Norway

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Kongeriket Norge
Kongeriket Noreg

Kingdom of Norway
Flag of Norway Coat of arms of Norway
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:
Royal: Alt for Norge ("All for Norway")
1814 Eidsvoll oath: Enige og tro til Dovre faller
("United and faithful until Dovre crumbles")
Anthem: Ja, vi elsker dette landet
Royal anthem: Kongesangen
Location of Norway
Location of Norway  (dark orange)

at the European continent  (clear) — (Legend)

Capital
(and largest city)
22px Oslo
59°56′N 10°41′E
Official languages Norwegian1 (Bokmål and Nynorsk)
Sami
Government Constitutional monarchy
 - King Harald V
 - Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg
Constitution 17 May, 1814 
 - Independence from union with Sweden 
 - Declared 7 June, 1905 
 - Recognised 26 October, 1905 
Area
 - Total 385,155 km² (61st2)
148,746 sq mi 
 - Water (%) 7.03 [2]
Population
 - 2006 estimate 4,681,134 [1]
 - Density 12/km²
31/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
 - Total $195.13 billion
 - Per capita $42,364
GDP (nominal) 2005 estimate
 - Total $296.01 billion
 - Per capita $64,193
HDI  (2006) Green Arrow Up (Darker).png 0.965 (high)
Currency Norwegian krone (NOK)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD .no4
Calling code +47
1 The official national language is Norwegian bokmål and nynorsk. Sami is a co-official language in six municipalities and Finnish in one other.
2 Includes Svalbard and Jan Mayen.
3 This percentage is for the mainland and also includes glaciers.
4 Two more TLDs have been assigned, but to date not used: .sj for Svalbard, Peter I Island and Jan Mayen; .bv for Bouvet Island.

The Kingdom of Norway (Template:Lang-no) is a Nordic country occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula in Europe, bordered by Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Norway has a very elongated shape; the country's extensive coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean is home to its famous fjords. The Kingdom of Norway also includes the Arctic island territories of Svalbard and Jan Mayen: Norwegian sovereignty of Svalbard is based upon the Svalbard Treaty, but this does not apply to Jan Mayen. Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean and a claim for Peter I Island in the South Pacific Ocean are also external dependencies, but these are not part of the Kingdom. Norway also claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica where it has established the Troll permanent research station.

History

Archaeological finds indicate that there were people in Norway as early as the tenth millenium B.C.E. (twelve thousand years ago). They probably came from more southern regions, from what is now northern Germany, then traveled further north along the Norwegian coastline.

In the ninth century Norway consisted of a number of petty kingdoms. According to tradition, Harald Fairhair gathered the small kingdoms into one in 872 with the Battle of Hafrsfjord. He became the first king of a united Norway.

The Viking age (eighth to eleventh centuries) was one of unification and expansion. The Norwegians established settlements on Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and parts of Britain and Ireland, and attempted to settle at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada (the "Vinland" of the Saga of Eric the Red). Norwegians founded the modern-day Irish cities of Limerick and Waterford[citation needed] and established trading communities near the Celtic settlements of Cork and Dublin[citation needed] which later became Ireland's two most important cities. The spread of Christianity in Norway in this period is in large part attributed to the missionary kings Olav Trygvason (995–1000) and Saint Olav (1015–1028), although Haakon the Good was Norway's first Christian king. Norse traditions were slowly replaced during the (ninth and tenth centuries).

In 1349, the Black Death wiped out between 40% and 50% of the Norwegian population,[2] causing a decline in both society and economics. During this decline, the Fairhair dynasty died out in 1387. 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 when the country entered into the Kalmar Union with Denmark and Sweden. Sweden declared its independence in 1523, but Norway remained under the Oldenburg dynasty for 434 years until 1814. During the national romanticism of the nineteenth century, this period was by some referred to as the "400-Year Night", since all of the kingdom's royal, intellectual, and administrative power was centered in Copenhagen, Denmark. However, it must be said that the common people of Norway had more freedom and paid lower taxes than the Danish people because it was difficult for royal bureaucracy to have strict control over its distant Norwegian provinces. Other factors also contributed to Norway's decline in this period. With the introduction of Protestantism in 1537, the archbishopry in Trondheim was dissolved, and the church's incomes were distributed to the court in Copenhagen in Denmark instead. 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. Additionally, Norway saw its land area decrease in the seventeenth century with the loss of the provinces Bohuslän, Jemtland, and Herjedalen to Sweden, as a result of the wars between Denmark–Norway and Sweden.

After Denmark–Norway was attacked by Britain, it entered into an alliance with Napoleon, and in 1814 found itself on the losing side in the Napoleonic Wars and in dire conditions and mass starvation in 1812. The Dano-Norwegian Oldenburg king was forced to cede Norway to the king of Sweden. 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. However, Sweden militarily forced Norway into a personal union with Sweden, establishing the Bernadotte dynasty as rulers of Norway. Under this arrangement, Norway kept its liberal constitution and independent institutions, except for the foreign service. See also Norway in 1814.

This period also saw the rise of the Norwegian romantic nationalism cultural movement, as Norwegians sought to define and express a distinct national character. The movement covered all branches of culture, including literature (Henrik Wergeland, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe, Henrik Ibsen), painting (Hans Gude, Adolph Tiedemand), 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.

Christian Michelsen, a Norwegian shipping magnate and statesman, was Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907. Michelsen is most known for his central role in the peaceful separation of Norway from Sweden on June 7, 1905. Norway's growing dissatisfaction with the union with Sweden during the late nineteenth century combined with nationalism to prompt the dissolution of the union. 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. He took the name of Haakon VII, after the medieval kings of independent Norway. In 1898, all men were granted universal suffrage, followed by all women in 1913.

During World War I, Norway was a neutral country. Norway also attempted to claim neutrality during World War II, but was invaded by German forces on April 9, 1940 (Operation Weserübung). The Allies also had plans to invade Norway, in order to take advantage of her strategically important Atlantic coast, but were thwarted by the German operation. Norway was unprepared for the German surprise attack, but military resistance continued for two months, longer than both Poland and France. During this resistance, the German Navy lost many ships including the brand new cruiser Blucher. The battle of Vinjesvingen eventually became the last stronghold 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 8 after the fall of France. King Haakon and the Norwegian government continued the fight from exile in Rotherhithe, London. 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. Real power was wielded by the leader of the German occupation authority, Reichskommissar Josef Terboven. Quisling, as minister president, later formed a government under German control. During the five years of Nazi occupation, Norwegians built a strong resistance movement which fought the German occupation forces with both armed resistance and civil disobedience. More important to the Allied war effort, however, was the role of the Norwegian Merchant Navy. At the time of the invasion, Norway had the third largest and fastest and the most effective Merchant Navy in the world.[citation needed] It was led by the Norwegian shipping company Nortraship under the Allies throughout the war and took part in every war operation from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the Normandy landings.

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. Two plebiscites to join the European Union failed by narrow margins. Large reserves of oil and gas were discovered in the 1960s, which lead to a continuing boom in the economy.

Strike-through text==Geography==

Norway comprises the western part of Scandinavia in Northern Europe. The rugged coastline, broken by massive fjords and thousands of islands, stretches over 25,000& km. Norway shares a 2,542 km land border with Sweden, Finland, and Russia to the east. To the west and south, Norway is bordered by the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea, and Skagerak. The Barents Sea washes on Norway's northern coasts.

At 323,802& km² (not including Jan Mayen, Svalbard, and other overseas possessions), Norway is larger than both Italy and Great Britain, but somewhat smaller than Germany. It is about the same size as the U.S. state of New Mexico.

Norway is a very rugged and mountainous country, containing a great variety of natural features caused by prehistoric glaciers and varied topography. The most noticeable of these are the fjords, deep grooves cut into the land that flooded with water. The largest of these is Sognefjorden. Norway also contains many glaciers and waterfalls.

The land is mostly made of hard granite and gneiss rock, but slate, sandstone and marble are also common, and the lowest elevations have marine deposits. 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 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.

There are large seasonal variations in daylight. In areas north of the Arctic Circle, the summer sun may never completely descend beneath the horizon, hence Norway's description as the "Land of the Midnight Sun." During summer, inhabitants south of the Arctic Circle still experience sunlight for many of the day's twenty-four hours.

Politics

Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government.

The Royal House is a branch of the princely family of Glücksburg, originally from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. As it stands, the functions of the King, Harald V, are mainly ceremonial, but he has influence as the symbol of national unity. Although the constitution of 1814 grants important executive powers to the King, these are almost always exercised by the Council of State in the name of the King (King's Council, or cabinet). However, the reserve powers vested in the Monarch by the constitution are significant and an important security part of the role of the Monarchy, and were last used during World War II. The Council of State consists of a Prime Minister and other ministers, formally appointed by the King. 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. But after elections resulting in no clear majority to any party, which, in fact, has been the rule for the last twenty years or so, the King's political influence is real. In addition to heading government meetings every Friday at Oslo Palace (Council of State), he has weekly meetings with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. The King opens the Parliament every September, he receives ambassadors to the Norwegian court, and he is the Supreme Commander of the Norwegian Armed Forces and the Head of the Church of Norway.

Stortinget, Oslo.

The Norwegian parliament, Stortinget, currently has 169 members (increased from 165, effective from the elections of 12 September, 2005). The members are elected from the nineteen counties for four-year terms according to a system of proportional representation. When voting on legislation, the Storting – until the 2009 election – divides itself into two chambers, the Odelsting and the Lagting. 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 constitutional amendment of February 20, 2007 will repeal the division after the 2009 general election.

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.

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. 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. Legislation will then have to go through two – three in case of dissent – readings before being passed and sent to the King for assent.

The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court (eighteen permanent judges and a chief justice), courts of appeal, city and district courts, and conciliation councils. Judges attached to regular courts are appointed by the King in council.

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. Currently, this means at least ten out of nineteen members.

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 ceremony takes place to erect the tree in Trafalgar Square.

Individual human rights

Scouts holding Norwegian flags lead a parade on the 17 May, Norway's Constitution Day.

Norway is the current top-ranked nation in the UN Human Development Index.

Freedom of expression is enshrined in Article 100 of the Constitution of Norway. Freedom of religion is enshrined in Article 2 of the Constitution, which also establishes the state religion as "Evangelical Lutheran". The press is not censored, but most editors adhere to self-imposed commandments of caution ("Vær Varsom-plakaten").

Public radio and TV broadcast mostly without interference from the government, although permission to broadcast depends on the programme 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. Capital punishment for high crime during wartime was abolished in 1979.[3]

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.[4] However, 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.[5] The use of leg-irons and handcuffs on a group of robbers who, armed with AG3s, shot and killed a police officer in 2004, was deemed illegal by Norwegian courts. Long processing times for asylum seekers and the treatment of those arriving without identity papers has also been under discussion.

In 2005, the international conventions against discrimination of women and race discrimination were incorporated in to (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.[6]

Norway has compulsory military service for men. 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 are transferred to reserve units, which may be called up for periodic training (repetisjonstjeneste) until age 44. Conscientious objectors serve twelve months in an alternative civilian national service. 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 homosexual partnerships legalized in 1993. According to Statistics Norway (SSB), 192 homosexual partnerships were recorded in 2004. Since 2002, it has become possible for homosexual partners to adopt each other's children from previous relationships, although joint adoption is yet to be allowed.

Administrative divisions

A geopolitical map of Norway, exhibiting its nineteen first-level administrative divisions (fylker; "counties").

Norway is divided into nineteen first-level administrative regions known as fylker ("counties"; singular fylke) and 431 second-level kommuner ("municipalities"; singular kommune). 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.[citation needed] Some expect this to happen by 2010, whereas other 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

Norway possesses the second highest GDP per-capita and second highest PPP per-capita in the world, and the highest position in the World on the UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) for the fifth consecutive year. The Norwegian economy is an example of mixed economy, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector and the electricity production. The control mechanisms over the petroleum resources is a combination of state ownership in major operators in the Norwegian fields (Statoil approx. 70% in 2005, Norsk Hydro 43% in 2004) while specific taxes on oil-profits for all operators are set to 78%, finally the government controls licensing of exploration and production of fields. The country is richly endowed with natural resources: petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals. Norway has obtained one of the highest standards of living in the world, partly from petroleum production. Norway also has a very high employment ratio.

In 2004, oil and gas accounted for 50% of exports. Only Russia and OPEC member Saudi Arabia export more oil than Norway, which is not an OPEC member. During the last thirty years, however, the Norwegian economy has shown various signs of the economic phenomenon called Dutch disease. In response, the Norwegian state began in 1995 to save its annual surplus in a fund now called the "Government Pension Fund" (commonly known in Norway as the "Oil Fund"). The fund is invested in developed financial markets outside Norway. The fiscal strategy is to spend the "normal interest" of the fund each year, set to 4%. By January 2006, the Fund was at USD 200 billion, representing 70% of GDP in Norway. During the first half of 2006, the pension fund became the largest fund in Europe, totaling about USD 300 billion.

Referendums in 1972 and 1994 indicated that the Norwegian people wished to remain outside the European Union (EU). However, Norway, together with Iceland and Liechtenstein, participates in the European Union's single market via the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement. The EEA Treaty between the European Union countries and the EFTA countries – transposed into Norwegian law via "EØS-loven" [7] – describes the procedures for implementing European Union rules in Norway and the other EFTA countries. 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.

In 2000, the government sold one-third of the then 100% state-owned oil company Statoil in an IPO. The next year, the main telecom supplier, Telenor, was listed on Oslo Stock Exchange. The state also owns significant shares of Norway's biggest bank, DnB NOR and the airline SAS. Since 2000, economic growth has been rapid, pushing unemployment down to levels not seen since the early 1980s. The bottled water industry has had tremendous growth in the past years.

Recent research shows early evidence of massive amounts of coal beneath the oil-reserves on the continental shelf of Norway.[3] A rough estimate has been given at 3×1012 tonnes of coal of unknown quality in these reserves. In comparison, the currently known coal reserves for the entire world is estimated at 0.9×1012 tonnes. The coal is inaccessible today, but there are realistic hopes that it can be accessed in the future.

Animal rights and anti-whaling groups have commented that given Norway's economic position it is paradoxical that it is one of a very small number of countries actively engaged in, and favouring the continuation of, commercial whaling. This is despite the argued negligible contribution that whaling makes to the economy, and despite opposition from around the world.[8] Many supporters of whaling agree that its macroeconomic importance is negligible, but hold that the livelihood of individuals and small firms depend on it and that sustainable development depends on human harvesting of all non-endangered species[9], and that it is an important part of the culture in coastal areas. Norway's whaling today is limited to the non-endangered Minke Whale, which are killed using explosive grenade harpoons. This has accounted for more than 90% of the whale catch in Norwegian waters since the 1920s.[10]

The Norwegian currency is the krone.

Demographics

Borgund stave church


As of 2005, Norway's population of 4.6 million is growing by 0.73% per year. Most Norwegians are ethnic Norwegians, a Nordic/North Germanic people, while small minorities in the north are Sami or Kven. The Sami are considered an indigenous people and traditionally live in the central and northern parts of Norway and Sweden, as well as in northern Finland and in Russia on the Kola Peninsula. The largest concentration of Sami people is, however, found in Norway's capital and main city, Oslo. Norway has a small Finnish community originally from Finland, like the Sami the Finns speak a native Finno-Ugric language in addition to Norwegian, but Finland is culturally a Scandinavian country like Norway.

In recent years, immigration has accounted for more than half of Norway's population growth. As of 2005, 7.9% of the population were immigrants. The largest immigrant groups by country of origin are Pakistanis, Swedes, Iraqis, Danes, Vietnamese and Somalis. (Here, immigrants are defined as persons with two foreign-born parents[11].) At the beginning of 2006, there were 387,000 persons in Norway with an immigrant background, comprising 8.3 per cent of the total population. The Iraqi immigrant population has shown a large increase over the last years, and is now the third largest immigrant group in Norway after Pakistanis and Swedes.[4] Norway experienced a steady influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe (mostly Russians), Southern Europe (mostly Albanians from Albania or Kosovo) and the Middle East (mostly Turks from Turkey).


Religion

86% of Norwegians are members of 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.

Other Christian denominations total about 4.5% (the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Pentecostal congregations, the Methodist Church, the Latter Day Saints Church, Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses and others). Among non-Christian religions, Islam is the largest with around 1.5% represented in the Arab, Kosovar, Pakistani, Somalian and Turkish communities, and other religions comprise less than 1% each, (including Judaism; see Jews in Norway). Indian immigrants introduced Hinduism in Norway, but are only 0.50% of the population. There are eleven Buddhist organizations, grouped under the Buddhistforbundet organisation, which make up 0.42% of the population. Around 1.5% adhere to the secular Human Ethical Union. As of 1 January, 2003, approximately 5% of the population are unaffiliated.[5]

In common with other Scandinavian peoples, Norway's ancestral inhabitants – the Vikings – followed pre-Christian pantheist/polytheist religions. By the end of the tenth century, when Norway had been Christianized, the Norse religion and practices associated with the ancient worship of the Aesir gods were prohibited. Anti-heathenry laws, however, were removed early in the twentieth century.[citation needed]

In 2005, a survey conducted by Gallup International in sixty-five countries indicated that Norway was the least religious country in Western Europe, with 36% counting themselves as being religious, 9% as being atheists, and 46% neither.[6]

Language

The Norwegian language has two official written forms, Bokmål and Nynorsk. 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 majority. Around 95% of the population speak Norwegian as their native tongue, although many speak dialects that may differ significantly from the written language. In general Norwegian dialects are inter-intelligible, though some may require significant effort. Several Sami languages are spoken and written throughout the country, especially in the north, by the Sami people. The Germanic Norwegian language and the Finno-Ugric Sami languages are entirely unrelated.

In Norwegian public schools, the most studied foreign language is English and is required for middle and high school-level students. Other language instruction courses offered in public schools and universities are Danish, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Russian.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]

International rankings

Organization Survey Ranking
International Monetary Fund GDP per capita 2nd out of 232 (2006)
United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index 1st out of 177 (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 6th 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 Worldwide quality-of-life index, 2005 3rd out of 111
Yale University/Columbia University Environmental Sustainability Index, 2005 (pdf) 2nd out of 146

Literature

Main article: Norwegian literature

Norwegian literature is very rich, dating back to the early ninth century. The earliest preserved examples of Old Norse literature are the Eddic poems. One of the most famous Norwegian writers is Henrik Ibsen, who wrote the play A Doll's House (Et Dukkehjem). Other known Norwegian writers include Jostein Gaarder, Jens Bjørneboe and Knut Hamsun.


See also

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

Culture, education and sports

  • Architecture
  • Cuisine
  • Football (soccer)
    • National team
    • Premier League
  • 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
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  1. |[1]
  2. The black death in Norway: "The annals say that two-thirds of Norway's population died. This is probably a big exaggeration. The mortality in Norway can hardly have been more than 40–50%. Even this is high compared with an estimated mortality of approximately 33% in England and on the continent."
  3. www.planetark.com - Research by graduate students of NTNU and researchers at SINTEF in Trondheim
  4. http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/02/01/10/innvbef_en/
  5. More members in religious and philosophical communities
  6. Article from Klassekampen on a survey on religion.

External links

Template:Germanic Europe |}


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