Norway

Facts & Figures

Map of Norway

Sovereign: King Harald V (1991)

Prime Minister: Jens Stoltenberg (2005)

Land area: 118,865 sq mi (307,860 sq km); total area: 125,181 sq mi (324,220 sq km)

Population (2010 est.): 4,676,305 (growth rate: 0.3%); birth rate: 10.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 3.5/1000; life expectancy: 80.1; density per sq km: 15

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Oslo, 791,500

Other large cities: Bergen, 211,200; Stavanger, 168,600; Trondheim, 144,000

Monetary unit: Norwegian krone

More Facts & Figures

Index

Norway Main Page
The World Wars and 20th Century Norwegian Politics
Politics In the 21st Century
2011 Terrorist Attacks

Geography

Norway is situated in the western part of the Scandinavian peninsula. It extends about 1,100 mi (1,770 km) from the North Sea along the Norwegian Sea to more than 300 mi (483 km) above the Arctic Circle, the farthest north of any European country. It is slightly larger than New Mexico. Nearly 70% of Norway is uninhabitable and covered by mountains, glaciers, moors, and rivers. The hundreds of deep fjords that cut into the coastline give Norway an overall oceanfront of more than 12,000 mi (19,312 km). Galdhø Peak, at 8,100 ft (2,469 m), is Norway's highest point and the Glåma (Glomma) is the principal river, at 372 mi (598 km) long.

Government

Constitutional monarchy.

History

Norwegians, like the Danes and Swedes, are of Teutonic origin. The Norsemen, also known as Vikings, ravaged the coasts of northwest Europe from the 8th to the 11th century and were ruled by local chieftains. Olaf II Haraldsson became the first effective king of all Norway in 1015 and began converting the Norwegians to Christianity. After 1442, Norway was ruled by Danish kings until 1814, when it was united with Sweden—although retaining a degree of independence and receiving a new constitution—in an uneasy partnership. In 1905, the Norwegian parliament arranged a peaceful separation and invited a Danish prince to the Norwegian throne—King Haakon VII. A treaty with Sweden provided that all disputes be settled by arbitration and that no fortifications be erected on the common frontier.