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NORWAY
The Kingdom of Norway is a Nordic country west of Sweden on the Scandinavian
Peninsula. It has a very elongated form and has an extensive coastline along
the North Atlantic Ocean, where Norway's famous fjords are found. In
addition to Sweden, it borders Russia and Finland. The nearby island
territories of Svalbard and Jan Mayen are under Norwegian sovereignty and
are considered as part of the kingdom, while Bouvet Island in the South
Atlantic Ocean and Peter I Island in the South Pacific Ocean are Norwegian
dependencies and not considered part of the kingdom. Additionally, Norway
has a claim for Dronning Maud Land in Antarctica .
History
The Viking period (9th to 11th centuries) was one of national unification
and expansion. The Norwegian royal line died out in 1387, and the country
entered a period of union with Denmark, since 1450 bound by treaty. This
marked the start of what in light of national romanticism in the 19th
century by some was called the "400-year night" — the weaker part in a union
with Denmark. After Denmark-Norway sided with Napoleon, Norway was ceded to
the king of Sweden in 1814. Norway declared its independence, adopted its
own constitution and elected the Danish prince Christian Fredrik as its king
on 17 May 1814. After a short war with Sweden, Norway was forced into a
personal union, but kept its constitution and independent institutions,
except for the foreign service.
Growing Norwegian irritation during the 19th century spawned the dissolution
of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905. The Norwegian government
offered the throne of Norway to Danish Prince Carl. After a plebiscite
confirming the monarchy, the Parliament unanimously elected him king. He
took the name of Haakon VII, after the medieval kings of independent Norway.
Norway was a nonbelligerent during World War I, but was invaded by German
forces in 1940 (Operation Weserübung). Resistance in Norway continued for
two months, but the king and government continued the fight from exile in
Britain. The Germans set up a puppet government under Vidkun Quisling. Parts
of Northern Norway were captured by the Red Army in 1944, but they withdrew
after the war. The Germans in Norway surrendered 8 May 1945. The occupation
during World War II made Norwegians generally more skeptical of the concept
of neutrality. They turned instead to collective security. Norway was one of
the signers of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949 and was a founding member
of the United Nations, holding its first secretary general. Norway has twice
voted against joining the European Union (in 1972 and 1994), but is
associated with it via the European Economic Area.
Politics
Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of
government. The functions of the King 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).
The Council of State or cabinet consists of a Prime Minister and his council,
appointed by the King. Since 1884, parliamentarism has ensured that the
cabinet must have the support of the parliament, so the appointment by the
King is a formality.
The 165 members of the unicameral Norwegian parliament, the Storting (Norwegian:
Stortinget), are elected from the 19 counties for 4-year terms according to
a system of proportional representation. After elections, the Storting
divides into two chambers, the Odelsting and the Lagting, which meet
separately or jointly depending on the legislative issue under consideration.
The special High Court of the Realm hears impeachment cases; the regular
courts include the Supreme Court or Høyesterett (17 permanent judges and a
president), courts of appeal, city and county courts, the labour court, and
conciliation councils. Judges attached to regular courts are appointed by
the King in council after nomination by the Ministry of Justice.
Counties
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties (fylker,
singular - fylke), and 434 municipalities (kommuner).
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
Geography
The landscape is generally rugged and mountainous, topped by glaciers and
its coastline of over 83,000 km is punctuated by steep-sloped inlets known
as fjords, as well as a multitude of islands and islets. It is also known as
the Land of the Midnight Sun because of its northern location, as part of
Norway lies above the Arctic Circle, where in summer the sun does not set,
and in winter many of its valleys remain dark for long periods.
Norway straddles the North Atlantic Ocean for its entire length, bound by
three different seas: the North Sea to the southwest and its large inlet the
Skagerrak to the south, the Norwegian Sea to the west and the Barents Sea to
the northeast. Norway's highest point is the Galdhøpiggen at 2,469 m.
The Norwegian climate is fairly temperate, especially along the coast under
the influence of the Gulf Stream. The inland climate can be more severe and
to the north more subarctic conditions are found.
Economy
The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of social capitalism,
featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention.
The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector (through
large-scale state enterprises). The country is richly endowed with natural
resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is
highly dependent on its oil production and international oil prices; in
1999, oil and gas accounted for 35% of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia
export more oil than Norway, which is outside OPEC.
Norway opted to stay out of the European Union during a referendum in 1972,
and again in November 1994. However, Norway, together with Iceland and
Liechtenstein, participate in the EU's single market via the European
Economic Area (EEA) agreement.
Economic growth picked up in 2000 to 2.7%, compared with the meager 0.8% of
1999, but fell back to 1.3% in 2001. The government moved ahead with
privatisation in 2000, selling one-third of the then 100% state-owned oil
company Statoil.
With arguably the highest quality of life worldwide, Norwegians still worry
about that time in the next two decades when the oil and gas begin to run
out. Accordingly, Norway has been saving its oil-boosted budget surpluses in
a Government Petroleum Fund , which is invested abroad and is (as of 26
November 2003) valued at 114 billion US dollars.
Demographics
The Norwegian population is 4.57 million and increases by 0.4% per year (estimate
July 2004). Ethnically most Norwegians are Nordic / North Germanic, while
small minorities in the north are Sami or Quen. In recent years immigration
has accounted for more than half the population growth; 7.3% of the
population are immigrants as of 1 January 2003. The largest immigrant groups
are Swedes, Danes and Pakistanis.
Approximately 86% of the inhabitants are members of the Evangelic Lutheran
Church of Norway (state church). Other Christian societies total about 4.5%
(The Evangelic Lutheran Free Church, The Catholic Church, Pentecostal
congregations, The Methodist Church etc.) Among the non-Christian religions
Islam is the largest in Norway with close to 2%, and other religions less
than 1%. About 1.5% belong to the secular Human Ethical Union. As of 1
January 2003 approximately 5% of the population are unaffiliated.
The Norwegian language has two official written forms, called Bokmål and
Nynorsk, which do not differ greatly. Generally neither is spoken except
among a few, as various dialects are used orally, but Bokmål is written by
the majority. Several Sami languages are spoken and written in the northern
regions by the Sami people. The Germanic Norwegian language and the
Finno-Ugric Sami languages are entirely unrelated.
Culture
Famous Norwegians include playwright Henrik Ibsen, explorers Roald Amundsen
and Fridtjof Nansen, expressionist painter Edvard Munch, romanticist
composer Edvard Grieg and novelists Knut Hamsun and Sigrid Undset, winners
of the 1920 and 1928 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Norwegians celebrate their national day on May 17, the Constitution day.
Many people wear bunad (traditional costumes) and most watch the May 17th
Parade through the towns .
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