Norway

Kingdom of NorwayKongeriket Norge

constitutional monarchyIndependence 26 October 1905 (from Sweden)

Norway as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 90 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalOslo
Position62 00 N, 10 00 E
Area324,220 sq km
LocationNorthern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North
1996

Every edition of Norway

Populationas each edition published it
4.38 million July 1996 est. · 4.25m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.48% 1996 est. · 0.41% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 37.7 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
77.53 years 1996 est. · 77.16 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.63 children per woman 1996 est. · 1.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
4.9 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 7 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$24,500 1995 est. · $17,700 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
4.5% 1995 est. · 2.9% in 1993

Geography

Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North | Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden

15 fields

Land useshare of 324,220 sq km

arable land 3%meadows and pastures 0%forest and woodland 27%other 70%permanent crops 0% in all · irrigated 950 sq km (1989)
Area
324,220sq km
land area: 307,860 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico
Coastline
21,925km
(includes mainland 3,419 km, large islands 2,413 km, long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 16,093 km)contiguous zone: 10 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 4 nm
Land boundaries
2,515km
border countries: Finland 729 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 167 km

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

62 00 N, 10 00 E

International disputes

territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land); maritime boundary dispute with Russia over portion of Barents Sea

Climate

  • temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current;
  • colder interior;
  • 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
lowest point:
Norwegian Sea 0 m
highest point:
Glittertinden 2,472 m

Natural resources

petroleum, copper, natural gas, pyrites, nickel, iron ore, zinc, lead, fish, timber, hydropower

Environment

current issues:
  • water pollution;
  • acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks;
  • air pollution from vehicle emissions
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea

Geographic 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 and Turkey only NATO members having a land boundary with Russia

People

15 fields
Population
4,383,807
(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 0.48% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth
11.96Death
10.68Net migration
3.57

Religions(1980)

Evangelical Lutheran 87.8% (state church)other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3.8%none 3.2%unknown 5.2% (1980)
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1976 est.)total population: 99%male: NA%female: NA%

Age structure

0-14 years:
19% (male 434,848; female 411,668)
15-64 years:
65% (male 1,446,746; female 1,396,150)
65 years and over:
16% (male 288,789; female 405,606) (July 1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.71 male(s)/female
all ages:
0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

4.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:
77.53 years
male:
74.63 years
female:
80.61 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.63 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Norwegian(s)
adjective:
Norwegian

Ethnic divisions

Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic), Lapps (Sami) 20,000

Languages

Norwegian (official) note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Government

Constitutional monarchy; King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991) is a hereditary monarch; Prime Minister Gro Harlem BRUNDTLAND (since 3 November 1990) was appointed by the king with the approval of the Storting

22 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

37.1%
Labor 37.1%Center Party 18.5%Conservatives 15.6%Christian People's 8.4%Socialist Left 7.9%Progress 6%Left Party 3.6%Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%

Legislature, 165 seatsone dot, one seat

Labor 67Center Party 32Conservatives 18Christian People's 13Socialist Left 13Progress 10Left Party 1Red Electoral Alliance 1unawarded 10

Name of country

conventional long form:
Kingdom of Norway
conventional short form:
Norway
local long form:
Kongeriket Norge
local short form:
Norge

Type of government

constitutional monarchy

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

Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

Independence

26 October 1905 (from Sweden)

National holiday

Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Constitution

17 May 1814, modified in 1884

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991) is a hereditary monarch; Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS (born 20 July 1973)
head of government:
Prime Minister Gro Harlem BRUNDTLAND (since 3 November 1990) was appointed by the king with the approval of the Storting
cabinet:
State Council was appointed by the king with the approval of the Storting

Legislative branch

modified unicameral Parliament (Storting) which, for certain purposes, divides itself into two chambers

Storting

  • elections last held 13 September 1993 (next to be held NA September 1997);
  • results - Labor 37.1%, Center Party 18.5%, Conservatives 15.6%, Christian People's 8.4%, Socialist Left 7.9%, Progress 6%, Left Party 3.6%, Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%;
  • seats - (165 total) Labor 67, Center Party 32, Conservatives 18, Christian People's 13, Socialist Left 13, Progress 10, Left Party 1, Red Electoral Alliance 1, unawarded 10

note: for certain purposes, the Storting divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Hoyesterett), justices appointed by the king

Political parties and leaders

  • Labor Party, Thorbjorn JAGLAND;
  • Conservative Party, Jan PETERSEN;
  • Center Party, Anne ENGER LAHNSTEIN;
  • Christian People's Party, Valgerd HAUGLAND;
  • Socialist Left, Erik SOLHEIM;
  • Norwegian Communist, Kare Andre NILSEN;
  • Progress Party, Carl I. HAGEN;
  • Liberal, Odd Einar DORUM;
  • Left Party;
  • Red Electoral Alliance, Erling FOLKVORD

International organization participation

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Kjeld VIBE
chancery:
2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 333-6000

FAX

[1] (202) 337-0870

consulate(s) general:
Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco
consulate(s):
Miami

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Ambassador Thomas A. LOFTUS
embassy:
Drammensveien 18, 0244 Oslo
mailing address:
PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707
telephone:
[47] 22 44 85 50

FAX

[47] 22 44 33 63

Flag

  • 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

Norway has a mixed economy involving a | combination of free market activity and government intervention.

21 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$24,500
(1995 est.)
Real growth rate
4.5%
(1995 est.)industrial production growth: 7.4% (1994)
Unemployment rate
8%
(including people in job-training programs; November 1995)

GDP composition by sector(1991)

agriculture 2.9%industry 34.7%services 62.4% (1991)

Budget

Revenues
$48.6 billionExpenditures
$53 billion (1994 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 27,280,000 kW

Electricity production
118 billionElectricity consumption per capita
23,735 (1993)

Economic overview

Norway has a mixed economy involving 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), and extensively subsidizes agriculture, fishing, and areas with sparse resources.

Norway also maintains an extensive welfare system that helps propel public sector expenditures to more than 50% of GDP and results in one of the highest average tax burdens in the world (46%). A small country with a high dependence on international trade, Norway is basically an exporter of raw materials and semiprocessed goods, with an abundance of small- and medium-sized firms, and is ranked among the major shipping nations.

The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil sector. Norway imports more than half its food needs. Economic growth, only 1.6% in 1993, moved up to 5.5% in 1994 and remained strong in 1995. Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $106.2 billion (1995 est.)

Labor force

2.13 million; by occupation: services 71%, industry 23%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6% (1993)

Industries

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

Agriculture

  • oats, other grains;
  • beef, milk;
  • livestock output exceeds value of crops;
  • among world's top 10 fishing nations;
  • fish catch of 1.76 million metric tons in 1989

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for drugs shipped via the CIS and Baltic states for the European market

Exports

$34.7 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products 43%, metals and products 11%, foodstuffs (mostly fish) 9%, chemicals and raw materials 25%, natural gas 6.0%, ships 5.4%
partners:
EU 77.8% (UK 20.8%, Germany 12.4%, France 8.12%), Sweden 9.4%, US 6.7%, Japan 1.9% (1994)

Imports

$27.3 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

commodities:
machinery and equipment and manufactured consumer goods 54%, chemicals and other industrial inputs 39%, foodstuffs 6%
partners:
EU 68.9% (Germany 13.9%, UK 10.4%, Denmark 7.4%), Sweden 15%, US 7.4%, Japan 6.0% (1994)

Economic aid

donor: ODA, $1.014 billion (1993)

Currency

1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere

Exchange rates

Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1 - 6.4160 (January 1996), 6.3352 (1995), 7.0576 (1994), 7.0941 (1993), 6.2145 (1992), 6.4829 (1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 102 in all

1
over 3 047 m
12
2 438 to 3 047 m
13
1 524 to 2 437 m
11
914 to 1 523 m
5
60
under 914 m
PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways
88,922Railways
4,027Waterways
1,577
Highways: paved: 61,356 km (including 75 km of expressways) · unpaved: 27,566 km (1990 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 4,027 km 1.435-m gauge (2422 km electrified; 96 km double track) (1995) · Waterways: ; 2.4 m draft vessels maximum

Railways

total:
4,027 km
standard gauge:
4,027 km 1.435-m gauge (2422 km electrified; 96 km double track) (1995)

Highways

total:
88,922 km
paved:
61,356 km (including 75 km of expressways)
unpaved:
27,566 km (1990 est.)

Waterways

1,577 km along west coast; 2.4 m draft vessels maximum

Pipelines

refined products 53 km

Ports

Bergen, Drammen, Flora, Hammerfest, Harstad, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Larvik, Narvik, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Stavanger, Tromso, Trondheim

Merchant marine

total:
712 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,278,205 GRT/32,209,679 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 114, cargo 98, chemical tanker 83, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 31, container 15, liquefied gas tanker 87, oil tanker 148, passenger 10, passenger-cargo 2, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 13, roll-on/roll-off cargo 49, short-sea passenger 21, vehicle carrier 30

note: the government has created an internal register, the Norwegian International Ship Register (NIS), as a subset of the Norwegian register; ships on the NIS enjoy many benefits of flags of convenience and do not have to be crewed by Norwegians (1995 est.)

Heliports

1 (1995 est.)

Communications

Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy (includes Coast | Artillery and Coast Guard), Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home Guard

9 fields
Fixed lines
2.39 million
(1986 est.)

Telephone system

high-quality domestic and international telephone, telegraph, and telex services

domestic:
NA domestic satellite earth stations
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)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 46, FM 493 (350 private and 143 government), shortwave 0

Radios

3.3 million (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations

54 (repeaters 2,100)

Televisions

1.5 million (1993 est.) Defense

Branches

Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy (includes Coast Artillery and Coast Guard), Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home Guard

Manpower availability

males age 15-49:
1,125,302
males fit for military service:
937,309
males reach military age (20) annually:
28,328 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $3.7 billion, 2.9% of GDP (1995)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Norway.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/norway/1996.

How to cite ← 1995 edition 1997 edition →