Kongeriket Norge Kongeriket Noreg Kingdom of Norway
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  Royal: Alt for Norge / Alt for Noreg (All for Norway) 1814 Eidsvoll oath: Enige og tro til Dovre faller (United and loyal until the mountains of Dovre crumble)
Anthem: Ja, vi elsker dette landet Royal anthem: Kongesangen
Location of  Norway  (orange) on the European continent  (white)
Capital (and largest city)		Oslo 59°56′N, 10°41′E
Official languages		Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk)1
Demonym		Norwegian
Government		Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy
-	Monarch	Harald V
-	Prime Minister	Jens Stoltenberg (Ap)
Establishment
-	Unification	872
-	Constitution	17 May, 1814
-	Independence from union with Sweden	declared 7 June, 1905
Area
-	Total	385,252 km² (61st2) 148,746 sq mi
-	Water (%)	7. The flag of Norway is red with an indigo blue Scandinavian cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag the vertical part of the cross is shifted The Coat of Arms of Norway is one of the oldest in Europe. It originated as a personal coat of arms for the royal house. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group The Royal mottos or valgspråk/valspråk of the Norwegian monarchs are an old tradition The Constitution of Norway was first adopted on May 16, 1814 by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll (a small town north of the Dovrefjell is a mountain range in central Norway that forms a natural barrier between the southern regions of Norway and the area around Trondheim. A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's (or "Ja vi elsker" (In English: "Yes we love this country" is the National anthem of Norway. A royal anthem is a patriotic song much like a National anthem but specifically praising or praying for a Monarch or royal dynasty Kongesangen is Norway 's Royal anthem. The lyrics come in several versions Ethnicity Ethnically the residents of Norway are predominantly ethnic Norwegians who are of North Germanic / Nordic descent although there are communities (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language Bokmål (lit "book language" or Dano-Norwegian is the most commonly used of the two official Norwegian written Standard languages the other Nynorsk (literally "New Norwegian" is one of the two official Norwegian Standard languages the other being Bokmål. A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place Norwegians See also History of Norway and Demography of Norway. For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is Members of Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish royal families have been Norwegian monarchs. Childhood and education When Prince Harald was born in Skaugum he was the first heir to the throne of Norway to be born in Norway for several hundred years This is a list of viceroys ( visekonge) governors ( rigsstatholder) first ministers ( førstestatsråd) and Prime ministers ( statsminister) of (born 16 March 1959 is the Prime Minister of Norway. He took office in October of 2005 he was previously Prime Minister from 2000 to 2001 The Norwegian Labour Party ( Norwegian: Det norske arbeiderparti ( DNA) or Arbeiderpartiet ( AP) is a Social democratic From around the time of the Roman Empire until about 800 AD many stone inscriptions can be found written in Runes The Constitution of Norway was first adopted on May 16, 1814 by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll (a small town north of the "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions we list here Surface areas between 100000 km² and 1000000 km² This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" 0
Population
-	2008 estimate	4,752,735 (114th)
-	Density	12/km² (202nd) 31/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$257. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 4 billion[1] (40th)
-	Per capita	$55,600[1] (3rd)
GDP (nominal)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$335. There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita 3 billion[2] (25th)
-	Per capita	$95. PLEASE NO RANDOM FIGURES THERE ARE NO FIGURES BASED ON NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' 460,8 (486. 335 NOK) [3] (2nd)
Gini (2000)		25. This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product Per capita at Nominal values, the The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion most prominently used as a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth 8 (low) (6th)
HDI (2007)		▲ 0. This is a list of countries or dependencies by Income inequality metrics, including Gini coefficients according to the United Nations (UN and the The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP 968 (high) (2nd)
Currency		Norwegian krone (NOK)
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD		.no5.sj and .bv
Calling code		+47
1	Northern Sami is used in the municipal administration of six municipalities, Lule Sami in one, and Finnish/Kven in one. This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Program 's Human Development Report 2007 A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The krone ( sign: kr; code: NOK) is the Currency of Norway. The plural form is kroner. ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established Central European Time ( CET) is one of the names of the Time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. Daylight saving time ( DST Central European Summer Time ( CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 Time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E Northern or North Sami ( Davvisápmi, formerly Davvisámi or Davvisaami; improperly Lappish or Lapp) is the most widely Lule Sami (julevsámegiella is a Finno-Ugric, Sami Language spoken in Lule Lappmark i Tysfjord ( Norwegian) or Divtasvuodna ( Lule Sami) is a municipality in the county of Nordland, Norway Finnish ( or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% As of 2006) and by ethnic Finns outside The Kven language also known as Kvennish, ( suomi, kveenin kieli or recently proposed kainun kieli) is a Finno-Ugric language Porsanger ( Norwegian) or Porsáŋgu ( Northern Sami) or Porsanki ( Kven / Finnish) is a municipality in the
2	Includes Svalbard and Jan Mayen.
3	This percentage is for the mainland and also includes glaciers[4]
4	Statistics Norway estimation (September 5, 2006) using variant MMMM from Table 10[5]
5	Two more TLDs have been assigned, but to date not used: .sj for Svalbard and Jan Mayen; .bv for Bouvet Island. Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Bouvet Island (Bouvetøya also historically known as Liverpool Island or Lindsay Island) is an uninhabited Sub-antarctic volcanic Island

Norway (Norwegian: Norge (bokmål) or Noreg (nynorsk)), officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language Bokmål (lit "book language" or Dano-Norwegian is the most commonly used of the two official Norwegian written Standard languages the other Nynorsk (literally "New Norwegian" is one of the two official Norwegian Standard languages the other being Bokmål. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is Northern Europe is a term for the northern part of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as (Finland The Scandinavian Peninsula is a geographic region in northern Europe, consisting principally of the Mainland territories of Norway and Sweden It is bordered by Sweden, Finland, and Russia, while the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands lies to its west across the North Sea. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Faroe Islands or Faeroe Islands or simply Faroe(s or Faeroes (Føroyar meaning " Sheep Islands" Færøerne Old Norse The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The country's extensive coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean is home to its famous fjords. A fjord or fiord (fjɔːd|fiːɔːd or fiːɔːd is a long narrow Inlet with steep sides created in a valley carved by glacial activity.

The Kingdom of Norway also includes the Arctic island territories of Svalbard and Jan Mayen. A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or The Arctic is the Region around the Earth 's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. Svalbard is an Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between Norway and the North Pole. Jan Mayen Island is a 55 km (34 miles long (southwest-northeast and 373 km² (144  mi²) in area Arctic Volcanic island in the Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard is based upon the Svalbard Treaty, but that treaty does not apply to Jan Mayen. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself Svalbard is an Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between Norway and the North Pole. The Treaty concerning Spitsbergen of February 9 1920 declared the Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen (now called Svalbard) an overseas Jan Mayen Island is a 55 km (34 miles long (southwest-northeast and 373 km² (144  mi²) in area Arctic Volcanic island in the Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean and Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land in Antarctica are external dependencies, but those three entities do not form part of the kingdom. Bouvet Island (Bouvetøya also historically known as Liverpool Island or Lindsay Island) is an uninhabited Sub-antarctic volcanic Island Peter I Island (in Norwegian Peter I Øy) is a volcanic Island located near Antarctica. Queen Maud Land is an English translation of Dronning Maud Land, the official name in use by Norwegian authorities and British Antarctic Survey on the part of A dependent territory dependent area or dependency is a territory that does not possess full political Independence or Sovereignty as a

Since World War II, Norway has experienced rapid economic growth, and is now amongst the wealthiest countries in the world,^[6][7][8] with a Scandinavian welfare system. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including "Social welfare" redirects here For other uses see Welfare A social welfare provision refers to any program which seeks to provide Norway is the world's third largest oil exporter after Russia and Saudi Arabia and the petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of GDP. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting (often by Oil tankers and pipelines ^[9] It has also rich resources of gas fields, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Norway was the second largest exporter of seafood (in value, after China) in 2006. ^[10] Other main industries include food processing, shipbuilding, metals, chemicals, mining, fishing and pulp and paper products. Norway was ranked highest of all countries in human development from 2001 to 2006, and came second in 2007 (to fellow Nordic country Iceland). The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe called the Nordic region, consisting of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( ^[11] It also rated the most peaceful country in the world in a 2007 survey by Global Peace Index. The Global Peace Index is an attempt to measure the relative position of nations’ and regions’ peacefulness ^[12] It is a founding member of NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty

Contents 1 Name 2 History 3 Geography, climate and environment 4 Politics 5 Foreign relations 6 Cities and municipalities 7 Economy 8 Demography 8.1 Religion 8.2 Languages 9 Individual human rights 10 International rankings 11 Literature 12 See also 12.1 Culture, education and sports 12.2 Infrastructure 12.3 Lists 13 References 14 External links

Name

Norway is officially called Kongeriket Norge in the bokmål written norm, and Kongeriket Noreg in the nynorsk written norm. Bokmål (lit "book language" or Dano-Norwegian is the most commonly used of the two official Norwegian written Standard languages the other Nynorsk (literally "New Norwegian" is one of the two official Norwegian Standard languages the other being Bokmål. In other languages spoken in Norway the country is known as

• Northern Sami: Norga, or Norgga gonagasriika
• Lule Sami: Vuodna or Vuona gånågisrijkka
• Southern Sami: Nøørje or Nøørjen gånkarijhke
• Finnish/Kven: Norja or Norjan kuningaskunta

Many etymologists believe the country's name comes from the North Germanic languages and that it means "the northern route" (the way to the north), which in Old Norse would be nord veg or *norð vegri. Northern or North Sami ( Davvisápmi, formerly Davvisámi or Davvisaami; improperly Lappish or Lapp) is the most widely Lule Sami (julevsámegiella is a Finno-Ugric, Sami Language spoken in Lule Lappmark i Southern Sami is the south-westernmost of the Sami languages. Finnish ( or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% As of 2006) and by ethnic Finns outside The Kven language also known as Kvennish, ( suomi, kveenin kieli or recently proposed kainun kieli) is a Finno-Ugric language Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time The North Germanic languages or Scandinavian languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age The Old Norse name for Norway was Nóreegr, in Anglo-Saxon Norþ weg, and in Medieval Latin Nhorvegia. Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the Liturgical language of the medieval

The Old Norse and nynorsk forms are quite similar to an ancient Sami word that means "along the coast" or "along the sea" — realized as nuorrek in contemporary Lule Sami. Sami or Saami is a general name for a group of Finnic languages spoken by the Sami people in parts of northern Finland, Norway Lule Sami (julevsámegiella is a Finno-Ugric, Sami Language spoken in Lule Lappmark i The presence of the archaic prosecutive case marker (sometimes also called prolative in Finno-Ugric language research) supports the claim that the Sami word is indigenous and not a borrowing from North Germanic languages. The prosecutive case is a Declension found in Tundra Nenets language and in Old Basque. The prolative case (also vialis case is a Declension of a Noun or Pronoun that has the basic meaning of "by way of" Finno-Ugric (ˌfɪnoʊˈjuːgɹɪk is a grouping of languages in the Uralic language family comprising Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian and

The earliest known written occurrence of the name "Norway" is in the late 9th century, Old English translation of Orosius' Seven Books of History Against The Pagans, written by King Alfred the Great of Wessex, and adapted by him to include an account of the travels of Ohthere of Hålogaland. Paulus Orosius (b circa 375 d 418? was a Christian Historian, theologian and disciple of St Alfred the Great (also Ælfred from the Old English Ælfrēd ˈælfreːd (c West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. ^[13]

History

Main article: History of Norway

Archaeological findings indicate that Norway was inhabited at least since early 10th millennium BC. From around the time of the Roman Empire until about 800 AD many stone inscriptions can be found written in Runes Most historians agree that the core of the populations colonizing Scandinavia came from the present-day Germany. ^[14] In the first centuries AD, Norway consisted of a number of petty kingdoms. A petty kingdom is an independent realm recognizing no suzerain and controlling only a portion of the territory held by a particular ethnic group or nation According to tradition, Harald Fairhair unified them into one, in 872 AD after the Battle of Hafrsfjord, thus becaming the first king of a united Norway. Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair ( Old Norse: Haraldr hárfagri, Norwegian: Harald Hårfagre) (c The Battle of Hafrsfjord has traditionally been regarded as the battle in which Norway for the first time was unified under one monarch

The Viking age, 8-11th centuries AD, was characterized by expansion and immigration. The Rock carvings at Alta are part of an archaeological site near the town of Alta in the county of Finnmark in northern Norway. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Many Norwegians left the country to live in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and parts of Britain and Ireland. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( The Faroe Islands or Faeroe Islands or simply Faroe(s or Faeroes (Føroyar meaning " Sheep Islands" Færøerne Old Norse Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "Land of the Greenlanders" Grønland is a self-governing Danish Province located between the See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The modern-day Irish cities of Limerick, Dublin, and Waterford were founded by Norwegian settlers. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Limerick (pronounced /ˈlɪmrɪk/ Luimneach in Irish) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the Province of Munster Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Waterford ( or Windy fjord;) is a city in Ireland. It is the primary city of the South East region and the fifth largest in the country ^[15] Norse traditions were slowly replaced by Christianity in the 9th and 10th centuries, and this is largely attributed to the missionary kings Olav Tryggvasson and St. Olav. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Olaf Tryggvason ( Old Norse: Óláfr Tryggvason, Norwegian: Olav Tryggvason) (960s &ndash September 9 ? 1000 was King of Haakon the Good was Norway's first Christian king, in the mid tenth century, though his attempt to introduce the religion was rejected. Haakon I ( Old Norse: Hákon Aðalsteinsfóstri, Norwegian: Håkon Adalsteinsfostre) (c

In 1349, the Black Death killed between 40% and 50% of the population, ^[16] resulting in a period of decline, both socially and economically. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia Ostensibly, 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 I of Denmark when the country entered into the Kalmar Union. The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe called the Nordic region, consisting of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Margaret Valdemarsdatter (Margrete Valdemarsdotter ( 1353 - October 28 1412) was Queen of Denmark and of Norway and Regent of The Kalmar Union ( Danish, Norwegian and Swedish: Kalmarunionen) is a historiographical term meaning a series of Personal Although Sweden broke out of the union in 1523, Norway remained till 1814, a total of 434 years. The National romanticism of the 19th century, the centralization of the kingdom's royal, intellectual, and administrative powers in Copenhagen, Denmark, the dissolution of the archbishopric in Trondheim with the introduction of Protestantism in 1537, as well as the distribution of the church's incomes to the court in Copenhagen meant that 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. Romantic nationalism (also National Romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of Nationalism in which the state derives Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city (Trondhjem is a city and municipality in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Copenhagen (ˌkəʊpənˈheɪgən ˌkəʊpənˈhɑːgən ˈkəʊpənˌheɪgən ˈkəʊpənˌhɑːgən kʰøb̥ənˈhɑʊ̯ˀn kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn is the capital and largest city Nidaros was the old name of Trondheim (Trond(hjem sometimes Drontheim a city of Norway, in the Middle Ages. The steady decline was highlighted by the loss of the provinces Båhuslen, Jemtland, and Herjedalen to Sweden, as a result of wars. is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative Provinces of Sweden ( landskap in Swedish situated on the west coast of the country or Jamtland (ˈjamtˌlanː in Jamtish) is a historical province or Landskap in the center of Sweden in Northern is a historical province or landskap in the centre of Sweden. This is a listing of lists of Wars, sorted by country date region and type of conflict

After Denmark–Norway was attacked by Great Britain, it entered into an alliance with Napoleon, with the war leading to dire conditions and mass starvation in 1812. Denmark–Norway ( Danish: Danmark-Norge Norwegian: Danmark-Norge or Danmark-Noreg is the historiographical name for a former political entity union The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. Starvation (also called inanition) is a severe reduction in Vitamin, Nutrient, and Energy intake and is the most extreme form of As the kingdom found itself on the losing side in 1814 it was forced to cede Norway to the kingdom of Sweden, while the old Norwegian provinces of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands remained with the Danish crown. 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. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. The current Constitution of France was adopted on October 4, 1958. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1814 ( MDCCCXIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common This caused the Norwegian-Swedish War to break out between Sweden and Norway but as Sweden's military was not strong enough to defeat the Norwegian forces outright, Norway agreed to enter a personal union with Sweden. The Campaign against Norway, or The Norwegian-Swedish War of 1814 was fought between Sweden and Norway in the summer of 1814 The Union between Sweden and Norway (Unionen mellan Sverige och Norge Unionen mellom Norge og Sverige or the Swedish-Norwegian Kingdom was the union of the kingdoms of Under this arrangement, Norway kept its liberal constitution and independent institutions, except for the foreign service. 1814 was a pivotal year in Norwegian history. It started with Norway as a part of the Danish kingdom subject to a Naval blockade, saw a constitutional

This period also saw the rise of the Norwegian romantic nationalism cultural movement, as Norwegians sought to define and express a distinct national character. Norwegian romantic nationalism was a movement in Norway between 1840 and 1867 in art literature and popular culture that emphasized the Aesthetics of The movement covered all branches of culture, including literature (Henrik Wergeland, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe, Henrik Ibsen), painting (Hans Gude, Adolph Tidemand), 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. Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland ( June 17, 1808 in Kristiansand – July 12, 1845 in Christiania) was a Norwegian Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson ( 8 December, 1832 – 26 April, 1910) was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Peter Christen Asbjørnsen (1812-1885 was a Norwegian writer and scholar Jørgen Engebretsen Moe (1813-1882 was a Norwegian Bishop and Author. "Ibsen" redirects here For other people named Ibsen see Ibsen (disambiguation. Hans Fredrik Gude ( March 13 1825 Later Gude would work specifically on his figures while at Karlsruhe and so began populating his paintings with them Adolph Tidemand (1814-1876 was a Norwegian painter who was born in Mandal in 1814 Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language Bokmål (lit "book language" or Dano-Norwegian is the most commonly used of the two official Norwegian written Standard languages the other Nynorsk (literally "New Norwegian" is one of the two official Norwegian Standard languages the other being Bokmål.

Christian Michelsen, a Norwegian shipping magnate and statesman, Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907 played a central role in the peaceful separation of Norway from Sweden on June 7, 1905. Peter Christian Hersleb Kjerschow Michelsen (15 March 1857 &ndash 29 June 1925 was a Norwegian shipping magnate and statesman Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting 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 and Parliament unanimously elected him king. The Storting ( Stortinget, literally "the Great Thing /Assembly" is the Norwegian Parliament, and is located in the capital city He took the name of Haakon VII, after the medieval kings of independent Norway. Haakon VII (Prince Carl of Denmark born Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel) (3 August 1872 in Charlottenlund 21 September 1957 in Oslo) In 1898, all men were granted universal suffrage, followed by all women in 1913.

During both World wars Norway claimed neutrality but during World War II it was invaded by German forces on April 9, 1940 while the allies also had plans in mind for an invasion of the country. A world war is a War affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Operation Weserübung was the codename for Nazi Germany 's assault on Denmark and Norway during World War II and the opening operation Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose In April 1940, the British fleet mined Norwegian territorial waters. A naval mine is a self-contained Explosive device placed in water to destroy Ships or Submarines Unlike Depth charges mines are deposited Norway was unprepared for the German surprise attack, but military resistance continued for two months. During the Norwegian Campaign, the Kriegsmarine lost many ships including the cruiser Blücher. The Norwegian Campaign, lasting from 9 April to 10 June 1940, led to the first direct land confrontation between the military forces of the Allies The Kriegsmarine (English "War navy" was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945 during the Nazi regime superseding the Design The Hipper class were built to a design that flouted the Washington Naval Treaty, to which major maritime The battles of Vinjesvingen and Hegra eventually became the last strongholds of Norwegian resistance in southern Norway in May, while the armed forces in the north launched an offensive against the German forces in the Battles of Narvik, until they were forced to surrender on June 10. The Battle of Vinjesvingen took place in May 1940 in Telemark county Norway. The Battle of Hegra Fortress was a twenty-five day engagement in the 1940 Norwegian Campaign which saw a small force of Norwegian volunteers fighting superior German forces The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April until 8 June 1940 as a naval battle in the Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem 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. Nasjonal Samling (Norwegian for "National Gathering" or "National Unification" hereafter abbreviated as NS was a fascist party in Norway Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945 was a Norwegian army Officer and politician Real power was wielded by the leader of the German occupation authority, Reichskommissar Josef Terboven. Reichskommissar (rendered as Commissionary of the Empire or as Reich - or Imperial Commissioner) in German history, was an official gubernatorial Josef Antonius Heinrich Terboven ( May 23, 1898 - May 8, 1945) was a Nazi leader best known as the Reichskommissar (commissioner Quisling, as minister president, later formed a collaborationist government under German control. ^[17] At the time of the invasion, Norway had the fourth largest merchant marine in the world led by the shipping company Nortraship, which under the Allies took part in every war operation from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the Normandy landings. An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all or large parts of the Armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory The Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission (Nortraship was established in London in April 1940 to administer the Norwegian merchant fleet outside German controlled areas The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo by the British was the Evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk

Following the war, the Social Democrats came to power and ruled the country for much of the cold war. Norway joined NATO in 1949, and became a close ally of the United States. The North Atlantic Treaty The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Two plebiscites to join the European Union failed by narrow margins in 1972 and 1994. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Large reserves of petroleum and natural gas were discovered in the 1960s, which led to a continuing boom in the economy. Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane,

Geography, climate and environment

Main article: Geography of Norway

See also: Geology of Norway

Norway comprises the western part of Scandinavia in Northern Europe. Norway is located in Northern Europe on the western and northern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, bordering the North Sea in southwest The geology of Norway encompasses the history of earth that can be interpreted by Rock types found in Norway, and the associated Sedimentological history Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Northern Europe is a term for the northern part of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as (Finland The rugged coastline, broken by huge fjords and thousands of islands, stretches over 2,500 km as the crow flies and over 83,000 km including the fjords and islands. Norway shares a 2,542 km land border with Sweden, Finland, and Russia to the east. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending To the west and south, Norway is bordered by the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea, and Skagerak. Currents In the Norwegian Sea and Greenland Sea surface water descends two to three kilometres down to the bottom of the ocean forming cold oxygen-rich groundwater The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Skagerrak Strait runs between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the The Barents Sea washes on Norway's northern coasts. The Barents Sea (Barentshavet Баренцево море is a part of the Arctic Ocean located north of Norway and Russia.

At 385,252 km² (including Jan Mayen, Svalbard), Norway is slightly larger than Germany, but much of the country is dominated by mountainous or high terrain, with a great variety of natural features caused by prehistoric glaciers and varied topography. Jan Mayen Island is a 55 km (34 miles long (southwest-northeast and 373 km² (144  mi²) in area Arctic Volcanic island in the Svalbard is an Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between Norway and the North Pole. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. Topography ( topo-, "place" and graphia, "writing" is the study of Earth 's Surface features or those of Planets The most noticeable of these are the fjords: deep grooves cut into the land flooded by the sea following the end of the Ice Age. A fjord or fiord (fjɔːd|fiːɔːd or fiːɔːd is a long narrow Inlet with steep sides created in a valley carved by glacial activity. An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets The longest is Sognefjorden. The Sognefjord ( Sognefjorden) is the largest Fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world after Scoresby Sund on Norway also contains many glaciers and waterfalls. A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water often in the form of a Stream, flowing over an Erosion -resistant rock

The land is mostly made of hard granite and gneiss rock, but slate, sandstone and limestone are also common, and the lowest elevations have marine deposits. Granite (ˈɡrænɪt is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, Felsic, igneous rock. Gneiss (ˈnaɪs is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from preexisting formations that were originally Slate is a fine-grained foliated homogeneous, Metamorphic rock derived from an original Shale -type Sedimentary rock composed of Clay Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Due to the Gulf Stream and prevailing westerlies, Norway experiences warmer temperatures and more precipitation than expected at such northern latitudes, especially along the coast. The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful warm and swift Atlantic Ocean current that The mainland experiences four distinct seasons, with colder winters and less precipitation inland. The northernmost part has a mostly maritime Subarctic climate, while Svalbard has an Arctic tundra climate. Regions having a subarctic climate (also called boreal climate) are characterized by long usually very cold winters and brief warm summers The Arctic is the Region around the Earth 's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. In physical Geography, tundra is an area where the Tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons

Due to Norway's high latitude, there are large seasonal variations in daylight. Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi ( Φ) gives the location of a place on Earth (or other planetary body north or south of the From late May to late July, the sun never completely descends beneath the horizon in areas north of the Arctic Circle (hence Norway's description as the "Land of the Midnight Sun") and the rest of the country experiences up to 20 hours of daylight per day. The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. The midnight sun is a phenomenon occurring in Latitudes north and nearby to the south of the Arctic Circle and south and nearby to the north of the Conversely, from late November to late January, the sun never rises above the horizon in the north, and daylight hours are very short in the rest of the country.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Norway

Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. Politics of Norway takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Constitutional monarchy. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The Royal House is a branch of the princely family of Glücksburg, originally from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (in Danish: Slesvig-Holsten-Sønderborg-Lyksborg) from Glücksburg in northernmost Germany is the northernmost of the 16 ''Bundesländer'' in Germany. The former English name was Sleswick-Holsatia the Danish name is Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. As it stands, the functions of the King, Harald V, are mainly ceremonial, but he has influence as the symbol of national unity. Childhood and education When Prince Harald was born in Skaugum he was the first heir to the throne of Norway to be born in Norway for several hundred years Although the constitution of 1814 grants important executive powers to the King, these are always exercised by the Council of State in the name of the King (King's Council or cabinet). The Constitution of Norway was first adopted on May 16, 1814 by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll (a small town north of the Politics of Norway takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Constitutional monarchy. The reserve powers vested in the Monarch by the constitution have in the 20th century in reality been symbolic, but has on a few occasions been important such as in World War II, when the Monarch said he would step down if the government should accept the German demand. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity The Council of State consists of a Prime Minister and other ministers, formally appointed by the King. This is a list of viceroys ( visekonge) governors ( rigsstatholder) first ministers ( førstestatsråd) and Prime ministers ( statsminister) of 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 when there is a clear majority in Parliament for a party or a coalition of parties. A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which But after elections resulting in no clear majority to any party or coalition, the leader of the party most likely to be able to form a government is appointed Prime Minister by the King. Norway has often been ruled by minority governments. The King has government meetings every Friday at the Royal Palace (Council of State), but the government decisions are decided in advance in government conferences, headed by the Prime Minister, every Tuesday and Thursday. The Royal Palace ( Norwegian: Slottet or formally Det kongelige slott) in Oslo was built in the first half of the 19th century as the Norwegian The King opens the Parliament every October, he receives ambassadors to the Norwegian court, and he is the symbolic Supreme Commander of the Norwegian Defence Force and the Head of the Church of Norway. A commander-in-chief is the Commander of a nation's Military forces or significant element of those forces The Church of Norway ( Den norske kirke in Bokmål or Den norske kyrkja in Nynorsk) is the state church of Norway

The Norwegian parliament, Stortinget, currently has 169 members (increased from 165, effective from the elections of 12 September, 2005). TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A  parliament is a Legislature, especially in those The Storting ( Stortinget, literally "the Great Thing /Assembly" is the Norwegian Parliament, and is located in the capital city Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 12 September 2005. The members are elected from the nineteen counties for four-year terms according to a system of proportional representation. ||-||} Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties ( Norwegian: singular fylke, plural fylker ( Bokmål Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes In addition, 19 seats, the socalled "levelling seats" are allocated on a nationwide basis to make the representation in parliament correspond better with the popular vote. There is a 4% election threshold to gain levelling seats. In Party-list proportional representation systems an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes either When voting on legislation, the Storting – until the 2009 election – divides itself into two chambers, the Odelsting and the Lagting. The Storting ( Stortinget, literally "the Great Thing /Assembly" is the Norwegian Parliament, and is located in the capital city Laws are in most cases proposed by the government through a Member of the Council of State, or in some cases by a member of the Odelsting in case of repeated disagreement in the joint Storting. Nowadays, however, the Lagting rarely disagrees, effectively rubber-stamping the Odelsting's decisions. A rubber stamp, as a political metaphor, refers to a person or institution with De jure considerable formal power but little De facto power one that rarely A constitutional amendment of February 20, 2007 will repeal the division after the 2009 general election. Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Impeachment cases are very rare (the last being in 1927, when Prime Minister Abraham Berge was acquitted) and may be brought against Members of the Council of State, of the Supreme Court (Høyesterett), or of the Storting for criminal offenses which they may have committed in their official capacity. Impeachment is the first of two stages in a specific process for a legislative body to forcibly remove a Government official Abraham Theodor Berge (20 August 1851&ndash10 July 1936 was a Norwegian politician representing Venstre, the social liberal party and later Frisinnede Venstre The Supreme Court of Norway was established in 1815 on the basis of the Constitution of Norway 's §88 prescribing an independent judiciary

Prior to an amendment to the Norwegian Constitution on February 20, 2007 indictments were raised by the Odelsting and judged by the Lagting and the Supreme Court justices as part of the High Court of the Realm. Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. In the new system impeachment cases will be heard by the five highest ranking Supreme Court justices and six lay members in one of the Supreme Court courtrooms (previously cases were heard in the Lagting chamber). Storting representatives may not perform as lay judges. Indictments will be raised by the Storting in a plenary session.

The Storting otherwise functions as a unicameral parliament and after the 2009 general election the division into Odelsting and Lagting for passing legislation will be abolished. Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or Parliamentary chamber Legislation will then have to go through two – three in case of dissent – readings before being passed and sent to the King for assent. Reading is a mechanism by which a bill is introduced to and approved by a Legislature. The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarch completes the legislative process of Lawmaking by formally assenting to an

The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court (eighteen permanent judges and a chief justice), courts of appeal, city and district courts, and conciliation councils. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English Judges attached to regular courts are appointed by the King in council. Politics of Norway takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Constitutional monarchy.

In order to form a government, more than half the membership of the Council of State is required to belong to the Church of Norway. The Church of Norway ( Den norske kirke in Bokmål or Den norske kyrkja in Nynorsk) is the state church of Norway Currently, this means at least ten out of nineteen members. After the negotiations of looser ties between the church and the state, it was decided that this requirement will be abolished in the near future.

In December each year, Norway gives a Christmas tree to the United Kingdom, in thanks for the UK's assistance during World War II. A Christmas tree, Yule tree, holiday tree or Tannenbaum (fir tree is one of the most popular Traditions associated with the celebration The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A ceremony takes place to erect the tree in Trafalgar Square. Trafalgar Square is a square in central London, England. With its position in the heart of London it is a tourist attraction its trademark is Nelson's ^[18]

In its 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Norway at a shared 1st place (with Iceland) out of 169 countries. ^[19]

Corporal punishment of children has been illegal in Norway since 1983. Corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of pain intended to Punish a person or change his/her behavior

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Norway

Norway maintains embassies in 86 countries around the world. The foreign relations of Norway are based on the country's membership in NATO and within the workings of the United Nations (UN ^[20] Norway has diplomatic relations with many countries without maintaining an embassy in the country. 60 countries maintain an embassy in Norway, all of them in the capital, Oslo. ^[21]

Norway was a founding member of the United Nations, NATO, the Council of Europe, the European Free Trade Association, the OECD and the OSCE, and maintains membership in several other international organisations. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The North Atlantic Treaty The Council of Europe (Conseil de l'Europe is the oldest International organisation working towards European integration, being founded in 1949 The European Free Trade Association ( EFTA) is a European Trade bloc which was established on 3 May 1960 as an alternative for European states who were either Norway has twice rejected proposed membership of the European Union although Norway has access to the European single market through membership in the European Economic Area. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The European Economic Area ( EEA) came into being on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between member states of European Free Trade Association (EFTAthe

Norway has also assisted in international negotiations, such as in facilitating the Oslo Accords. Israeli-Palestinian conflict The Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles

Cities and municipalities

Main articles: Cities of Norway and Municipalities of Norway

Further information: Regions of Norway and Subdivisions of Norway

Norway is divided into nineteen first-level administrative regions known as fylker ("counties", singular fylke) and 430^[22] second-level kommuner ("municipalities", singular kommune). This is a list of cities in Norway. The Norwegian name for City is by. ||} Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions called counties ( fylker, singular fylke) and 430 municipalities ( kommuner, cf Norway is divided into five major regions ( landsdeler) which consist of counties as follows Northern Norway Norway 's elongated shape numerous geographical barriers and distributed population barriers has led to a number of conventions for it subdivisions Examples of administrative divisions English terms In many of the following terms corresponding to British cultural influence areas of relatively low mean population A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or The fylke is the intermediate administration between state and municipality. The King is represented in every county by a Fylkesmann.

There is ongoing debate as to whether the nineteen "fylker" should be replaced with five to nine larger regions. Some expect this to happen by 2010, whereas others expect the intermediate administration to disappear entirely. Another option would probably require consolidating the municipalities into larger entities and delegating greater responsibility to them.

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

Economy

Main article: Economy of Norway

Norwegians enjoy the second highest GDP per-capita (after Luxembourg) and third highest GDP (PPP) per-capita in the world, and has maintained first place in the world in the UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) for six consecutive years (2001-2006). is a county in Norway, bordering Hedmark, Oppland, Buskerud, Oslo and Østfold. is a county (fylke in Norway, bordering Telemark, Rogaland and Vest-Agder. is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and or Finnmárku ( Sami language) is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Akershus. is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland. is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. is a county in Norway, bordering Troms in the north Nord-Trøndelag in the south Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east Västerbottens is a county in the central Norwegian region called Trøndelag. is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. is a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden ( Västra Götaland County and Värmland) while is a county in Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. is a county (fylke in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. is a county in the area Trøndelag in Norway, bordering Nord-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Oppland and Hedmark. is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. or Romsa ( Sami language) is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest (West Agder is a county in Norway, bordering Rogaland to the west and Aust-Agder to the east is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg. Although sensitive to global Business cycles the economy of Norway has shown robust growth since the start of the industrial era. This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product Per capita at Nominal values, the This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP However, in 2007 Iceland very narrowly beat Norway as the #1 place according to the Human Development Index. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP

Cost of living is about 30% higher in Norway than in the United States and 25% higher than the United Kingdom. The standard of living in Norway is very high, and the continuing increase in oil prices ensure that Norway will remain one of the richest countries in the world over the foreseeable future.

The Norwegian economy is an example of mixed economy, featuring a combination of free market activity and large government ownership. A mixed economy is an Economic system that incorporates aspects of more than one economic system A free market is a Market in which property rights are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged completely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers The government controls key areas, such as the strategic petroleum sector (StatoilHydro), hydroelectric energy production (Statkraft), aluminium production (Norsk Hydro), the largest Norwegian bank (DnB NOR) and telecommunication provider (Telenor). Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit StatoilHydro ASA () is a Norwegian energy company formed by the 2007 merger of Statoil with the oil and gas division of Statkraft is a Norwegian state owned Electricity Company. With a total energy production of 44 Norsk Hydro ASA (,) is a Norwegian Aluminium and Renewable energy company headquartered in Oslo. DnB NOR ASA ( is Norway 's largest Financial services group with total assets of more than NOK 1 Telenor () is the incumbent Telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. The government controls 31. 6% of publicly listed companies. When non-listed companies are included the state has even higher share in ownership (mainly from direct oil license ownership).

The control mechanisms over petroleum resources are a combination of state ownership in major operators in the Norwegian fields (StatoilHydro approx. StatoilHydro ASA () is a Norwegian energy company formed by the 2007 merger of Statoil with the oil and gas division of 62% in 2007) and the fully state owned Petoro (market value of about twice Statoil) and SDFI. Petoro, a company wholly owned by the state of Norway, manages Norwegian offshore oil and Natural gas properties State's Direct Financial Interest State's Direct Financial Interest ( SDFI) ( Norwegian: Statens direkte økonomiske engasjement ( SDØE) is a portfolio of the Norwegian Finally the government controls licensing of exploration and production of fields.

The country is richly endowed with natural resources including petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals. Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit Hydropower, hydraulic power or water power is power that is derived from the Force or Energy of moving water which may Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Forestry is the Art and Science of managing forests tree Plantations and related Natural resources. A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific Norway has obtained one of the highest standards of living in the world in part by having a large amount of natural resources compared to the size of the population. The income from natural resources include a significant contribution from petroleum production and the substantial and well-managed income related to this sector. Norway also has a very low unemployment rate, currently below 2% (June 2007). The hourly productivity levels, as well as average hourly wages in Norway are among the highest in the world. The egalitarian values of the Norwegian society ensure that the wage difference between the lowest paid worker and the CEO of most companies is much smaller than in comparable western economies. Egalitarianism (derived from the French word égal, meaning equal) is a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have This is also evident in Norway's low Gini coefficient. The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion most prominently used as a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth

In 2006, oil and gas accounted for 58% of exports. Only Russia and OPEC member Saudi Arabia export more oil than Norway, which is not an OPEC member. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi To reduce over-heating from oil money and the uncertainty from the oil income volatility, and to save money for an aging population, the Norwegian state started in 1995 to save petroleum income (taxes, dividends, licensing, sales) in a sovereign wealth fund ("Government Pension Fund — Global"). A sovereign wealth fund ( SWF) is a state-owned Investment fund composed of financial Assets such as Stocks, Bonds, The Government Pension Fund of Norway comprises two entirely separate Sovereign wealth funds owned by the Government of Norway: The Government Pension Fund This also reduces the boom and bust cycle associated with raw material production and the marginalization of non-oil industry (see also Dutch Disease). Dutch disease is an economic concept that tries to explain the apparent relationship between the exploitation of Natural resources and a decline in the manufacturing

The fund invests in developed financial markets outside Norway. The budgetary rule ("Handlingsregelen") is to spend no more than 4% of the fund each year (assumed to be the normal yield from the fund ). By January 2006, the pension fund had reached a value of USD 200 billion. During the first half of 2007, the pension fund became the largest fund in Europe, with assets totalling about USD 300 billion, equivalent to over USD 62,000 per capita. As such, the Norwegian state has savings equal to 100% of the Norwegian GDP. Norway has the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation (April 2007). Projections indicate that the Norwegian pension fund may become the largest capital fund in the world. It is the second largest state-owned sovereign wealth fund in the world, second only to the sovereign wealth fund of Abu-Dhabi. Conservative estimates tell that the fund may reach USD 800-900 billion by 2017. Other natural resource-based economies in countries like Russia and Chile are trying to learn from Norway by establishing similar funds. The investment choices of the Norwegian fund are guided by ethical guidelines. For example, the fund is not allowed to invest in companies that produce parts for nuclear weapons. The openness about the investment choices is lauded by the international community.

The future size of the fund is of course closely linked to the oil price and the developments in international financial market. At an average oil price of USD 100 per barrel, the trade surplus for 2008 is expected to reach USD 80 billion. At present oil prices (June 2008) the trade surplus for 2008 is expected to reach USD 90 billion.

Norway is also the world's largest exporter of fish. In light of the rising energy and food prices, Norway's economic prospects are better than perhaps any other country in the world. Investing in research and development is an important priority for the Norwegian government, as it is important to have something to fall back on when the oil becomes a smaller part of the economy.

Referendums in 1972 and 1994 indicated that the Norwegian people wished to remain outside the European Union (EU). A Referendum on whether Norway should join the European Union was held on 28 November 1994. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in However, Norway, together with Iceland and Liechtenstein, participates in the European Union's single market via the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( The Principality of Liechtenstein (Fürstentum Liechtenstein) is a tiny doubly landlocked Alpine country in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The European Economic Area ( EEA) came into being on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between member states of European Free Trade Association (EFTAthe The EEA Treaty between the European Union countries and the EFTA countries – transposed into Norwegian law via "EØS-loven"^[23] – describes the procedures for implementing European Union rules in Norway and the other EFTA countries. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The European Free Trade Association ( EFTA) is a European Trade bloc which was established on 3 May 1960 as an alternative for European states who were either This makes Norway a highly integrated member of most sectors of the EU internal market. However, some sectors, such as agriculture, oil and fish, are not wholly covered by the EEA Treaty. Norway has also acceded to the Schengen Agreement and several other intergovernmental agreements between the EU member states. The term Schengen Agreement is used for two agreements concluded among European states in 1985 and 1990 which deal with the abolition of systematic Border controls

In 2000, the government sold one-third of the then 100% state-owned oil company Statoil in an IPO. Statoil ASA was a Norwegian Petroleum company established in 1972, now part of StatoilHydro. Initial public offering (IPO, also referred to simply as a "public offering" is when a company issues Common stock or shares to the public for the first The next year, the main telecom supplier, Telenor, was listed on Oslo Stock Exchange. Telenor () is the incumbent Telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. The Oslo Stock Exchange ( Oslo Børs) serves as the main market for trading in the shares of Norwegian companies. The state also owns significant shares of Norway's largest bank, DnB NOR and the airline SAS. DnB NOR ASA ( is Norway 's largest Financial services group with total assets of more than NOK 1 Scandinavian Airlines System ( SAS) is a multi-national Airline for Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the leading carrier in the Since 2000, economic growth has been rapid, pushing unemployment down to levels not seen since the early 1980s. Economic growth is the increase in the amount of the goods and services produced by an economy over time (unemployment: 1. 3%)

Demography

Main article: Demography of Norway

As of 2007, Norway's population numbered 4. Ethnicity Ethnically the residents of Norway are predominantly ethnic Norwegians who are of North Germanic / Nordic descent although there are communities Borgund stave church (Borgund stavkirke Borgund stavkyrkje is a Stave church located in Borgund, Lærdal, Norway. 7 million. Most Norwegians are ethnic Norwegians, a North Germanic people. Norwegians See also History of Norway and Demography of Norway. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The Sami people traditionally inhabit central and northern parts of Norway and Sweden, as well as in northern Finland and in Russia on the Kola Peninsula. The Sami people are the Indigenous people of northern Europe inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of northern Sweden, Norway Another national minority are the Kven people who are the descended of Finnish speaking people that moved to northern Norway in the 18th up to 20th century. Kvens ( kveeni in Kven language / Finnish; kvener in Norwegian, and láddelažžat in Northern Sami Both the Sami and the Kven were subjected to a strong assimilation policy by the Norwegian government from the 19th century up to the 1970s. ^[24] Because of this "Norwegianisation process", many families of Sami or Kven ancestry now self-identify as ethnic Norwegian . ^[25] This, combined with a long history of co-habitation of the Sami and North Germanic peoples on the Scandinavian peninsula, makes claims about ethnic population statistics less straightforward than is often suggested — particularly in central and northern Norway. Other groups recognized as national minorities of Norway are Jews, Forest Finns, Roma/Gypsies and Romani people/Travellers. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Forest Finns ( Norwegian: Skogfinner, Swedish: Skogsfinnar, Finnish: Metsäsuomalaiset) are people of Finnish The Romani people (singular Rom, plural Roma as a Noun; also known as Romanies or Roma people) are an ethnic group with origins The Norwegian and Swedish Travellers (romanifolket resande are a group or branch of the Roma people (also known as "Gypsies" in Norway and Sweden

In recent years, immigration has accounted for more than half of Norway's population growth. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term According to Statistics Norway (SSB), record 61,200 immigrants arrived in the country in 2007 — 35% higher than 2006. At the beginning of 2008, there were 459,600 persons in Norway with an immigrant background (i. e. immigrants, or born of immigrant parents), comprising 9. 7% of the total population. 350,000 of these were from a non-Western background, which includes the formerly Communist countries according to the definition used by Statistics Norway. The largest immigrant groups by country of origin, in order of size, are Poles, Pakistanis, Swedish, Iraqis, Somalis , Vietnamese, Danes, and Germans. The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Background Iraq was known in the west as Mesopotamia until the 20th century Somalis ( Soomaaliyeed, الصوماليون are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. Vietnamese Norwegians are Norwegians of Vietnamese descent who trace their ancestry to Vietnam and are residents and/or citizens of Norway The term Dane may refer to People with a Danish ancestral or ethnic identity whether living in Denmark, emigrants or the descendants of emigrants The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as ^[26]The Iraqi immigrant population has shown a large increase in recent years. After the enlargement of the EU in 2004, there has also been an influx of immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Poland. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The largest increase in 2007 was of immigrants from Poland, Germany, Sweden and Lithuania . Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the ^[27]

Religion

Main article: Religion in Norway

In common with other Scandinavian countries, the Norse followed a form of native Germanic paganism known as Norse paganism. Religion in Norway is overwhelmingly Protestant ( Evangelical - Lutheran) with 82 Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Germanic paganism refers to the religious beliefs of the Germanic peoples preceding Christianization. Norse paganism is a term used to describe the religious traditions which were common amongst the Germanic tribes living in Nordic countries prior to and By the end of the eleventh century, when Norway had been Christianized, the indigenous Norse religion and practices were prohibited. The Christianization of Scandinavia refers to the process of conversion to Christianity of the Scandinavian people starting in the 8th century with Anti-heathenry laws, however, were removed early in the twentieth century. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world Many remnants of the native religion and beliefs of Norway exist today, including names, referential names of cities and locations, the days of the week, and other parts of the everyday language.

Parts of the Sami minority retained their shamanistic religion well into the 18th century when they were converted to Christianity by Dano-Norwegian missionaries. The knowledge of the mythology and religious practices of the Sami people is primarily based on archeological remains and written sources

Nearly 83% of Norwegians are members of the state Church of Norway, to which they are registered at birth. The Church of Norway ( Den norske kirke in Bokmål or Den norske kyrkja in Nynorsk) is the state church of Norway Many remain in the state church to be able to use services such as baptism, confirmation, marriage and burial, rites which have strong cultural standing in Norway. In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted Confirmation is a Rite of initiation in many Christian Churches normally in the form of Laying on of hands and/or Anointing for Up to 40% of the membership attends church or religious meetings during a year ^[28], with fewer attending regularly.

According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 32% of Norwegian citizens responded that "they believe there is a god," whereas 47% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 17% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force. "^[29]

Other Christian denominations total about 4. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings 5% of the population. These include the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Pentecostal congregations, the Methodist Church, Adventists, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Jehovah's Witnesses and others. The Evangelical Lutheran Free Church, or the Free Church as it is commonly known is a nationwide Lutheran church in Norway consisting of 81 congregations with approximately Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations The Seventh-day Adventist (abbreviated " Adventist " Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination Among non-Christian religions, Islam is the largest, representing about 1. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. 5% of the population: It is practiced mainly by the Somalian, Arab, Albanian, Pakistani and Turkish communities. Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known Arab diaspora refers to the numbers of Arab immigrants, and their descendants who voluntarily or as Refugees emigrated from their native countries } Albanians (Shqiptarët are an Ethnic group and a Nation, in the sense of sharing a common Albanian culture speaking the Albanian language Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The Turkish people (Türk Halkı also known as " Turks " ( Türkler) are defined mainly as being speakers of Turkish as a First language Other religions comprise less than 1% each, including Judaism (see Jews in Norway). Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut The Jews in Norway have a long history and they are one of the country's smallest ethnic and religious minorities Indian immigrants introduced Hinduism to Norway, but account for less than 5,000 people, or 1% of non-Lutheran Norwegians ^[30]. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. There are eleven Buddhist organizations, grouped under the Buddhistforbundet organisation, which make up 0. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices The Buddhist Federation of Norway (Norwegian Buddhistforbundet) is an umbrella organization for the different Buddhist groups in Norway. 42% of the population. Around 1. 5% of Norwegians adhere to the secular Norwegian Humanist Association. Human-Etisk Forbund ( HEF) the Norwegian Humanist Association is currently one of the largest Humanist associations in the world with 72000 members About 5% of the population is unaffiliated. ^[30]

Languages

Main article: Languages of Norway

See also: Sami languages

The North Germanic Norwegian language has two official written forms, Bokmål and Nynorsk. The North Germanic languages or Scandinavian languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language Bokmål (lit "book language" or Dano-Norwegian is the most commonly used of the two official Norwegian written Standard languages the other Nynorsk (literally "New Norwegian" is one of the two official Norwegian Standard languages the other being Bokmål. They have officially equal status, i. e. they are both used in public administration, in schools, churches, radio and television, but Bokmål is used by the vast majority, about 85-90%. Around 95% of the population speak Norwegian as their native tongue, although many speak dialects that may differ significantly from the written language. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of In general Norwegian dialects are inter-intelligible, though some may require significant effort. Several Finno-Ugric Sami languages are spoken and written throughout the country, especially in the north, by the Sami people. Finno-Ugric (ˌfɪnoʊˈjuːgɹɪk is a grouping of languages in the Uralic language family comprising Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian and Sami or Saami is a general name for a group of Finnic languages spoken by the Sami people in parts of northern Finland, Norway The Sami people are the Indigenous people of northern Europe inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of northern Sweden, Norway The state recognises these languages as official, and speakers have a right to get education in Sami language no matter where they are living, and receive communications from government in various Sami languages. The Kven minority speak the Finno-Ugric Kven language/Finnish. Kvens ( kveeni in Kven language / Finnish; kvener in Norwegian, and láddelažžat in Northern Sami The Kven language also known as Kvennish, ( suomi, kveenin kieli or recently proposed kainun kieli) is a Finno-Ugric language

Norwegian is highly similar to the other languages in Scandinavia, Swedish and Danish. Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Danish ( d̥ænsɡ̊ is one of the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the All three languages are mutually intelligible and can be, and commonly are, employed in communication between inhabitants of the Scandinavian countries. As a result of the cooperation within the Nordic Council, inhabitants of all Nordic countries, including Iceland and Finland, have the right to communicate with the Norwegian authorities in their own language. The Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers is an intergovernmental forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe.

Any Norwegian student who is a child of immigrant parents is encouraged to learn the Norwegian language. The Norwegian government offers language instructional courses for immigrants wishing to obtain Norwegian citizenship. Somali is the largest non-western language spoken in Norway, as Somalis are the third largest population of non-western immigrants in Norway, after Pakistani and Iraqi people. Somali ( Af Soomaali, الصوماليه is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by ethnic Somalis

The main foreign languages taught in Norwegian elementary school are English, German and French. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Spanish and Russian are available in some schools, mostly in the cities. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages

Individual human rights

Norway is currently the second most highly ranked nation in the UN Human Development Index, an index made up by literacy rate, education level and per capita income, though it had been the highest on the list for the six years between 2001 and 2006. Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide Youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical mental and spiritual The Norwegian Constitution Day is the National Day of Norway and is an official national holiday each year The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP

Freedom of expression is enshrined in Article 1 of the Constitution of Norway. Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without Censorship or Limitation. The Constitution of Norway was first adopted on May 16, 1814 by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll (a small town north of the Freedom of religion is enshrined in Article 2 of the Constitution, which also establishes the state religion as "Evangelical Lutheran". Freedom of religion is the freedom of an individual or community in public or private to manifest religion or belief in teaching practice worship and observance The Church of Norway ( Den norske kirke in Bokmål or Den norske kyrkja in Nynorsk) is the state church of Norway The press is not censored. Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor Editors adhere to self-imposed commandments of caution, in order to protect people's privacy and other civic rights. (Vær Varsom-plakaten- Norwegian Wikipedia in Bokmål, see [1] for an English translation).

Public radio and TV broadcast without interference from the government, although permission to broadcast depends on the program spectrum. Broadcast advertisement is regulated, with particular restrictions on paid political messages and advertising directed at children.

The constitution forbids retroactive laws, punishment not based on laws and court decisions, and the use of torture. Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally Capital punishment for high crime during wartime was abolished in 1979. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. This article is about the legal term For the Ann Coulter book see High Crimes and Misdemeanors The Case Against Bill Clinton,for the Woody Allen film see Crimes ^[31]

In 1999, the Human Rights conventions of the United Nations and the Council of Europe were constituted as law in Norway (menneskerettsloven) and given superiority to all laws after the constitution. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Council of Europe (Conseil de l'Europe is the oldest International organisation working towards European integration, being founded in 1949 ^[32] Norwegian lawyers have joined the Council of Europe's Committee Against Torture to express their concern about the long-term detention of criminal defendants and the use of solitary confinement in Norway, deeming it to be torture. ^[33] Long processing times for asylum seekers and the treatment of those arriving without identity papers has also been under discussion.

An issue of much debate and public interest in Norway is the phenomenon of criminals and suspected terrorists being granted asylum, on the grounds that they may be persecuted in their native countries. Examples are Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad (a. k. a. Mullah Krekar), the Aeroflot hijackers of 1993, and several suspected war criminals, for example suspected collaborators in the Rwandan Genocide. Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad (born July 7, 1956) Mullah Krekar ( Kurdish:مه‌لا کریکارis OJSC "AeroflotRussian Airlines" (ОАО «АэрофлотРоссийские авиалинии» () or Aeroflot (Аэрофлот as the airline is commonly The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwanda 's minority Tutsis and the moderates of its Hutu majority Successive governments have often been criticised for deporting sick people, orphans, and well-integrated children.

In 2005, the international conventions against discrimination of women and race discrimination were incorporated into (but not made superior to) Norwegian law. Amnesty International has recently focused on violence against women in Norway and a shortage of public services to victims of violence. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to ^[34]

Norway has compulsory military service for men. Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority Conscripts are drafted at age 18 for initial service (førstegangstjeneste) of between six to twelve months (Service may begin at age 17 with parental consent). After completion of the initial service period, personnel serving in the home guard are transferred to reserve units, which may be called up for periodic training (repetisjonstjeneste) until age 44. Conscientious objectors serve twelve months in alternative civilian national service. A conscientious objector (CO is an individual who on religious moral or ethical grounds refuses to participate as a combatant in war or in some cases to take any role that would support If a candidate refuses to attend the assessment of fitness (sesjon), where any objections to future military service are to be stated, 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. Changes to the structure of the armed forces has resulted in a lower demand for conscripts, and the number of males needing to serve is decreasing.

Homosexuality was officially decriminalized in 1972 and same sex civil partnerships were instituted in 1993. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. According to Statistics Norway (SSB), 192 same sex civil partnerships were recorded in 2004. Statistics Norway ( Statistisk sentralbyrå or SSB) is the Norwegian statistics bureau Since 2002, it has become possible for same sex couples to adopt each other's children from previous relationships, although joint adoption is not allowed. The Norwegian government introduced a gender neutral marriage law in June 2008, allowing same-sex marriages, granting homosexuals the same rights and obligations as heterosexuals. Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same ^[35]

International rankings

Organization	Survey	Ranking
International Monetary Fund	GDP per capita	2nd out of 232 (2006)
United Nations Development Programme	Human Development Index	2nd out of 177 (2007) (1st, 2001-2006)
A.T. Kearney / Foreign Policy	Globalization Index 2005	14th out of 111
Heritage Foundation / Wall Street Journal	Index of Economic Freedom 2006	30th out of 155
Reporters Without Borders	Worldwide press freedom index	1st out of 168 (1st 2002-2005)
Save the Children	State of the World's Mothers 2004  (Children)	1st out of 119
Save the Children	State of the World's Mothers 2004  (Women)	6th out of 119
Save the Children	State of the World's Mothers 2004  (Mothers)	6th out of 119
UNICEF	Child Well-being league table	7th out of 21 industrial countries
Transparency International	Corruption Perceptions Index 2004	8th out of 145
World Economic Forum	Global Competitiveness Report 2005-2006	9th out of 117
Nationmaster	Labour Strikes	5th out of 27
The Economist Intelligence Unit	Worldwide quality-of-life index, 2005	3rd out of 111
Yale University/Columbia University	Environmental Sustainability Index, 2005 (pdf)	2nd out of 146
The Fund for Peace	Failed States Index, 2007	177th out of 177 (the most desirable result)
The Economist	Global Peace Index	3rd out of 140 (2008)
The Economist	Democracy Index	4th out of 167
Privacy International	Leading Surveillance Societies Around the World, 2007	21-23rd out of 30 European states (Systemic failure to uphold safeguards)

Literature

Main article: Norwegian literature

See also: List of Norwegian writers

The history of Norwegian literature starts with the pagan Eddaic poems and skaldic verse of the 9th and 10th centuries with poets such as Bragi Boddason and Eyvindr Skáldaspillir. The International Monetary Fund ( IMF) is an International organization that oversees the Global financial system by following the Macroeconomic The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP AT Kearney is a global Management consulting firm focusing on strategic and operational CEO-agenda concerns Foreign Policy is a bimonthly American Magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P The Heritage Foundation is an American conservative Think tank. Save the Children is a leading international organisation helping children in need around the world Save the Children is a leading international organisation helping children in need around the world Save the Children is a leading international organisation helping children in need around the world The United Nations Children's Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 Transparency International ( TI) is a leading international Non-governmental organization addressing corruption The World Economic Forum (WEF is a Geneva -based Non-profit foundation best known for its Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland NationMaster is a web site that features a large database of variables for comparing countries The Economist Intelligence Unit ( EIU) is part of The Economist Group. Columbia University is a private University in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. The Fund for Peace is an independent Washington DC -based Nonprofit research and educational organization The Economist is an English-language weekly news and International affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd and edited in London The Global Peace Index is an attempt to measure the relative position of nations’ and regions’ peacefulness The Economist is an English-language weekly news and International affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd and edited in London The Economist has in a study examined the state of Democracy in 167 countries and attempted to quantify this with an Economist Intelligence Unit Index of Democracy Privacy International (PI is a UK-based Non-profit organisation formed in 1990, "as a Watchdog on Surveillance and Privacy invasions Norwegian literature is literature composed in Norway or by Norwegian people. This is a list of Norwegian literature authors in the order of their year of birth Norse paganism is a term used to describe the religious traditions which were common amongst the Germanic tribes living in Nordic countries prior to and The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval Manuscript Codex Regius. The skald was a member of a group of Poets whose courtly poetry (Icelandic dróttkvæði) is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic In his Edda Snorri Sturluson quotes many stanzas attributed to Bragi Boddason the old ( Bragi Boddason inn gamli) a court poet who served several Swedish Eyvindr Finnsson skáldaspillir was a 10th century Norwegian Skald. The arrival of Christianity around the year 1000 brought Norway into contact with European medieval learning, hagiography and history writing. Merged with native oral tradition and Icelandic influence this was to flower into an active period of literature production in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Major works of that period include Historia Norwegie, Thidreks saga and Konungs skuggsjá. Historia Norwegiæ is a short history of the Norwegian past written by a Monk around the second half of the 12th century Þiðrekssaga (also Thidreksaga, Thidrekssaga, Niflungasaga or Vilkina saga) is a chivalric saga of the adventures of the Konungs skuggsjá ( Old Norse for "King's mirror" Latin: Speculum regale, modern Norwegian: Kongsspegelen

Little Norwegian literature came out of the period of the Scandinavian Union and the subsequent Dano-Norwegian union (1387—1814), with some notable exceptions such as Petter Dass and Ludvig Holberg. Petter Dass (born in 1647 died September 18, 1707) was the foremost Norwegian Poet and Hymn writer of his generation Ludvig Holberg Baron of Holberg ( December 3, 1684 – January 28, 1754) was a writer essayist philosopher historian and playwright born in In his play Peer Gynt, Ibsen characterized this period as "Twice two hundred years of darkness/brooded o'er the race of monkeys", although the latter line is not as frequently quoted as the former. Peer Gynt (per gʏnt is a play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. During the union with Denmark, written Norwegian was replaced by Danish.

Two major events precipitated a major resurgence in Norwegian literature. In 1811 a Norwegian university was established in Christiania Seized by the spirit of revolution following the American and French Revolutions, the Norwegians signed their first constitution in 1814. (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. Soon, the cultural backwater that was Norway brought forth a series of strong authors recognized first in Scandinavia, and then worldwide; among them were Henrik Wergeland, Peter Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe and Camilla Collett. Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland ( June 17, 1808 in Kristiansand – July 12, 1845 in Christiania) was a Norwegian Peter Christen Asbjørnsen (1812-1885 was a Norwegian writer and scholar Jørgen Engebretsen Moe (1813-1882 was a Norwegian Bishop and Author. Jacobine Camilla Collett, née Wergeland ( January 23, 1813 - March 6, 1895) was a Norwegian Writer, often referred

By the late 19th century, in the Golden Age of Norwegian literature, the so-called Great Four emerged: Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Alexander Kielland, and Jonas Lie. The term Golden age is best known from Greek mythology and legend but can also be found in other ancient cultures (see below "Ibsen" redirects here For other people named Ibsen see Ibsen (disambiguation. Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson ( 8 December, 1832 – 26 April, 1910) was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Alexander Lange Kielland (ɑlɛksɑndər ˈlɑŋːə ˈçɛlːɑn ( 18 February 1849 &ndash 6 April 1906) was one of the most famous This page is about Jonas Lie the novelist For the NS minister see Jonas Lie (government minister; for the artist see Jonas Lie (painter Bjørnson's "peasant novels", such as "En glad gutt" (A Happy Boy) and "Synnøve Solbakken" are typical of the national romanticism of their day, whereas Kielland's novels and short stories are mostly realistic. Although an important contributor to early Norwegian romanticism (especially the ironic Peer Gynt), Henrik Ibsen's fame rests primarily on his pioneering realistic dramas such The Wild Duck and A Doll's House, many of which caused moral uproar because of their candid portrayals of the middle classes. Peer Gynt (per gʏnt is a play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. "Ibsen" redirects here For other people named Ibsen see Ibsen (disambiguation. The Wild Duck (original Norwegian title Vildanden) is an 1884 play by the Norwegian Playwright Henrik Ibsen. A Doll's House (literally translated A Doll's Home, from the original Norwegian title Et dukkehjem) is an 1879 play by the

In the twentieth century three Norwegian novelists were awarded the Nobel prize in literature: Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in 1903, Knut Hamsun for the book "Markens grøde" ("Growth of the Soil") in 1920, and Sigrid Undset in 1928. The Nobel Prize in Literature (Nobelpriset i litteratur is awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has in the words from the will of Alfred Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson ( 8 December, 1832 – 26 April, 1910) was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Knut Hamsun, born Knud Pedersen ( August 4, 1859 - February 19, 1952) was a Norwegian author. The Growth of the Soil ( Markens Grøde) is the novel by Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun which won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920 Sigrid Undset ( 20 May, 1882 &ndash 10 June, 1949) was a Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature In the 20th century writers like Dag Solstad, Jostein Gaarder, Erik Fosnes Hansen, Jens Bjørneboe, Kjartan Fløgstad, Lars Saabye Christensen, Johan Borgen, Herbjørg Wassmo, Jan Erik Vold, Rolf Jacobsen, Olaf Bull, Jan Kjærstad, Georg Johannesen, Tarjei Vesaas, Sigurd Hoel, Arnulf Øverland and Johan Falkberget have made important contributions to Norwegian literature. Dag Solstad (born July 16, 1941, Sandefjord, Norway) is a Norwegian Novelist Short-story Writer, and Dramatist Jostein Gaarder (born August 8 1952 in Oslo) is a Norwegian Intellectual and author of several Novels short stories Erik Fosnes Hansen (born June 6 1965 in New York) is a Norwegian Author. Jens Ingvald Bjørneboe (born October 9, 1920 in Kristiansand, Norway, died May 9, 1976 in Veierland in Kjartan Fløgstad (born June 7, 1944 in the industrial city of Sauda in Ryfylke, Rogaland) is a Norwegian Author. Lars Saabye Christensen (born September 21, 1953 in Oslo) is a Norwegian author Johan Collett Müller Borgen ( April 28, 1902, Kristiania – October 16, 1979) was a Norwegian author journalist and critic Herbjørg Wassmo (born Vesterålen, December 6 1942 is a Norwegian Author. Jan Erik Vold (born October 18, 1939) is a Norwegian Lyric poet, translator and author Rolf Jacobsen ( March 8, 1907 —1994 could be said to be the first modernist writer in Norway. Olaf Jacob Martin Luther Breda Bull or Olaf Bull was a Norwegian poet Jan Kjærstad (born March 6, 1953) is a Norwegian author Kjærstad is a theology graduate from MF Norwegian School of Theology and the Georg Johannesen ( February 22 1931 &ndash December 24 2005) was a Norwegian Author and professor of Rhetoric Tarjei Vesaas ( August 20 1897 - March 15 1970) was a Norwegian poet and novelist Sigurd Hoel ( December 14 1890 - October 14 1960) was a Norwegian Author and publishing consultant born in Nord-Odal Ole Peter Arnulf Øverland ( April 27 1889 - March 25 1968) was a Norwegian author born in Kristiansund and raised in Johan Falkberget, born Johan Petter Lillebakken, ( September 30, 1879 &ndash April 5, 1967) was a Norwegian author

See also

• Economy of Norway
• Foreign relations of Norway
• Military of Norway
• Music of Norway
• Norway and the European Union
• Norwegian language
• Norwegian literature
• Public holidays in Norway
• Regions of Norway
• Tourism in Norway
• Whaling in Norway

Culture, education and sports

• Architecture
• Culture of Norway
• Cuisine
• Football (soccer)
  • National team
  • Premier League
• Lusekofte
• Photography
• State Educational Loan Fund

Infrastructure

• Car numberplates
• Communications
• Power supply
• Transportation
• Road signs

Lists

• Cities
• Companies
• Newspapers
• National parks
• Norwegian monarchs
• Norwegian people
• Norwegian-language radio
• People on stamps
• Schools
• TV channels

References

External links

• Norway.no – Official portal
• Norway.info – the Official sites abroad
• Minifacts about Norway from Statistics Norway
• VisitNorway.com – Official travel guide to Norway
• Norway travel guide from Wikitravel

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