|
|
| Head of State | His Majesty King Harald V of Norway
| | Head of Government | Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg (2005)
| | Constitution Day | 17 May
| | Capital city | Oslo
| | Area | 386 958 km2 (including northern and southern territories)
| | Population (2004) | 4 580 000
| | Population per km2 | 11.7
| | Population growth (1995-2000) | 0.6 per cent
| | Average life expectancy(2000) | 79
| | Language | Norwegian. 80 per cent of Norwegians speak English. (In some districts, Sámi is also an official language)
| | State Church | Church of Norway (Evangelical Lutheran
| | GDP (mill. USD, 2001) | 152,049
| | GDP (per capita USD) | 39,000
| | Currency | 1 Krone = 100 øre (NOK or Nkr.)
| |
|
|
|
Norway is a parliamentarian monarchy situated in Northern Europe and consists of the western and northern parts of the Scandinavian peninsula as well as the northern territories of Jan Mayen, the Svalbard archipelago in addition to the Bouvet Island, Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land in the southern hemisphere. Norway is Europe’s sixth largest country in terms of landmass. The country is sparsely populated and ranks only 28th in terms of population. The length of Norway’s mainland coast, including fjords and bays, exceeds 21,000 kilometres.
To the east, Norway shares borders with Sweden, Finland and Russia, and to the north, west and south - oceans surround the country. These include the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea and the Skagerak.
Only a small percentage of Norway’s land area is suitable for productive agriculture or forestry, but the country is rich in natural resources, including oil, natural gas, various minerals and ores, fish, timber and hydropower. These resources, particularly in the oil and gas sector, have developed Norway into one of the world’s richest countries per capita. This is partly due to the country’s proximity to the important markets of Western Europe.
The 1900s heralded a period of increasing wealth, with the development of hydropower starting early in the century and the discovery and exploitation of oil and gas during the 1970s. Norway also has longstanding maritime traditions, and is the fourth largest shipping nation in the world.
An active policy of social distribution was implemented after the World War II as a means of sharing the increase in national wealth. This policy has led to overall income equalization independent of place, gender, age or profession, and has helped to create a financially and socially cohesive society.
According to history, the Viking King Harald the Fairhaired united the petty kingdoms of Norway into a single realm in approximately 885 AD. Christianity was introduced just before 1000 AD. In the 1200s, Norway became a regional power under the kingship of Håkon Håkonsson. After 1319, Norway lost her independence and in 1380 she entered into a union |
|
|
|
