Norway

Location

• Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden
• about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much-indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of the most rugged and longest coastlines in the world

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Oslo	1,082,575	Capital
Bergen	294,029
Trondheim	212,660
Stavanger	148,682
Kristiansand	117,237
Drammen	105,042
Lillestrøm	89,684
Sandnes	85,386
Fredrikstad	83,761
Sandefjord	64,345

Size

• 125,181 square miles
• 324,220 square kilometers
• slightly larger than twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than New Mexico

History

Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off after King Olav TRYGGVASON adopted Christianity in 994; conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Norway remained neutral in World War I and proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II, but Nazi Germany nonetheless occupied the country for five years (1940-45). In 1949, Norway abandoned neutrality and became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU. Key domestic issues include immigration and integration of ethnic minorities, maintaining the country's extensive social safety net with an aging population, and preserving economic competitiveness.

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

Languages

Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minoritiesmajor-language sample(s): Verdens Faktabok, den essensielle kilden for grunnleggende informasjon. (Norwegian)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note: Sami has three dialects (Lule, North Sami, and South Sami) and is an official language in nine municipalities in the northernmost counties of Finnmark, Nordland, and Troms

Religions

Church of Norway (Evangelical Lutheran - official) 67.5%, Muslim 3.1%, Roman Catholic 3.1%, other Christian 3.8%, other 2.6%, unspecified 19.9% (2021 est.)

Government

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Constitution: history: drafted spring 1814, adopted 16 May 1814, signed by Constituent Assembly 17 May 1814amendment process: proposals submitted by members of Parliament or by the government within the first three years of Parliament's four-year term; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of a two-thirds quorum in the next elected Parliament
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system of civil, common, and customary law; Supreme Court can advise on legislative acts
• Executive Branch: chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991)head of government: Prime Minister Jonas Gahr STORE (since 14 October 2021)cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch, approved by Parliamentelection/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the monarch usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister, with the approval of Parliament
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (consists of the chief justice and 18 associate justices)judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the monarch (King in Council) on the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Board; justices can serve until mandatory retirement at age 70subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal or Lagmennsrett; regional and district courts; Conciliation Boards; ordinary and special courtsnote: in addition to professionally trained judges, elected lay judges sit on the bench with professional judges in the Courts of Appeal and district courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliament (Stortinget)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 169 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 9/13/2021parties elected and seats per party: Labour Party (48); Conservative Party (36); Center Party (28); Progress Party (21); Socialist Left Party (13); Other (23)percentage of women in chamber: 44.4%expected date of next election: September 2025

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income, non-EU economy with trade links via European Economic Area (EEA); key role in European energy security as leader in oil, gas, and electricity exports; major fishing, forestry, and oil(?) extraction industries; oil sovereign fund supports generous welfare system; low unemployment; inflation moderating but remains above target level
• Budget: revenues: $334.543 billion (2022 est.)expenditures: $174.546 billion (2022 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower
• Industries: petroleum and gas, shipping, fishing, aquaculture, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles
• Agricultural Products: milk, barley, potatoes, oats, wheat, pork, chicken, beef, eggs, carrots/turnips (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 2.7% (2022 est.)arable land: 2.2% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 0.5% (2022 est.)forest: 33.5% (2022 est.)other: 63.8% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: cars, refined petroleum, ships, nickel, garments (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Sweden 11%, Germany 11%, China 11%, USA 7%, Netherlands 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: natural gas, crude petroleum, fish, refined petroleum, aluminum (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Germany 18%, UK 17%, Sweden 9%, Denmark 7%, Netherlands 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports