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Norway Country Guide
Explore Norway in Europe
The landscape offers glaciated with mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys, small, scattered plains, coastline deeply indented by fjords and arctic tundra in north. The average density of population is approximately 14 per km². The notable climate conditions in Norway can be described as temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current with colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers and rainy year-round on west coast. Potential threats by nature are rockslides, avalanches.
To reach someone in Norway dial +47 prior to a number. There are 1,900,000 installed telephones. And there are 5,336,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".no". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of .
About the flag and history of Norway
Red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag); the colors recall Norway's past political unions with Denmark (red and white) and Sweden (blue).
Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav TRYGGVASON in 994. Conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although Norway remained neutral in World War I, it suffered heavy losses to its shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940-45). In 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU. Key domestic issues include immigration and integration of ethnic minorities, maintaining the country''s extensive social safety net with an aging population, and preserving economic competitiveness.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Europe Neighbours: Finland, Russia, Sweden Capital: Oslo |
| Size | 324,220 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 125,182 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly larger than New Mexico |
| Population | 4,644,000 |
| Currency | Name Krone, Currency Code:NOK |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .no |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +47 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 5,336,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 1,900,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 323,802 (sq km) | 68 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,722,701 | 120 |
| Population growth rate | 0.33 (%) | 166 |
| Birth rate | 10.80 (births/1,000 population) | 177 |
| Death rate | 9.21 (deaths/1,000 population) | 61 |
| Net migration rate | 1.68 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 47 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 7.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 168 |
| Infant mortality rate | 3.47 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 211 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.44 (years) | 27 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.77 (children born/woman) | 159 |
| Health expenditures | 9.50 (% of GDP) | 36 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.10 (%) | 150 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 4,000 | 121 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 100 | 147 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 21.50 (%) | 84 |
| Education expenditures | 7.30 (% of GDP) | 21 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 8.60 (%) | 116 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 281,700,000,000 | 46 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 3.00 (%) | 111 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 55,900 | 9 |
| Labor force | 2,645,000 | 109 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.10 (%) | 25 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 25.00 | 131 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 21.40 (% of GDP) | 79 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 56.50 (% of GDP) | 11 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | 15.20 (% of GDP) | 5 |
| Public debt | 30.30 (% of GDP) | 112 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 0.60 (%) | 7 |
| Central bank discount rate | 1.75 (%) | 125 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 4.40 (%) | 164 |
| Stock of narrow money | 149,400,000,000 | 26 |
| Stock of broad money | 309,200,000,000 | 30 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 694,200,000,000 | 22 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 250,900,000,000 | 30 |
| Industrial production growth rate | -4.30 (%) | 161 |
| Current account balance | 76,100,000,000 | 7 |
| Exports | 162,700,000,000 | 31 |
| Imports | 86,780,000,000 | 38 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 49,400,000,000 | 39 |
| Debt - external | 659,100,000,000 | 21 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 192,500,000,000 | 25 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 197,500,000,000 | 23 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 122,200,000,000 (kWh) | 30 |
| Electricity - consumption | 110,800,000,000 (kWh) | 30 |
| Electricity - exports | 7,123,000,000 (kWh) | 24 |
| Electricity - imports | 14,670,000,000 (kWh) | 14 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 30,950,000 (kW) | 28 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 2.60 (% of total installed capacity) | 201 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 91.10 (% of total installed capacity) | 11 |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 2.00 (% of total installed capacity) | 58 |
| Crude oil - production | 1,998,000 (bbl/day) | 15 |
| Crude oil - exports | 1,759,000 (bbl/day) | 8 |
| Crude oil - imports | 19,960 (bbl/day) | 70 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 5,320,000,000 (bbl) | 24 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 324,000 (bbl/day) | 41 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 255,200 (bbl/day) | 52 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 412,600 (bbl/day) | 20 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 98,340 (bbl/day) | 50 |
| Natural gas - production | 103,100,000,000 (cu m) | 9 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 4,809,000,000 (cu m) | 62 |
| Natural gas - exports | 98,300,000,000 (cu m) | 4 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 2,007,000,000,000 (cu m) | 19 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 41,800,000 (Mt) | 68 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 1,529,000 | 66 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 5,700,000 | 100 |
| Internet hosts | 3,588,000 | 29 |
| Internet users | 4,431,000 | 53 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 98 | 60 |
| Railways | 4,169 (km) | 39 |
| Roadways | 93,509 (km) | 48 |
| Waterways | 1,577 (km) | 52 |
| Merchant marine | 585 | 19 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1.90 (% of GDP) | 72 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Bryggen Bryggen, the old wharf of Bergen, is a reminder of the town’s importance as part of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire from the 14th to the mid-16th century. Many fires, the last in 1955, have ravaged the characteristic wooden houses of Bryggen. ... | 1979 |
| Rock Art of Alta This group of petroglyphs in the Alta Fjord, near the Arctic Circle, bears the traces of a settlement dating from c. 4200 to 500 B.C. The thousands of paintings and engravings add to our understanding of the environment and human activities on the fr ... | 1985 |
| Røros Mining Town and the Circumference Røros Mining Town and the Circumference is linked to the copper mines, established in the 17th century and exploited for 333 years until 1977. The site comprises the Town and its industrial-rural cultural landscapes; Femundshytta, a smelter with its ... | 1980 |
| Urnes Stave Church The wooden church of Urnes (the stavkirke) stands in the natural setting of Sogn og Fjordane. It was built in the 12th and 13th centuries and is an outstanding example of traditional Scandinavian wooden architecture. It brings together traces of Celt ... | 1979 |
| Vegaøyan -- The Vega Archipelago A cluster of dozens of islands centred on Vega, just south of the Arctic Circle, forms a cultural landscape of 103,710 ha, of which 6,930 ha is land. The islands bear testimony to a distinctive frugal way of life based on fishing and the harvesting o ... | 2004 |
| West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord Situated in south-western Norway, north-east of Bergen, Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, set 120 km from one another, are part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape, which stretches from Stavanger in the south to Andalsnes, 500 km to the north-east. Th ... | 2005 |