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Norway,officiallytheKingdomofNorwayisaNordiccountryonthewesternportionoftheScandinavianPeninsula,borderingSweden,FinlandandRussia.Norwayhasaveryelongatedshape;thecountry'sextensivecoastlinealongtheNorthAtlanticOceanishometoitsfamousfjords.TheKingdomofNorwayalsoincludestheArcticislandterritoriesofSvalbardandJanMayen.TheNorwegiansovereigntyonSvalbardisbasedontheSvalbardTreaty,butthisdoesnotapplytoJanMayen.BouvetIslandintheSouthAtlanticOceanandaclaimforPeterIIslandintheSouthPacificOceanarealsoexternaldependencies,butthesearenotpartoftheKingdom.NorwayalsoclaimsQueenMaudLandinAntarctica.

Itscitizensenjoyahighstandardoflivinginacountrythatisgenerallyperceivedascleanandmodern.

History

ArcheologicalfindsindicatethattherewerepeopleinNorwayabout12,000yearsago.Theyprobablycamefrommoresouthernregions,thatisnorthernGermany,andtravelledfurthernorthalongtheNorwegiancoastline.

Inthe9thcenturyNorwayconsistedofanumberofpettykingdoms.Accordingtotradition,HaraldFairhairgatheredthesmallkingdomsintoonein872withthebattleofHafrsfjord.HebecamethefirstkingofaunitedNorway.

TheVikingage(8thto11thcenturies)wasoneofunificationandexpansion.

In1349,theBlackDeathwipedoutbetween1/3and2/3oftheNorwegianpopulation,causingadeclineinbothsocietyandeconomics.Duringthisdecline,theFairhairdynastydiedoutin1387.RoyalpoliticsatthetimeresultedinseveralpersonalunionsbetweentheNordiccountries,eventuallybringingthethronesofNorway,Denmark,andSwedenunderthecontrolofQueenMargrethewhenthecountryenteredintotheKalmarUnionwithDenmarkandSweden.Swedendeclareditsindependencein1523,butNorwayremainedundertheDanishcrownuntil1814.Duringthenationalromanticismofthe19thcentury,thisperiodhassometimesbeenreferredtoasthe400-YearNight,sinceallofthekingdom'sroyal,intellectual,andadministrativepowerwascentredinCopenhagen,Denmark.OtherfactorsalsocontributedtoNorway'sdeclineinthisperiod.WiththeintroductionofProtestantismin1537,NorwaylostthesteadystreamofpilgrimstotherelicsofSt.OlavattheNidarosshrine,andwiththem,muchofthecontactwithculturalandeconomiclifeintherestofEurope.Additionally,Norwaysawitslandareadecreaseinthe17thcenturywiththelossoftheprovincesBhuslen,Jemtland,andHerjedalentoSweden,asaresultofthewarsbetweenDenmark-NorwayandSweden.

AfterDenmark-NorwaywasattackedbyEngland,itenteredintoanalliancewithNapoleon,andin1814founditselfonthelosingsideintheNapoleonicWarsandindireeconomicconditions.TheDano-NorwegianOldenburgkingwasforcedtocedeNorwaytothekingofSweden.Norwaytookthisopportunitytodeclareindependence,adoptedaconstitutionbasedonAmericanandFrenchmodels,andelectedtheDanishcrownprinceChristianFredrikaskingonMay171814.However,SwedenmilitarilyforcedNorwayintoapersonalunionwithSweden,establishingCharlesXIIIofSwedenaskingorNorway(asCarlII).Underthisarrangement,Norwaykeptitsliberalconstitutionandindependentinstitutions,exceptfortheforeignservice.SeealsoNorwayin1814.

ThisperiodalsosawtheriseoftheNorwegianromanticnationalismculturalmovement,asNorwegianssoughttodefineandexpressadistinctnationalcharacter.Themovementcoveredallbranchesofculture,includingliterature(HenrikWergeland,MauritsChristopherHansen,PeterChristenAsbjrnsen,JrgenMoe,HenrikIbsen),painting(HansGude,AdolphTiedemand),music(EdvardGrieg),andevenlanguagepolicy,whereattemptstodefineanativewrittenlanguageforNorwayledtotoday'stwoofficialwrittenformsforNorwegian;BokmlandNynorsk.

PeterChristianHerslebKjerschowMichelsen(March15,1857–June29,1925),aNorwegianshippingmagnateandstatesman,wasPrimeMinisterofNorwayfrom1905to1907.In1913,Norwegianwomengainedsuffrage.

NorwaywasaneutralcountryduringWorldWarI.NorwayalsoattemptedtoclaimneutralityduringWorldWarII,butwasinvadedbyGermanforcesonApril9,1940(OperationWeserübung).

In1944,theGermansevacuatedtheprovincesofFinnmarkandnorthernTroms,usingascorchedearthtactictocreateavastareaofNo-man'slandinresponsetotheRedArmyattackingtheirpositionsineasternFinnmark.TheSovietsattackedeasternFinnmarktocreateabufferzoneafterpushingtheGermanforcesoutofthearcticKolapeninsula.TheRussianspeacefullyreturnedtheareatoNorwegiancontrolafterthewar.TheGermanforcesinNorwaysurrenderedonMay81945.

NorwaywasoneofthesignatoriesoftheNorthAtlanticTreatyin1949andwasafoundingmemberoftheUnitedNations,providingitsfirstsecretarygeneral–TrygveLie.NorwayhastwicevotedagainstjoiningtheEuropeanUnion(in1972and1994),butisassociatedwiththeEUviatheEuropeanEconomicArea.However,NorwayisamemberofthemuchsmallerEuropeanFreeTradeAssociation(EFTA).

Politics

Norwayisaconstitutionalmonarchywithaparliamentarysystemofgovernment.

TheRoyalHouseisabranchoftheprincelyfamilyofGlücksburg,originallyfromSchleswig-HolsteininGermany,althoughcontroversyhasrecentlysurfacedaboutthetruelineageoftheNorwegianmonarchs.[1]Asitstands,however,thefunctionsoftheKing,HaraldV,aremainlyceremonial,buthehasinfluenceasthesymbolofnationalunity.

Geography

Thelandscapeisgenerallyruggedandmountainous,withseveralmajorglaciersoccupyingcentralmountainplateau.Itscoastlineofover83,000kilometres(51,575mi)[1]ispunctuatedbysteep-slopedinletsknownasfjords,aswellasamultitudeofislandsandislets.ThenorthernpartofthecountryisalsoknownastheLandoftheMidnightSunbecauseofitslocationnorthoftheArcticCircle,whereforpartofeachsummerthesundoesnotset,andinwintermuchofitslandremainsdarkforlongperiods.InsummertimeinthesouthernpartofNorway,thesunisonlyawayforafewhours.

NorwayisboundedbyseasoftheNorthAtlanticOcean:theNorthSeatothesouthwestanditslargeinlettheSkagerraktothesouth,andtheNorwegianSeatothewest.

Culture

Norwayisthehomeofseveralfamousplaywrightsandnovelists,amongothersBaronLudvigHoldberg,HenrikIbsen,BjrnstjerneBjrnsonandmorerecently,JonFosse,andGeorgJohannesen,Theplaywright/novelistsKnutHamsunandSigridUndset,havebothwontheNobelPrizeinLiterature,in1903and1920respectively.NorwayisthehomelandofexpressionistpainterEdvardMunchandthesculptorGustavVigelandandromanticistcomposerEdvardGrieg.ManyNorwegianshaveexploredthefarthestcornersoftheworld,i.e.RoaldAmundsen,FridtjofNansen,andThorHeyerdahl.

ComposersEdvardGrieg,OleBull,ChristianSindingandArneNordheimarerecognisedcontributorstotheMusicofNorway.AmongthecontributorstopopmusicareA-ha,Ryksopp,MotorpsychoandTurbonegro.Norwayisknownforitslargecontributionstomusic,particularlyintheblackmetalscene.WheresuchbandsasDimmuBorgir,Darkthrone,Enslaved,Burzum,Satyricon,Mayhem,Gorgoroth,Immortal,andEmperorhaveallmadeanameforthemselves.

NorwegianscelebratetheirnationaldayonMay17,theNorwegianConstitutionDay.

Languages

TheNorwegianlanguagehastwoofficialwrittenforms:bokmlandnynorsk.Therearenoofficialspokennorms.

Economy

TheNorwegianeconomyisanexampleofmixedeconomy,featuringacombinationoffreemarketactivityandgovernmentintervention.Thegovernmentcontrolskeyareas,suchasthevitalpetroleumsector.ThecontrolmechanismsoverthepetroleumresourcesisacombinationofstateownershipinmajoroperatorsintheNorwegianfields(Statoilca70%in2005,NorskHydro43%in2004)whilespecifictaxesonoil-profitsforalloperatorsaresetto78%,finallythegovernmentcontrolslicencingofexplorationandproductionoffields.Thecountryisrichlyendowedwithnaturalresources:petroleum,hydropower,fish,forests,andminerals.Norwayhasobtainedoneofthehigheststandardsoflivingintheworld,partlyfrompetroleumproductionbutmainlyfromefficenteconomicpolicies,creatingagoodenvironmentfordoingbusiness.Norwayhasaveryhighemploymentratio.

In2004,oilandgasaccountedfor50%ofexports.OnlySaudiArabiaandRussiaexportmoreoilthanNorway,whichisnotamemberofOPEC.Thelast30years,theNorwegianeconomyhasshownvarioussignsoftheeconomicphenomenoncalledDutchdisease.InresponsetoDutchDisease,andtoconcernsaboutoilandgasreservedepletions,in1995theNorwegianstatestartedtoputawaytheannualsurplusinafund,nowcalledGovernmentPetroleumFund.ThefundisinvestedindevelopedfinancialmarketsoutsideNorway.Thefiscalstrategyistospendthenormalinterestofthefundeachyear,setto4percent.ByJanuary2006,theFundwasatUSD200billion,representing70percentofGDPinNorway.

NorwayoptedtostayoutoftheEuropeanUnionduringareferendumin1972,andagaininNovember1994.However,Norway,togetherwithIcelandandLiechtenstein,participatesintheEU'ssinglemarketviatheEuropeanEconomicArea(EEA)agreement.TheEEATreaty,betweentheEUnationsandtheEFTAnations,ES-loven[5],isconstitutedassuperiorlawinNorway,whichmakesNorwayafullmemberofEU'sfreetrademarket.

In2000thegovernmentsoldone-thirdofthethen100%state-ownedoilcompanyStatoil.Theeconomicgrowthwas0.8%in1999,2.7%in2000,and1.3%in2001.Afterlittlegrowthin2002and2003,theeconomyexpandedmorerapidlyin2004.

Recentresearchshowsearlyevidenceofmassiveamountsofcoalbeneaththeoil-reservesonthecontinentalshelfofNorway.[2].Aroughestimatehasbeengivenat3×1012tonnesofcoalofunknownqualityinthesereserves.Incomparison,thecurrentlyknowncoalreservesfortheentireworldisestimatedat0.9×1012tonnes.Thecoalisinaccessibletoday,buttherearerealistichopesthatitcanbeaccessedinthefuture.

Animalrightsandanti-whalinggroupshavecommentedthatgivenNorway'seconomicpositionitisparadoxicalthatthisisoneofaverysmallnumberofcountriesactivelyengagedin,andfavouringthecontinuationof,commercialwhaling.Thisisdespitethearguednegligiblecontributionthatwhalingmakestotheeconomy,anddespiteoppositionfromaroundtheworld([6]).Manysupportersofwhalingagreethatitsmacroeconomicimportanceisnegligible,butholdthatthelivelihoodofindividualsandsmallfirmsdependonitandthatsustainabledevelopmentdependsonhumanharvestingofallnon-endangeredspecies([7]),andthatitisanimportantpartofcultureincostalareas.Norway'swhalingtodayislimitedtothenon-endangeredMinkeWhale,whomarekilledusingexplosivegrenadeharpoons,whichalsoaccountsformorethan90%ofthecatchinNorwegianwaterssincethe1920s。

Demographics

ThesizeoftheNorwegianpopulationisaround4.6millionandisincreasingby0.4%peryear(estimateJuly2004).EthnicallymostNorwegiansareNordic/NorthGermanic,whilesmallminoritiesinthenorthareSamiorFinnish(seealsoKven).TheSamiareconsideredanindigenouspeopleandtraditionallyliveintheNorthernpartsofNorway,Sweden,FinlandandRussia.ThelargestconcentrationofSamipeopleis,however,foundinNorway'scapitalOslo.