Country guide - Norway  

 
 

Introduction: Norway is on the western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula in North West Europe. It is bound by the Arctic Ocean to the north, Sweden, Finland and Russia to the east, the Norwegian Sea to the west and the Skagerrak Strait to the south. The territory also includes many island groups such as the Lofoten and Vesteralen groups as well as individual islands including Senja, Soroya, Ringvassoy and Hitra.

Official Name: Kingdom of Norway
Area: 324,219 Sq Km (125,182 Sq Miles)
Population: 4,546,000
Continent: Europe
Density per square mile: 36
Capital City: Oslo
Religions: 88% Evangelical Lutheran, 1% Pentecostal

Language: There are two official forms of Norwegian: Bokmål and Nynorsk
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Member of EU: No

Currency: Norwegian krone
GDP: $143 billion
GDP Per Head: $31,800

Natural Resources: Petroleum, copper, natural gas, pyrites, nickel, iron ore, zinc, lead, fish, timber, hydropower
Land Use: Arable Land 3%
Agriculture: barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish
Industry: Chemicals, Crude Oil and Natural Gas Refining, Fishing, Food Processing, Mineral Refining, Mining, Ship Building, Timber Products.

Tourism: Norway is a beautiful country of mountains, fjords of the south west which are Norway’s most dramatic features and glaciers. It offers all year round skiing, hunting, fishing and rock-climbing. For those travelling round by bus, train & ferry you'll be pushed to find more scenic trips.

Natural Hazards: Rockslides, avalanches
Health Risks: None

Climate: Norway has a temperate climate with mild winters and cool summers but in the interior the winters are cold and summers are hot. Rainfall is heavy and frequent on the west coast with an average annual rainfall in Bergen of 77 inches. Average temperature ranges in Oslo are from -7 to -2 degrees Celsius in January to 13 to 22 degrees Celsius in July.

Time: GMT/UTC + 1 hour
National Days: May 17 - Constitution Day

Visas: Nationals from Scandinan countries can enter Norway freely without a passport. Citizens of the UK, USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand do not require visas for stays of less than three months. This is also the case for EU and EAA countries, most of Latin America and most Commonwealth countries.

British Embassy Details

 

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