Norway is a neighboring country to Sweden, and known for its magnificent nature with fjords, mountains and midnight sun. The northern tip of the country extends into the Arctic Ocean and is Europe’s northernmost point. The Norwegian fjords have been named the world’s best travel destination by National Geographic.
| Capital: | Oslo |
| Biggest city: | Oslo |
| State: | monarchy |
| Language: | Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk) |
| Religion: | Protestantism |
| Surface: | 385 199 km² |
| Population: | 5.1 million (2013) |
| Population density: | 14 residents per km² |
| Life expectancy: | 80 years |
| Illiteracy: | 0% |
| Currency: | Norwegian krone (NOK) 1 krone = 1.03 kr |
| GDP per capita: | $ 53,000 |
| Time difference: | +0 hours |
| Electricity: | 220 V AC, 50Hz |
| National Day: | May 17 |
| Country area code: | 47 |
| 2-Letter country abbreviation: | NO (See more abbreviations on Abbreviationfinder) |
| Business: | service sector 78%, industry 16%, agriculture 6% |
| Climate: | cold in the north and in the inner parts; temperate and humid on the coast |
Norway is an elongated country on the Scandinavian peninsula, and can boast one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines. At the top of the country is the Northern Cape, which is considered Europe’s northernmost point.
The country is known for its fjords. Two of them, the Geirangerfjord and the Nærøyfjord, are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The most popular are the Sognefjord, which is the world’s second longest, and the Hardangerfjord with its famous cherries and apple trees.
In northern Norway is the Lofoten archipelago, which has been named the third most fascinating archipelago in the world by National Geographic. It is characterized by the islands looking like mountains protruding directly from the sea. The islands are cut by narrow fjords, and separated by narrow straits.
The Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean and Bouvet Island in the southern Atlantic also belong to Norway. Norway also claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica, as well as Peter I’s island off the west coast of Antarctica.
Most of the books by the author Jo Nesbø take place in Oslo. The James Bond films “Die Another Day” and “You only live twice” contain both scenes that have been shot in Norway. The same goes for the films “Space Empire Strikes Back”, “Kon-Tiki” and “The Vikings” from 1958 with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis.
WORLD HERITAGE
The following objects in Norway are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The year in which the item was added to the list is indicated in parentheses.
- Bryggen, district in Bergen (1979)
- Urnes Stave Church (1979)
- The mountain town of Røros with surroundings (1980)
- The Altar Carvings (1985)
- The cultural landscape on the island of Vega and surrounding islands (2004)
- Four measuring points in Struve’s meridian arc (2005)
- Norway’s western fjords, Geirangerfjorden and Nærøyfjorden (2005)
ELECTRICAL OUTLET
Electricity and electrical outlets in Norway
Voltage: 230 V
Frequency: 50 Hz
Type of plug: C, F
Need an adapter: No, you do not need an adapter.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Weather in Oslo
| Climate | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Christmas | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average temperature °C | -3 | -3 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 2 | -3 |
| Day °C | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 4 | -1 |
| Night °C | -7 | -7 | -3 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 4 | -1 | -5 |
| Rain (mm) | 50 | 40 | 60 | 40 | 50 | 80 | 70 | 90 | 70 | 90 | 70 | 50 |
| Rainy days | 11 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 11 |
| Soltim / day | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
Bergen
Bergen is Norway’s second largest city with 250,000 residents, and is also Europe’s rainiest place with about 2250 mm of rain per year.
Bergen was founded in 1070 and was the capital of the Norwegian Empire in the 12th and 13th centuries. During the course of history, Bergen was hit by many fires, as the houses were traditionally built of wood. Only a quarter of the houses that stand there today were built during the period just after 1702, when the older storage houses along the quay burned down. In the other houses, there are only a few basement basements in stone that are older than from 1702. These are from the 15th century.
The Bryggen district is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Oslo
According to Countryaah, Oslo is the capital of Norway. The urban area of Oslo encompasses the contiguous settlements in and around the city and had 856,915 residents in 2008. The city’s roots can be traced back to the time around 1000 and became Norway’s capital in 1299. , while the original Oslo retained its name as an area outside the city. With the expansion of the city in 1859, the suburb of Oslo was incorporated into Christiania, which from 1925 was named Oslo.
In 2007, Oslo was named the world’s most expensive city. The survey by the British Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which is based on the price level in New York, showed that Oslo prices are 32 percent higher, followed by Paris (+ 30 percent), Copenhagen (+ 26 percent) and London (+ 25 percent).
Stavanger
Stavanger is Norway’s third most populous urban area with its 181,280 residents (2007) after Oslo (839,423), Bergen (220,418), but before Trondheim (152,845). In Stavanger municipality, however, only 117,315 residents live (2007). The fact that the urban area has more residents than the municipality is due to the fact that the urban area (the connected buildings) also consists of parts of the neighboring municipalities of Sandnes, Randaberg and Sola.
The city also has northern Europe’s largest wooden house district. The old town is very well preserved and today is mostly used by shops and a large number of pubs. Many of the houses in old Stavanger are from 1860. This is because the city archives burned down that year. It was then assumed that all the houses that existed in 1860 were built that year.
Stavanger was together with Liverpool Europe’s European Capital of Culture in 2008.
Tromsö
Tromsö has approximately 65,000 residents. It is the largest city in northern Norway and the 7th largest in Norway. From here, many expeditions to the Arctic started and are starting and have therefore been nicknamed “The Gate to the Arctic”. Another nickname given to the city is “Paris of the North”, originally coined by a German visitor in the late 19th century who marveled at the manners, language skills and culture of the northern city.
The University of Tromsö is the world’s northernmost university and Macks Ølbryggeri is the world’s northernmost brewery.
Trondheim
Trondheim is Norway’s third most populous city. Trondheim was founded in 997 by Olav Tryggvasson and was the Norwegian capital until 1217. Trondheim is today a large educational center with research in technology and medicine. There are about 25,000 students in the city.
Ålesund
Ålesund is a city in Norway. The municipality has about 60,000 residents, of which 40,000 live in the city of Ålesund. Ålesund is above all known for its Art Nouveau architecture and its fishing industry, within which many Swedish young people look for work.
On the night of January 23, 1904, Ålesund burned. The city, which at that time was built of wood, burned to the ground. The population had to flee in the middle of the night with only a few minutes to spare. Only one person died in the fire, but more than 10,000 people were left homeless in the middle of the cold Norwegian winter. William II of Germany used to vacation in the area. After the fire, he sent four ships with materials to build temporary shelters and shelters. After a planning period, the city was rebuilt in Art Nouveau stone, brick and concrete, which is known for its towers, spiers and decorative ornaments.