Norway

Kongeriket Norge

constitutional monarchyIndependence 26 October 1905 (from Sweden)

Norway as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 101 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalOslo
Position62 00 N, 10 00 E
Area324,220 sq km
LocationNorthern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North
1997

Every edition of Norway

Populationas each edition published it
4.4 million July 1997 est. · 4.25m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.47% 1997 est. · 0.41% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 37.7 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
78.09 years 1997 est. · 77.16 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.83 children per woman 1997 est. · 1.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
5.1 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 7 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$26,200 1996 est. · $17,700 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
4.8% 1996 est. · 2.9% in 1993

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 324,220 sq km

arable land 3%permanent pastures 0%forests and woodland 27%other 70% (1993 est.)irrigated 970 sq km (1993 est.)permanent crops: NA%
Area
324,220sq km
land: 307,860 sq kmwater: 16,360 sq kmslightly 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
Highest point
2,472m
Glittertindenlowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
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

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

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

Environment - 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, 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
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements

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 and Turkey only NATO members having a land boundary with Russia

People

15 fields
Population
4,399,993
(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 0.47% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth
13.25Death
10.22Net migration
1.66

Religions(1980)

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

Age structure

0-14 years:
19% (male 440,621; female 417,331) 15-64 years : 65% (male 1,446,739; female 1,399,291)
65 years and over:
16% (male 289,426; female 406,585) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth :
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.71 male(s)/female
total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

5.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:
78.09 years
male:
75.29 years
female:
81.07 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.83 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Norwegian(s)
adjective:
Norwegian

Ethnic groups

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

Languages

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

Government

Constitutional monarchy; Prime Minister Thorbjoern JAGLAND (since 25 October 1996)

21 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%last held 13 September 1993 (next to be held NA September 1997)

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

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); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS (born 20 July 1973)
head of government:
Prime Minister Thorbjoern JAGLAND (since 25 October 1996)
cabinet:
State Council appointed by the king with the approval of the Parliament
elections:
  • none;
  • the king is a hereditary monarch;
  • following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the king with the approval of the Parliament

Legislative branch

modified unicameral Parliament or Storting which, for certain purposes, divides itself into two chambers (165 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 13 September 1993 (next to be held NA September 1997)
election results :
  • percent of vote by party - 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 by party - 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 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 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, IHO, 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, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US

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

FAX

[1] (202) 337-0870

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

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 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

Norway is a prosperous bastion of welfare | capitalism.

22 fields
Real growth rate
4.8%
(1996 est.)industrial production growth: 3% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate
4.5%
(1996 est.)
Labor force
2.13million
by occupation: services 71%, industry 23%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6% (1993)

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

Economy - overview

Norway is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism. The economy consists of 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 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 levels 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. Only Saudi Arabia exports more oil than Norway. Norway imports more than half its food needs. Economic growth, only 1.6% in 1993, has improved steadily over the past few years, resulting in a budget surplus in 1996.

Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994. Despite their high per capita income - outstripped among major nations only by the US - and their generous welfare benefits, the Norwegians worry about that time in the 21st century when the oil and gas run out.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $114.1 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $26,200 (1996 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity - capacity

26.43 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production

123.2 billion kWh (1995)

Agriculture - products

  • oats, other grains;
  • beef, milk;
  • livestock output exceeds value of crops;
  • among world's top 10 fishing nations;
  • fish catch of 2.33 million metric tons in 1994

Exports

total value:
$41.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
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 77.2% (UK 19.8%, Germany 12.7%, Netherlands 9.1%, France 7.8%, Sweden 9.8%), US 6.0% (1995)

Imports

total value :
$32.7 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities:
machinery and equipment and manufactured consumer goods 54%, chemicals and other industrial inputs 39%, foodstuffs 6%
partners:
EU 71.0% (Sweden 15.4%, Germany 13.8%, UK 9.7%, Denmark 7.5%, Netherlands 4.4%), US 6.6% (1995)

Economic aid

donor: ODA, $1.014 billion (1993)

Currency

1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere

Exchange rates

Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1 - 6.4475 (January 1997), 6.4498 (1996), 6.3352 (1995), 7.0576 (1994), 7.0941 (1993), 6.2145 (1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
2.39 million
(1994 est.); 470,000 mobile phones in use in 1994

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.)

Transportation

10 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
59
over 3,047 m : 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 12

Networkskm

Highways
90,261Railways
4,027Waterways
1,577
Highways: paved : 66,342 km (including 105 km of expressways) · unpaved: 23,919 km (1995) · 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:
90,261 km
paved :
66,342 km (including 105 km of expressways)
unpaved:
23,919 km (1995)

Waterways

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

Pipelines

refined products 53 km

Ports and harbors

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

Merchant marine

total :
718 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,401,580 GRT/31,740,273 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 102, cargo 106, chemical tanker 83, combination bulk 9, combination ore/oil 33, container 16, liquefied gas tanker 87, multi-function large load carrier 1, oil tanker 148, passenger 14, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 10, roll-on/roll-off cargo 49, short-sea passenger 24, vehicle carrier 34

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 (1996 est.)

Airports

102 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total : 5 914 to 1,523 m: 5 (1996 est.)

Heliports

1 (1996 est.)

Military

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

7 fields

Military branches

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

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,112,390 (1997 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land); Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute in the Barents Sea between Norway and Russia

Illicit drugs

  • minor transshipment point for drugs shipped via the CIS and Baltic states for the European market;
  • increasing domestic consumption of cannabis and amphetamines OMAN

Central Intelligence Agency. “Norway.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/norway/1997.

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