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Norway is a Northern European country. Located in the
western part of the Scandinavian peninsula, it covers an
area of 324 220 km2. Norway is bathed in
the north by the Barents Sea and in the west by the
Norwegian Sea and the North Sea. It borders Russia and
Finland to the northeast and Sweden to the east. The
most important cities are Oslo, the capital, with 799
200 residents (2004), Bergen (213 100 residents) And
Trondheim (145 100 residents). Norway is quite mountainous
and has an indented coast, with fjords that penetrate
deep into the interior of the country. Mountainous
massifs, sometimes covered with snow for most of the
year, reach an altitude of over 2000 meters. The only
flat areas are located around the Oslo fjord, where a
large part of the population is concentrated. The Glomma
River is the main river and has a 599 km course.
Climate
Norway's climate is considerably milder than latitude
would have predicted. A branch of the warm gulf current
eases temperatures and favors precipitation, which
occurs following the circulation of winds blowing from
the west.
Economy
Oil exploration in the North Sea and natural gas
resources give Norway a high standard of
living. Aluminum production is equally
important. Fishing is also an important activity in the
economic context. Fish exports continue to grow. Norway
controls 10% of the world fleet. Norway's main trading
partners are the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and the
Netherlands.
Population
In 2006, the population was 4 610 820 residents. Birth
rates and death rates are respectively 11.46% and
9.4%. Average life expectancy is 79.54 years. Most
residents are of Norwegian origin (96%), but Danish
(0.4%), Swedish (0.3%), British (0.3%), Pakistani (0.2%)
also live in this country, Americans (0.2%), Yugoslavs
(0.2%) and Iranians. In religious terms, they mostly
follow the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The official
language is Nynorsk (New Norwegian).
History
The country has been inhabited by Germanic populations
since prehistory. It was unified in 872 by Harald
Fairhair, a military chief, who reigned until 933 and
made the country a fiefdom. The Vikings, medieval
warriors who appeared in Europe between the eighth and
eleventh centuries, invaded Norway. Christianity was
introduced in the 11th century by Olavo II. With Haakon
III (1217-1263) real power was definitely
established. In 1380 the country joined Denmark and in
1397 Denmark and Sweden joined under the same
sovereignty. Sweden broke the agreement in 1523 but
Norway remained under Danish rule until 1814, when it
was ceded to Sweden. Norway revolted and Sweden invaded
it; it was then that a compromise was established
between the two territories, in which Norway remained
with its independent parliament but under the monarchy
common to both countries. The conflict between the
Norwegian parliament and the Swedish crown lasted until
1905, when the Norwegian parliament was declared
completely independent and confirmed by
plebiscite. Prince Charles of Denmark was elected king,
Haakon IV. He reigned for 52 years until he died in
1957. He was succeeded by his son Olavo V, who died in
1991, and who, in turn, succeeded his only heir, Harald
V. For Norway democracy and rights, please check intershippingrates.
The experience of German occupation between 1940 and
1945 persuaded Norwegians to abandon their traditional
neutrality policy and join the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) in 1949, the Nordic Council in 1952,
the European Trade Association Free (EFTA) in 1960.
Norway was accepted as a member of the European Economic
Community in 1972, but after a referendum held that
year, the proposal to join the EEC was rejected.
During the Cold War he managed to maintain good
relations with the former Soviet Union without
jeopardizing his relationship with the West. He managed
to achieve political stability after several coalition
governments. In November 1988, Prime Minister Gro Harlem
Brundtland was awarded the third world prize for his
work for the environment. In 1992, Norway joined Iceland
to defend animal life, namely by banning
whaling. Norway, through a referendum, spoke out against
joining the European Union in 1994. The king is the head
of state. The form of government is a constitutional
monarchy with a parliament. The Norwegian Constitution
dates from 1814.
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| 1UpTravel.com - Maps of Norway |
| Browse a collection of city, country, political and
shaded relief maps of this Northern European country.
Check out the maps of Oslo city and the overseas
territories. |
| http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/norway.html |
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| Expedia.com Maps - Norway |
| Discover an interactive map that allows users to zoom in
and out of specific areas. Includes a map of Oslo. |
| http://maps.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=mrdr&lats1=64.442 |
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| Norway - Atlapedia Online |
| Click to view a pair of high-quality maps of Norway -
one political, the other physical. Also, read country
facts and a historical overview. |
| http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/norway.htm |
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| Norway - Infoplease.com Map |
| Features a large, eye-friendly color map of Norway and
its neighbors. Find cities and land features. |
| http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/norway.html |
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| Norway - Merriam-Webster Atlas |
| Find a high-quality map of Norway great for visitors.
Plus, access country facts and figures, a historical
summary, and diagrams. |
| http://www.m-w.com/maps/norway.html |
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| Norway - National Geographic Map Machine |
| Satellite imagery combined with computer graphic map
editing present this interactive map with zoom and print
capabilities. |
| http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html?i |
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| Norway - University of Texas Library |
| Explore political and shaded-relief maps from the CIA,
and look at regional and city maps from various sources. |
| http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/norway.htm |
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| Norway - WorldAtlas.com |
| Provides maps, quick facts and figures, a country
profile, and external links to related resources. |
| http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/no.htm |
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