Norway

Norway is located on the Scandinavian peninsula; its long, craggy coast forms the western margin of the peninsula and fronts the Atlantic Ocean (sometimes known as the Norwegian Sea) for most of the country's length. To the southwest the North Sea separates Norway from the British Isles, and directly to the south the Skagerrak separates it from Denmark. In the east Norway shares an extensive border with Sweden and for a shorter one with Finland and Russia in the north.

From north to south, Norway is about 1,770 km long, but for much of the distance it is very narrow, exceeding 160km of breadth only in the south. About one third of the country lies within the Arctic Circle, where the sun shines 24 hours at the height of the summer. Characteristic of the terrain are rugged mountains interrupted by valleys that cut into the land. Along much of the coast cliffs drop impressively to the sea, forming the fjords which are among the most distinctive features of Norwegian geography. The longest and deepest of them is the Sogne Fjord. About 150,000 offshore islands serve as a barrier that helps to protect Norway's coast from Atlantic storms. Among these, the Lofoten Islands are the largest and also a very popular tourist attraction.

The climate is temperate, and the severity of winter along the coast is moderated by southerly air currents brought in above the waters of the North Atlantic Drift, which is warmed by the Gulf Stream. Summers are relatively cool throughout the country; rainfall is high everywhere, most of all on the coasts, of course. The rivers contain abundant salmon and trout, which are among the country's most famous exports. Spruce and pine are the most common trees in Norway's forests, and deciduous trees, such as birch and ash, are common in the lowlands. In the mountain regions, heather is abundant, as well as low bushes that provide numerous delicious berries. Timber is one of the foremost natural resources. In addition, Norway has tremendous resources in its offshore oil and gas fields in the North Sea as well as in the hydroelectric potential of the numerous rapids and waterfalls. Iron and copper are also mined.

Only about 3% of Norway is arable land; for this reason Norway's main source of livelihood has traditionally been fishery. Norway emerged as an industrial nation from the beginning of this century, partly due to local elites investing money in shipbuilding, woolspinning, timber and pulp production, and partly because of foreign companies building up on electrochemical industry based upon cheap hydro-electric power. Norway has also had one of the biggest merchant fleets of the world. The financial surplus made by this type of service made it possible to outweigh the deficit of trade with other countries, and hence is an important economic and political factor in Norwegian history. Production of petroleum and gas has, however, become the foremost industry with the discovery of offshore fields. Food, beverage, and tobacco processing rank second. The manufacture of transportation equipment, primarily ships and boats (the major export), ranks third, followed by production of metal and metal products.

Norway's population is primarily Germanic. The largest ethnic minority are Sámi (Lapps) living Northern Norway (Finnmark) who number about 20,000; a few thousand Norwegian Finns (Kvens) live in northern Norway. Norwegian is a Germanic language developed from the Old Norse spoken in the viking age; it is closely related to both Danish and Swedish. Norway has hundreds of dialects of spoken Norwegian (corresponding to different geographical regions or locales) and two official written norms, Bokmål and Nynorsk. Bokmål, which has its basis in large part in the Danish spoken during the period of Danish rule, serves as the written norm for most of the dialects of the larger urban centers. Nynorsk, created by the philologist Ivar Andreas Aasen (1813-96) who drew it from the old rural dialects that preserve Norwegian as it descended from Old Norse, serves as the written norm for most of the dialects of rural areas and some smaller urban centers. Norway, while becoming increasingly urbanized, is still one of the least urbanized countries in Europe. Population is extremely sparse in northern Norway and inland; except for Iceland, it is the lowest in Europe.

It's worth to note that both Nynorsk and Bokmål are pure written languages. No one actually speaks these languages - in Norway all spoken languages are regarded as dialects. But one has to remember that over 80% of the pupils in Norwegian schools chose to learn Bokmål, and that the vocabulary of Bokmål is influenced by Danish whereas the vocabulary of Nynorsk lies closer to Swedish. The minority language Nynorsk is thus protected by laws, ensuring for instance that at least 25% of the radio and tv transmissions are in Nynorsk, and a national theater Det Norske Teatret playing in Nynorsk,

Norway has a strongly developed tradition of folk music; its most distinguished classical composers were Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), Christian Sinding (1856-1941), and Johan Svendsen (1840-1911), all of whom made much use of traditional music. The painting of Edvard Munch (1863-1944) has achieved worldwide recognition. Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943) produced a vast body of sculpture, which has been collected in Frogner Park in Oslo.

Norway is a hereditary constitutional monarchy, with a constitution that was drafted in 1814 (17th May). It gives broad powers to the king, but the council of ministers, headed by the prime minister, generally exercises this power as king in council. The 165 members of the Storting, or parliament, are elected for a fixed term of 4 years by all Norwegians 18 years of age or older.

Oslo lies at the head of Oslo Fjord, about 97 km from the open sea. The city first occupied the small Åkershus Peninsula, where a fortress was built in 1300. Oslo was founded about 1050 to the east of the present city. Early in the 17th century fire destroyed the town, mostly built of wood. King Christian IV ordered the city to be rebuilt on the Åkershus Peninsula below the fortress, which could protect it. The new city was laid out on a square plan and was named Christiania after its founder (the name Oslo was readopted in 1925).

The city remained small until the 19th century; in 1814, it's population was only 11,200. That year, Norway was separated from Denmark and was joined into Sweden by a personal union. Christiania became the national capital and started to grow. The Royal Palace was built, and the Storting (Parliament) and government offices were established. By 1910, the population had already reached 225,000.

Today Oslo is a well-planned city with wide, straight streets. Government offices and the central business district are focused on Karl Johansgate, which is the main street in Oslo. By the harbour is the two-towered City Hall (completed 1950), the city's most famous landmark, facing the fjord and the downtown area.

Oslo is also the cultural heart of Norway. The university, which was founded in 1811, is the largest in the country. The city also contains the National Theater, the Bygdøy folk museum with a large collection of traditional buildings, and a museum of excavated Viking ships. On Holmenkollen, a mountain overlooking the city, is a famous ski jump, the site of many winter sports competitions. Frogner Park contains the statuary of Gustav Vigeland.

Bergen located about 300 km west of Oslo, on a sheltered inlet of the North Sea, it is an important port and the country's second-largest city. Warm Historical landmarks include the King Haakon's Hall (1261), St. Mary's Church (12th century), the Rosencrantz Tower (1562) and the old wooden merchant's quarters (Bryggen) at the harbour. One of the Bryggen buildings (Finnegården) houses a Hansaetic Museum, another (modern one) houses a medieval museum (Bryggens museum). The city also has a university (1948) and National Theater (1850), and it was the birthplace of the composer Edvard Grieg and the violinist Ole Bull. Fantoft stave church (built 1150) and Grieg's home Troldhaugen are located a short distance to the south of the city.

The city was founded in 1070 by King Olaf III; it became a leading trade center and Norway's capital during the 12th and 13th centuries. It joined the Hansaetic League in the 14th century, and German merchants from the league developed trade monopolies here that lasted into the 18th century. Occupied during World War II by the Germans, the city suffered heavy damage during Allied bombings.

Bergen is surrounded by mountains low enough to be climbed on foot but sufficiently high to offer a great view. There are many good paths for hikers, but there are also a cable cars going to the highest peak, mount Ulriken (606m above sea), and to Fløyen (314m) which is a bit closer to the centre.

Facts

Name: Kongeriket Norge (Bokmål) / Kongeriket Noreg (Nynorsk) / The Kingdom of Norway [ En ]


Flag: a blue Nordic cross outlined in white on a red background.
Languages: Norwegian (two written forms: Bokmål and Nynorsk). Small Finnish- and Sámi-speaking minorities. The North Sámi language has official status in the northern parts of the country.

Area: 323,878 km² / 125,065 sq mi.

Overseas territories: Svalbard 62 700,0 km², Jan Mayen 380,0 km², Bouvet Island 58,5 km², Peter I Island 249,2 km²,

Terrain: mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north.
Highest mountain: Glittertinden, 2,472 m (8,110 ft)
Largest glaciers: Jostedalsbreen, 486 km² Svartisen, 369 km² Folgefonni 212 km²

Population: 4,413,800 (1997)
Life expectancy: women 81 years; men 75 years (1994)

Capital: Oslo (population: 500,000) (1997)
Other major towns: Bergen (223,000), Trondheim (144,000), Stavanger (104,000) Fredrikstad (65,700) Kristiansand (62,300) Tromsø (56,600)

Religion: Evangelic-Lutheran (88%) (official state-religion)
Currency: krone (Norwegian crown, NOK).

Climate: temperate along coast, warmed by the Gulf stream; colder interior. Rainy year-round on west coast. Average temp. in Oslo: -7°C - 2°C in Jan., 13°C - 22°C in July.

Exports: petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, fish, aluminium, ships, pulp and paper.


This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Lysator article "Norway".


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