Norway
Kingdom of NorwayKongeriket Norge
constitutional monarchy
Norway as the 2009 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 138 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav TRYGGVASON in 994. Conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king.
Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although Norway remained neutral in World War I, it suffered heavy losses to its shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940-45). In 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes.
The current focus is on containing spending on the extensive welfare system and planning for the time when petroleum reserves are depleted. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU.
Geography
Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden
20 fieldsLand useshare of 323,802 sq km
Climate
- temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current;
- colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers;
- 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, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 2.4 cu km/yr (23%/67%/10%)
- per capita:
- 519 cu m/yr (1996)
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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, 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 the most rugged and longest coastlines in the world
People
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2009 est.)
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Religions(2004)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.75 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Languages
Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities
Government
Constitutional monarchy; King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Prime Minister Jens STOLTENBERG (since 17 October 2005)
19 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Parliament or Storting, 169 seats, elected 14 September 2009one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Kingdom of Norway
- conventional short form:
- Norway
- local long form:
- Kongeriket Norge
- local short form:
- Norge
Capital
- name:
- Oslo
- geographic coordinates:
- 59 55 N, 10 45 E
- time difference:
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
- daylight saving time:
- +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions
19 counties (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
Independence
7 June 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union)
Legal system
- mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions;
- Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked;
- accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch (born 20 July 1973)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Jens STOLTENBERG (since 17 October 2005)
- cabinet:
- State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of parliament
- elections:
- the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the parliament
Legislative branch
modified unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 14 September 2009 (next to be held in September 2013)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - Labor Party 35.4%, Progress Party 22.9%, Conservative Party 17.2%, Socialist Left Party 6.2%, Center Party 6.2%, Christian People's Party 5.5%, Liberal Party 3.9%, other 2.7%;
- seats by party - Labor Party 64, Progress Party 41, Conservative Party 30, Socialist Left Party 11, Center Party 11, Christian People's Party 10, Liberal Party 2
note: for certain purposes, the parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership in the Lagting and three-fourths of its membership in the Odelsting
Political parties and leaders
- Center Party [Liv Signe NAVARSETE];
- Christian People's Party [Dagfinn HOYBRATEN];
- Conservative Party [Erna SOLBERG];
- Labor Party [Jens STOLTENBERG];
- Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM];
- Progress Party [Siv JENSEN];
- Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Norwegian Aid Committee or NORWAC;
- Norwegian Association of the Disabled;
- Pure Salmon Campaign;
- The Consumer Council (consumer advocacy group)
- other:
- environmental groups;
- media;
- reform movements
International organization participation
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Wegger C. STROMMEN
- 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, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Benson K. WHITNEY
- embassy:
- Henrik Ibsens gate 48, 0244 Oslo; note - the embassy will move to Huseby in the near future
- mailing address:
- PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707
- telephone:
- [47] (22) 44 85 50
- FAX:
- [47] (22) 44 33 63, 56 27 51
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);
- the colors recall Norway's past political unions with Denmark (red and white) and Sweden (blue)
Economy
The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention.
51 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2008 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring 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. The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on the petroleum sector, which accounts for nearly half of exports and over 30% of state revenue.
Norway is the world's third-largest gas exporter; its position as an oil exporter has slipped to seventh-largest as production has begun to decline. Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, as a member of the European Economic Area, it contributes sizably to the EU budget.
In anticipation of eventual declines in oil and gas production, Norway saves almost all state revenue from the petroleum sector in a sovereign wealth fund. After lackluster growth of less than 1.5% in 2002-03, GDP growth picked up to 2.5-6.2% in 2004-07, partly due to higher oil prices. Growth fell to 2.6% in 2008 as a result of the slowing world economy and the drop in oil prices.
Distribution of family income - Gini index
25 (2008) · 25.8 (1995) country comparison to the world: 131
Central bank discount rate
4% (31 December 2008) · 6.25% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 71
Commercial bank prime lending rate
7.28% (31 December 2008) · 3.5% (1st quarter 2009) country comparison to the world: 141
Industries
petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing
Natural gas - proved reserves
2.313 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 16
Current account balance
$88.34 billion (2008 est.) · $60.46 billion (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 6
Exports - commodities
petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$50.95 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $60.84 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 26
Debt - external
$475.9 billion (31 December 2008) · $540.3 billion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 22 note: Norway is a net external creditor
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
$91.49 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $93.69 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
$160.1 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $133.3 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Exchange rates
Norwegian kroner (NOK) per US dollar - 5.6361 (2008), 5.86 (2007), 6.418 (2006), 6.445 (2005), 6.7327 (2004)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- modern in all respects; one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in Europe
- domestic:
- Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover, the prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular-mobile systems instead of fixed-wire systems
- international:
- country code - 47;
- 2 buried coaxial cable systems;
- submarine cables provide links to other Nordic countries and Europe;
- 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) (1999)
Transportation
10 fieldsMerchant marine, 688 ships by type
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Military
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige Norske Sjoeforsvaret, RNoN; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard (Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret, RNoAF), Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV) (2007)
Military service age and obligation
- 18-44 years of age for male compulsory military service;
- 16 years of age in wartime;
- 17 years of age for male volunteers;
- 18 years of age for women;
- 12-month service obligation, in practice shortened to 8 to 9 months;
- although all males between ages of 18 and 44 are liable for service, in practice they are seldom called to duty after age 30;
- reserve obligation to age 35-60;
- 16 years of age for volunteers to the Home Guard, who serve 6-month duty tours (2009)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49:
- 1,078,181
- females age 16-49:
- 1,046,550 (2008 est.)
Transnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
- Norway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land and its continental shelf);
- despite dialogue, Russia and Norway continue to dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Norway.” The World Factbook 2009. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/norway/2009.