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.

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

62 00 N, 10 00 E

Europe

slightly larger than New Mexico

25,148 km (includes mainland 2,650 km, as well as long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 22,498 km; length of island coastlines 58,133 km)

temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast

glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

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

1,270 sq km (2003)

381.4 cu km (2005)

rockslides, avalanches

water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions

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

4,676,305 (July 2010 est.)

0.334% (2010 est.)

10.9 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

9.26 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

1.77 children born/woman (2010 est.)

0.1% (2007 est.)

3,000 (2007 est.)

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Norwegian 94.4% (includes Sami, about 60,000), other European 3.6%, other 2% (2007 estimate)

Church of Norway 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1% (2004)

Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities

7.2% of GDP (2005)

constitutional monarchy

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

Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

7 June 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union)

Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

17 May 1814; amended many times

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

18 years of age; universal

modified unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats; members elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the monarch)

Center Party (Senterpartiet or Sp) [Liv Signe NAVARSETE]; Christian People's Party (Kristelig Folkeparti or KrF) [Dagfinn HOYBRATEN]; Conservative Party (Hoyre or H) [Erna SOLBERG]; Labor Party (Det norske Arbeiderpartiet or DNA) [Jens STOLTENBERG]; Liberal Party (Venstre or V) [Lars SPONHEIM]; note - has announced his resignation; Progress Party (Framstegspartiet or FrP) [Siv JENSEN]; Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti or SV) [Kristin HALVORSEN]

Norwegian Aid Committee or NORWAC; Norwegian Association of the Disabled; Pure Salmon Campaign; The Consumer Council (consumer advocacy group)

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, FATF, 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, MINURCAT, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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)

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-majority-owned 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 2.1% in 2008, and the economy contracted by 1% in 2009 as a result of the slowing world economy and the drop in oil prices.

$273.1 billion (2009 est.)

$275.8 billion (2008 est.)

$270.2 billion (2007 est.)

$373.3 billion (2009 est.)

-1% (2009 est.)

2.1% (2008 est.)

5.5% (2007 est.)

$58,600 (2009 est.)

$59,400 (2008 est.)

$58,400 (2007 est.)

2.6 million (2009 est.)

3.2% (2009 est.)

2.6% (2008 est.)

NA%

25 (2008)

25.8 (1995)

20.5% of GDP (2009 est.)

60.2% of GDP (2009 est.)

55.7% of GDP (2008 est.)

2.3% (2009 est.)

3.8% (2008 est.)

4% (31 December 2008)

6.25% (31 December 2007)

7.28% (31 December 2008)

3.5% (1st quarter 2009)

$NA

$NA

$NA

$142.5 billion (31 December 2008)

$357.4 billion (31 December 2007)

$281.1 billion (31 December 2006)

barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish

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

-1.5% (2009 est.)

142.7 billion kWh (2008 est.)

128.8 billion kWh (2008 est.)

17.29 billion kWh (2008 est.)

3.414 billion kWh (2008 est.)

2.466 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

220,200 bbl/day (2008 est.)

2.383 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

104,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)

6.68 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

99.2 billion cu m (2008 est.)

3.97 billion cu m (2008 est.)

95.23 billion cu m (2008 est.)

0 cu m (2008 est.)

2.313 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

$58.56 billion (2009 est.)

$88.34 billion (2008 est.)

$122 billion (2009 est.)

$173.6 billion (2008 est.)

petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish

UK 27%, Germany 12.8%, Netherlands 10.4%, France 9.4%, Sweden 6.5%, US 4.5% (2008)

$64.5 billion (2009 est.)

$85.95 billion (2008 est.)

machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs

Sweden 14.3%, Germany 13.4%, Denmark 6.8%, China 6.4%, UK 5.9%, US 5.4%, Netherlands 4.1% (2008)

$NA (31 December 2009 est.)

$50.95 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$548.1 billion (30 June 2009)

$475.9 billion (31 December 2008)

$93.88 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$91.49 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$179.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$160.1 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

Norwegian kroner (NOK) per US dollar - 6.3988 (2009), 5.6361 (2008), 5.86 (2007), 6.418 (2006), 6.445 (2005)

1.928 million (2008)

5.287 million (2008)

AM 5, FM 160, shortwave 1 (2008)

69 (2008)

.no

3.198 million (2009)

3.935 million (2008)

98 (2009)

1 (2009)

condensate 31 km; gas 64 km (2009)

1,577 km (2008)

Bergen, Borg Havn, Haugesund, Maaloy, Mongstad, Narvik, Oslo, Sture

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) (2010)

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)

1.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

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