Standing tall in Scandinavia

Norway's rich natural resources spur growth.

Norway, the 'Land of the Midnight Sun', is characterised by breathtaking landscapes, snow-crested mountain ranges and glacier-born fjords. It is a country of tradition, exemplified by its rustic stave churches and folk dances, but it is also extremely modern and technologically advanced, rich in petroleum and hydroelectric energy. The current population is about 4.7 million (2007).

Norway occupies the western part of Scandinavia in northern Europe.

The rugged coastline is punctuated by massive fjords and approximately 50,000 islands, and stretches over 2,500 kilometres.

To the west and south, Norway is bordered by the Norwegian Sea, North Sea and Skagerak. The country shares a 2,542-km border with Sweden, Finland, and Russia to the east. The Barents Sea washes on the northern coast.

At 385,155 square kilometres, Norway is slightly larger than Germany. Much of the country is dominated by mountainous and high terrain, with a variety of natural features caused by Ice Age glaciers and varied topography. The most noticeable of these are fjords, which are long, narrow estuaries with steep sides, made when a glacial valley is filled by rising sea water. The longest of these is Sognefjorden. Norway also contains many glaciers and waterfalls.

Physical features

The mainland experiences four distinct seasons, with colder winters and less precipitation inland. Due to the Gulf Stream, Norway has warmer temperatures and more precipitation than expected at such northern latitudes, especially along the coast. There are seasonal variations in daylight. In areas north of the Arctic Circle, the summer sun does not descend beneath the horizon, hence Norway's description as the 'Land of the Midnight Sun'. During the summer, inhabitants south of the Arctic Circle still experience sunlight nearly 20 hours a day.

Norway is a constitutional monarchy, with a parliamentary system of government. The Royal house is a branch of the princely family of Glücksberg, originally from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. The function of the King, Harald V is mainly ceremonial, but he has influence as the symbol of national unity. Although the constitution of 1814 grants important executive powers to the King, these are always exercised by the council of state in his name. The council of state consists of a prime minister and other ministers formally appointed by the King.

The Norwegian economy is one of the strongest and most prosperous in the world. The country possesses the second highest GDP per capita and has maintained first place in the UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) for the fifth consecutive year (2006). The annual growth rate in 2006 was 2.8 per cent.

The country's economy is an example of a mixed economy combining free market activity and significant government ownership. The government controls key areas, such as the strategic petroleum sector (StatoilHydro), hydroelectric energy production (Statkraft), the largest Norwegian bank (DnB Nor) and telecommunication provider (Telenor). The government controls 31.6 per cent of publicly listed companies.

The country is richly in natural resources, including petroleum, hydropower, fish, lead, zinc, titanium, copper, iron ore and timber.

Metals, pulp and paper products, chemicals, ship building and fishing are the most significant industries. Norway has an important stake in promoting a liberal environment for foreign trade. Its shipping fleet is one of the most modern on the high seas.

Norway's emergence as a major oil and gas producer in the mid-1970s transformed its economy. Large investments poured into the offshore oil sector, leading to rapid increases in Norwegian production costs and wages. In 2006, oil and gas accounted for 58 per cent of exports; only Russia and Saudi Arabia export from oil than Norway.

To reduce the uncertainty from oil price volatility, and to save to money for an ageing population, the state in 1995 started to save government fees (taxes, dividends, licensing and sales) in a sovereign wealth fund. The fund exceeded $119 billion (about Dh437 billion) as of April 2004, and will be used to help finance government programmes once oil and gas resources are depleted.

Almost three quarters of the land is unproductive; less than four per cent is under cultivation, and the country imports more than 50 per cent of its food. The vast mountain pastures are used for grazing cattle and sheep, and in the north for reindeer rearing.

About one quarter of Norway is forested; timber is a chief natural resource, and is the basis of one of the main industries. Fishing (notably of cod, herring and mackerel) is important, and fresh, canned and salted fish from Norway is exported.

Proud achievements

Norway has one of the highest standards of living in part by having huge natural resources compared to the size of the population. Norway has a very low unemployment rate at below two per cent (June 2007). The hourly productivity levels, as well as average hourly wages are among the highest in the world.

Norway attracts tourists with its impressive and varied landscapes that extend far above the Arctic Circle. Mountains, ski resorts, lakes and woods, castles and cathedrals dot the landscape. The travel industry accounts for approximately four per cent of GDP and seven per cent of employment. According to the Statistics Norway website, foreign tourists had almost 7.9 million overnight stays in 2006, of which Germans accounted for 21 per cent.

Some of Norway's famous attractions include the fjords; two of the world's longest fjords are found here. Unesco has included the fjords on its World Heritage List, and National Geographic has ranked them the most popular of all World Heritage Sites. Whilst at the fjords, tourists can enjoy cruises, hiking on a glacier or skiing.

Other Norwegian World Heritage sites include the rock carvings at Alta. These petroglyphs are on the shores of Altafjord in Finmark, north of the Arctic Circle. Thousands of paintings and engravings give us a glimpse of what it must have been like living in the far north before 4200-500 BC. The Vega Archipelago at Vega in Nordland, just south of the Arctic Circle, is the name of a dozen islands where fishermen and farmers have been living since the Stone Age.

Here you can find fishing villages, quays, warehouses, eider houses, lighthouses and beacons.

Norway has produced a wealth of artistic talent, including the painter Edvard Munch, composer Edvard Grieg, sculptor Gustav Vigeland, and playwright Henrik Ibsen. The country has also produced three winners of the Nobel Prize for literature: Bjornstjerne Bjornson, Sigrid Undset and Knut Hamsun.

Steeped in history

Norway has many interesting cities steeped in history and culture. Oslo is the capital, and largest city. According to the Norse sagas, Oslo was founded around AD 1049 by King Harald Hardråde.

Recent archaeological research has uncovered Christian burial sites predating AD 1000, evidence of a preceding urban settlement. This called for the celebration of Oslo's millennium in 2000. The city's main attractions are the medieval Akershus Castle, the Royal Palace and the Oslo cathedral.

Bergen is an important cultural centre in the region, and was one of nine European cities named 'European City of Culture' in 2000. Surrounded by forested mountains and fjords, skiing, walking and hiking are some of its main activities.

Some of the city's main attractions are the Bryggens museum, the Domkirke (Bergen cathedral) and the 13th century Bergenhus Festning (Bergenhus fort).

Architectural wonders

Norway is the only country in northern Europe with stave churches from the Middle Ages still intact.

Between AD 1100 and 1300, about 1,000 stave churches were built in Norway. Today less than 30 remain.

The stave churches are a valuable part of Norwegian architectural heritage, and are considered to be of global as well as national importance. Their construction and richly decorated carvings show some of the finest craftsmanship in Norway. Some of the stave churches include Nore, Lome, Torpo, Hedalen and Urnes, which is on Unesco's World Heritage List.

Focus on fish

One traditional Norwegian dish with a claim to international popularity is smoked salmon. It is now a major export, and can be considered the most important Norwegian contribution to modern international cuisine.

Norwegian cuisine is largely based on the raw materials readily available in a country dominated by mountains and the sea, meaning there is a strong focus on fish and game. Another popular fish dish is gravlax, a salt-and-sugar cured salmon seasoned with dill.

A more peculiar dish is rakfish, which consists of fermented trout.