Norway is a ruggedly beautiful country of mountains, fjords and glaciers. The 'Land of the Midnight Sun' has delightfully long summer days, pleasantly low-key cities, unspoiled fishing villages and rich historic sites that include Viking ships and medieval stave churches.
Norway prizes its stunning natural wonders and retains a robust frontier character unusual in Europe. It's not all frozen tundra, either. The temperate south includes rolling farmlands, enchanted forests and sunny beaches as well as the dramatic Western Fjords.
North of the Arctic Circle, the population thins, the horizons grow wider and the temperature dips. Here the terrain ranges from soaring coastal peaks to vast boreal forests and barren treeless peninsulas. Adventurous travellers can journey even further north to the Svalbard archipelago, where seals, walruses and polar bears sun themselves on ice floes.
Full country name: Kingdom of Norway
Area: 324,220 sq km
Population: 4.54 million
Capital City: Oslo (pop 508,730)
People: 97% Nordic, Alpine & Baltic, with a Sami minority
Language: Norwegian Nynorsk, Norwegian Bokmål, Northern Sami
Religion: Christian (86.3% Evangelical Lutheran)
Government: constitutional monarchy
Head of State: King Harald V
Head of Government: Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik
GDP: US$149.1 billion
GDP per capita: US$33,000
Annual Growth: 3.5%
Inflation: 3.1%
Major Industries: Oil, natural gas, computers, high technology, fishing, fish farming, forestry, shipping, shipbuilding, paper production
Major Trading Partners: EU (esp. UK, Germany & Sweden)
Member of EU: No
