{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "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. Norway remained neutral in World War I and proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940-45) and suffered heavy losses to its shipping fleet. In 1949, Norway abandoned neutrality and became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU. Key domestic issues include immigration and integration of ethnic minorities, maintaining the country's extensive social safety net with an aging population, and preserving economic competitiveness." } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "62 00 N, 10 00 E" }, "Map references": { "text": "Europe" }, "Area": { "total": { "text": "323,802 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "304,282 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "19,520 sq km" } }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "slightly larger than twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than New Mexico" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "2,566 km" }, "border countries": { "text": "Finland 709 km; Sweden 1,666 km; Russia 191 km" } }, "Coastline": { "text": "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)" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "contiguous zone": { "text": "10 nm" }, "exclusive economic zone": { "text": "200 nm" }, "continental shelf": { "text": "200 nm" } }, "Climate": { "text": "temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast" }, "Terrain": { "text": "glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north" }, "Elevation": { "highest point": { "text": "Galdhopiggen 2,469 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "Norwegian Sea 0 m" }, "mean elevation": { "text": "460 m" } }, "Natural resources": { "text": "petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "2.7% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 2.2% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 0.5% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "27.8% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "69.5% (2018 est.)" } }, "Irrigated land": { "text": "337 sq km (2016)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "most Norwegians live in the south where the climate is milder and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found all along the North Sea coast in the southwest, and Skaggerak in the southeast; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated" }, "Natural hazards": { "text": "
rockslides, avalanches
volcanism: Beerenberg (2,227 m) on Jan Mayen Island in the Norwegian Sea is the country's only active volcano
" }, "Geography - note": { "text": "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" } }, "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "5,597,924 (2023 est.)" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { "text": "Norwegian(s)" }, "adjective": { "text": "Norwegian" } }, "Ethnic groups": { "text": "Norwegian 81.5% (includes about 60,000 Sami), other European 8.9%, other 9.6% (2021 est.)" }, "Languages": { "Languages": { "text": "Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami has three dialects: Lule, North Sami, and South Sami; Sami is an official language in nine municipalities in Norway's three northernmost counties: Finnmark, Nordland, and Troms" }, "major-language sample(s)": { "text": "percent of vote by party - Ap 26.3%, H 20.5%, SP 13.6%, FrP 11.7%, SV 7.6%, R 4.7%, V 4.6%, MDG 3.9%, KrF 3.8%, PF 0.2%, other 3.1%; seats by party - Ap 48, H 36, SP 28, FrP 21, SV 13, R 8, V 8, , KrF 3, MDG 3, PF 1; composition (as of October 2021) men 93, women 76, percent of women 45%
" } }, "Judicial branch": { "highest court(s)": { "text": "Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (consists of the chief justice and 18 associate justices)" }, "judge selection and term of office": { "text": "justices appointed by the monarch (King in Council) upon the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Board; justices can serve until mandatory retirement at age 70" }, "subordinate courts": { "text": "Courts of Appeal or Lagmennsrett; regional and district courts; Conciliation Boards; ordinary and special courts; note - in addition to professionally trained judges, elected lay judges sit on the bench with professional judges in the Courts of Appeal and district courts" } }, "Political parties and leaders": { "text": "Center Party or Sp [Trygve Slagsvold VEDUM]
Christian Democratic Party or KrF [Olaug Vervik BOLLESTAD]
Conservative Party or H [Erna SOLBERG]
Green Party or MDG [Une Aina BASTHOLM]
Labor Party or Ap [Jonas Gahr STORE]
Liberal Party or V [Guri MELBY]
Patient Focus or PF [Irene OJALA]
Progress Party or FrP [Sylvi LISTHAUG]
Red Party or R [Bjonar MOXNES]
Socialist Left Party or SV [Audun LYSBAKKEN]
Norway-Antarctica: Norway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land and its continental shelf)
Norway-Russia: Russia amended its 2001 CLCS submission in 2015 and 2021, each time delineating the outer limits of its continental shelf further into the Arctic Ocean; Norway and Russia signed a comprehensive maritime boundary agreement in 2010, ending a dispute over an area of the Barents Sea by dividing the territory equally
Norway-Sweden: none identified
" }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { "text": "15,901 (Syria), 10,883 (Eritrea) (mid-year 2022); 45,238 (Ukraine) (as of 11 April 2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "3,901 (2022)" } } } }