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Norway

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Countries; European
Countries

   Kongeriket Norge
   Kongeriket Noreg
   Kingdom of Norway

   Flag of Norway Coat of arms 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
   Location of Norway
   Capital
   (and largest city) Oslo
   59°56′N 10°41′E
   Official languages Norwegian^1

   ( 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
   Area
    - Total 306,253 km² ( 61st^3)
   118,244 sq mi
    - Water (%) 6.0
   Population
    - 2006 estimate 4,667,410 ( 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 .no^2
   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.

   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.

History

   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, 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 plebicites to join the European
   Union failed by a narrow margin.

Geography

   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.

Politics

   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.
   Stortinget, Oslo
   Enlarge
   Stortinget, Oslo

   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.

Human rights in Norway

   Scouts lead a parade on the 17th of May, Norway's constitution day,
   holding Norwegian flags
   Enlarge
   Scouts lead a parade on the 17th of May, Norway's constitution day,
   holding Norwegian flags

   Freedom of expression is enshrined in paragraph 100, Freedom of
   religion in paragraph 2 of the Constitution of Norway, though many
   consider this compromised in practice by the establishment of a state
   church. 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.

   The constitution forbids retroactive laws, punishment not based on laws
   and court decisions, and the use of torture. In 1999 the Human Right
   conventions of the United Nations and the Council of Europe were
   constituted as law in Norway, Menneskerettsloven. However, Norwegian
   Lawyers as well as the Council of Europe's Committee Against Torture
   have expressed their concern about unwarranted imprisonment of criminal
   defendants and the use of solitary confinement in Norway, deeming it
   torture. Also the treatment of refugees has 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.

   Norway has mandatory military service of 9-12 months for men between
   the ages of 18 (17 with parental consent) and 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 is 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. However, recent changes to the
   structure of the armed forces has resulted in less demand for soldiers,
   and hence the number of soldiers actually having to attend military
   service is decreasing.

   Homosexuality was officially decriminalized in 1972; homosexual
   partnerships 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.

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

Administrative divisions

   A geopolitical map of Norway, exhibiting its 19 first-order subnational
   divisions (fylker or "counties")
   Enlarge
   A geopolitical map of Norway, exhibiting its 19 first-order subnational
   divisions (fylker or "counties")

   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. Note: The 19 fylker might be replaced with 5 - 9 larger
   regions by 2010.

   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.

Economy

   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 but mainly
   from efficient economic policies, creating a good environment for doing
   business. Norway 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. 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.

   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" , 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. A rough estimate
   has been given at 3×10^12  tonnes of coal of unknown quality in these
   reserves. In comparison, the currently known coal reserves for the
   entire world is estimated at 0.9×10^12 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 ( ). 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 ( ), 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 ( ).

   1 Norwegian krone = 0.158778 US dollar

   1 US dollar = 6.29809 Norwegian kroner

   1 Norwegian krone = 0.0820191 British Pound

   1 British pound sterling = 12.1880 Norwegian kroner

   1 Norwegian krone = 0.121250 Euro

   1 Euro = 8.24743 Norwegian kroner

   As of Nov 24th, 2006

Demographics

   Borgund stave church
   Enlarge
   Borgund stave church

   The size of the Norwegian population is around 4.6 million and is
   increasing by 0.4% per year (estimate July 2004). Ethnically most
   Norwegians 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 .) 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.

   Approximately 86% of Norway's inhabitants are members of the state
   church, the Evangelic Lutheran Church of Norway. However, baptism has a
   strong tradition in Norway, and since many people never bother to
   manually withdraw their membership, this number does probably not
   reflect the actual faith of the inhabitants. Moreover, many Norwegians
   have found themselves being members even after manually withdrawing
   their membership, and there are indications that at least previously
   all newborn Norwegians were automatically registered as members of the
   state church, not only the baptised ones. 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 ( ).

   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.

Neighboring Countries

   Greenland Sea Barents Sea
   Flag of Finland  Finland •  Flag of Russia  Russia
   Norwegian Sea North Flag of Sweden  Sweden
   West    Flag of Norway  Norway     East
   South
   North Sea Skagerrak
   Image:Template CanadianCityGeoLocation South.png
   Flag of Denmark  Denmark Kattegat

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

Literature

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

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