Geography
Norway is one of the five Nordic nations which lie within the northern stretches of the European continent. It is bordered to the east by Sweden, Finland and Russia; to the west by the Norwegian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; to the north by the Barents Sea, and to the south by the North Sea. In total area, Norway measures 386,958 square kilometres. The country is long and narrow, with more than 30% of the land covered by forests, rivers and lakes. Nearly half of the country is given over to mountain ranges.

History
Norway gained its independence from Sweden in 1905. As a separate realm, Norway stayed free of World War I but suffered German occupation in World War II. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s gave a strong boost to Norway's economic fortunes. It has decided at this time not to join the European Union and the new euro currency regime.

People
There are about 4.3 million Norwegians, most of whom live in urban areas and all of whom enjoy uncrowded surroundings. The Sami (formerly known as the Lapps) are the indigenous people of Norway with origins in the northern regions of Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway. There are about 30,000 Sami in Norway, the majority living in Finnmark, the northernmost county. The Sami people possess a rich, centuries-old culture which is reflected in their distinctive music, art and handicrafts.

Capital
Oslo is Norway´s capital with a population of about half a million people. In addition to being the seat of government, Oslo is the business and cultural capital of the nation.

Government
Norway is a constitutional monarchy that adopted its own constitution on 17 May 1814. Although the King has no real political power, the Royal Family enjoys a strong position among the Norwegian people. The present monarch, King Harald V, came to the throne after the death of his father Olav V in 1991.

Economy
Norwegian per capita income ranks among the world´s highest. North Sea oil and gas fields are one of the cornerstones of the Norwegian economy. Other major industries upon which Norway relies are fishery, pulp and paper, forestry, mining, manufacturing and shipping.

Climate
Most people have entirely wrong preconceptions about the weather in Norway. It gets far warmer there than you would probably expect at those degrees of latitude. This is mainly because of the Gulf Stream which brings warmed seawater to Norway's coast. Even during the winter, its harbours remain free of ice. The temperature can reach as high as 25°C to 30°C during the summer in northern Norway.

Norway is one of the few countries in the world that actually has four seasons. Each season can offer a countless number of activities. You can go skiing, diving, fishing, climbing in the mountains, hiking across the glaciers, white-water rafting or reindeer sledding almost all year round.

Scenery
Norwegian scenery is as varied as it is beautiful and dramatic. High mountains, deep valleys, idyllic villages, peaceful forests, scenic coastlines dotted with thousands of islands and islets and long, narrow fjords. The dramatic variations of Norway's contryside are bound to astonish you.

Many claim that if you haven't seen one of Norway's beautiful fjords, then you haven't seen Norway. On the other hand, you haven't seen much of Norway if you have only seen one fjord, because they are as different as they are many. There is no doubt that Western Norway is the place to go to see the most beautiful and classical Norwegian fjords, such as the Geiranger fjord, the Hardanger fjord, Nord fjord and the Sogne fjord -the world's longest fjord.

Culture
Enjoy the living coastal culture found all the way along Norway's coastline, which stretches for 21,347 km from the Swedish coast in the southeast to the Russian border in the northeast. Both large and small coastal settlements let you sample the everyday life of fishermen and the coastal population from ancient times right up to the present day. Old boats, lighthouses, fishing quays and fishing tackle have been preserved, and there is a wide range of accommodation and activities.

Norway is more than just unspoilt nature. In fact, Norwegian culture is far more manifold than it may appear at first glance. If you want to delve into Norway's cultural heritage, take time to visit some of the country's countless museums - not just the Vigeland Park, the Viking Ships, the Nidarosdomen Cathedral or the Munch Museum, but also some of the many small indoor and open-air museums all over Norway.

Norwegian Tourist Board
P.O. Box 2893 Solli
N-0230 Oslo, Norway
Tel: +47-22 92 52 00
Fax: +47-22 56 05 05
E-mail: office@ntr.no

Location: Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden

Area-comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Coastline: 21,925 km (includes mainland 3,419 km, large islands 2,413 km, long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 16,093 km)

Climate: temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior; rainy year-round on west coast

Terrain: glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

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

Geography—note: about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in world; Norway is the only NATO member having a land boundary with Russia

Population: 4,438,547 (July 1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Norwegian(s)
adjective: Norwegian

Ethnic groups: Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic), Lapps (Sami) 20,000

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 87.8% (state church), other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3.8%, none 3.2%, unknown 5.2% (1980)

Languages: Norwegian (official)
note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway
conventional short form: Norway
local long form: Kongeriket Norge
local short form: Norge

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Oslo

Dependent areas: Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

Independence: 26 October 1905 (from Sweden)

National Holiday: Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Constitution: 17 May 1814, modified in 1884

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tom Erik VRAALSON
chancery: 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000
FAX: [1] (202) 337-0870
consulate(s) general: Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David B. HERMELIN
embassy: Drammensveien 18, 0244 Oslo
mailing address: PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707
telephone: [47] (22) 44 85 50
FAX: [47] (22) 44 33 63

Flag description: 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)

Economy—overview: Norway is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism. The economy consists of 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), and extensively subsidizes agriculture, fishing, and areas with sparse resources. Norway maintains an extensive welfare system that helps propel public sector expenditures to more than 50% of GDP and results in one of the highest average tax levels in the world. A major shipping nation, with a high dependence on international trade, Norway is basically an exporter of raw materials and semiprocessed goods. 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. Only Saudi Arabia exports more oil than Norway. Norway imports more than half its food needs. Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994. Economic growth in 1999 should drop to about 1%. Despite their high per capita income and generous

Currency: 1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere

Telephone system: high-quality domestic and international telephone, telegraph, and telex services
domestic: NA domestic satellite earth stations
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)

Railways:
total: 4,012 km

Highways:
total: 91,180 km

Waterways: 1,577 km along west coast; navigable by 2.4 m draft vessels maximum

Ports and harbors: Bergen, Drammen, Floro, Hammerfest, Harstad, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Larvik, Narvik, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Stavanger, Tromso, Trondheim

Airports: 103 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)

Military branches: Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy (includes Coast Artillery and Coast Guard), Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home Guard