Norway

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Kongeriket Norge Kongeriket Noreg Kingdom of Norway
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Royal Motto: Alt for Norge ("All for Norway") 1814 Eidsvoll oath: "Enige og tro til Dovre faller" ("United and  faithful until the Mountains of Dovre should crumble")
Anthem: Ja, vi elsker dette landet Royal anthem: Kongesangen
Capital (and largest city)	Oslo 59°56′N 10°41′E
Official languages	Norwegian1 (Bokmål and  Nynorsk)
Government	Constitutional monarchy
- King	Harald V
- Prime Minister	Jens Stoltenberg
Constitution	17 May 1814
- Independence	From union with Sweden
- Declared	7 June 1905
- Recognised	26 October 1905
and  outlying territories by area">Area
- Total	306,253 km² ( and  outlying territories by area">61st3) 118,244 sq mi
- Water (%)	6.0
Population
- 2006 estimate	4,667,410 [1] (114th)
- 2001 census	4,520,947
- Density	12/km² (202nd) 31/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$195.13 billion (42nd)
- Per capita	$42,364 (2nd)
GDP (nominal)	2005 estimate
- Total	$296.01 billion (25th)
- Per capita	$64,193 (2nd)
HDI  (2004)	0.965 (high) (1st)
Currency	Norwegian krone (NOK)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD	.no2
Calling code	+47
1The official national language is  Norwegian bokmål and  nynorsk. Additionally Sami is  a co-official language in six municipalities and  Finnish in one other. 2 Two more  TLDs have  been assigned, but to date not used: .sj for Svalbard and  Jan Mayen; .bv for Bouvet Island. 3Area rank based on UN figure which includes Svalbard and  Jan Mayen.

For other uses, see Norway (disambiguation).

Norway is  a Nordic country on the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, located in Europe, and  bordering Sweden, Finland and  Russia. Norway has a very elongated shape; the country's extensive coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean is  home to its famous fjords. The Kingdom of Norway also includes the Arctic island territories of Svalbard and  Jan Mayen. The Norwegian sovereignty on Svalbard is  based on the Svalbard Treaty, but this does not apply to Jan Mayen. Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean and  a claim for Peter I Island in the South Pacific Ocean are  also external dependencies, but these are  not part of the Kingdom. Norway also claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica where it  has established the Troll permanent research station.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Politics 4 Individual human rights 5 Administrative divisions 6 Economy 7 Demographics 8 International rankings 9 Literature 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

[edit] History

Main article: History of Norway

Archaeological finds indicate that there were people in Norway about 12,000 years ago. They probably came from more  southern regions, that is  northern Germany, and  travelled further north along the Norwegian coastline.

In the 9th century, Norway consisted of a number of petty kingdoms. According to tradition, Harald Fairhair gathered the small kingdoms into one in 872 with the battle of Hafrsfjord. He became the first king of a united Norway.

The Viking age (8th to 11th centuries) was one of unification and  expansion. The Norwegians established settlements on Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and  parts of Britain and  Ireland, and  attempted to settle at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada (it is  the Vinland of the Saga of Eric the Red). Norwegians founded the modern-day Irish cities of Limerick and  Waterford and  established trading communities near the Celtic settlements of Cork and  Dublin which later became Ireland's two most important cities. The spread of Christianity in Norway in this period is  in large part attributed to the missionary kings Olav Trygvason (995-1000) and  Saint Olav (1015-1028), although Haakon the Good was Norway's first Christian king and  the norse tradition was replaced slowly over two centuries (9th and  10th centuries).

In 1349, the Black Death wiped out between 40% and  50% of the Norwegian population,^[1] causing a decline in both society and  economics. During this decline, the Fairhair dynasty died out in 1387. Royal politics at the time resulted in several personal unions between the Nordic countries, eventually bringing the thrones of Norway, Denmark, and  Sweden under the control of Queen Margrethe when the country entered into the Kalmar Union with Denmark and  Sweden. Sweden declared its independence in 1523, but Norway remained under the Danish crown until 1814. During the national romanticism of the 19th century, this period has sometimes been referred to as the "400-Year Night", since all of the kingdom's royal, intellectual, and  administrative power was centred in Copenhagen, Denmark. However, it  must be said that the common people of Norway had more  freedom than the Danish people because the rural communities of Norway were organised differently than those of Denmark. Other factors also contributed to Norway's decline in this period. With the introduction of Protestantism in 1537, Norway lost the steady stream of pilgrims to the relics of St. Olav at the Nidaros shrine, and  with them, much of the contact with cultural and  economic life in the rest of Europe. Additionally, Norway saw its land area decrease in the 17th century with the loss of the provinces Bohuslän, Jemtland, and  Herjedalen to Sweden, as a result of the wars between Denmark-Norway and  Sweden.

After Denmark-Norway was attacked by England, it  entered into an  alliance with Napoleon, and  in 1814 found itself on the losing side in the Napoleonic Wars and  in dire economic conditions. The Dano-Norwegian Oldenburg king was forced to cede Norway to the king of Sweden. Norway took this opportunity to declare independence, adopted a constitution based on American and  French models, and  elected the Danish crown prince Christian Fredrik as king on May 17, 1814. However, Sweden militarily forced Norway into a personal union with Sweden, establishing Charles XIII of Sweden as king of Norway (as Carl II). Under this arrangement, Norway kept its liberal constitution and  independent institutions, except for the foreign service. See also Norway in 1814.

This period also saw the rise of the Norwegian romantic nationalism cultural movement, as Norwegians sought to define and  express a distinct national character. The movement covered all branches of culture, including literature (Henrik Wergeland, Maurits Christopher Hansen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe, Henrik Ibsen), painting (Hans Gude, Adolph Tiedemand), music (Edvard Grieg), and  even language policy, where attempts to define a native written language for Norway led to today's two official written forms for Norwegian; Bokmål and  Nynorsk.

Peter Christian Hersleb Kjerschow Michelsen (March 15, 1857 – June 29, 1925), a Norwegian shipping magnate and  statesman, was Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907. Michelsen is  most known for his central role in the peaceful separation of Norway from Sweden on June 7, 1905, and  was one of Norway's most influential politicians of his day. Norway's growing dissatisfaction with the union with Sweden during the late 19th century, combined with National Romanticism and  the awakening sense of nationality contributed to the dissolution of the union. After a national referendum confirmed the people's preference for a monarchy over a republic, the Norwegian government offered the throne of Norway to the Danish Prince Carl. Parliament Stortinget unanimously elected him king. He took the name of Haakon VII, after the medieval kings of independent Norway. In 1913, Norwegian women gained suffrage.

Norway was a neutral country during World War I. Norway also attempted to claim neutrality during World War II, but was invaded by German forces on April 9, 1940 (Operation Weserübung). The Allies also had plans to invade Norway, in order to take advantage of her strategically important Atlantic coast, but were thwarted by the German operation. Norway put up a stiff fight against the German occupation and  armed resistance in Norway went on for two months. The battle of Vinjesvingen eventually became the last stronghold of Norwegian resistance in southern Norway in May, while the armed forces in the north surrendered in early June. King Haakon and  the Norwegian government continued the fight from exile in Rotherhithe, London. On the day of the invasion, the collaborative leader of the small National-Socialist party Nasjonal Samling — Vidkun Quisling — tried to seize power, but was forced by the German occupiers to step aside. Real power was wielded by the leader of the German occupation authority, Reichskommissar Josef Terboven. Quisling, as minister president, later formed a government under German control. During the five years of Nazi occupation, Norwegians built a strong resistance movement which fought the German occupation forces with both armed resistance and  civil disobedience. Notable was also the effort of the Norwegian Merchant Navy. At the time of the invasion Norway had the third largest, fastest and  the most effective Merchant Navy in the world. it  was lead by the Norwegian shipping company Nortraship under the allied force throughout the war and  took part in every war operation from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the Normandy landings.

Following the war the Social Democrats came to power and  ruled the country for much of the cold war. Norway joined the NATO and  became a close ally of the United States. Two plebiscites to join the European Union failed by a narrow margin.

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of Norway

Norway is  a rugged and  mountainous country, containing a great variety of natural features caused by prehistoric glaciers. The most noticeable of these are  the fjords, deep grooves cut into the land that flooded with water. The largest of these is  Sognefjorden. Norway also contains many glaciers and  waterfalls. Norway forms the Western part of Scandinavia. Due to its proximity to the ocean and  the gulf stream Norway experiences somewhat warmer temperatures than may be otherwise expected at such Northern latitudes.

Norway is  made of mostly hard granite rock that rose from the sea after the ice age. This is  the reason for Norway’s amazing coastline, with deep fjords surrounded by steep mountains.

[edit] Politics

Main articles on politics and  government of Norway can be found at the Politics and  government of Norway series.

Norway is  a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government.

The Royal House is  a branch of the princely family of Glücksburg, originally from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. As it  stands, however, the functions of the King, Harald V, are  mainly ceremonial, but he has influence as the symbol of national unity. Although the constitution of 1814 grants important executive powers to the King, these are  almost always exercised by the Council of State in the name of the King (King's Council, or  cabinet). The reserve powers vested in the Monarch by the constitution are  significant and  an important security part of the role of the Monarchy, and  were last used during World War II. The Council of State consists of a Prime Minister and  his council, formally appointed by the King. Parliamentarism has evolved since 1884 and  entails that the cabinet must not have  the parliament against it, and  that the appointment by the King is  a formality.

The Norwegian parliament, Stortinget, currently has 169 members (increased from 165, effective from the elections of 12 September 2005). The members are  elected from the 19 counties for 4-year terms according to a system of proportional representation. The Storting divides itself into two chambers, the Odelsting and  the Lagting when voting on legislation. Laws are  proposed by the government through a Member of the Council of State or  by a member of the Odelsting and  decided on by the Odelsting and  Lagting, in case of repeated disagreement by the joint Storting. However, in modern time the Lagting rarely disagrees and  mainly just rubber-stamps the Odelsting's decision. Before the present Storting is  a proposed constitutional amendment which would repeal the division.

Impeachment cases are  very rare (the last being held in 1927 when prime minister Abraham Berge was acquitted) and  may be brought against Members of the Council of State, or  of the Supreme Court or  of the Storting, for criminal offences which they may have  committed in their official capacity. Indictments are  raised by the Odelsting and  judged by the Lagting and  the Supreme Court justices as part of the High Court of the Realm. Apart from this, the Storting functions as a unicameral parliament.

The regular courts include the Supreme Court or  Høyesterett (18 permanent judges and  a chief justice), courts of appeal, city and  district courts, and  conciliation councils. Judges attached to regular courts are  appointed by the King in council after nomination by the Ministry of Justice. The special High Court of the Realm, which consists of the Supreme Court plus the Lagting, hears impeachment cases.

In order to form a government, more  than half (currently at least 10 out of 19 members) of the Council of State are  required to belong to the Church of Norway.

[edit] Individual human rights

Norway is  the current top-ranked nation in the UN Human Development Index.

Freedom of expression is  enshrined in paragraph 100. Freedom of religion is  enshrined in paragraph 2 of the Constitution of Norway, which also establishes the state religion as "Evangelic-Lutheran". The press is  not censored, but most editors adhere to self-imposed commandments of caution ("Vær Varsom-plakaten"). Public radio and  TV broadcast mostly without interference from the government, although permission to broadcast depends on the programme spectrum. Broadcast advertisement is  regulated, with particular restrictions on paid political messages and  advertising directed at children.

The constitution forbids retroactive laws, punishment not based on laws and  court decisions, and  the use of torture. Capital punishment for war-time high crimes was abolished in 1979.[2] In 1999 the Human Right conventions of the United Nations and  the Council of Europe were constituted as law in Norway, Menneskerettsloven, and  given superiority to all other laws (except the constitution).[3] However, Norwegian Lawyers as well as the Council of Europe's Committee Against Torture have  expressed their concern about long-term detention of criminal defendants and  the use of solitary confinement in Norway, deeming it  torture. [4] Also deemed as torture was the use of leg irons and  handcuffs on a group of robbers who, armed with AG3s, shot and  killed a police officer in 2004.[5] Long processing times for asylum seekers, and  the situation for those arriving without identity papers has also been under discussion.

In 2005 the international conventions against discrimination of women and  race discrimination were incorporated in, but not superior to, Norwegian law. Amnesty International has recently focused on violence against women in Norway and  shortage of public services to victims of violence. [6]

Norway has mandatory military service of 6-12 months for men between the ages of 18 (17 with parental consent) with repetitions to the age of 44. Conscientious objectors serve 12 months in an  alternative civilian national service. If a candidate refuses to attend the assessment of fitness ("sesjon"), where any objections to future military service are  to be brought up, they are  liable to prosecution. A person who is  deemed fit for service and  who is  not a conscientious objector, but still refuses military service is  also liable to prosecution. Changes to the structure of the armed forces has resulted in a lower demand for conscripts, and  hence the number of males actually having to serve is  decreasing.

Homosexuality was officially decriminalized in 1972; with homosexual partnerships legalized in 1993. According to Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) there were 192 homosexual partnerships recorded in 2004. Since 2002 it  has become possible for homosexual partners to adopt each other's children from previous relationships, although joint adoption is  still not allowed.

[edit] Administrative divisions

Main article: Subdivisions of Norway

Norway is  divided into 19 administrative regions, called fylker (singular fylke) and  431 kommuner (singular kommune). Fylke and  kommune are  officially translated to English as county and  municipality. The fylke is  the intermediate administration between state and  municipality. For a few years there's been an  ongoing debate wether the 19 fylker should be replaced with 5 - 9 larger regions. Some expect this to happen by 2010, whereas other expect the intermediate administration to disappear entirely. The latest option would probably require consolidating the municipalities into larger entities and  delegating greater responsibility to them.

The counties of Norway are:

• Akershus
• Aust-Agder
• Buskerud
• Finnmark
• Hedmark
• Hordaland
• Møre og Romsdal
• Nordland
• Nord-Trøndelag
• Oppland
• Oslo
• Østfold
• Rogaland
• Sogn og Fjordane
• Sør-Trøndelag
• Telemark
• Troms
• Vest-Agder
• Vestfold

See also Regions of Norway.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of Norway

Norway possesses the second highest GDP per capita in the world, and  the highest position in the World on the Human Development Index (HDI) for the fifth consecutive year. The Norwegian economy is  an example of mixed economy, featuring a combination of free market activity and  government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector and  the electricity production. The control mechanisms over the petroleum resources is  a combination of state ownership in major operators in the Norwegian fields (Statoil ca 70% in 2005, Norsk Hydro 43% in 2004) while specific taxes on oil-profits for all operators are  set to 78%, finally the government controls licensing of exploration and  production of fields. The country is  richly endowed with natural resources: petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and  minerals. Norway has obtained one of the highest standards of living in the world, partly from petroleum production. Norway also has a very high employment ratio.

In 2004, oil and  gas accounted for 50% of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and  Russia export more  oil than Norway, which is  not a member of OPEC. The last 30 years, the Norwegian economy has shown various signs of the economic phenomenon called Dutch disease. In response to Dutch Disease, and  to concerns about oil and  gas reserve depletions, in 1995 the Norwegian state started to put away the annual surplus in a fund, now called The Government Pension Fund (usually called the "oil fund" in Norway). The fund is  invested in developed financial markets outside Norway. The fiscal strategy is  to spend the "normal interest" of the fund each year, set to 4%. By January 2006, the Fund was at USD 200 billion, representing 70% of GDP in Norway. During the first half of 2006, the pension fund became the largest fund in Europe, totalling about USD 300 billion.

Norway opted to stay out of the European Union during a referendum in 1972, and  again in November 1994. However, Norway, together with Iceland and  Liechtenstein, participates in the European Union's single market via the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement. The EEA Treaty, between the European Union countries and  the EFTA countries, transposed into Norwegian law via "EØS-loven" [7], states the procedures for implementing European Union rules in Norway and  the other EFTA countries. This makes Norway a highly integrated member of most sectors of the EU internal market. However, some sectors (e.g. agriculture, oil and  fish) are  not covered wholly by the EEA Treaty. Norway has also acceded to the Schengen Agreement and  several other intergovernmental agreements between the EU member states.

In 2000 the government sold one-third of the then 100% state-owned oil company Statoil in an  IPO. The next year, the main telecom supplier, Telenor, was listed on Oslo Stock Exchange. The state also owns significant shares of Norway's biggest bank, DnB Nor and  the airliner SAS.

The economic growth has been rapid recently, pushing unemployment down to levels not seen since the early 1980s.

Recent research shows early evidence of massive amounts of coal beneath the oil-reserves on the continental shelf of Norway.^[2] A rough estimate has been given at 3×10¹² tonnes of coal of unknown quality in these reserves. In comparison, the currently known coal reserves for the entire world is  estimated at 0.9×10¹² tonnes. The coal is  inaccessible today, but there are  realistic hopes that it  can be accessed in the future.

Animal rights and  anti-whaling groups have  commented that given Norway's economic position it  is paradoxical that this is  one of a very small number of countries actively engaged in, and  favouring the continuation of, commercial whaling. This is  despite the argued negligible contribution that whaling makes to the economy, and  despite opposition from around the world.[8] Many supporters of whaling agree that its macroeconomic importance is  negligible, but hold that the livelihood of individuals and  small firms depend on it  and that sustainable development depends on human harvesting of all non-endangered species, [9] and  that it  is an  important part of culture in coastal areas. Norway's whaling today is  limited to the non-endangered Minke Whale, which are  killed using explosive grenade harpoons, which also accounts for more  than 90% of the catch in Norwegian waters since the 1920s.[10]

1 Norwegian krone - NOK = 0.163572 US dollar - USD

1 US dollar - USD = 6.11350 Norwegian kroner - NOK

1 Norwegian krone - NOK = 0.0825648 British Pound - GBP

1 British pound - GBP = 12.1117 Norwegian kroner - NOK

1 Norwegian krone - NOK = 0.122628 Euro - EUR

1 Euro - EUR = 8.15476 Norwegian kroner - NOK

As of Dec 3rd, 2006

[edit] Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Norway

See also: Norwegian people

The size of the Norwegian population is  around 4.6 million and  is increasing by 0.73% per year (as of 2005). Ethnically most Norwegians are  ethnic Norwegians who are  Nordic / North Germanic, while small minorities in the north are  Sami or  Finnish (see also Kven). The Sami are  considered an  indigenous people and  traditionally live in the central and  northern parts of Norway and  Sweden, as well as in northern Finland and  in Russia on the Kola Peninsula. The largest concentration of Sami people is, however, found in Norway's capital, Oslo.

In recent years, immigration has accounted for more  than half the population growth, and  7.9% of the population are  immigrants as of 1 January 2005. The largest immigrant groups are  Pakistanis, Swedes, Danes, Iraqis, Vietnamese and  Somalis. (Here, immigrants are  defined as persons with two foreign-born parents [11].) At the beginning of 2006, there were 387 000 persons in Norway with immigrant background, referring to 8.3 per cent of the total population. The Iraqi immigrant population has showed a large increase over the last years, and  now it  is the third largest immigrant group in Norway after Pakistanis and  Swedes. ^[3]

Approximately 86% of Norway's inhabitants are  members of the state church, the Evangelic Lutheran Church of Norway. However, this number might not reflect actual faith of the inhabitants of Norway. The Christian rites of passage such as baptism, marriage and  burial have  a strong traditional standing in Norway, and  many people are  members to be able to use these ceremonies in spite of not being regular churchgoers or  believing in the teachings of the church. Moreover, a number of Norwegians have  found themselves being counted in the members registry even after manually withdrawing their membership.

Other Christian denominations total about 4.5% (the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Pentecostal congregations, the Methodist Church, etc). Among other religions, Islam is  the largest in Norway with around 1.5%, and  other religions comprise less  than 1% each, (including Judaism; see Jews in Norway). Around 1.5% adhere to the secular Human Ethical Union. As of 1 January 2003 approximately 5% of the population are  unaffiliated ^[4].

A survey, conducted by Gallup International in 65 countries, in 2005, found that Norway was the least religious country in Western Europe, with only 36% counting themselves as being religious. 46% stated they were neither religious nor atheists while 9% stated they were atheists.^[5]

The Norwegian language has two official written forms, Bokmål and  Nynorsk. They have  officially equal status, i.e. they are  both used in public administration, in schools, churches, and  on radio and  television, but Bokmål is  used by the majority. Around 95% of the population speak Norwegian as their native tongue, although many speak dialects that differ significantly from the written language. Nevertheless, all of the Norwegian dialects are  interintelligible. Several Sami languages are  spoken and  written throughout the country, especially in the north, by the Sami people. The Germanic Norwegian language and  the Finno-Ugric Sami languages are  entirely unrelated. However, the Finnish language is  distantly related to the Sami language.

[edit] International rankings

Organization	Survey	Ranking
International Monetary Fund	GDP per capita	2 out of 232 (2006)
United Nations Development Programme	Human Development Index	1 out of 177 (2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001)
A.T. Kearney/Foreign Policy	Globalization Index 2005	14 out of 111
Heritage Foundation/The Wall Street Journal	Index of Economic Freedom 2006	30 out of 155
Reporters Without Borders	Worldwide press freedom index	1 out of 166 (2005, 2004, 2003, 2002)
Save the Children	State of the World's Mothers 2004 Children's Index	1 out of 119
Save the Children	State of the World's Mothers 2004 Women's Index	6 out of 119
Save the Children	State of the World's Mothers 2004 Mother's Index	6 out of 119
Transparency International	Corruption Perceptions Index 2004	8 out of 145
World Economic Forum	Global Competitiveness Report 2005-2006	9 out of 117
Nationmaster	Labour Strikes	5 out of 27
The Economist	The World in 2005 - Worldwide quality-of-life index, 2005	3 out of 111
Yale University/Columbia University	Environmental Sustainability Index, 2005 (pdf)	2 out of 146

[edit] Literature

Main article: Norwegian Literature

See also: List of Norwegian Writers

Norwegian literature is  very poor, covering a period since early 9th century. The earliest preserved examples of Old Norse literature are  the Eddic poems.

[edit] See also

• List of Norwegian monarchs
• Architecture of Norway
• Norwegian photography
• Norway economy
• Holidays in Norway
• Infrastructure in Norway
  • Car numberplates in Norway
  • Communications
  • Power supply
  • Transportation
• Foreign relations of Norway
• Military of Norway
• List of cities in Norway
• List of national parks of Norway
• List of Norwegian companies
• List of Norwegian language radio stations
• List of Norwegian newspapers
• List of Norwegian television channels
• List of Norwegian people
• List of people on stamps of Norway
• List of schools in Norway
• Norwegian literature
• Norwegian national football team
• Norwegian Premier League
• Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund
• Regions of Norway
• Tourism in Norway
• Cuisine of Norway
•  and  the European Union">Norway and  the European Union

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Christmas in Norway
• World History Database - Norway
• Norway.no - Official portal
• Norway Photo Gallery
• Official website for the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, DC
• VisitNorway.com- Official travel guide to Norway
• Minifacts about Norway from Statistics Norway
• History of Norway: Primary Documents
• ODIN Information from the Government and  Ministries
• Official site of the Parliament (Stortinget)
• The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway
• Official site of the Royal House
• Translated Norwegian legislation
• The Norwegian Constitution in English
• Public holidays in Norway
• nautical informations about Norway
• Air-photos of Norway

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