Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav TRYGGVASON in 994. Conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although Norway remained neutral in World War I, it suffered heavy losses to its shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940-45). In 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. The current focus is on containing spending on the extensive welfare system and planning for the time when petroleum reserves are depleted. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU.
Location
Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden
Geographic coordinates
62 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references
Europe
Area
total
323,802 sq km
land
307,442 sq km
water
16,360 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries
total
2,542 km
border countries
Finland 727 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 196 km
Coastline
25,148 km (includes mainland 2,650 km, as well as long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 22,498 km; length of island coastlines 58,133 km)
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
contiguous zone
10 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
continental shelf
200 nm
Climate
temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast
Terrain
glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north
water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions
Environment - international agreements
party to
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in the world
Population
4,627,926 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
19% (male 450,612/female 430,126)
15-64 years
66.1% (male 1,552,473/female 1,507,638)
65 years and over
14.8% (male 291,659/female 395,418) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
38.7 years
male
37.9 years
female
39.6 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
0.363% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
11.27 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
9.37 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
1.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.048 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.738 male(s)/female
total population
0.984 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
3.64 deaths/1,000 live births
male
3.99 deaths/1,000 live births
female
3.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
79.67 years
male
77.04 years
female
82.46 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.78 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
2,100 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
less than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality
noun
Norwegian(s)
adjective
Norwegian
Ethnic groups
Norwegian, Sami 20,000
Religions
Church of Norway 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1% (2004)
Languages
Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
100%
male
100%
female
100%
Country name
conventional long form
Kingdom of Norway
conventional short form
Norway
local long form
Kongeriket Norge
local short form
Norge
Government type
constitutional monarchy
Capital
name
Oslo
geographic coordinates
59 55 N, 10 45 E
time difference
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions
19 counties (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold
Dependent areas
Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
Independence
7 June 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union)
National holiday
Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)
Constitution
17 May 1814; amended many times
Legal system
mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch (born 20 July 1973)
head of government
Prime Minister Jens STOLTENBERG (since 17 October 2005)
cabinet
State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of parliament
elections
none; the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the parliament
Legislative branch
modified unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms); note - in 2009 the number of seats will change to 165
elections: last held 12 September 2005 (next to be held in September 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 32.7%, Progress Party 22.1%, Conservative Party 14.1%, Socialist Left Party 8.8%, Christian People's Party 6.8%, Center Party 6.5%, Liberal Party 5.9%, Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%, other 1.9%; seats by party - Labor Party 61, Progress Party 38, Conservative Party 23, Socialist Left Party 15, Christian People's Party 11, Center Party 11, Liberal Party 10
note: for certain purposes, the parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership in the Lagting and three-fourths of its membership in the Odelsting
Judicial branch
Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders
Center Party [Aslaug Marie HAGA]; Christian People's Party [Dagfinn HOYBRATEN]; Coastal Party [Roy WAAGE]; Conservative Party [Erna SOLBERG]; Labor Party [Jens STOLTENBERG]; Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM]; Progress Party [Siv JENSEN]; Red Electoral Alliance [Torstein DAHLE]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN]
Henrik Ibsens gate 48, 0244 Oslo; note - the embassy will move to Huseby in the near future
mailing address
PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707
telephone
[47] (22) 44 85 50
FAX
[47] (22) 44 33 63, 56 27 51
Flag description
red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
Economy - overview
The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector, through large-scale state enterprises. The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil production and international oil prices, with oil and gas accounting for one-third of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia export more oil than Norway. Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, as a member of the European Economic Area, it contributes sizably to the EU budget. The government has moved ahead with privatization. Although Norwegian oil production peaked in 2000, natural gas production is still rising. Norwegians realize that once their gas production peaks they will eventually face declining oil and gas revenues; accordingly, Norway has been saving its oil-and-gas-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund, which is invested abroad and now is valued at more than $250 billion. After lackluster growth of less than 1% in 2002-03, GDP growth picked up to 3-4% in 2004-06. Norway's economy remains buoyant. Domestic economic activity is, and will continue to be, the main driver of growth, supported by high consumer confidence and strong investment spending in the offshore oil and gas sector.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$213.6 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$264.4 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
4.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$46,300 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
2.3%
industry
41.4%
services
56.3% (2006 est.)
Labor force
2.42 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
4%
industry
22%
services
74% (1995)
Unemployment rate
3.5% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
4.1%
highest 10%
21.8% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
25.8 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.3% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
19.1% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$195.8 billion
expenditures
$133.1 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Public debt
44.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products
barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish
Industries
petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing
Industrial production growth rate
1.8% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production
108.9 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
0.4%
hydro
99.3%
nuclear
0%
other
0.4% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
112.8 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
3.8 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
15.3 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production
3.22 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption
244,300 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
3.466 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports
88,870 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves
9.859 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production
83.49 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
8.09 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports
75.4 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
2.085 trillion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance
$63.33 billion (2006 est.)
Exports
$122.6 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish
Exports - partners
UK 26.6%, Germany 12.2%, Netherlands 10.4%, France 8.2%, Sweden 6.5%, US 5.9% (2006)
Imports
$59.9 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners
Sweden 15%, Germany 13.5%, Denmark 6.9%, UK 6.4%, China 5.7%, US 5.3%, Netherlands 4.1% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$49.62 billion (August 2006 est.)
Debt - external
$350.3 billion; note - Norway is a net external creditor (30 June 2006)
Economic aid - donor
ODA, $1.4 billion (1998)
Currency (code)
Norwegian krone (NOK)
Currency code
NOK
Exchange rates
Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 6.4117 (2006), 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408 (2004), 7.0802 (2003), 7.9838 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
2.129 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
4.755 million (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
modern in all respects; one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in Europe
domestic
Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover, the prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular mobile systems instead of fixed-wire systems
international
country code - 47; 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 5, FM at least 650, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios
4.03 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
360 (plus 2,729 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions
2.03 million (1997)
Internet country code
.no
Internet hosts
1.364 million (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
13 (2000)
Internet users
3.14 million (2005)
Airports
99 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
67
over 3,047 m
1
2,438 to 3,047 m
12
1,524 to 2,437 m
12
914 to 1,523 m
13
under 914 m
29 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
32
914 to 1,523 m
6
under 914 m
26 (2006)
Heliports
1 (2006)
Pipelines
condensate 508 km; gas 5,910 km; oil 2,557 km; oil/gas/water 746 km (2006)
Railways
total
4,077 km
standard gauge
4,077 km 1.435-m gauge (2,680 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways
total
92,513 km
paved
71,832 km (includes 664 km of expressways)
unpaved
20,681 km (2005)
Waterways
1,577 km (2007)
Merchant marine
total
724 ships (1000 GRT or over) 14,472,103 GRT/20,245,353 DWT
by type
bulk carrier 67, cargo 153, chemical tanker 150, container 2, liquefied gas 79, passenger/cargo 121, petroleum tanker 75, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 19, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 47
foreign-owned
168 (China 3, Cyprus 2, Denmark 32, Estonia 1, Finland 4, Greece 1, Hong Kong 55, Iceland 4, Italy 4, Japan 1, Lithuania 1, Monaco 4, Netherlands 3, Poland 2, Saudi Arabia 3, Sweden 28, UAE 1, UK 6, US 13)
registered in other countries
861 (Antigua and Barbuda 11, Australia 1, Bahamas 259, Barbados 29, Belize 2, Bermuda 5, Brazil 2, Cambodia 1, Canada 1, Cayman Islands 2, China 1, Comoros 1, Cook Islands 1, Cyprus 16, Denmark 3, Dominica 1, Ecuador 1, Estonia 2, Faroe Islands 4, Finland 1, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 12, Gibraltar 18, Hong Kong 26, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 27, Liberia 38, Libya 1, Malta 49, Marshall Islands 65, Mexico 1, Netherlands 7, Netherlands Antilles 5, Nigeria 1, Panama 66, Philippines 3, Portugal 4, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16, Singapore 90, Spain 7, Sweden 7, Thailand 30, Tonga 1, UK 36, US 2, unknown 2) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Borg Havn, Bergen, Mo i Rana, Molde, Mongstad, Narvik, Oslo, Sture
Military branches
Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige Norske Sjoeforsvaret, RNoN; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard (Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret, RNoAF), Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV) (2006)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age in wartime; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18 years of age for women; 16 years of age for volunteers to the Home Guard; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
1,014,592
females age 18-49
982,734 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
827,016
females age 18-49
801,358 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
29,179
females age 18-49
28,023 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.9% (2005 est.)
Disputes - international
Norway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land and its continental shelf); despite dialogue, Russia and Norway continue to dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone
