COUNTRY BOOKLET

NORWAY

N O RWAY C O U N T RY B O O K L E T

Index
General Information Flag Coat of Arms Anthem Geography History Politics Economy Money Demographics Culture, Traditions, Events Norwegian Society Sports in Norway Cuisine of Norway Useful Links

GeneralInformation
Head of State: His Majesty King Harald V of Norway Head of Government: Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg Area: 385 155 km2 (ranked as 116) Population (2012 census): 5,033,675 Population per km2: 15.5 Capital city: Oslo Language: Norwegian (Bokml and Nynorsk). In northern Norway, Smi is also an official language State Church: Church of Norway (Evangelical Lutheran) GDP (2011): 265,911 billion NOK GDP per capita (2011): 53 470 NOK Currency: Norwegian kroner (NOK) 1 krone = 100 re Constitution Day: 17 May (1814) Liberated from Sweden June 7, 1905. Average life expectancy (2010): all: 81,2, female: 83 years, male: 79 years

Flag
Was designed in 1821 by Fredrik Meltzer, a Norwegian politician and one of the signatories of the Norwegian Constitution. Fredrik Meltzer chose a Christian cross, following the tradition of the other Nordic countries (Denmark and Sweden). Red, white and blue were chosen to denote democracy, as these colors were used in the flags of comparably democratic states (The Netherlands, United Kingdom, The United States and France). Meltzer's design also refers to the red and white Danish flag, which had been Norway's flag until 1814. The blue cross was probably a reference to the blue of the Swedish flag.

Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms of Norway is one of the oldest in Europe. It originated as a personal coat of arms for the royal house. Hkon the Old (1217-1263) used a shield with a lion. In 1280, King Eirik Magnusson added the crown and silver axe to the lion. The axe is the martyr axe of St. Olav, the weapon used to kill him in the battle of Stiklestad in 1030.

Anthem
The words for the national anthem "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" (Yes, We Love This Country), written by Bjrnstjerne Bjrnson, one of Norway's great dramatists and poets, were first published in 1859. The original poem had six verses; the first verse and last two verses are used nowadays as the anthem. Rikard Nordraak, cousin of Bjrnson and a friend of the famed Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg composed the music, in 1864. It was first performed later that year for the 50th anniversary of their constitution, and caught on quickly. It became a part of the reading books in schools all over the country, and was sung by the children in the children's parades organized by Bjrnson on every 17th of May.

The northern part of the country is also known as the Land of the Midnight Sun because of its location north of the Arctic Circle, where for part of each summer the sun does not set, and in winter much of its land remains dark for long periods. In summertime in the southern part of Norway, the sun is only away for a few hours. Seas of the North Atlantic Ocean bound Norway: the North Sea to the southwest and the Norwegian Sea to the west. In the northeast is the Barents Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean. To the east, in order from south to north, it shares a long border with Sweden, a shorter one with Finland, and a still shorter one with Russia. Norway's highest point is the Galdhpiggen at 2,469 meters. With a maximum depth of 514 meters (1,686ft), Hornindalsvatnet is Norway's and Europe's deepest lake. The Norwegian climate is fairly temperate, especially along the coast under the influence of the Gulf Stream. The inland climate can be more severe and to the north more subarctic conditions are found, especially in Finnmark.

Geography
The landscape is generally rugged and mountainous, with several major glaciers occupying central mountain plateau. Steep-sloped inlets known as fjords, as well as a multitude of islands and islets punctuate its coastline of over 83,000 kilometers.

History
Archeological findings indicate that there were people in Norway about 12,000 years ago. They probably came from more southern regions, that is Northern Germany, and traveled far north along the Norwegian coastline.

In the 9th century Norway consisted of a number of petty kingdoms. According to tradition, Harald Fairhair gathered the small kingdoms into one in 872 with the battle of Hafrsfjord and became the first king of a united Norway. The Viking age (8th to 11th centuries) was one of unification and expansion. The Norwegians established settlements in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and parts of the British Islands. Norwegians founded the modern day Irish cities of Dublin and Cork. In 1349, the Black Plague wiped out between 1/3 and 2/3 of the Norwegian population, causing a recession. During this recession, the Norwegian royal line died out in 1387. Royal politics at the time resulted in several unions between the Nordic countries, and the country entered into the Kalmar Union with Denmark and Sweden. Sweden declared its independence in 1523, but Norway remained under the Danish crown until 1814. Under the national romanticism of the 19th century, this period was sometimes referred
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to as the "400-Year Night," since the kingdoms entire royal, intellectual, and administrative power was centered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Other factors also contributed to Norway's decline in this period. In 1814 Denmark-Norway entered into an alliance with Napoleon, but found itself on the losing side in the Napoleonic Wars and in dire economic conditions. The Dano-Norwegian Oldenburg king was forced to cede Norway to the king of Sweden. Norway took this opportunity to declare her independence, adopted a constitution based on American and French models, and elected the Danish crown prince Christian Fredrik as king on May 17, 1814. Norway was militarily forced into a union with Sweden, but kept its liberal constitution and independent institutions. The union also meant that Foreign Service and the royal house was common, between Norway and Sweden. This period also saw the rise of the Norwegian romantic nationalism cultural movement, as the Norwegians sought to define and express a distinct national character. Norway's growing dissatisfaction with the union with Sweden during the late 19th century, combined with National Romanticism and the growing national culture coming from it, led to the dissolution of the union on June 7, 1905. The Norwegian government offered the throne of Norway to the Danish Prince Carl. After a referendum confirming the monarchy, the Parliament unanimously elected him king. He took the name of Haakon VII, after the medieval kings of independent Norway. In 1913, Norwegian women gained suffrage.

Norway was a neutral country during World War I. Norway also attempted to claim neutrality during World War II, but was invaded by German forces on April 9, 1940 (Operation Weserbung). In 1944, the Germans evacuated the provinces of Finnmark and northern Troms, using a scorched earth tactic to create a vast area of No-man's land in response to the Red Army attacking their positions in eastern Finnmark. The occupation during World War II disturbed the Norwegians' confidence in neutrality, and they turned instead to collective security. Norway was one of the signatories of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949 and was a founding member of the United Nations, providing its first secretary general Trygve Lie. Norway has twice voted against joining the European Union (in 1972 and 1994), but is associated with the EU via the European Economic Area. However, Norway is a member of the much smaller European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Politics
Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Royal House is a branch of the princely family of Glcksburg, originally from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. The functions of the King, Harald V, are mainly ceremonial, but he has influence as the symbol of national unity. Although the constitution of 1814 grants important executive powers to the King, these are almost always exercised by the Council of State in the name of the King (King's Council, or cabinet). The reserve powers vested in the Monarch, by the constitution, are significant and an important security part of the role of the Monarchy, and were last used during World War II. The Council of State consists of a Prime Minister and his council, formally appointed by the King. The Norwegian parliament, Stortinget, currently has 169 members. The members are elected from the 19 counties for 4-year terms according to a system of proportional representation. The Storting divides itself into two chambers, the Odelsting and the Lagting.

Economy
The Norwegian economy is an example of mixed economy, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector. The control mechanisms over the petroleum resources is a combination of state ownership in major operators in the Norwegian fields (Statoil: 70%, Norsk Hydro: 43%) while specific taxes on oil-profits for all operators are set to 78%. Finally, the government controls licencing of exploration and production of fields. The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and has obtained one of the highest standards of living in the world partly from petroleum production; oil and gas account for around 50% of the exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia export more oil than Norway, which is not a member of OPEC. In response to concerns about oil and gas reserve depletions, Norway has adopted measures to save its oil-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund, which is invested abroad and at the end of the fourth quarter of 2012
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was valued at 3,16 trillion NOK. Economic controls related to oil sales are avoided by controlling oil supply.

Money
Krone is the name of the currency used in Norway. The plural form is kroner. One krone is divided into 100 re, singular and plural. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common abbreviation is "kr". You can always check the rate of most currencies regarding NOK at: http://www.ratesfx.com/rates/rate-nok.html

Demographics
The Norwegian population is around 5 million. Ethnically most Norwegians are Nordic / North Germanic, while small minorities in the north are Sami or Finnish. The Sami are considered an indigenous people and traditionally live in the Northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The largest concentration of Sami people is, however, found in Norway's capital Oslo. In recent years, immigration has accounted for more than half the population growth, and 13.2% of the population are

immigrants as of 2012. The largest immigrant groups are Pakistanis, Swedes, Danes, Iraqis, Vietnamese and Somalis. Approximately 86% of Norway's inhabitants are members of the state church, the Evangelic Lutheran Church of Norway. Other Christian denominations total about 4.5%. Among other religions, Islam is the largest in Norway with about 1.5%, and other religions comprise less than 1% each.

C u l t u r e , Tr a d i t i o n s , Events
Famous Norwegians
Include the playwrights/novelists Baron Ludvig Holberg, Henrik Ibsen, explorers Roald Amundsen, Fridtjof Nansen, and Thor Heyerdahl, expressionist painter Edvard Munch and the sculptor Gustav Vigeland and romanticist composer EdvardGrieg. The playwright/novelists Bjrnstjerne Bjrnson, Knut Hamsun and Sigrid Undset have all won the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1903, 1920 and 1928 respectively.

The Norwegian language has two official written forms, Bokml and Nynorsk. They have officially equal status, i.e. they are both used in public administration, in schools, churches, and on radio and television, but Bokml is used by the majority. Around 95% of the population speaks Norwegian as their native tongue, although many speak dialects that differ significantly from the written language. Nevertheless, all of the Norwegian dialects are mutual intelligibility. Several Sami languages are spoken and written throughout the country, especially in the north, by the Sami people.

May,17th
Norwegians celebrate their national day on May 17th, t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n D ay. Many people wear bunad (which may be traditional or not traditional costumes) and many participate in or watch the 17th May parade through the towns. These parades differ markedly from those of many other countries in that, rather than the military parades, they consist of children. The 17th of May was originally a celebration of national independence by the middle
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and upper class, while the working class celebrated the 1st of May, but it became during, the social democratic rule, after the WW II, a major public feast, celebrated by all.

Russe Fest

Christmas and Julebord

Russen are high-school adolescents about to finish their last year. Every Russ has an identity card with their nickname, and are expected to earn points during a 3 week party period right before exams around March. The traditional attire for Russ youngsters is a red or blue overall and a hat that helps them earn points, according to pre-established rules. Russes are normally allowed more freedom than normal during this time of the year!

Jul or Christmas is a family event in Norway and many Norwegians retire to their towns or counties of origin to be with their loved ones. If a Norwegian invites you over for Christmas, consider it a great honor, but by no means expect it. However, a Christmas tradition you can take part in is the Julebord, or Christmas table. This is similar to a Christmas social, and it is probably the only time of the year when companies are allowed to spend money on alcohol for their employees! Julebords are great fun, and include strange-tasting fish like Lutefisk (fish preserved in costic soda), a dish from the north, pinekjtt, aquavit (the Norwegian national drink) and beer and many other dishes depending on which part of the country you are in.

Norwegian Society
The Family
Many families consist mainly of the nuclear family. Marriage is not a prerequisite to starting a family.

Many couples live together without legalizing the arrangement with marriage. Therefore, it is best not to make presumptions about peoples marital status.

Women
Women are highly respected in business and generally receive equal pay and have access to senior positions. Norwegian women expect to be treated with the same respect as their male colleagues, as gender equality is highly valued in Norway. There is 12 month of parental leave, of which 11 month is divided freely between the parents and four weeks are only for the father and cannot be transferred, and is therefore lost if the father does not use the time. In 1997, 70 % of the fathers used this right to stay home with their child. During the leave the parents receive 80 % of their ordinary pay. If a woman decides to stay home with pre-school children she receives a monthly stipend from the government. The same rule refers to men.

They pride themselves on being honest and sincere in their personal relationships.

Sports in Norway
Norway has a population of a little more than five million, over half of who exercise or play sports on a regular basis. Three out of four Norwegian children take part in sporting activities. Competitive sports attract enormous attention. Norwegian athletes have won international championship medals in a wide range of sports, including cross-country skiing, boxing, wrestling, speed-skating, curling, cycling, dancing, athletics, sledge-dog racing, handball, karate, orienteering, canoeing, rowing, sailing, shooting, weight-lifting, swimming and women's football.

Egalitarianism
Norwegians view themselves as an egalitarian people, whose culture is based on democratic principles of respect and interdependence. They like people for themselves, and not for what they do for a living, their professional accomplishments, or how much money they earn. They have simple tastes and are not prone to ostentation or excessive showiness.
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Cuisine of Norway
Norwegian cuisine is in its traditional form largely based on the raw materials readily available in a country dominated by mountains, wilderness and the sea. Hence, it differs in many respects from its continental counterparts with a stronger focus on game and fish.

Unlike continental Europeans, Norwegians eat only one hot meal per day, middag, which is served around five in the afternoon. For breakfast and lunch most Norwegians eat fullgrain bread. Typical bread spreads or fillings are liver paste, cheese, ham and caviar (not the same as Russian caviar). Most employees bring their own lunch, although almost every workplace has canteen facilities. Norwegian food can be summarized in fish (in various forms), seafood (especially shrimps), potatoes, vegetables and various types of meat. The best way of trying different Norwegian dishes is to order them at a restaurant or pub or cook together with a Norwegian so one can learn a recipe. Recommended: laks (salmon), makrell, susild (pickled herring), fiskeboller, rice pudding, meatballs with sauce, amongst others.

Useful Links
Welcome to Norway: http://www.norway.info Official Travel Guide to Norway: http://www.visitnorway.com/ Norwegian News: http://www.aftenposten.no/english/ Norwegian Foods (recipes and more): http://www.lawzone.com/half-nor/food.htm Yellow pages in Norway: http://www.gulesider.no

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