The Kingdom of Norway (Norwegian: Kongeriket Norge or Kongeriket Noreg), referred to as "Norway" (Norwegian: Norge or Noreg), meaning "the road to the north", is one of the five Nordic countries, located in Western Scandinavia. Norway has a long and narrow territory from north to south, a long and winding coastline, and many coastal islands. It is known as the "Country of Ten Thousand Islands". Its territory borders Sweden, Finland, and Russia, and its territories also include the Svalbard Archipelago and Jan Mayen Island. The capital is Oslo. Including Svalbard Islands (Spitsbergen Islands), (Bouvi Island-Norwegian Nature Reserve) Jan Mayen Island and other dependent territories. It is located in the western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe, bordering Sweden to the east, Finland and Russia to the northeast, facing Denmark across the sea to the south, and the Norwegian Sea to the west.
A unified kingdom was formed in the 9th century, and the Viking Age entered its heyday from the 8th to 11th centuries. It began to decline in the 14th century, and from 1397 it was a member of the Kalmar Union under Danish control. It became a dependent state of Sweden in 1814 and declared independence in 1905.
Norway is a highly developed industrialized country. The oil industry is an important pillar of the national economy. Norway is also the largest oil producer in Western Europe and the third largest oil exporter in the world. Since 2001, Norway has been rated as the most livable country by the United Nations for six consecutive years, and has been ranked first in the global Human Development Index from 2009 to 2018.
Norway is a highly developed capitalist country, one of the richest countries in the world today, and a member of NATO. Its economy is an example of the successful combination of market liberalization and government macro-control. Norway was also one of the pioneers in creating the modern welfare state. In addition, papermaking, shipbuilding, machinery, hydropower, chemical industry, and wood processing are also Norway's traditional developed industries. Norway is not currently a member of the European Union and does not use the euro.
In 2017, Norway was named the happiest country in the world by the United Nations.
The coastline is 21,000 kilometers long (including fjords) and has many natural harbors. It is a long and narrow mountainous country in the north and south. The Scandinavian Mountains run through the entire territory, and plateaus, mountains, and glaciers account for more than 2/3 of the entire territory. Hills, lakes, and swamps are widespread in the south. Most areas have a temperate maritime climate, and the interior mountainous areas have a cold climate. Norway is one of the important maritime countries in the world, with its winding coastline and more than 150,000 offshore islands. It is both an excellent port and a scenic tourist area.
The highest peak in Norway is Glitter Peak, 2,470 meters above sea level.
Mainland Norway has a subarctic coniferous forest climate, the south has a temperate maritime climate, and Svalbard and Jan Mayen have a tundra climate. The capital's annual average temperature is 7°C, and its annual precipitation is about 740 mm.
Norway is rich in oil, gas, hydraulic, forest, and fishery resources. The offshore oil industry that emerged in the 1970s has become an important pillar of the national economy, and it is now the largest oil producer in Western Europe and the third largest oil exporter in the world. As of the end of 2007, the total proven reserves of crude oil and natural gas were 13 billion standard cubic meters (oil equivalent), and 35% of them had been mined. It is rich in water resources and its northern coast is a world-famous fishing ground.
Norway is extremely rich in water resources. Because the watershed is too close to the coast, the rivers are short and the waterfalls have large falls. There are many glaciers and lakes in Norway. Due to the abundant water dissolved in glaciers, they are very suitable for hydropower generation. The exploitable hydropower resources are about 187 billion kilowatt-hours, and 63% of them have been developed.
Other mineral resources include: 200-500 million tons of coal, 30 million tons of iron, and 18 million tons of titanium. The northern coast is a world-famous fishing ground.
As of 2012, Norway’s total population reached 5 million. 96 are Norwegians, and there are about 30,000 Sami people, mainly in the north. The official language is Norwegian. 90% of the residents believe in Lutheranism, the state religion of Christianity.
Culture
Since 1/3 of the vast country is located in the Arctic Circle, the Norwegian diet is inseparable from fish and aquatic products. Toppers include smoked salmon, fresh cod, herring and shrimp.
Meats include lamb, veal, beef, moose and reindeer are also common. Home-cooked dishes in Oslo include meatballs and lamb stew in autumn, and snow partridge in winter. Also delicious are cheeses, especially bread slices or honeycomb pancakes spread with sweet feta cheese. There are many restaurants in Oslo with a variety of flavors and high quality. Unfortunately, the prices are relatively expensive, regardless of grade. Near Karl Johan Street, there are restaurants of all kinds. The area around Aker Pier Mall is very lively in summer, and many of the small and mini open-air cafes are full. Norwegians love beer, wine and whiskey, but the prices are high.
Customs
Norwegians like to shake hands very much. Whenever strangers meet, they always shake hands and exchange names. Likewise, when you meet someone you don't know very well in the future, you have to shake hands when you say hello and when you say goodbye.
The official language of Norway is Norwegian and English is the common language.
Norwegian There are two similar official languages ??spoken in Norway, and both languages ??are taught in schools. Bokmal is the main language. Because it evolved from Danish, it is also called Dano-Nolwegian. General for population 80. The other language is New-Nolwegian or Nynolsk, which evolved from Old Norwegian during the Danish rule. It contains many features of everyday dialects and is grassroots. After the Second World War, due to the influence of urbanization, New Norwegian was obviously less used, so Bokomer still dominates. Norwegians in tourist areas also generally speak English, but people in rural areas hardly speak English.
Belief
95% of the population of Norway is Norwegian, and there are about 20,000 Sami people in the north. 90% of Norway's residents believe in Lutheranism, the state religion of Christianity.
Norway has a developed shipping industry. Its main ports are Oslo, Trondheim and Bergen. The annual throughput of Oslo Port is about 10 million tons. The main airports are Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger.
Norway’s public transportation system is quite convenient, with trains, buses and ferries closely connected to each other. "NSB Togruter" can be obtained for free at the train station. It contains detailed train timetables and bus transfer information, which is very practical. The departure times of boats and buses will change due to seasons and even holidays (for example, there are very few transportation flights on Saturdays), so you may want to go to the tourist service offices in various places to get the latest timetables.
Norway was one of the pioneers in creating the modern welfare state. The basis of the welfare state is an economic system designed to ensure social and economic security. Every citizen is a member of the national welfare and labor insurance organization and enjoys a comprehensive set of financial assistance such as medical care, pensions, and disability benefits.
In the past few years, the country has focused on improving the living standards of families with children. In addition to every family receiving child support, regulations on holidays related to women's childbirth have also been formulated. Be very broad. Children over 90 years old attend public schools free of charge, and the mandatory period is nine years, but everyone has the right to continue their education. Entering the new century a large part of Norway's economic activity is based on the use of natural resources. At the same time, Norway is also the country most dependent on its international trade. In order to meet the challenges of the future, businesses and governments attach great importance to research and development.
High-consumption countries
If you want to go there, be sure to bring more money. According to relevant surveys, Oslo has surpassed London, the capital of the United Kingdom, and Sydney, Australia, to become the city with the highest price level in the world. The prices of 26 daily consumer goods in Oslo are 83% higher than the international average.
Education
Ten-year compulsory education has been implemented since 1998. Most schools are public, with the central government responsible for higher education and local governments responsible for secondary and primary education. There are 71 colleges and universities.
Famous figures
Amundsen (1872-1928) was the first human being to reach the Antarctic and the first to sail through the Northwest Passage north of Canada;
Friedrich Joff Nansen (1861-1930), scientist and polar scholar, artist and politician, once skied across Greenland and sailed the sailing ship "Fram" across the Arctic Ocean. Was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922;
Thule Heyerdahl (1914-), explorer, once piloted the raft "Kon-Tiki" from South America to the Polynesian Islands, proving Early Indians may have used the same method to cross the Pacific, and they also drove the cattail boat "La" to prove that humans may have already crossed the Atlantic.
Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), dramatist, "Ghosts" and "A Doll's House", but it is best to see Ibsen's plays in New York, London, Paris or Berlin There are probably just as many opportunities. Ibsen gave European drama a psychological depth and social effect that had been lacking since Shakespeare.
Bj?rnstirner Bj?rnsson (1832-1910) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1903. He mainly writes folklore, novels, poetry and drama and composed the Norwegian national anthem and lyrics.
Henrik Ibsen
Knut Hamsun (1859-1952), won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1920 for his book "The Growth of the Land". There are works such as "Hunger", "Pan" and "Victoria".
Sigrid Undset (1882-1949) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928. Her most famous book is a trilogy about Christine Lafronstadt, which has been translated into many languages. [10]
Writer Edvard Munch (1863-1944), painter Munch was the founder of modern painting expressionism, and composer Edvard Grieg.
Sonia Henie (1912-1969) was a ten-time world figure skating champion and three-time Olympic champion. Grete Witts (1953-) is the Norwegian woman most familiar with the asphalt roads of New York. She has won the New York and London marathons, and has also won the marathon and outdoor long-distance world championships many times. Gretel Weitz has gone down in history as a pioneer in women's distance running.