalbard and Jan Mayen (62,422 km²))
Terrain: Rugged with high plateaus, steep fjords, mountains, and fertile valleys.

Climate: Temperate along the coast, colder inland.

People:
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Norwegian(s).
Population: 5,2 million (2016)
Ethnic Groups: Norwegian, Sami 20 000; foreign nationals (315 000) from Nordic and other countries.
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran, 86%; other Christian, 4%; Muslim.
Languages: Bokmaal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities, English is widely spoken.
Literacy: 100%

Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower.

Agriculture products: Barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish.

Industries: Petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing.

Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish

Exports partners: UK 22%, Germany 17%, Netherlands 10.2%, France 6.6%, Sweden 6%, Belgium 5%, USA 4.5% (2015)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs

Imports partners: Sweden 12%, Germany 11.8%, China 10.9%, UK 6.7%, USA 6.6%, Denmark 6% (2015)

Currency: Norwegian kroner, NOK
Parliament of Norway building
Parliament of Norway, the building houses the Stortinget (lit. "the great thing"), the country's unicameral parliament is the supreme legislature of Norway.
Image: Dmitry Valberg


Political System
Norway is considered to be one of the most developed democracies and states of justice in the world. The country has a hereditary constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democratic system of governance. Head of State is the monarch. Executive power is exercised by the King's council and the cabinet, which is headed by the Prime Minister, the executive power is dependent on the direct or indirect support of the legislature, Norway's parliament (Stortinget).


Official Sites of Norway

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

royal Det Norske Kongehus
The Royal Family of Norway.


Stortinget
The Norwegian Parliament.
Statsministerens kontor (SMK)
Office of the Primeminister.

Regjeringen.no
Government Administration Services, Norway's official government information portal.

norge.no
Norwegian public information.


Utenriksdepartementet (UD)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway.

Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
Established in 1959 in order to promote a better understanding of international issues in Norway.

Diplomatic Missions
Norway - Mission to the United Nations
Site of the Permanent Mission of Norway to the UN.
Norway.org
The Royal Norwegian Embassy, Washington, D.C.
Norwegian Mission to the European Union
Norway is not a member state of the EU, but maintains close relations to the European Union.
Norwegian Embassies and Delegations on the web
Norwegian Diplomatic Missions around the World.


Statistics
Statistisk sentralbyrå
Statistics Norway, Norway in figures.

Weather
Meteorologisk institutt
Norwegian Meteorological Institute.


Norway Maps

Map of Norway
Political Map of Norway.
Google Earth Google Earth Norway
Searchable map and satellite view of Norway.
Google Earth Google Earth Oslo
Searchable map and satellite view of Norway's capital city.

Map of the Baltic Sea Area
Political Map of the Baltic Sea Area.
Map of Scandinavia
Political Map of Scandinavia.
Map of Europe
Political Map of Europe.
 

News


Aftenposten
Norway's largest newspaper with national and international news (in Norwegian and English).
Dagsavisen
Norwegian News (in Norwegian).

Tabloids
Dagbladet
Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper.
Verdens Gang
Norwegian largest tabloid newspaper.

Dagens Næringsliv
Norway's leading business publication.

The Foreigner
Norwegian online news in English.

Sol
Norwegian online portal with news in Norwegian.
 

Bookmark/share this page
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Arts & Culture


All about Henrik Ibsen
All about Ibsen, the author of Peer Gynt.
Culturenet.no
Culture Net Norway, a gateway to Norwegian culture (in Norwegian).
Lillehammer Art Museum
Norwegian visual art from the 1830s up until today.
Munchmuseet
The Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo.
Museumsnett Norge
Part of Kulturnett Norge, offers information about more than 800 Norwegian museums.
The National Museum
Norway's largest collection of art, architecture and design.

Folk Lore
Norse Mythology
Best source to know more about the mythical world of the Norse pantheon.

Research
The Kon-Tiki Museum
Thor Heyerdahl and the Kon-Tiki Museum Institute for Pacific Research and Cultural history.
Nordlys
The Northern Lights Planetarium, Norway's foremost planetarium, Tromsø.

Opera/Dance
Carte Blanche
The Norwegian Company of Contemporary Dance.
Den Norske Opera
Official site of the Norwegian National Opera.

 


The Scream, Edvard Munch
One of the four versions of 'The Scream', one of the most famous pictures by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch.

Business & Economy


Norges Bank
The Norwegian central bank.
Oslo Børs
Norway's Stock Exchange.

Oslo Handelskammer
Oslo Chamber of Commerce.


__Transportation

Airlines
SAS
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)

Airport
Oslo Airport
Europe's second most efficient airport in 2008.

_Railroad
NSB - Norges Statsbaner
Norway's Railroad.

_Shipping
Hurtigruten - Coastal Express
The world's most beautiful voyage - all along the Norwegian coast.

Products of Norway
Dale of Norway
Norwegian sweaters and cardigans.
 
 
Preikestolen, Pulpit Rock at Lysefjord, Norway.
Preikestolen cliff or Pulpit Rock rises 600 m above the Lysefjord, it is one of the most visited natural tourist attractions in Norway.
Image: Svein-Magne Tunli

Travel and Tour Consumer Information


Destination Norway - Travel and Tour Guides


Discover Norway: Arctic Circle, midnight sun, northern lights, Helgeland, Lofoten, West Norway, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Jan Mayen

The Norwegian Tourist Guide
Official travel guide to Norway, a unique and exotic destination.

Northern Norway Tourist Board
Tourist guide to Northern Norway.

Visit Helgeland
Touristinformation on Helgland part of Nordland county and the most southerly district in Northern Norway.


Citiy Guides
VisitOslo.com
The official website for Oslo.
Bergen
The city of Bergen, the Gateway to the Fjords.
City of Sortland
To celebrate the millennium, the city of Sortland, is being painted blue.

Hotels
Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel
The worlds northern most ice hotel, reindeer inclusive.

  indigenous peoples Samefolket
Homepage of the Sami Nation.
 



Education


Norwegian University of Science and Technology
A research university with specialization in technology and the natural sciences, campuses are located in Trondheim, Gjøvik and Ålesund.
Universitetet i Bergen
University of Bergen is a public university located in the city of Bergen.
University of Oslo
Norway's largest and oldest university, founded in 1811.
Universitetet i Tromsø
The Arctic University of Norway is the world's northernmost university, founded in 1968.

Study in Norway
All about study in Norway.
 
 
Saltstraumen Bridge and
Saltstraumen Bridge in Salten, a district in Nordland county, the narrow channel beneath the bridge is Saltstraumen, a small strait with one of the strongest tidal currents in the world. Vortices known as whirlpools or maelstroms up to 10 metres (33 ft) in diameter and 5 metres (16 ft) in depth can be formed.
Image: Guttorm Raknes

Environment & Nature


Ministry for the Environment
Official website of the ministry with information about Norway's environmental policy.

Fjord Norge
Fjords, mountains, waterfalls and glaciers.
Institute of Marine Research (IMR)
Marine resources, marine environment, and aquaculture.
Norway Polar Institute
Norway's central institution for research, environmental monitoring and mapping of the polar regions.
 
 

History


Odin - The history of Norway
Article about Norway's history.

Riksarkivet
National Archives of Norway.

A Short History of Norway
Provided by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in London.

History of Norway
Comprehensive Wikipedia article about Norway's history.

Norse Mythology
Learn more about the mythical world of the Norse pantheon. 

Goldgubber, golden amulets or offerings from the late Iron Age, found only in Scandinavia.
Image: Martin Stoltze

Search

Kvasir
Norwegian Search Engine.


Sources and additional Information on Norway


BBC Country Profile: Norway

GlobalEDGE: Norway

The Heritage Foundation: Norway

Human Rights Watch: Norway

OEC: Norway

Wikipedia: Norway

The World Factbook -- Norway
 
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