(17th May,National Day)
Country of northern Europe that occupies the western half of the Scandinavian
peninsula. With the Barents Sea to the north, the Norwegian Sea and the North
Sea to the west, and Skagerrak to the south. About two-thirds of Norway is
mountainous. Norway owes its warmer climate. Norway has land borders only to the
east—with Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The mean annual temperature on the west
coast is 7 °C to 30 °C .Oslo is the capital of this country. For many years Oslo
has attracted settlers from throughout the country, becoming a national melting
pot surrounded by the most important agricultural and industrial districts of
Norway. Indo-European peoples settled Norway's coast in antiquity, establishing
a permanent settlement near the present capital of Oslo some 6,000 years ago.
Norway, which gained its independence in 1905, emerged as a major maritime
transporter of the world's goods as well as a world leader in specialized
shipbuilding. In the 1970s the exploitation of offshore oil and natural gas
became the major maritime industry, with Norway emerging in the 1990s as one of
the world's leading petroleum exporters. The Norwegian economy is dependent
largely on the fortunes of its important petroleum industry. Only about
one-fifth of Norway's commodity imports are food and consumer goods; the rest
consists of raw materials, fuels, and capital goods. Life expectancy rates in
Norway are among the highest in the world
. In most parts of Norway the nucleus of the population is Nordic in heritage
and appearance. Between 60 and 70 percent have blue eyes. An influx of people
from southern Europe has been strong in southwestern Norway. Nord-Norge Sami—the
country's first inhabitants—living in Norway. Only a small number of them still
practice traditional reindeer herding on the Finnmark Plateau. The Sami arrived
in Norway at least 10,000 years ago, perhaps from Central Asia. Formerly subject
to widespread, even official ethnic discrimination, the Sami are now legally
recognized as a distinct culture and have been granted some measure of autonomy
through the Sami Parliament.
The Norwegian language belongs to the North Germanic branch of the Germanic
language group. Almost all educated Norwegians speak English as a second
language. About nine-tenths of all Norwegians belong to the Evangelical Lutheran
national church, the Church of Norway, which is endowed by the government. . As
a result of Asian immigration, there also are small groups of Muslims and
Buddhists.
In western Norway, Karm Island comprises a notably rich agricultural area with
rich fruit districts specializing in apples and cherries. Although less than
one-twentieth of Norway's total area is agricultural land, productive forests
constitute more than one-third of the total area. Forestry forms the basis for
the wood-processing industry, which accounts for a small but important part of
Norway's total commodity exports. Fishing plays the same role that forestry does
elsewhere. At the same time, it forms the basis of a large fish-processing
industry and offers seasonal employment for many farmers.
In most of Norway regular overland transportation services are so expensive that
the government must provide or subsidize both establishment and operation. Bus
transport plays a key role in public transportation, aided by some more than two
hundreds scheduled ferry routes. The number of private automobiles in the
country has increased rapidly, creating parking problems and traffic jams in the
major cities. The extensive railway system, more than half of which has been
electrified, is operated by the Norwegian State Railways (Norges Statsbaner),
Elections to the 165-member Storting are held every four years. All citizens at
least 18 years of age are eligible to participate, and seats are filled by
proportional representation. Norway's political life functions through a
multiparty system. Norway is a constitutional hereditary monarchy. The
government, comprising the prime minister and the State Council, is nominally
chosen by the monarch with the approval of the Storting, the country's
legislature. The Storting settles most matters in unicameral plenary sessions.
Only when voting on laws is the Storting divided into two houses. One-fourth of
the members are chosen to constitute the upper house, while the remaining
members constitute the lower house. Bills must be passed by both houses in
succession.
The constitution of Norway, drafted in 1814 when Norway left the 434-year union
with Denmark, was influenced by British political traditions, the Constitution
of the United States, and French revolutionary ideas. Amendments can be made by
a two-thirds majority in the Storting. Unlike many parliamentary forms of
legislature, the Storting cannot be dissolved during its four-year term of
office. If a majority of the Storting votes against an action advocated by the
Statsråd, the minister responsible or the whole Statsråd resigns. In legislative
matters the monarch has a suspending right of veto, but, since the 91-year union
with Sweden was dissolved in 1905, this veto has never been exercised.
The city of Oslo constitutes one of the country's 19 counties. The other
counties are divided into rural and urban municipalities, with councils elected
every fourth year (two years after the Storting elections). For the country as a
whole, the municipal elections tend to mirror the party division of the Storting.
The municipal councils elect a board of aldermen and a mayor. Many
municipalities also employ councillors for such governmental affairs as finance,
schools, social affairs, and housing. Norwegians pay direct taxes to both
federal and municipal governments.
Islam is the largest minority religion in Norway with over 2% of the population.
The first arrival of embassies from the Muslim sultan of Tunis was held in
Norway in the 1260 with rich gifts.