Norway
The Kingdom of Norway is one of the northernmost nations in Europe. Much of the country lies within the Arctic Circle. This region is called the “land of the midnight sun.” During the summer, the sun does not set for at least 75 straight days. However, during December and most of January, the sun never rises. The dark winter skies sparkle with bright stars and natural displays of colored lights, called the northern lights.
The country was once controlled by the feared seagoing Vikings. Modern Norway is a wealthy country with well-developed social programs. The capital is Oslo.
Norway is part of the northern European region known as Scandinavia. Norway has land borders only to the east, with Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The Arctic Ocean lies to the north. The Norwegian Sea and the North Sea are to the west. Skagerrak (Skager Strait) lies to the south. Norway has an area of 125,004 square miles (323,758 square kilometers).
Norway's landscape is very rugged. About two thirds of the country is mountainous. Norway's highest peak is Galdhøpiggen, which stands about 8,100 feet (2,469 meters) above sea level. However, the southeast and far south are mainly flat.
Long, narrow arms of the sea—called fjords—stretch inland on the jagged western coast. The fjords are surrounded by cliffs and steep walls. A series of more than 150,000 islands off the west coast are also part of the country. In addition, Norway controls the Svalbard group of islands to the far north.
There are many rivers in Norway, but most are short. The Glåma is the longest at about 380 miles (612 kilometers). In the west the steep slopes create a number of spectacular waterfalls. Lake Mjøsa is the largest of Norway's 160,000 lakes. The country contains more than 1,500 glaciers, or huge blocks of slowly moving ice.
Forests cover about a quarter of the country. The main trees include pine, spruce, birch, and ash. In much of the forests, the ground is carpeted with leafy mosses and heathers. Wild berries grow in great numbers throughout the country.
Small mammals such as hares, foxes, and badgers are common. Elk, reindeer, lemmings, and wolves live in the forests and mountains. Norway's birds include grouse, partridge, and many seabirds. The numerous trout and salmon attract fishermen from around the world.
The great majority of the people are ethnically Nordic, a Germanic group found especially in Scandinavia. The largest minority group is the Sami, or Lapps. There are about 25,000 Sami, who live mainly in the north.
Norwegian is the official language. The Sami language is related to Finnish. About 90 percent of the people belong to the Evangelical Lutheran church, which is the national church of Norway.
The largest cities are Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim. Most of the other towns are small. More than half of Norway's people live in the southeast, near Oslo.
Many of the country's folk songs and legends center around tales from the sea. In Viking days, storytellers told of giants, trolls, and warlike gods. Drawing on this tradition, centuries of Norwegian authors have created a rich literary history.
Major Norwegian writers of the 19th century included the patriotic poet Henrik Wergeland and the realistic playwright Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen was a major figure in the development of European theater. The poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and the novelists Knut Hamsun and Sigrid Undset all received the Nobel prize for literature in the early 20th century.
The leading Norwegian painter was Edvard Munch. He greatly influenced expressionism, a style of abstract art of the early 20th century. The beloved composer Edvard Grieg wrote music based on Norwegian folk songs.
Large oil reserves were discovered off the coast of Norway in the late 1960s. Since then, the country has become one the world's largest exporters of oil. Norway is also a leading supplier of natural gas for many countries in Europe. The country has rich deposits of metals.
The mountains and the poor quality of the soil have limited agriculture in Norway. Only a very small portion of the national income comes from farming. Many farmers work part-time at fishing or forestry for additional income.
More than two thirds of Norway's workers are employed in services and trade. About a fifth work in manufacturing and construction. Besides oil and gas, the major industries include metals, engineering, shipbuilding, machinery, paper, foodstuffs, wood products, and chemicals.
Human settlement in Norway dates back thousands of years. The ancestors of the Sami arrived at least 10,000 years ago. The Vikings brought much of Norway under their control beginning in the 9th century AD. The Vikings sailed west from Norway on many raids.
In the 11th century, Olaf II Haraldsson united all of Norway. He converted much of the population to Christianity. In 1349 a disease called the bubonic plague killed more than half of the country's people.
In the late 14th century, the last of the Norwegian kings died. The rule of Norway passed to the Swedish and Danish royal families. The three countries were then joined in a political union. Sweden left the union in 1523. However, Denmark continued to control Norway for more than 200 years.
In the early 19th century, Denmark was pulled into wars between France and Britain. The wars weakened Denmark's hold on Norway. In 1814 Sweden took control of Norway. In 1905 the Kingdom of Norway declared its independence.
Norway had been neutral during World War I (1914–18). The country attempted to stay neutral during World War II as well, but it was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940. The Norwegian king and government escaped from the country, and the Nazis set up a pro-German government in Norway. A strong resistance movement grew against Nazi rule. In 1945, at the end of the war, Norway was liberated, and the Norwegian king returned.
In 1949 Norway joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a Western military alliance. The discovery of oil in the late 1960s brought wealth to the country. Population (2000 estimate), 4,487,000.
