Map of Norway | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


Background: Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav TRYGGVASON 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. Although Norway remained neutral in World War I it suffered heavy losses to its shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940-45). In 1949 neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. The current focus is on containing spending on the extensive welfare system and planning for the time when petroleum reserves are depleted. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994 Norway rejected joining the EU.


top of page


Location: Northern Europe bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean west of Sweden

Geographic coordinates: 62 00 N 10 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 323,802 km²
Land: 307,442 km²
Water: 16,360 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 2,542 km
Border countries: (3) Finland 727 km; , Sweden 1,619 km; , Russia 196 km

Coastline: 25,148 km (includes mainland 2,650 km as well as long fjords numerous small islands and minor indentations 22,498 km; length of island coastlines 58,133 km)

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 10 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas iron ore copper lead zinc titanium pyrites nickel fish timber hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 2.7%
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 97.3% (2005)

Irrigated land: 1270 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: rockslides avalanches

Geography
Note: 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 most rugged and longest coastlines in the world


top of page


Population: 4,627,926 (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 0.363% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Norwegian
Adjective: Norwegian

Ethnic groups: Norwegian Sami 20,000

Languages: Bokmal Norwegian (official) Nynorsk Norwegian (official) small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities

Religions: Church of Norway 85.7% Pentecostal 1% Roman Catholic 1% other Christian 2.4% Muslim 1.8% other 8.1% (2004)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 19% (male 450,612/female 430,126)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 1,552,473/female 1,507,638)
65 years and over: 14.8% (male 291,659/female 395,418) (2006 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 38.7 years
Male: 37.9 years
Female: 39.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.363% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 11.27 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 9.37 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.72 migrant(s)/1000 population (2006 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.048 male/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male/female
65 years and over: 0.738 male/female
Total population: 0.984 male/female (2006 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.64 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 3.99 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.27 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.67 years
Male: 77.04 years
Female: 82.46 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 2,100 (2001 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 100%
Male: 100%
Female: 100%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway
Conventional short form: Norway
Local long form: Kongeriket Norge
Local short form: Norge

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Oslo
Geographic coordinates: 59 55 N, 10 45 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 19 counties (fylker singular - fylke); Akershus Aust-Agder Buskerud Finnmark Hedmark Hordaland More og Romsdal Nordland Nord-Trondelag Oppland Oslo Ostfold Rogaland Sogn og Fjordane Sor-Trondelag Telemark Troms Vest-Agder Vestfold

Dependent areas: (1) Bouvet Island Jan Mayen Svalbard

Independence: 7 June 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union)

National holiday: Constitution Day 17 May (1814)

Constitution: 17 May 1814; amended many times

Legal system: mixture of customary law civil law system and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch (born 20 July 1973)
Head of government: Prime Minister Jens STOLTENBERG (since 17 October 2005)
Cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of parliament
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the parliament

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 12 September 2005 (next to be held in September 2009)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 32.7%, Progress Party 22.1%, Conservative Party 14.1%, Socialist Left Party 8.8%, Christian People's Party 6.8%, Center Party 6.5%, Liberal Party 5.9%, Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%, other 1.9%; seats by party - Labor Party 61, Progress Party 38, Conservative Party 23, Socialist Left Party 15, Christian People's Party 11, Center Party 11, Liberal Party 10
Note: for certain purposes, the parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership in the Lagting and three-fourths of its membership in the Odelsting

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders: Center Party [Aslaug Marie HAGA]; Christian People's Party [Dagfinn HOYBRATEN]; Coastal Party [Roy WAAGE]; Conservative Party [Erna SOLBERG]; Labor Party [Jens STOLTENBERG]; Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM]; Progress Party [Siv JENSEN]; Red Electoral Alliance [Torstein DAHLE]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN]

International organization participation: AfDB Arctic Council AsDB Australia Group BIS CBSS CE CERN EAPC EBRD EFTA ESA FAO IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM (guest) NATO NC NEA NIB NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE Paris Club PCA Schengen Convention UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL UNMEE UNMIS UNRWA UNTSO UPU WCO WEU (associate) WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Wegger C. STROMMEN
In the us chancery: 2,720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 333-6,000
In the us fax: [1] (202) 337-0870
In the us consulates general: Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Benson K. WHITNEY
From the us embassy: Henrik Ibsens gate 48, 0244 Oslo; note - the embassy will move to Huseby in the near future
From the us mailing address: PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 9,707
From the us telephone: [47] (22) 44 85 50
From the us fax: [47] (22) 44 33 63, 56 27 51

Flag description: red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare 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 with oil and gas accounting for one-third of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia export more oil than Norway. Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless as a member of the European Economic Area it contributes sizably to the EU budget. The government has moved ahead with privatization. Although Norwegian oil production peaked in 2000 natural gas production is still rising. Norwegians realize that once their gas production peaks they will eventually face declining oil and gas revenues; accordingly Norway has been saving its oil-and-gas-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund which is invested abroad and now is valued at more than $250 billion. After lackluster growth of less than 1% in 2002-03 GDP growth picked up to 3-4% in 2004-06. Norway's economy remains buoyant. Domestic economic activity is and will continue to be the main driver of growth supported by high consumer confidence and strong investment spending in the offshore oil and gas sector.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $213.6 billion (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 4.6% (2006 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $46,300 (2006 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.4%
Industry: 43.5%
Services: 54.1% (2006 est.)

Agriculture products: barley wheat potatoes; pork beef veal milk; fish

Industries: petroleum and gas food processing shipbuilding pulp and paper products metals chemicals timber mining textiles fishing

Industrial production growth rate: 1.8% (2006 est.)

Labor force: 2.447 million (2006 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 4%
By occupation industry: 22%
By occupation services: 74% (1995)

Unemployment rate: 3.5% (2006 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.9%
Highest 10: 23.4% (2000)

Distribution of family income gini index: 25.8 (2000)

Budget
Revenues: $200.7 billion
Expenditures: $136.1 billion (2006 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 41.2% of GDP (2006 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.3% (2006 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: $49.49 billion (2005 est.)

Exports: $111.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products machinery and equipment metals chemicals ships fish
Partners: UK 25.5% Germany 12.6% Netherlands 9.9% France 9.1% US 6.7% Sweden 6.5% (2005)

Imports: $58.12 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment chemicals metals foodstuffs
Partners: Sweden 14.6% Germany 13.6% Denmark 7.3% UK 6.8% China 5.5% US 5% France 4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $46.99 billion (2005 est.)

Debt external: $281 billion; note - Norway is a net external creditor (30 June 2005)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 6.4425 (2005) 6.7408 (2004) 7.0802 (2003) 7.9838 (2002) 8.9917 (2001)


top of page


Electricity
Production: 135.8 billion kWh (2005)
Consumption: 113.9 billion kWh (2005)
Exports: 5.6 billion kWh (2003)
Imports: 13.5 billion kWh (2003)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 73.4 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 4.14 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Exports: 50.5 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 2.118 trillion m³ (1 January 2002)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Main lines in use: 2.129 million (2005)
Mobile cellular: 4.755 million (2005)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern in all respects; one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in Europe
Domestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover, the prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular mobile systems instead of fixed-wire systems
International: country code - 47; 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .no
Hosts: 1,364,448 (2006)
Users: 3.14 million (2005)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 99 (2006)
With paved runways total: 67
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 12
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With paved runways under 914 m: 29 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 32
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 26 (2006)

Heliports: 1 (2006)

Pipelines: condensate 508 km; gas 5,910 km; oil 2,557 km; oil/gas/water 746 km (2006)

Railways
Total: 4,077 km
Standard gauge: 4,077 km 1.435-m gauge (2,680 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways
Total: 92,513 km
Paved: 71,832 km (including 664 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 20,681 km (2005)

Waterways: 1577 km (2002)

Merchant marine
Total: 724 ships (1000 GRT or over) 14,472,103 GRT/20,245,353 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 67, cargo 153, chemical tanker 150, container 2, liquefied gas 79, passenger/cargo 121, petroleum tanker 75, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 19, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 47
Foreign owned: 168 (China 3, Cyprus 2, Denmark 32, Estonia 1, Finland 4, Greece 1, Hong Kong 55, Iceland 4, Italy 4, Japan 1, Lithuania 1, Monaco 4, Netherlands 3, Poland 2, Saudi Arabia 3, Sweden 28, UAE 1, UK 6, US 13)
Registered in other countries: 861 (Antigua and Barbuda 11, Australia 1, Bahamas 259, Barbados 29, Belize 2, Bermuda 5, Brazil 2, Cambodia 1, Canada 1, Cayman Islands 2, China 1, Comoros 1, Cook Islands 1, Cyprus 16, Denmark 3, Dominica 1, Ecuador 1, Estonia 2, Faroe Islands 4, Finland 1, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 12, Gibraltar 18, Hong Kong 26, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 27, Liberia 38, Libya 1, Malta 49, Marshall Islands 65, Mexico 1, Netherlands 7, Netherlands Antilles 5, Nigeria 1, Panama 66, Philippines 3, Portugal 4, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16, Singapore 90, Spain 7, Sweden 7, Thailand 30, Tonga 1, UK 36, US 2, unknown 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs