Norway facts

Land & people

Area: 324,220 sq km
Population (July 2007 est.): 4.627 million
Capital: Oslo
Languages: Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk; in some districts, Sámi is also an official language)
Per capita GDP (2006 est.): $46,300

A monarchy situated in Northern Europe, Norway consists of the western and northern parts of the Scandinavian peninsula as well as the northern territories of Jan Mayen and the Svalbard archipelago, and Bouvet Island, Peter I Island, and Queen Maud Land in the southern hemisphere. To the east, Norway shares borders with Sweden, Finland and Russia. To the north, west and south the country is surrounded by ocean areas.

Though Europe's sixth largest country in terms of landmass, Norway is sparsely populated. Only a small percentage of Norway's land area is suitable for productive agriculture or forestry, but the country is richly endowed with natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, timber and hydropower.

Norway is administratively divided into 19 counties which include 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. Dependent areas include Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen and Svalbard.

Norway is one of the few countries with fjords, which are deep indentations in the coastline formed by the scouring action of glaciers millions of years ago.

Useful addresses
- Embassy of Norway, P.O. Box 47270, Abu Dhabi. Tel: 02-6211221; Fax: 02-6213313; e-mail: emb.abudhabi@mfa.no; website: www.norway.ae

- Consulate of Norway, P.O. Box 8612, Dubai. Tel: 04-3533833; Fax: 04-3533915

Passports/visas

Visitors need a valid passport and visa to enter the country.
However, citizens of Schengen countries need only an ID-card to enter Norway. For more information, contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate.

Cash/credit cards

Traveller's cheques are accepted in Norway and banks and major post offices exchange foreign currency. Use of credit cards is widespread and major credit cards such as Eurocard/MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club are accepted in most stores.

When to go

You can visit Norway whenever you like, as activities are not limited to certain times of the year. There are many experiences to choose from whether you go in summer, winter, spring or autumn.

While you can have fun in the sea in southern Norway during the summer, you can also get your skis on in several places in the mountains. While hiking in the mountains in summer is a unique experience, it becomes truly spectacular in autumn.

Getting there

Several international airlines fly to Norway. Oslo International Airport is the country's largest and busiest airport. An extensive rail network links Norway to other Scandinavian countries and the rest of Europe.

Numerous highways and secondary roads link Norway with Finland and Sweden. There are also ferries to/from Denmark, Sweden, UK and Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

GETTING AROUND
Quick service
The country has excellent infrastructure. Frequent flights as well as buses, trains and ferries are available for domestic travel. It is easy to travel around Norway either in your own car or by public transport, though travelling from one part to another can take some time. While travelling look for the I-sign, the international sign for authorised tourist offices, which guarantees service in foreign languages, quality information material, regular opening hours and good service. Restaurant bills and taxi fares generally include service charges. But you can reward exceptional service by tipping five to 10 per cent at restaurants.