Background: Despite its neutrality Norway was not able to avoid occupation by Germany in World War II. 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.

Geographic coordinates: 62 00 N 10 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 324,220 km²
Land: 307,860 km²
Water: 16,360 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 2,515 km
Border countries: (3) Finland 729 km; , Sweden 1,619 km; , Russia 167 km

Coastline: 21,925 km (includes mainland 3,419 km large islands 2,413 km long fjords numerous small islands and minor indentations 16,093 km)

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 10 NM
Continental shelf: 200 NM
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Territorial sea: 4 NM

Climate: temperate along coast modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers causing glaciers to grow; 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 copper natural gas pyrites nickel iron ore zinc lead fish timber hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 3%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 0%
Forests and woodland: 27%
Other: 70% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 970 km² (1993 est.)

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 world; Norway is the only NATO member having a land boundary with Russia

Population: 4,503,440 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 0.49% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Norwegian
Adjective: Norwegian

Ethnic groups: Norwegian (Nordic Alpine Baltic) Sami 20,000

Languages
Note: small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 86% (state church) other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3% other 1% none and unknown 10% (1997)

Age structure
0-14 years: 19.99% (male 462,673; female 437,514)
15-64 years: 64.91% (male 1,482,346; female 1,440,832)
65 years and over: 15.1% (male 282,307; female 397,768) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.49% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 12.6 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 9.83 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.11 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 3.94 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.79 years
Male: 75.87 years
Female: 81.92 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 100 (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 1600 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 8 (1999)

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

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: Oslo

Administrative divisions: 19 provinces (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); note - 17 May 1814 is the date of independence from Sweden 7 June 1905 is the date Norway declared the union with Sweden was dissolved

Constitution: 17 May 1814 modified in 1884

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

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 March 2000)
Cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of the Parliament
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the largest party or leader of a coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the Parliament

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 15 September 1997 (next to be held 10 September 2001)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 35%, Center Party 7.9%, Conservative Party 14.3%, Christian People's Party 13.7%, Socialist Left Party 6%, Progress Party 15.3%, Liberal Party 4.4%, other parties 1.6%; seats by party - Labor Party 65, Center Party 11, Conservative Party 23, Christian People's Party 25, Socialist Left Party 9, Progress Party 25, Liberal Party 6, other parties 1
Note: for certain purposes, the Parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting

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

Political parties and leaders: Center Party [Odd Roger ENOKSEN]; Christian People's Party [Kiell Magne BONDEVIK]; Conservative Party [Jan PETERSEN]; Labor Party [Jens STOLTENBERG]; Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM]; Progress Party [Carl I. HAGEN]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN]

International organization participation: AfDB AsDB Australia Group BIS CBSS CCC CE CERN EAPC EBRD ECE EFTA ESA FAO IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU MINURSO NAM (guest) NATO NC NEA NIB NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE PCA UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNMEE UNMIBH UNMIK UNMOP UNTAET UNTSO UPU WEU (associate) WHO WIPO WMO WTrO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Knut VOLLEBAEK
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, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Robin Chandler DUKE
From the us embassy: Drammensveien 18, 0244 Oslo
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) 43 07 77

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)

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; in 1999 oil and gas accounted for 35% of exports. Only Saudi Arabia exports more oil than Norway. Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994. Growth picked up in 2000 to 2.7% compared to the meager 0.8% of 1999 but may fall back in 2001. The government moved ahead with privatization in 2000 even proposing the sale of up to one-third of the 100% state-owned oil company Statoil. Despite their high per capita income and generous welfare benefits Norwegians worry about that time in the next two decades when the oil and gas begin to run out. Accordingly Norway has been saving its oil-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund which is invested abroad and now is valued at more than $43 billion.

Real gdp growth rate: 2.7% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $27,700 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2%
Industry: 25%
Services: 73% (1999)

Agriculture products: barley other grains potatoes; beef milk; fish

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 2.4 million (2000 est.)
By occupation services: 74%
By occupation industry: 22%
By occupation agriculture forestry and fishing: 4% (1995)

Unemployment rate: 3% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4.1%
Highest 10: 21.8% (1995)

Budget
Revenues: $71.7 billion
Expenditures: $57.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.9% (2000 est.)

Exports: $59.2 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products machinery and equipment metals chemicals ships fish
Partners: EU 73% (UK 17% Germany 11% Netherlands 10% Sweden 9%) US 5% (1999)

Imports: $35.2 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment chemicals metals foodstuffs
Partners: EU 66% (Sweden 15% Germany 12% UK 9% Denmark 7%) US 10% Japan (1999)

Debt external: $0 (Norway is a net external creditor)

Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 8.7784 (January 2001) 8.8018 (2000) 7.7992 (1999) 7.5451 (1998) 7.0734 (1997) 6.4498 (1996)

Electricity
Production: 121.084 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 0.63%
Production by source hydro: 99.11%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0.26% (1999)
Consumption: 110.795 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 8.28 billion kWh (1999)
Imports: 6.467 billion kWh (1999)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 2.735 million (1998)
Mobile cellular: 2,080,408 (1998)

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: 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)

Internet
Country code: .no
Service providers isps: 13 (2000)
Users: 2.36 million (October 2000)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $3.113 billion (FY98)
Percent of gdp: 2.1% (FY98)

Airports: 103 (2000 est.)
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: 14
With paved runways under 914 m: 28 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 36
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 31 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Pipelines: refined petroleum products 53 km

Railways
Total: 4,012 km
Standard gauge: 4,012 km 1.435-m gauge (2,530 km electrified; 96 km double track) (1998)

Waterways
Note: navigable by 2.4 m maximum draft vessels

Merchant marine
Total: 764 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,667,370 GRT/32,100,208 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 89, cargo 139, chemical tanker 114, combination bulk 9, combination ore/oil 37, container 15, liquefied gas 84, passenger 10, petroleum tanker 151, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 45, short-sea passenger 22, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 38
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 1, Japan 1, Mexico 1, Sweden 1 (2000 est.)