About Norway

FAST FACTS

OFFICIAL NAME: Kingdom of Norway (Kongeriket Norge)

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional monarchy

CAPITAL: Oslo

POPULATION: 5,372,191

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Bokmal Norwegian and Nynorsk

MONEY: Norwegian kroner

AREA: 148,726 square miles (385,199 square kilometers)

Norway is a narrow country in northern Europe with a long coastline. Sweden and Finland share the Scandinavian Peninsula. Fjords (fyords) are marine inlets between towering cliffs that are famed throughout Norway’s coastline. Glaciers sculpted out the fjords, as well as the country’s mountains.

Norway is a mountainous country. No one has ever attempted to climb some of the peaks because they are so steep. Norway possesses the Svalbard Island chain and three Antarctic islands in addition to the mainland on the Scandinavian Peninsula.

The majority of Norwegians are descended from Danes and Swedes. In the 18th and 19th centuries, a community of Kvener migrated to Norway from Finland. The Sami, commonly known as the Lapps, are a herding people that live in Norway. Sami people are typically shorter and have a darker complexion than most Norwegians. They are reindeer herders.

Norwegians are proud of their egalitarian and humanistic values. The government frequently accepts refugees and asylum seekers from other countries. Norway’s citizens have one of the world’s greatest living levels. Businesses are typically open from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., with a brief lunch break. When a family has a new baby, both parents are entitled to 42 weeks of paid leave. Children in Norway do not start school until they are seven years old.

Reindeer (also known as caribou) and wolverines, which are Arctic mammals, can be found all over Norway. Nesting birds such as puffins, cormorants, and gulls can be found on the coastal cliffs. There are over 2,000 plant species present here, with a few that are unique to Norway. Berries can be found all throughout the United States.

Norway is divided into 19 fylker, or counties (FEWL-ker). Each fylker has a governor appointed by the king. A community council made up of elected officials is also present in each district. Every four years, members of Norway’s parliament, the Storting (Stoor-TING), are elected. The parliamentary elections are open to Norwegian residents aged 18 and up. The prime minister and other elected officials make up the Norwegian government’s cabinet.

Norway has been inhabited since 9,000 to 8,000 B.C. Caves and tents were used by the first settlers. The area was colonized by Germanic tribes. Instead of hunting and gathering, the people began farming. Farming communities banded together to form mini sovereign states.There were 30 of these states by the ninth century A.D. Viking warriors headed out from Scandinavia in the 9th and 11th century to raid Europe and extend their empires.

Harald Fairhair, the first ruler to unite much of western Norway, did so in 872. During the reign of Harald Fairhair’s descendent, Denmark and Sweden attacked Norway. For the following century, Denmark ruled Norway. Norway was handed over to Sweden in 1319. In the late 14th century, Queen Margrethe unified Denmark, Norway, and Sweden as the Union of Kalmar.

Although Sweden left the Union in 1523, Denmark dominated Norway until 1814. During the nineteenth century, Sweden regained control of Norway. Norway became a sovereign state in 1905. During World War I, Norway stayed neutral, but in April 1940, Germany launched a surprise attack on the country. Until the end of the World War II, Germany occupied Norway.