Country Guide • Norway
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 | 324,219km² (125,182mile²) |
| Population | 4,546,000 |
| Continent | Europe |
| Population per mile² | 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 and 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°C in January to 13 to 22°C 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 | Embassy Details |
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