Norway Facts
The flag of Norway.
Political map of Norway. Source: CIA (2008). Public domain.
Urnes Stave Church (c.1130) is the oldest of 29 in Norway. Photo
Nik
Alta petroglyphs in North Norway, 4200-500 BC. Photo
Davide Abrigo
General
| Official name: | Kingdom of Norway (Kongeriket Norge) |
| Nationality terms: | noun: Norwegian(s) adjective: Norwegian |
| Region: | Europe |
| Time zone: | CET (UTC+1), summer: CEST (UTC+2) |
| Currency: | Norwegian krone ("kr" or "NOK") |
| Flag: | See above right. Red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Danish flag. |
| Capital: | Oslo |
| Population: | 4,644,457 (July 2008 est.) |
| Languages: | Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities. Sami is official in six municipalities. |
| Religions: | Church of Norway (Lutheran) 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1% (2004) |
Geography |
|
| Area: | total: 323,802 sq km land: 307,442 sq km water: 16,360 sq km |
| Coastline: | 25,148 km |
| Climate: | temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast |
| Terrain: | glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m |
| Natural resources: | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower |
| Natural hazards: | rockslides, avalanches |
| Environmental issues: | water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions |
People and Culture |
|
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 18.8% (male 446,146/female 426,166) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 1,559,750/female 1,516,217) 65 years and over: 15% (male 297,175/female 399,003) (2008 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.35% (2008 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 79.81 years male: 77.16 years female: 82.6 years (2008 est.) |
| Literacy rate: | total population: 100% |
| Ethnic groups: | Norwegian 94.4% (includes Sami, about 60,000), other European 3.6%, other 2% (2007 estimate) |
Government |
|
| Country names: | conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway conventional short form: Norway local long form: Kongeriket Norge local short form: Norge |
| Government type: | constitutional monarchy |
| Leadership: | Monarch: Harald V Prime Minister: Jens Stoltenberg (Ap) Storting President: Thorbjørn Jagland (Ap) Current coalition: Red-Green Coalition |
| Independence: | 1905 (dissolved union with Sweden) |
| National holiday: | Constitution Day, 17 May (1814) |
Transportation |
|
| Airports: | 98 (2007) |
| Railways: | total: 4,114 km standard gauge: 4,114 km 1.435-m gauge (2,552 km electrified) (2008) |
| Roadways: | total: 92,946 km paved: 72,033 km (includes 664 km of expressways) unpaved: 20,913 km (2007) |
| Waterways: | 1,577 km (2007) |
Communications |
|
| Telephone country code: | +47 |
| Land lines in use: | 1.988 million (2007) |
| Mobile phones in use: | 5.192 million (2007) |
| Television stations: | 360 (plus 2,729 repeaters) (1995) |
| Internet country code(s): | .no, .sj and .bv |
| Internet users: | 3.8 million (2007) |
