Norway ( ; (Bokmål), Noreg (Nynorsk) or Norga (North Sami)), officially the Kingdom
of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western
portion of the Scandinavian
Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen
and the Arctic archipelago of
Svalbard
under the
Spitsbergen Treaty.
The
majority of the country shares a border to the east with Sweden
; its
northernmost region is bordered by Finland
to the south
and Russia
to the
east. The United Kingdom
and Faroe
Islands
lie to its west across the North Sea
, Iceland
and Greenland
lie to its west across the Norwegian Sea
, and Denmark
lies south
of its southern tip across the Skagerrak Strait
. Bouvet Island
and Peter I Island
are dependent
territories ( ) of Norway, but not considered part of the
Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of
Antarctica
known as Queen Maud
Land, a claim that has been recognised by Australia, France
, New Zealand
and the United Kingdom
.Norway's extensive coastline, facing the
North Atlantic
Ocean
and the Barents Sea
, is home to its famous fjords.
After the
Second World War, the country
experienced rapid economic growth, the first two decades due to the
Norwegian shipping and merchant marine and domestic
industrialization, from the early 1970s a result of large oil
deposits discovered in the North Sea
and Norwegian
Sea
. Today it ranks as the wealthiest country in
the world, with the largest capital reserve per capita of any
nation. In August 2009 the nation's sovereign wealth fund announced
that it owned approximately 1% of all the stocks in the world,
presumably referring to publicly traded stocks. Norway is the
world’s seventh largest oil exporter and the petroleum industry
accounts for around a quarter of its
GDP.Following the ongoing
financial crisis of 2007-2009,
bankers have deemed the
Norwegian
krone to be one of the most solid currencies in the
world.
Norway also has rich resources of gas fields,
hydropower,
fish,
forests and
minerals.
The
country was the second largest exporter of seafood (in value, after
the People’s Republic of China
) in 2006. Other main industries include
shipping,
food
processing,
shipbuilding,
metals,
chemicals,
mining,
fishing and pulp and
paper products. Norway maintains a
Scandinavian welfare model with
universal healthcare,
subsidised
higher education and a
comprehensive
social security
system. Norway was ranked highest of all countries in
human development from 2001 to 2007,
and then again in 2009, and is by the
UN ranked
as best country to live in. It was also rated the most peaceful
country in the world in a 2007 survey by
Global Peace Index.
Norway is renowned for being a leader in women's rights, minority
rights, and LGBT rights
[3355]. In 1993 Norway became the second country to
legalize
civil union partnerships for
same-sex couples, and on January 1, 2009, Norway became the sixth
country to grant full
marriage
equality to same-sex couples.
[3356]
Although
having rejected EU
membership in two referenda, it maintains close ties with the
Union and its member
countries, as well as with the United States
. It is considered a prominent participant in
diplomacy and international development, having
been heavily involved with the failed Oslo
Accords and negotiated a truce between the Sri Lanka
government and the Tamil
Tigers. Norway remains one of the biggest financial
contributors to the UN, and participates with UN
forces in international missions, notably in Afghanistan
, Kosovo
and Sudan
.
A
unitary state with administrative
sub-divisions on two levels known as counties (
fylker) and municipalities (
kommuner), Norway is a
constitutional, hereditary
monarchy and
parliamentary democracy, with
King Harald V as its
Head of State. The Sámi people have a certain
amount of self-determination and influence over traditional
territories through the
Sámi
Parliament and the
Finnmark
Act.
Norway is
a founding member of the UN, NATO
, the
Council of Europe and the Nordic Council, and is a member of the
European Economic Area, the
WTO and the OECD.
Etymology
Norway is officially called
Kongeriket Norge in the
Bokmål written norm, and
Kongeriket
Noreg in the
Nynorsk written
norm.
The usual
Old Norse form of
Norway is
Noregr and the usual medieval Latin
form
Nor(th)vegia, though the earliest known written
occurrence of the name is English (in the late-ninth-century
account of the travels of
Ohthere of Hålogaland), in the
form
norðweg. Although some medieval texts attribute the
name to a mythical King
Nórr, it is
conventionally derived today from Old Norse *
norðvegr,
meaning "the northern route" (the way northwards). There is,
however, some possibility that medieval forms in
norð-,
north- are folk-etymologisations, and that the name has
other origins.
History
Prehistory
Archaeological findings indicate the area currently constituting
Norway has been inhabited since at least the 10th millennium BCE
(see
Scandinavian
prehistory). The indigenous people of
Northern Norway and
Central Norway are the
Sámi people, though
Norse culture arrived very early here also. The
current monarch of Norway, representing Government, has stated that
the kingdom was founded upon the territories of two peoples – the
Norwegians and the Sámi.
In the first centuries CE, in iriq consisted of a number of
petty kingdoms.
According to
tradition, Harald Fairhair (Harald
Hårfagre) unified them into one in 872 CE after the Battle of
Hafrsfjord
in Stavanger
, thus becoming the first king of a united
Norway. In fact, though, Harald's realm was mainly a
South Norwegian coastal state.
Viking Age

The Kingdom of Norway (green),
c.
The
Viking Age, 8–11th centuries AD, was
characterized by expansion and emigration by
Viking seafarers.
Many Norwegians left the country to live in
Iceland
, the
Faroe
Islands
, Greenland
, and parts of Britain
and Ireland
. The modern-day Irish
cities of
Limerick
, Dublin
, and
Waterford
were founded by Norwegian settlers. Norse traditions were slowly replaced by
Christianity in the 10th and 11th
centuries. This is largely attributed to the missionary kings
Olav Tryggvasson and
St. Olav.
Haakon the
Good was Norway's first Christian king, in the mid tenth
century, though his attempt to introduce the religion was
rejected.
Kalmar Union, union with Denmark
In 1319, Sweden and Norway were united under King Magnus Eriksson.
In 1349, the
Black Death killed between
50% and 60% of the population, resulting in a period of decline,
both socially and economically.
Ostensibly, 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 I of
Denmark when the country entered into the Kalmar Union. Although Sweden broke out
of the union in 1521, Norway remained with Denmark until 1814, a
total of 436 years.
During the national romanticism of the 19th
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
in Denmark.
With the
introduction of Protestantism in 1536,
the archbishopric in Trondheim was dissolved and Norway effectually
became a tributary to Denmark 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 17th century with the loss of the
provinces Båhuslen
, Jemtland
, and Herjedalen
to Sweden, as a result of numerous wars between
Denmark–Norway and
Sweden. To the North, however, its territory was
increased by the acquisition of the Northern provinces of Troms and Finnmark
, on the expense of Sweden and Russia.
Union with Sweden (19th century)
After
Denmark–Norway was attacked
by the United Kingdom
, it entered into an alliance with Napoleon, with the war leading to dire conditions
and mass starvation in 1812. As
the Danish kingdom found itself on the losing side in 1814 it was
forced to cede Norway to the king of Sweden, while the old
Norwegian provinces of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands
remained with the Danish crown. Norway took this opportunity to
declare independence, adopted a constitution based on
American and
French models, and elected the crown
prince of Denmark-Norway
Christian Frederik as king on 17
May 1814. This caused the
Norwegian-Swedish War to break out
between Sweden and Norway but as Sweden's military was not strong
enough to defeat the Norwegian forces outright and Norway's
treasury was not large enough to support a protracted war, and as
British and Russian navies blockaded the Norwegian coast, Norway
agreed to enter a
personal union with Sweden.
Under this arrangement, Norway kept
its liberal constitution and independent institutions, except for
the foreign service.
This period also saw the rise of the
Norwegian romantic
nationalism, 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),
painting (
Hans Gude,
Adolph Tidemand), 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.
Modern history
Christian Michelsen, a shipping
magnate and statesman, Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907
played a central role in the peaceful separation of Norway from
Sweden on 7 June 1905.
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, the first king of a
fully independent Norway in 586 years. 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.
However, independence was temporarily interrupted on 9 April 1940
until 8 May 1945,
when Norway was
occupied by
Nazi Germany. During
World War I, Norway was a neutral
country. In reality, however, Norway had been pressured by Great
Britain to hand over increasingly large parts of its massive
merchant fleet to Britain at low rates, as well as to join the
trade blockade against Germany . Norway also claimed neutrality
during
World War II, but was
invaded by German forces on 9
April 1940.
Norway was unprepared for the German surprise attack, so military
resistance only lasted for two months. 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 10 after losing
allied help following the
fall of
France.
King Haakon and the Norwegian government
escaped to Rotherhithe
, London
and
supported the fight through inspirational radio speeches from
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 collaborationist government under
German control. During the five years of
Nazi occupation,
Norwegians built a
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
fourth largest merchant marine in the world. 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.
Each December Norway gives a Christmas tree to the United Kingdom
as thanks for the UK's assistance during World War
II. A ceremony takes place to erect the tree in
London's famous Trafalgar
Square
.
Post-war history
From 1945
to 1961, the Labour Party
held an absolute majority in the parliament
. The government, led by prime minister
Einar Gerhardsen, embarked on a
program inspired by
Keynesian
economics, emphasizing state financed industrialization,
cooperation between
trade unions and
employers' organizations.
Many measures of state control of the economy imposed during the
war were continued, although the
rationing
of dairy products was lifted in 1949, while price control and
rationing of housing and cars continued as long as until
1960.
The war time alliance with Britain and the US was continued in the
post-war years. Although pursuing the goal of a socialist economy,
the Labour Party distanced itself from the communists (especially
after Soviet seizure of power in
Czechoslovakia in
1948), and strengthened its foreign policy and defence policy
ties with the US.
Norway received Marshall aid from 1947, joined the OEEC one year later and NATO
in
1949.
Around 1975, both the proportion and absolute number of workers in
industry peaked. Since then labour intensive industries and
services like factory mass production and shipping have largely
been off sourced. In 1969
Philips
Petroleum discovered
petroleum
resources at the
Ekofisk field.
In 1973 the
government founded the State oil company, Statoil
. Oil production didn't become a net income
before the early 1980s due to the heavy capital investments
required in the petroleum industry.
Norway was one of the founding members of European Free Trade Area
(EFTA). Two
referendums to join the
European Union failed by narrow
margins in 1972 and 1994. In 1981 a conservative government lead by
Kåre Willoch replaced Labour with
a policy of stimulating the
stagflated
economy by tax cuts, economic liberalization, deregulation of
markets and measures curbing the record high inflation (13,6 %
1981).
Norway's first female prime minister,
Gro Harlem Brundtland of the Labour
party, continued many of the reforms of her right wing predecessor,
while backing traditional Labour issues like
social security, high taxes,
industrialization of nature, and feminism. By the late 1990s,
Norway had paid off foreign debt and started accumulating a
sovereign wealth fund. Since
the 1990s, one of the dividing issues in politics has been how much
petroleum income the government should spend, relative to how much
it should save.
Geography, climate, and environment

One of the many waterfall Norway is
famous for.
Norway comprises the western part of
Scandinavia in
Northern Europe. The rugged coastline,
broken by huge
fjords and thousands of
islands, stretches and including fjords and
islands.
Norway shares a land border with Sweden
, with
Finland
and a with
Russia
at the east. To the west and south, Norway is bordered
by the Barents
Sea
, the Norwegian Sea
, the North
Sea
and Skagerak
.
At
(including Svalbard
and Jan
Mayen
), much of the country is dominated by mountainous
or high terrain, with 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 flooded by the sea
following the end of the
Ice Age.
The
longest is Sognefjorden
at . Norway also contains many glaciers and
waterfalls.
Glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains
broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline
deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra only in the extreme northeast (largely found
on the Varanger
Peninsula
). Frozen ground all-year can also be found in
the higher mountain areas and in the interior of Finnmark
county. Numerous glaciers are still found
in Norway.
As a result of the ice carving, Sognefjorden
is the world's second deepest fjord and Hornindalsvatnet
is the deepest lake in Europe.
The land is mostly made of hard
granite and
gneiss rock, but
slate,
sandstone and
limestone are also common, and the lowest
elevations contain marine deposits. Due to the
Gulf Stream and prevailing westerlies, Norway
experiences higher 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. The southern and western parts of
Norway experience more precipitation, and have milder winters than
the south-eastern part. The lowlands around the capital Oslo have
the warmest and sunniest summers, but also cold weather and
snow in wintertime (especially inland). Average
temperatures have risen the last decades, decreasing the amount of
days with snow cover in the lowlands.
Due to the large latitudinal range of the country and the varied
topography and climate, Norway has a larger number of different
habitats than almost any other
European country. There are approximately 60,000 species of
different lifeforms in Norway and adjacent waters (excluding
bacteria and virus). The Norwegian Shelf large marine ecosystem is
considered highly productive.
The total number of species include 16,000 species of
insects (probably 4,000 more species yet to be
described), 20,000 species of
algae, 1,800
species of
lichen, 1,050 species of
mosses, 2,800 species of
vascular plants, up to 7,000 species of
fungi, 450 species of
birds (250 species nesting in Norway), 90 species of
mammals, 45 fresh-water species of fish, 150
salt-water species of fish, 1,000 species of fresh-water
invertebrates and 3,500 species of salt-water
invertebrates . About 40,000 of these species have been described
by science. The red list of 2006 encompasses 3,886 species . 17
species are listed mainly because they are endangered on a global
scale, such as the
European Beaver,
even if the population in Norway are not seen as endangered. There
are 430 species of fungi on the red list, many of these are closely
associated with the small remaining areas of old-growth forests .
There are also 90 species of birds on the list and 25 species of
mammals. 1,988 current species are listed as
endangered or vulnerable as of 2006; of these are 939 listed as
vulnerable (VU), 734 species are listed as endangered (EN), and 285
species are listed as critically endangered (CR) in Norway, among
these are the gray
wolf, the
arctic fox (healthy population on Svalbard) and
the
pool frog.
The largest predator in Norwegian waters is the
sperm whale, and the largest fish is the
basking shark. The largest predator on
land is the
polar bear, while the
brown bear is the largest predator on the
Norwegian mainland, where the common
moose is
the largest animal.
Due to Norway's high
latitude, there are
large seasonal variations in daylight. From late May to late July,
the sun never completely descends beneath the horizon in areas
north of the
Arctic Circle (hence
Norway's description as the "Land of the
Midnight Sun") and the rest of the country
experiences up to 20 hours of daylight per day. Conversely, from
late November to late January, the sun never rises above the
horizon in the north, and daylight hours are very short in the rest
of the country.
Throughout Norway, one will find stunning and dramatic scenery and
landscape. The west coast of southern Norway and the coast of
northern Norway present some of the most visually impressive
coastal sceneries in the world.
National Geographic
has listed the Norwegian fjords as the world's top
tourist attraction. The 2008 Environmental Performance
Index put Norway in second place, after Switzerland
, based on the environmental performance of the
country's policies.
Politics and government
Norway is a
constitutional
monarchy with a
parliamentary
system of
government.
Oslo
is the
capital city.
Constitution
The
Constitution of Norway
from
1814 was inspired by the
United States
Declaration of Independence in
1776 and the
French revolution in
1789 and subsequent constitutions, and was considered
to be one of the most radically democratic constitutions in the
world at the time of its adoption. Inspired by
Montesqieu’s ideas, the Constitution separates
power in three branches of government, the
executive,
legislative and
judiciary. Based on the prevailing ideas during
Enlightenment concerning distribution of power, the elected
national assembly was only partly supposed to control the
government, which was appointed by the King and in turn kept at bay
by the independent courts.
In 1884, a parliamentary system of government ( )
was introduced as customary law,
making the Storting
the supreme branch of government. In
practice, this meant that any government must have sufficient
backing in the national assembly, even though executive power is
formally vested in the King. However, the Constitution was amended
on February 20, 2007 , so today the parliamentary system of
government enjoys explicit legal authority.
The powers of the
national government stem from the Storting
, or more accurately, its composition following
elections.
Monarchy
The Royal Family of Norway is a branch of the princely family of
House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, originally from
Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. Since 1991 the king has been Harald
V, the 66th since Unification, but the first king in many hundred
years to actually have been born in Norway.Following the
introduction of a parliamentary system of government in 1884, the
duties of the Monarch have become largely representative and
ceremonial. He or she:
- Is Head of State
- Opens the Storting
- Formally dissolves and installs governments
- Presides over meetings in the Council of State
- Functions as the nominal head or High Protector of the Church
of Norway
- Is Commander-in-Chief of the
Norwegian Defence Force
- Receives credentials from Ambassadors-in-waiting
- Represents Norway during state visits both abroad and in
Norway
- Serves as fountain of honour
- Holds audiences with prominent Norwegian figures within
politics, industry, commerce and culture.
However, the Monarch does retain some royal prerogatives. He may
issue pardons for prisoners (Article 20) and engage in war (Article
26), although it is unlikely that any of these two prerogatives
would be put into use today. However, during the
German occupation,
Haakon VII said he would
abdicate rather than appoint a
collaborationist government led by
Vidkun Quisling.The Monarch acts a symbol of
unity, and a majority of Norwegians are still in favour of
retaining the monarchy . There is also broad political consensus on
this issue.
The Norwegian monarchy is unique in the sense that in 1905, when
Norway declared its independence, a referendum was held asking the
electorate to vote for either a monarchy or a republic. Even though
only men were allowed to vote at the time, women also organised
petitions. The referendum (and the petitions) resulted in a
majority in favour of a monarchy.
Council of State
The Council of State consists of the
Prime Minister (the
head of government) and other ministers,
formally appointed by the King. It is the equivalent of a cabinet.
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 for a party or a
coalition of parties. After
elections resulting in no clear majority to any party or coalition,
the leader of the party most likely to be able to form a government
is appointed Prime Minister by the King. Norway has often been
ruled by
minority
governments.
Custom dictates that the King asks the sitting Prime Minister for
advice on whom he shall ask to become the next PM. If the suggested
person refuses, is unable to form a cabinet or the attempt fails,
the King is then free to ask whomever he like... which is what King
Haakon VII did when he asked the still revolutionary Labor-party
and thus paved the way for Norway's first Labor-government, after
Bondepartiet (the sitting PM's suggestion) failed to form a
Cabinet.
The King
has government meetings every Friday at the Royal
Palace
(Council of State), but the government decisions
are decided in advance in government conferences headed by the
Prime Minister every Tuesday and Thursday. 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 19 members. After the negotiations of
looser ties between the
church and the state, it was
decided that this requirement will be abolished in the near future
. Nevertheless, only members of the Church of Norway are allowed to
discuss matters relating directly to the Church (like the
appointment of a bishop) within the Council of State.
Storting
The
Norwegian parliament is the Storting
(Stortinget). It currently has 169
members (an increase from 165 effective in the
September 2005
elections). 150 members are elected from the 19
counties for four-year terms according to
a system of
proportional
representation. An additional 19 seats ("levelling seats") are
allocated on a nationwide basis to make the representation in
parliament correspond better with the popular vote. There is a 4
percent
election threshold to
gain levelling seats. The word
Storting means "Grand
Assembly".
The Storting is a qualified
unicameral
body.
Impeachment cases are very rare 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. The last case was in 1927, when Prime Minister
Abraham Berge was acquitted.
Constitutional amendments of 20 February 2007 provide for:
- The abolition of division after the 2009 general election
(making the Storting fully unicameral). Legislation will go through
two readings, or three in case
of dissent, before being passed and sent to the King for assent.
- Changes in impeachment procedures. The current system (indictments raised by the Odelsting and judged by
the Lagting and the Supreme Court justices as part of the High
Court of the Realm) will be replaced by new system (indictments
raised by the Storting in plenary
session; impeachment cases will be heard by the five
highest-ranking Supreme Court justices and six lay members in one
of the Supreme Court courtrooms, instead of the Lagting chamber;
Storting representatives no longer perform as lay judges).
Supreme Court
The
judiciary is referred to as the
Courts of Justice of
Norway.
It consists of a Supreme
Court
of 19 permanent judges and a chief justice,
appellate courts, city and district
courts, and conciliation councils. Judges attached to
regular courts are appointed by the king-in-council.
In its 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index,
Reporters Without Borders ranked
Norway at a shared 1st place (with Iceland) out of 169 countries.
The death penalty was abolished in Norway in 1902. Death penalty
for high treason in war and war-crimes was also abolished in 1979.
Norway has the lowest murder rate in the world.
Foreign relations and military

Norwegian Leopard tanks in the
snow.
Norway maintains embassies in 86 countries. 60 countries maintain
an embassy in Norway, all of them in the capital, Oslo.
Norway is
a founding member of the United
Nations, NATO
and the
Council of Europe. The
Norwegian electorate has twice rejected treaties of accession to
the
European Union (EU). Most
legislation made by the EU is however implemented in the country
due to Norway's membership in the
European Economic Area (EEA). This
ensures Norway's access to the EU's internal market.
The
Norwegian Armed Forces
currently numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian
employees. According to the current (as of 2009) mobilization
plans, the strength during full mobilization is approximately
83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has
conscription for males (6–12 months of
training) and voluntary service for females.
Because
of the effect of the failed neutrality of Norway during World War
II and their subsequent surrender to Germany in June 1940, Norway
was one of the founding nations of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) on 4 April 1949, thus abandoning the
neutrality policy first imposed. Norway claims to have never
formally surrendered to the German invasion.
Their monarchy and
some government officials fled to the United Kingdom
.
Norway contributes with forces in international missions organised
by NATO, the
United Nations (UN) and
the
European Union (EU), notably in:
Subdivisions and cities
Norway is divided into nineteen first-level administrative regions
known as
fylker ("
counties",
singular
fylke) and 430 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 ("Governor").
The counties of Norway are:
There are 96 settlements with
city status in Norway. In most
cases, the city borders are coterminous with the borders of their
respective municipalities. Often, Norwegian city municipalities
include large non-built up areas; for example, Oslo municipality
contains large forests, located north and south-east of the city,
and over half of Bergen municipality consists of mountaineous
areas. The ten largest municipalities with city status in Norway
are (as of 1 July 2009):
The 10 most populous municipalities in Norway
Municipality |
Population |
Area |
Density |
Oslo |
580,229 |
453 km² |
1280/km² |
Bergen |
253,600 |
465 km² |
545/km² |
Trondheim |
169,343 |
341 km² |
496/km² |
Stavanger |
122,602 |
71 km² |
1726/km² |
Bærum |
110,381 |
191 km² |
577/km² |
Kristiansand |
80,748 |
276 km² |
292/km² |
Fredrikstad |
73,175 |
290 km² |
252/km² |
Tromsø |
66,901 |
2557 km² |
26/km² |
Sandnes |
64,034 |
302 km² |
212/km² |
Drammen |
61,958 |
137 km² |
452/km² |
Sandvika
in Bærum
municipality (population of 110,381 as of 2008) declared itself a
city in 2003 (permitted since 1996), but the "city border" of
Sandvika is usually not considered to be coterminous with the
municipality border. As Sandvika and most of Bærum in
general is included in the Oslo
urban
area, as defined by
Statistics
Norway, its population is not possible to estimate.
Norway
also has two integral overseas territories, Jan Mayen
and Svalbard
. There are also three Antarctic
and Subantarctic
dependencies: Bouvet Island
, Peter I
Island
and Queen Maud
Land.
Largest cities
Economy

GDP and GDP growth
Norwegians enjoy the second highest GDP per-capita
(after Luxembourg
) and third highest GDP per-capita in
the world. Norway maintained first place in the world in the
UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) for
six consecutive years (2001–2006), and then reclaimed this position
in 2009.
The Norwegian economy is an example of a
mixed economy, featuring a combination of
free market activity and large state
ownership in certain key sectors.
The state has large ownership positions
in key industrial sectors, such as the strategic petroleum sector (Statoil
), hydroelectric energy production (Statkraft
), aluminum production (Norsk Hydro
), the largest Norwegian bank (DnB NOR
) and telecommunication provider (Telenor
). Through these big companies, the
government controls approximately 30% of the stock values at the
Oslo Stock Exchange. When non-listed companies are included the
state has even higher share in ownership (mainly from direct oil
license ownership).Norway is a major
shipping nation, and has the world's 6th largest
merchant fleet, with 1,412
Norwegian-owned merchant vessels (2009).
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" 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.

Tourism is important for Norway.
The country is richly endowed with natural resources including
petroleum,
hydropower,
fish,
forests, and
minerals.
Large reserves of
petroleum and
natural gas were discovered in the 1960s, which
led to a continuing boom in the economy. Norway has obtained one of
the highest standards of living in the world in part by having a
large amount of natural resources compared to the size of the
population. The income from natural resources includes a
significant contribution from petroleum production and the
substantial and well-managed income related to this sector. Norway
also has a very low unemployment rate, currently 3% (June 2009).
The hourly productivity levels, as well as average hourly wages in
Norway are among the highest in the world. The
egalitarian values of the Norwegian society
ensure that the wage difference between the lowest paid worker and
the CEO of most companies is much smaller than in comparable
western economies. This is also evident in
Norway's low Gini
coefficient.
Cost of living is about 30% higher in Norway than in the United
States and 25% higher than the United Kingdom.The standard of
living in Norway is among the highest in the world.
Foreign Policy Magazine ranks Norway
last in its
Failed States Index
for 2009, judging Norway to be the world's most well-functioning
and stable country. Continued oil and gas exports coupled with a
healthy economy and substantial accumulated wealth lead to a
conclusion that Norway will remain among the richest countries in
the world in the foreseeable future.
Resources

Norwegian oil production
Export revenues from oil and gas have risen to 45% of total exports
and constitute more than 20% of the
GDP. Norway
is the world's 7th largest oil exporter and 3rd largest gas
exporter but is not an OPEC member. To reduce over-heating from oil
money and the uncertainty from the oil income volatility, and to
save money for an aging population, the Norwegian state started in
1995 to save petroleum income (taxes, dividends, licensing, sales)
in a
sovereign wealth fund
(
"Government Pension
Fund — Global"). This also reduces the boom and bust cycle
associated with raw material production and the marginalization of
non-oil industry (see also
Dutch
Disease).
The
control mechanisms over petroleum resources are a combination of
state ownership in major operators in the Norwegian oil fields
(Statoil
approximately 62% in 2007) and the fully
state-owned Petoro (market value of about
twice Statoil) and SDFI. Finally the
government controls licensing of exploration and production of
fields. The fund invests in developed financial markets outside
Norway. The budgetary rule ("Handlingsregelen") is to spend no more
than 4% of the fund each year (assumed to be the normal yield from
the fund ).
By January 2006, the
Government Pension Fund of
Norway fund had reached a value of USD 200 billion. During the
first half of 2007, the pension fund became the largest fund in
Europe, with assets of about USD 300 billion (equivalent to over
USD 62,000 per capita). The savings equal the Norwegian GDP and are
the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation as of April
2007. Projections indicate that the Norwegian pension fund may
become the largest capital fund in the world. Currently it is the
second-largest state-owned
sovereign wealth fund, second only to
the
Abu Dhabi Investment
Authority; Conservative estimates tell that the fund may reach
USD 800–900 billion by 2017. As of November 2009, the size of the
fund is approximately USD 455 billion, and it controls
approximately 1.25% of all listed shares in Europe and more than 1%
of the all the publicly traded shares in the world. The Norwegian
Central Bank operates investment offices in London, New York and
Shanghai. New guidelines (implemented in 2007) allow the fund to
invest up to 60% of the capital in shares (maximum of 40% prior),
while the rest may be placed in bonds and real-estate. As the stock
markets tumbled in September 2008, the fund was able to buy more
shares at low prices. In this way, the losses incurred by the
market turmoil was recuperated by November 2009.
Other
natural resource-based economies,
such as Russia
, are trying
to learn from Norway by establishing similar funds. The
investment choices of the Norwegian fund are directed by
ethical guidelines; for
example, the fund is not allowed to invest in companies that
produce parts for nuclear weapons. The highly
transparent investment scheme is
lauded by the international community.
The future size of the fund is of course closely linked to the
price of oil and to developments in international financial
markets. The Norwegian trade surplus for 2008 reached approximately
USD 80 billion. With an enormous amount of cash invested in
international financial markets, Norway has financial muscles to
avert many of the worst effects of the financial crisis that hit
most countries in the fall of 2008. As most western countries
struggle with burgeoning foreign debt, Norway remains an island of
stowed-away wealth, financial stability and economic power to meet
the challenges of the worldwide economic crisis. In spite of the
crisis, Norway still runs a 7% state budget surplus, being the only
western country to run a surplus as of July 2009.
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 largest 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
(unemployment in 2007: 1.3%). The international financial crisis
has primarily affected the industrial sector, but it is unlikely
that unemployment will surpass 5–6% in 2009–2010. Norway is among
the least affected countries of the international economic
downturn.
Neighbouring Sweden
is
experiencing substantially higher actual and projected unemployment
numbers as a result of the ongoing recession, and in 1st quarter
2009 the GNP of Norway surpassed Sweden's for the first time in
history.
Norway is also the world's second largest exporter of fish (in
value, after China).
Hydroelectric
plants generate roughly 98–99% of Norways electric power.
Education
Higher education in
Norway is offered by a range of seven
universities, five
specialised colleges, 25
university
colleges as well as a range of private colleges. Education
follows the
Bologna process
involving
Bachelor (3 years),
Master (2 years) and
PhD (4 years) degrees. Acceptance is
offered after finishing
upper
secondary school with
general study competence.
Public education is virtually free, with an academic year with two
semesters, from August to December and from
January to June. The ultimate responsibility for the education lies
with the
Norwegian Ministry
of Education and Research.
Demography

Demographics in Norway
As of 2009, Norway's population numbers roughly 4.8 million. Most
Norwegians are
ethnic Norwegians, a
North
Germanic people. The
Sami people traditionally inhabit central and
northern parts of Norway and Sweden, as well as in northern Finland
and in Russia on the Kola Peninsula. Another national minority are
the
Kven people who are the descendants
of Finnish speaking people that moved to northern Norway in the
18th up to the 20th century. Both the Sami and the Kven were
subjected to a strong assimilation policy by the Norwegian
government from the 19th century up to the 1970s. Because of this
"
Norwegianization process", many
families of Sami or Kven ancestry now self-identify as ethnic
Norwegian. This, combined with a long history of co-habitation of
the Sami and North Germanic peoples on the Scandinavian peninsula,
makes claims about ethnic population statistics less
straightforward than is often suggested — particularly in
central and northern Norway. Other groups recognized as national
minorities of Norway are
Jews,
Forest Finns,
Roma/Gypsies and
Romani
people/Travellers.
In recent years,
immigration has
accounted for more than half of Norway's population growth.
According to
Statistics Norway
(SSB), a record 61,200 immigrants arrived in the country in
2007 — 35% higher than 2006. At the beginning of 2008, there
were 459,600 persons in Norway with an immigrant background (i.e.
immigrants, or born of immigrant parents), comprising 9.7% of the
total population. 350,000 of these were from a non-Western
background, which includes the formerly Communist countries
according to the definition used by Statistics Norway.
The largest immigrant
groups by country of origin, in order of size, are Pakistanis
, Swedes, Iraqis, Somalis,
Vietnamese, Poles, Danes, and
Germans. Norwegians of Pakistani
descent are the largest visible minority group in Norway, with
most of its 30,000 members living around Oslo. The Iraqi immigrant
population has shown a large increase in recent years.
After the enlargement
of the EU in 2004, there has also been an influx of immigrants from
Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Poland
.
The
largest increase in 2007 was of immigrants from Poland
, Germany
, Sweden
, Lithuania
and Russia
.
There are almost 4.7 million
Norwegian Americans according to the 2006
U.S. census. The number of Americans of Norwegian descent living in
the U.S. today is roughly equal to the current population of
Norway. In the 2006 Canadian census, 432,515
Canadian citizens claimed
Norwegian ancestry, making up 1.4% of the population of
Canada.
Religion
Nearly 83% of Norwegians are members of the state
Church of Norway, to which they are
registered at baptism. 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.
However, only 20% of Norwegians say that religion occupies an
important place in their life (according to a recent
Gallup poll), making Norway one of the most
secular countries of the world (only in Estonia, Sweden and Denmark
the percentage of people who considered religion to be important
was lower). In the early 1990s, it was estimated that between 4.7%
– 5.3% of Norwegians attended church on a weekly basis. Up to 40%
of the membership attends church or religious meetings at least
once annually.
According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 32% of
Norwegian citizens responded that "they believe there is a god,"
whereas 47% answered that "they believe there is some sort of
spirit or life force" and 17% that "they do not believe there is
any sort of spirit, god, or life force." According to Gustafsson
and Pettersson(2002), 72% of Norwegians do not believe in a
'personal God.'
Other
Christian denominations total
about 4.5% of the population. These include the
Evangelical Lutheran
Free Church, the
Roman
Catholic Church, the
Baptists,
Pentecostal congregations, the
Methodist Church, and
Adventists, and others. Among
non-Christian religions,
Islam is the largest,
representing about 1.5% of the population: It is practiced mainly
by
Somali,
Arab,
Albanian, and
Turkish immigrants, as well as
Norwegians of Pakistani
descent. Other religions comprise less than 1% each, including
Judaism (see
Jews
in Norway) as well as
the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and
Jehovah's Witnesses.
Indian
immigrants introduced Hinduism to Norway,
but account for fewer than 5,000 people, or 1% of non-Lutheran
Norwegians. There are eleven
Buddhist organizations, grouped under the
Buddhistforbundet organisation, which make
up 0.42% of the population. Around 1.5% of Norwegians adhere to the
secular
Norwegian Humanist
Association. About 5% of the population is unaffiliated.
Like other
Scandinavian countries, the
Norse followed a form of native
Germanic paganism known as
Norse paganism. By the end of the eleventh
century, when Norway had been
Christianised, the
indigenous Norse religion and practices were prohibited. Remnants
of the native religion and beliefs of Norway survive today in the
form of names, referential names of cities and locations, the days
of the week, and other parts of the everyday language.
Parts of the Sami minority retained their
shamanistic religion well into the 18th
century when they were converted to Christianity by Dano-Norwegian
missionaries.
Languages
The
North Germanic 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 vast
majority, about 85–90%. 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
Finno-Ugric Sami
languages are spoken and written throughout the country, especially
in the north, by the
Sami
people. Speakers have a right to get education in Sami
language no matter where they are living, and receive
communications from government in various Sami languages. The
Kven minority speak the Finno-Ugric
Kven language/Finnish. There is advocacy for
making
Norwegian Sign
Language an official Norwegian language.
In the 19th and 20th century, Norwegian language was subject to
strong political and
cultural controversy, which led to the creation of Nynorsk in
the 19th century and to the formation of alternative spelling
standards in the 20th century, notably the
Riksmål standard, which is more conservative
(that is, more similar to Danish) than Bokmål.
Norwegian is highly similar to the other languages in Scandinavia,
Swedish and
Danish. All three languages are mutually
intelligible and can be and commonly are employed in communication
between inhabitants of the Scandinavian countries.
As a result of the
cooperation within the Nordic
Council, inhabitants of all Nordic countries, including
Iceland
and Finland
, have the
right to communicate with the Norwegian authorities in their own
language.
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.
The main foreign language taught in Norwegian elementary school is
English. The majority of the
population is fluent in English, especially those born after World
War II.
German,
French and
Spanish are also commonly taught as a
second or, more often, third language.
Russian,
Japanese,
Italian,
Latin and rarely
Chinese are available in some schools,
mostly in the cities. Traditionally, English, German and French
were considered the main foreign languages in Norway; these
languages were for instance used on Norwegian passports until the
1990s, and university students have a general right to employ these
languages when submitting their theses.
Culture
Norwegian culture is closely linked to the country's
history and
geography. The unique
Norwegian farm culture, sustained to
this day, has resulted not only from scarce resources and a harsh
climate but also from
ancient property laws. In
the 18th century, it brought about a strong
romantic nationalistic
movement, which is still visible in the
Norwegian language and
media. In the 19th century,
Norwegian culture blossomed as efforts continued to achieve an
independent identity in the areas of literature, art and music.
This continues today in the performing arts and as a result of
government support for exhibitions, cultural projects and
artwork.
Cuisine

Norwegian open sandwich.
Norway's culinary
traditions show the influence of long seafaring and farming
traditions with
salmon (fresh and cured),
herring (pickled or marinated),
trout,
codfish and other seafood
balanced by cheeses, dairy products and excellent breads
(predominantly dark/darker).
Lefse is a common
Norwegian potato flatbread, common around Christmas. For renowned
Norwegian dishes, see
lutefisk,
smalahove,
pinnekjøtt,
Krotekaker and
fårikål.
Performing arts
Film
Not until fairly recently has the Norwegian cinema received
international recognition but as early as 1959,
Arne Skouen's Nine Lives was in fact nominated
for an Oscar.
Flåklypa Grand
Prix (English:
Pinchcliffe
Grand Prix), an animated feature film directed by
Ivo Caprino and released in 1975, is based on
characters from Norwegian cartoonist
Kjell
Aukrust. It is the most widely-seen Norwegian film of all
time.
There was however a real breakthrough in 1987 with
Nils Gaup's Pathfinder which told the story of the
Sami. It was nominated for an Oscar and
was a huge international success.
Berit
Nesheim's
The Other Side of
Sunday was also nominated for an Oscar in 1997.
Since the 1990s, the film industry has thrived with up to 20
feature films each year. Particular successes were
Kristin Lavransdatter,
The Telegraphist and
Gurin with the Foxtail.
Knut Erik Jensen was among the more
successful new directors together with
Erik Skjoldbjaerg remembered for
Insomnia.
Music
Along with the classical
music of
romantic composer Edvard Grieg
and the modern music of
Arne Nordheim,
Norwegian black metal has
become something of an export article in recent years.
Norway's classical performers include
Leif Ove Andsnes, one of the world's more
famous pianists, and
Truls Mørk, an
outstanding cellist.
The jazz scene in Norway is also thriving.
Jan Garbarek,
Mari
Boine,
Arild Andersen, and
Bugge Wesseltoft are
internationally recognised while
Paal
Nilssen-Love,
Supersilent,
Jaga Jazzist and
Wibutee
are becoming world-class artists of the younger generation.
Norway has a strong
folk music tradition
which remains popular to this day. Among the most prominent folk
musicians are
Hardanger fiddlers
Andrea Een,
Olav Jørgen Hegge,
Vidar Lande and
Annbjørg Lien, violinist
Susanne Lundeng, and vocalists
Agnes Buen Garnås,
Kirsten Bråten Berg and
Odd Nordstoga.
Fine arts
Literature
History of Norwegian literature starts with the
pagan Eddaic
poems and
skaldic verse of the 9th
and 10th centuries with poets such as
Bragi Boddason and
Eyvindr Skáldaspillir. The
arrival of Christianity around the year 1000 brought Norway into
contact with European medieval learning, hagiography and history
writing. Merged with native oral tradition and Icelandic influence
this was to flower into an active period of literature production
in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Major works of that
period include
Historia
Norwegie,
Thidreks
saga and
Konungs
skuggsjá.
Little Norwegian literature came out of the period of the
Scandinavian Union and the subsequent Dano-Norwegian union
(1387—1814), with some notable exceptions such as
Petter Dass and
Ludvig
Holberg. In his play
Peer Gynt, Ibsen
characterized this period as "Twice two hundred years of
darkness/brooded o'er the race of monkeys", although the latter
line is not as frequently quoted as the former. During the union
with Denmark, written Norwegian was replaced by Danish.
Two major events precipitated a major resurgence in Norwegian
literature.
In 1811 a Norwegian university was
established in Christiania
. Seized by the spirit of revolution
following the American and French Revolutions, the Norwegians
signed their first
Constitution in 1814. Soon, the
cultural backwater that was Norway brought forth a series of strong
authors recognized first in Scandinavia, and then worldwide; among
them were
Henrik Wergeland,
Peter Asbjørnsen,
Jørgen Moe and
Camilla Collett.
By the late 19th century, in the
Golden
Age of Norwegian literature, the so-called
Great Four
emerged:
Henrik Ibsen,
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson,
Alexander Kielland, and
Jonas Lie. Bjørnson's "peasant novels", such as
"En glad gutt" (A Happy Boy) and "Synnøve Solbakken" are typical of
the national romanticism of their day, whereas Kielland's novels
and short stories are mostly realistic. Although an important
contributor to early Norwegian romanticism (especially the ironic
Peer Gynt),
Henrik
Ibsen's fame rests primarily on his pioneering realistic dramas
such
The Wild Duck and
A Doll's House, many of
which caused moral uproar because of their candid portrayals of the
middle classes.
In the twentieth century, three Norwegian novelists were awarded
the
Nobel prize in
literature:
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in
1903,
Knut Hamsun for the book "
Markens grøde" ("Growth of the Soil") in
1920, and
Sigrid Undset in 1928. In
the 20th century writers like
Dag
Solstad,
Jon Fosse,
Cora Sandel,
Olav Duun,
Stein Mehren,
Kjell Askildsen,
Hans Herbjørnsrud,
Aksel Sandemose,
Bergljot Hobæk Haff,
Jostein Gaarder,
Erik Fosnes Hansen,
Jens Bjørneboe,
Kjartan Fløgstad,
Lars Saabye Christensen,
Johan Borgen,
Herbjørg Wassmo,
Jan Erik Vold,
Rolf Jacobsen,
Olaf Bull,
Jan
Kjærstad,
Georg Johannesen,
Tarjei Vesaas,
Sigurd Hoel,
Arnulf Øverland and
Johan Falkberget have made important
contributions to Norwegian literature.
File:Ludvig Holberg.jpg|
Ludvig
Holberg (1684–1754)File:AaOVinje1.jpg|
Aasmund Olavsson Vinje
(1818–1870)File:Ibsen photography.jpg|
Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906)File:Bjørnstjerne
Martinus Bjørnson.jpg|
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
(1832–1910)File:Jonaslie.jpg|
Jonas Lie
(1833–1908)File:Kielkopi.jpg|
Alexander Kielland (1849–1906)File:Knut
Hamsun.jpeg|
Knut Hamsun
(1859–1952)File:Sigrid Undset 1928.jpg|
Sigrid Undset (1882–1949)
Architecture
Norway has always had a tradition of building in wood. Indeed, many
of today's most interesting new buildings are made of wood,
reflecting the strong appeal that this material continues to hold
for Norwegian designers and builders.
Norway's
conversion to Christianity some 1,000 years ago led to the
introduction of stonework architecture, beginning with the
construction of Nidaros
Cathedral
in Trondheim
.
In the early Middle Ages,
stave
churches were constructed throughout Norway. Many of them
remain to this day and represent Norway’s most important
contribution to architectural history. A fine example is The Stave
Church at
Urnes which is now on
UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Another notable example of wooden
architecture is the Bryggen
Wharf
in Bergen, consisting of a row of narrow wooden
structures along the quayside.
In the
17th century, under the Danish monarchy, cities such as Kongsberg
with its Baroque church and Røros
with its
wooden buildings were established.
After
Norway’s union with Denmark was dissolved in 1814, Oslo
became the
capital. Architect
Christian H. Grosch designed the oldest parts
of the University
of Oslo
, the Oslo Stock
Exchange, and many other buildings and churches.
At the
beginning of the 20th century, the city of Ålesund
was rebuilt in the Art
Nouveau style. The 1930s, when functionalism dominated,
became a strong period for Norwegian architecture, but it is only
in recent decades that Norwegian architects have truly achieved
international renown.
One of the most striking modern buildings
in Norway is the Sami
Parliament in Kárášjohka
designed by Stein
Halvorson and Christian
Sundby. Its debating chamber is an abstract timber
version of a Lavvo, the traditional tent used by the nomadic
Sami people.
Art

Edvard Munch's The Scream (1893)
For an extended period, the Norwegian art scene was dominated by
artwork from Germany and Holland as well as by the influence of
Copenhagen. It was in the 19th century that a truly Norwegian era
began, first with portraits, later with even more impressive
landscapes. Johan Christian Dahl (1788-1857), originally from the
Dresden school, eventually returned to paint the landscapes of
western Norway, defining Norwegian painting for the first
time."
Norway’s new-found independence from Denmark encouraged painters to
develop their Norwegian identity, especially with landscape
painting by artists such as
Kitty
Kielland, 1843-1914, an early female painter who studied under
Gude;
Harriet Backer, 1845-1932,
another pioneer among female artists, influenced by impressionism.
Frits Thaulow, 1847-1906, an
impressionist, was influenced by the art scene in Paris as was
Christian Krohg, 1852-1925, a
realist painter, famous for his paintings of prostitutes.
Of particular note is
Edvard Munch,
(1863-1944), a symbolist/expressionist painter who became world
famous for
The Scream which is said to
represent the anxiety of modern man.
Other
artists of note include Harald
Sohlberg, (1869-1935), a neo-romantic painter remembered for
his paintings of Røros
and
Odd Nerdrum, (b. 1944), a
figurative painter who maintains his work is not art but
kitch.
See also
References
- "Antarctic Treaty System, An assessment. Workshop on the
Antarctic Treaty System
http://books.google.com/books?id=gNxjxfm4cSgC&pg=PA370&lpg=PA370&dq=territorial+claim+antarctica+recognized&source=web&ots=TD7OWwt-XV&sig=5yO1y3HG7jhFZatImGzZfk01cjs
- World Economic Outlook Database-April 2009,
Gross domestic product per capita, current prices, International Monetary Fund.
Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- World Economic Outlook Database-April 2009,
Gross domestic product based on purchasing-power-parity (PPP) per
capita GDP, International Monetary Fund.
Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- USA Today: Norway ranked as best country to live
in
- CTV News: UN ranks Norway as best country to live
in
- Thorpe, B., The Life of Alfred The Great Translated From
The German of Dr. R. Pauli To Which Is Appended Alfred's
Anglo-Saxon Version of Orosius, Bell, 1900, p. 253.
- Jan de Vries, Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch,
2nd revised edn (Leiden: Brill, 1962), s.v. Noregr
- RF Foster: "The Oxford History of Ireland", Oxford University
Press, 1989
- " Black Death (pandemic)". Encyclopædia
Britannica.
- Treaty of
Kiel, January 14, 1814.
- , page 295: "The British Government sought to overcome this
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[...]"
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External links