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I guess this is probably because they knew how it was in Europe. In the early 1990s, studies estimated that between 4. She waged war against the Germans, resulting in a trade blockade and higher taxation on Norwegians, which resulted in.

The film was released in 1975 and is based on characters from Norwegian cartoonist. Retrieved 8 March 2009. I agree with what was said before likestilling should not be mistaken with bad manners and dating norway. For the union with Denmark, the government imposed using only written Danish, which decreased the writing of Norwegian literature. Bronze Age Locations of the tribes described by in Norway Between 3000 and 2500 BC, new settlers arrived in. Under discussion is development of a new high-speed rail system between the medico's largest cities. Norwegians had some affection forwho resided in the country for several years.

Accordingly, the Monarch is of the , and serves as chief diplomatic official abroad and as a symbol of unity. Archived from on 1 May 2011. Thus at an all-Scandinavian meeting held at Kalmar, Erik of Pomerania was crowned king of all three Scandinavian countries.

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It's calculated as 19,940. Norway : or ; : Norga , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a in whose core territory comprises the western and northernmost portion of the ; the remote island of and the archipelago of are also part of the Kingdom of Norway. The Antarctic and the sub-Antarctic are and thus not considered part of the Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of known as. Norway has a total area of 385,252 square kilometres 148,747 sq mi and a population of 5,258,317 as of January 2017. The country shares a long eastern border with or 1,006 mi long. Norway is bordered by and to the north-east, and the strait to the south, with on the other side. Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the. Erna Solberg replaced who was the Prime Minister between 2000 and 2001 and 2005—2013. A , Norway between the , the and the , as determined by the. The kingdom was established as a merger of a large number of. By the traditional count from the year , the kingdom has existed continuously for 1,145 years, and the list of Norwegian monarchs includes over sixty kings and earls. From 1537 to 1814 Norway was a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and 1814 to 1905 in a with the Kingdom of Sweden. Norway has both administrative and political subdivisions on two levels: and. The have a certain amount of self-determination and influence over traditional territories through the and the. Norway with both the and the United States. Norway is a founding member of the United Nations, , the , the , the , and the ; a member of the , the , and the ; and a part of the. Norway maintains with and a comprehensive system, and Norwegian Society's values are rooted in egalitarian ideals. Defined as a 21st century socialism, the Norwegian state owns key industrial sectors such as oil or , having extensive reserves of petroleum, natural gas, minerals, lumber, seafood, and fresh water. The petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of the country's gross domestic product GDP. On a basis, Norway is the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas outside the Middle East. The country has the per capita income in the world on the and lists. On the 's GDP PPP per capita list 2015 estimate which includes autonomous territories and regions, Norway ranks as number eleven. It has the world's largest , with a value of USD 1 trillion. Norway has had the highest ranking in the world since 2009, a position also held previously between 2001 and 2006. It also has the highest inequality-adjusted ranking. Norway ranks first on the , the , the , and the. Norway also has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. The Anglo-Saxons of Britain also referred to the of Norway in 880 as Norðmanna land. There is some disagreement about whether the native name of Norway originally had the same etymology as the English form. This latter view originated with philologist Niels Halvorsen Trønnes in 1847; since 2016 it as also advocated by language student and activist Klaus Johan Myrvoll and was adopted by professor. The form Nore is still used in placenames such as the village of and lake in county, and still has the same meaning. Among other arguments in favour of the theory, it is pointed out that the word has a long vowel in Skaldic poetry and is not attested with in any native Norse texts or inscriptions the earliest runic attestations have the spellings nuruiak and nuriki. This resurrected theory has received some pushback by other scholars on various grounds, e. In a Latin manuscript of 849, the name Northuagia is mentioned, while a French chronicle of c. When visited King in England in the end of the ninth century, the land was called Norðwegr lit. The adjective Norwegian, recorded from c. After Norway had become Christian, Noregr and Noregi had become the most common forms, but during the 15th century, the newer forms Noreg h and Norg h e, found in medieval Icelandic manuscripts, took over and have survived until the modern day. The culture is named after the village of , 25 km 15. The earliest traces of human occupation in Norway are found along the coast, where the huge ice shelf of the first melted between 11,000 and 8,000 BC. The oldest finds are stone tools dating from 9,500 to 6,000 BC, discovered in in the north and in the south-west. However, theories about two altogether different cultures the Komsa culture north of the being one and the Fosna culture from to being the other were rendered obsolete in the 1970s. More recent finds along the entire coast revealed to archaeologists that the difference between the two can simply be ascribed to different types of tools and not to different cultures. Coastal fauna provided a means of livelihood for fishermen and hunters, who may have made their way along the southern coast about 10,000 BC when the interior was still covered with ice. In the southern part of the country are dwelling sites dating from about 5,000 BC. Finds from these sites give a clearer idea of the life of the hunting and fishing peoples. The implements vary in shape and mostly are made of different kinds of stone; those of later periods are more skilfully made. They represent game such as , , , bears, birds, , whales, and fish especially and , all of which were vital to the way of life of the coastal peoples. The carvings at in Finnmark, the largest in Scandinavia, were made at sea level from 4,200 to 500 BC and mark the progression of the land as the sea rose after the last ice age ended. Bronze Age Locations of the tribes described by in Norway Between 3000 and 2500 BC, new settlers arrived in. They were who grew grain and kept and sheep. The hunting-fishing population of the west coast was also gradually replaced by farmers, though hunting and fishing remained useful secondary means of livelihood. From about 1500 BC, was gradually introduced, but the use of stone implements continued; Norway had few riches to barter for bronze goods, and the few finds consist mostly of elaborate weapons and brooches that only chieftains could afford. Huge burial cairns built close to the sea as far north as and also inland in the south are characteristic of this period. The motifs of the rock carvings differ from those typical of the. Representations of the Sun, animals, trees, weapons, ships, and people are all strongly stylised. Thousands of from this period depict ships, and the large stone burial monuments known as , suggest that ships and seafaring played an important role in the culture at large. The depicted ships, most likely represent sewn plank built canoes used for warfare, fishing and trade. These ship types may have their origin as far back as the neolithic period and they continue into the Pre-Roman Iron Age, as exemplified by the. Iron Age Main article: Little has been found dating from the early the last 500 years BC. The dead were cremated, and their graves contain few burial goods. During the first four centuries AD the people of Norway were in contact with Roman-occupied. About 70 Roman bronze cauldrons, often used as burial urns, have been found. Contact with the civilised countries farther south brought a knowledge of ; the oldest known Norwegian runic inscription dates from the 3rd century. At this time, the amount of settled area in the country increased, a development that can be traced by coordinated studies of , , and place-names. Archaeologists first made the decision to divide the Iron Age of Northern Europe into distinct pre-Roman and after Emil Vedel unearthed a number of Iron Age artefacts in 1866 on the island of. They did not exhibit the same permeating Roman influence seen in most other artefacts from the early centuries AD, indicating that parts of northern Europe had not yet come into contact with the Romans at the beginning of the. Migration period found in Norway, preserved at The destruction of the by the in the 5th century is characterised by rich finds, including ' graves containing magnificent weapons and gold objects. Excavation has revealed stone foundations of farmhouses 18 to 27 metres 59 to 89 ft long—one even 46 metres 151 feet long—the roofs of which were supported on wooden posts. These houses were family homesteads where several generations lived together, with people and cattle under one roof. The regional things united to form even larger units: assemblies of deputy yeomen from several regions. In this way, the lagting assemblies for negotiations and lawmaking developed. The Frostating was the assembly for the leaders in the area; the , near , seem to have enlarged the Frostatingslag by adding the coastland from to. The looting of the monastery at in Northeast England in 793 by has long been regarded as the event which marked the beginning of the. This age was characterised by expansion and emigration by Viking. They , raided, and traded in all parts of Europe. Norwegian Viking explorers first discovered by accident in the 9th century when heading for the , and eventually came across , known today as , in Canada. The Vikings from Norway were most active in the northern and western and eastern North America isles. According to tradition, unified them into one in 872 after the in , thus becoming the first king of a united Norway. Harald's realm was mainly a South Norwegian coastal state. Fairhair ruled with a strong hand and according to the sagas, many Norwegians left the country to live in Iceland, the , , and parts of and Ireland. The modern-day Irish cities of , and were founded by Norwegian settlers. Norwegian, Danish and Swedish expansion during the Viking age between 800—1050 were slowly replaced by in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. One of the most important sources for the history of the 11th century Vikings is the treaty between the Icelanders and Olaf Haraldsson, king of Norway circa 1015 to 1028. This is largely attributed to the missionary kings and. Born sometime in between 963—969, Olav Tryggvasson set off raiding in England with 390 ships. He attacked London during this raiding. Arriving back in Norway in 995, Olav landed in. There he built a church which became the first ever built in Norway. From Moster, Olav sailed north to where he was proclaimed King of Norway by the Eyrathing in 995. However, the administration of government took on a very conservative feudal character. The forced the royalty to cede to them greater and greater concessions over foreign trade and the economy. The League had this hold over the royalty because of the loans the Hansa had made to the royalty and the large debt the kings were carrying. The League's monopolistic control over the economy of Norway put pressure on all classes, especially the peasantry, to the degree that no real class existed in Norway. Civil war and Empire Norwegian Kingdom at its greatest extent, 1200s From the 1040s to 1130 the country was at peace. In 1130 the broke out on the basis of , which allowed all the king's sons to rule jointly. For periods there could be peace, before a lesser son allied himself with a chieftain and started a new conflict. The was created in 1152 and attempted to control the appointment of kings. The church inevitably had to take sides in the conflicts, with the civil wars also becoming an issue regarding the church's influence of the king. The wars ended in 1217 with the appointment of , who introduced clear law of succession. From 1000 to 1300 the population increased from 150,000 to 400,000, resulting both in more land being cleared and the subdivision of farms. While in the Viking Age all farmers owned their own land, by 1300 seventy percent of the land was owned by the king, the church, or the aristocracy. This was a gradual process which took place because of farmers borrowing money in poor times and not being able to repay. However, tenants always remained free men and the large distances and often scattered ownership meant that they enjoyed much more freedom than continental serfs. In the 13th century about twenty percent of a farmer's yield went to the king, church and landowners. The 14th century is described as Norway's , with peace and increase in trade, especially with the British Islands, although Germany became increasingly important towards the end of the century. Throughout the the king established Norway as a sovereign state with a central administration and local representatives. In 1349 the spread to Norway and had within a year killed a third of the population. Later plagues reduced the population to half the starting point by 1400. Many communities were entirely wiped out, resulting in an abundance of land, allowing farmers to switch to more. The reduction in taxes weakened the king's position, and many aristocrats lost the basis for their surplus, reducing some to mere farmers. High to church made it increasingly powerful and the archbishop became a member of the. In 1380 inherited both the Norwegian and Danish thrones, creating a union between the two countries. In 1397, under , the was created between the three Scandinavian countries. She waged war against the Germans, resulting in a trade blockade and higher taxation on Norwegians, which resulted in. However, the Norwegian Council of State was too weak to pull out of the union. Margaret pursued a centralising policy which inevitably favoured Denmark, because it had a greater population than Norway and Sweden combined. Margaret also granted trade privileges to the Hanseatic merchants of in Bergen in return for recognition of her right to rule, and these hurt the Norwegian economy. The Hanseatic merchants formed a state within a state in Bergen for generations. Norway slipped ever more to the background under the established 1448. There was one revolt under in 1502. Norwegians had some affection for , who resided in the country for several years. Norway took no part in the events which led to Swedish independence from Denmark in the 1520s. Kalmar Union Main article: Upon the death of King of Norway in 1319, , at just three years old, inherited the throne as King Magnus VII of Norway. At the same time, a movement to make Magnus King of Sweden proved successful, and both the kings of Sweden and of Denmark were elected to the throne by their respective nobles, Thus, with his election to the throne of Sweden, both Sweden and Norway were united under King Magnus VII. In 1349, the radically altered Norway, killing between 50% and 60% of its population and leaving it in a period of social and economic decline. The plague left Norway very poor. Although the death rate was comparable with the rest of Europe, economic recovery took much longer because of the small, scattered population. Even before the plague, the population was only about 500,000. After the plague, many farms lay idle while the population slowly increased. However, the few surviving farms' tenants found their bargaining positions with their landlords greatly strengthened. Old map of Norway c. In 1363, Haakon VI married , the daughter of King. Upon the death of Haakon VI, in 1379, his son, , was only 10 years old. Olaf had already been elected to the throne of Denmark on 3 May 1376. Thus, upon Olaf's accession to the throne of Norway, Denmark and Norway entered. Olaf's mother and Haakon's widow, Queen Margaret, managed the foreign affairs of Denmark and Norway during the minority of Olaf IV. Margaret was working toward a union of Sweden with Denmark and Norway by having Olaf elected to the Swedish throne. She was on the verge of achieving this goal when Olaf IV suddenly died. However, Denmark made Margaret temporary ruler upon the death of Olaf. On 2 February 1388, Norway followed suit and crowned Margaret. Queen Margaret knew that her power would be more secure if she were able to find a king to rule in her place. She settled on , grandson of her sister. Thus at an all-Scandinavian meeting held at Kalmar, Erik of Pomerania was crowned king of all three Scandinavian countries. Thus, royal politics resulted in personal unions between the , eventually bringing the thrones of Norway, , and under the control of Queen Margaret when the country entered into the. In fact, it was a period of great prosperity and progress for Norway, especially in terms of shipping and foreign trade, and it also secured the country's revival from the demographic catastrophe it suffered in the. Based on the respective natural resources, Denmark—Norway was in fact a very good match since Denmark supported Norway's needs for grain and food supplies, and Norway supplied Denmark with timber, metal, and fish. The between an allied Dano-Norwegian— fleet and the Swedish navy, 8 November 1658 29 October With the in 1536, the archbishopric in Trondheim was dissolved, and Norway lost its independence, and effectually became a colony of Denmark. The Church's incomes and possessions were instead redirected to the court in Copenhagen. Norway lost the steady stream of pilgrims to the relics of at the shrine, and with them, much of the contact with cultural and economic life in the rest of Europe. Eventually restored as a kingdom albeit in legislative union with Denmark in 1661, Norway saw its land area decrease in the 17th century with the loss of the provinces , , and to Sweden, as the result of a number of disastrous wars with Sweden. In the north, however, its territory was increased by the acquisition of the northern provinces of and , at the expense of Sweden and Russia. The killed roughly 10% of Norway's population. The harvest failed in Scandinavia at least nine times between 1740 and 1800, with great loss of life. Union with Sweden The 1814 constitutional assembly, painted by After Denmark—Norway was attacked by the United Kingdom at the , it entered into an alliance with , with the war leading to dire conditions and mass in 1812. As the Danish kingdom found itself on the losing side in 1814, it was forced, under terms of the , to cede Norway to the king of Sweden, while the old Norwegian provinces of Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands remained with the Danish crown. Norway took this opportunity to declare independence, adopted a constitution based on and models, and elected the Crown Prince of Denmark and Norway, , as king on 17 May 1814. This is the famous Seventeenth of May holiday celebrated by Norwegians and Norwegian-Americans alike. Syttende Mai is also called Norwegian Constitution Day. Norwegian opposition to the great powers' decision to link Norway with Sweden caused the to break out as Sweden tried to subdue Norway by military means. As Sweden's military was not strong enough to defeat the Norwegian forces outright, and Norway's treasury was not large enough to support a protracted war, and as British and Russian navies blockaded the Norwegian coast, the belligerents were forced to negotiate the. According to the terms of the convention, Christian Frederik abdicated the Norwegian throne and authorised the to make the necessary constitutional amendments to allow for the that Norway was forced to accept. On 4 November 1814, the Parliament Storting elected as king of Norway, thereby establishing the. Under this arrangement, Norway kept its liberal constitution and its own independent institutions, except for the foreign service. Following the recession caused by the , economic development of Norway remained slow until economic growth began around 1830. Harvesting of oats in , c. Charles John was a complex man whose long reign extended to 1844. He protected the constitution and liberties of Norway and Sweden during the age of. As such, he was regarded as a liberal monarch for that age. However, he was ruthless in his use of paid informers, the secret police and restrictions on the freedom of the press to put down public movements for reform—especially the Norwegian national independence movement. The that followed the reign of King Charles III John brought some significant social and political reforms. In 1854, women won the right to inherit property in their own right, just like men. In 1863, the last trace of keeping unmarried women in the status of minors was removed. Furthermore, women were then eligible for different occupations, particularly the common school teacher. By mid-century, Norway's democracy was limited by modern standards: Voting was limited to officials, property owners, leaseholders and burghers of incorporated towns. A family in Norway, c. There was no strong bourgeosie class in Norway to demand a breakdown of this aristocratic control of the economy. Thus, even while revolution swept over most of the countries of Europe in 1848, Norway was largely unaffected by revolts that year. In just a few months, this society had a membership of 500 and was publishing its own newspaper. Within two years, 300 societies had been organised all over Norway, with a total membership of 20,000 persons. The membership was drawn from the lower classes of both urban and rural areas; for the first time these two groups felt they had a common cause. In the end, the revolt was easily crushed; Thrane was captured and in 1855, after four years in jail, was sentenced to three additional years for crimes against the safety of the state. Upon his release, Marcus Thrane attempted unsuccessfully to revitalise his movement, but after the death of his wife, he migrated to the United States. In 1898, all men were granted , followed by all in 1913. Main articles: and , a shipping magnate and statesman, and Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907, played a central role in the peaceful separation of Norway from Sweden on 7 June 1905. A national referendum confirmed the people's preference for a monarchy over a republic. The government offered the throne of Norway to a prince of the Dano-German royal. Prince Carl of Denmark was unanimously elected king by the Norwegian , the first king of a fully independent Norway in 508 years 1397: ; he took the name. In 1905, the country welcomed the prince from neighbouring Denmark, his wife and their young son to re-establish Norway's royal house. Following centuries of close ties between Norway and Denmark, a prince from the latter was the obvious choice for a European prince who could best relate to the Norwegian people. First and Second World Wars Scenes from the in 1940 Throughout the , Norway was in principle a neutral country. In reality, however, Norway had been pressured by the British to hand over increasingly large parts of its large merchant fleet to the British at low rates, as well as to join the trade blockade against Germany. Norwegian merchant marine ships, often with Norwegian sailors still on board, were then sailing under the British flag and at risk of being sunk by German submarines. Thus, many Norwegian sailors and ships were lost. Thereafter, the world ranking of the Norwegian merchant navy fell from fourth place to sixth in the world. Norway also proclaimed its neutrality during the , but despite this, it was on 9 April 1940. Although Norway was unprepared for the German surprise attack see: , , and , military and naval resistance lasted for two months. Norwegian armed forces in the north launched an offensive against the German forces in the , until they were forced to surrender on 10 June after losing British support which had been diverted to France during the. Throughout the war they sent inspirational radio speeches and supported clandestine military actions in Norway against the Germans. On the day of the invasion, the leader of the small National-Socialist party , , tried to seize power, but was forced by the German occupiers to step aside. Real power was wielded by the leader of the German occupation authority,. Quisling, as minister president, later formed a. Up to 15,000 Norwegians volunteered to fight in German units, including the. Norwegian fighter pilots in the United Kingdom during World War II The fraction of the Norwegian population that supported Germany was traditionally smaller than in Sweden, but greater than is generally appreciated today. Many Norwegians and persons of Norwegian descent joined the Allied forces as well as the. In June 1940, a small group had left Norway following their king to Britain. This group included 13 ships, five aircraft, and 500 men from the Royal Norwegian Navy. By the end of the war, the force had grown to 58 ships and 7,500 men in service in the Royal Norwegian Navy, 5 squadrons of aircraft including Spitfires, Sunderland flying boats and Mosquitos in the newly formed Norwegian Air Force, and land forces including the and 5 Troop as well as No. More important to the war effort, however, was the role of the Norwegian. At the time of the , Norway had the fourth-largest merchant marine fleet in the world. It was led by the Norwegian shipping company under the Allies throughout the war and took part in every war operation from the to the. Each December Norway gives a to the United Kingdom as thanks for the British assistance during the Second World War. A ceremony takes place to erect the tree in London's. Post-World War II history From 1945 to 1962, the held an absolute majority in the parliament. The government, led by prime minister , embarked on a program inspired by , emphasising state financed industrialisation and co-operation between trade unions and. Many measures of state control of the economy imposed during the war were continued, although the of dairy products was lifted in 1949, while price control and rationing of housing and cars continued as long as until 1960. Since the 1980s oil production has helped to expand the Norwegian economy and finance the Norwegian state. The wartime alliance with the United Kingdom and the United States was continued in the post-war years. Although pursuing the goal of a socialist economy, the Labour Party distanced itself from the Communists especially after the Communists' seizure of power in in 1948 , and strengthened its foreign policy and defence policy ties with the US. Norway received aid from the United States starting in 1947, joined the OEEC one year later, and became a founding member of the NATO in 1949. The first oil was discovered at the small Balder field in 1967, production only began in 1999. In 1969, the discovered petroleum resources at the field west of Norway. In 1973, the Norwegian government founded the State oil company,. Oil production did not provide net income until the early 1980s because of the large capital investment that was required to establish the country's petroleum industry. Around 1975, both the proportion and absolute number of workers in industry peaked. Since then labour-intensive industries and services like factory mass production and shipping have largely been outsourced. Norway was a founding member of the EFTA. Norway was twice invited to join the , but ultimately declined to join after referendums that failed by narrow margins in 1972 and 1994. Town Hall Square in Oslo filled with people with roses mourning the victims of the , 22 July 2011 In 1981, a Conservative government led by replaced the Labour Party with a policy of stimulating the with tax cuts, economic liberalisation, deregulation of markets, and measures to curb record-high inflation 13. Norway's first female prime minister, of the Labour party, continued many of the reforms of her conservative predecessor, while backing traditional Labour concerns such as , high taxes, the industrialisation of nature, and feminism. By the late 1990s, Norway had paid off its foreign debt and had started accumulating a. Since the 1990s, a divisive question in politics has been how much of the income from petroleum production the government should spend, and how much it should save. In 2011, Norway suffered on the same day conducted by which struck the in Oslo and a summer camp of the Labour party's at island, resulting in 77 deaths and 319 wounded. The brought a more conservative government to power, with the and the winning 43% of the electorate's votes. A satellite image of continental Norway in winter Norway's core territory comprises the western and northernmost portion of the ; the remote island of and the archipelago of are also part of the Kingdom of Norway. The Antarctic and the sub-Antarctic are and thus not considered part of the Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of known as. From the Middle ages to 1814 Norway was part of the. Norwegian posessions in the North Atlantic, , , and , remained Danish when Norway was passed to Sweden at the. Norway also comprised until 1658, and until 1645, and until 1468, and the and until the in 1266. Norway comprises the western and northernmost part of in Northern Europe. Norway lies between latitudes and , and longitudes and. Norway is the northernmost of the and if Svalbard is included also the easternmost. Norway includes the northernmost point on the European mainland. The rugged coastline is broken by huge and thousands of islands. The coastal is 2,532 kilometres 1,573 mi. The coastline of the mainland including fjords stretches 28,953 kilometres 17,991 mi , when islands are included the coastline has been estimated to 100,915 kilometres 62,706 mi. Norway shares a 1,619-kilometre 1,006 mi land border with , 727 kilometres 452 mi with , and 196 kilometres 122 mi with to the east. To the north, west and south, Norway is bordered by the , the , the , and. The form much of the border with Sweden. Norwegian lowland landscape near the Gaulosen branch of At 385,252 square kilometres 148,747 sq mi including and and 323,802 square kilometres 125,021 sq mi without , much of the country is dominated by mountainous or high terrain, with a great variety of natural features caused by prehistoric and varied. The most noticeable of these are the fjords: deep grooves cut into the land flooded by the sea following the end of the Ice Age. Norway has about 400,000 lakes. There are registred 239,057 islands. The land is mostly made of hard and rock, but , , and are also common, and the lowest elevations contain marine deposits. Because of the and prevailing westerlies, Norway experiences higher temperatures and more precipitation than expected at such northern latitudes, especially along the coast. The mainland experiences four distinct seasons, with colder winters and less precipitation inland. The northernmost part has a mostly maritime , while Svalbard has an climate. Because of the large latitudinal range of the country and the varied topography and climate, Norway has a larger number of different than almost any other European country. There are approximately 60,000 species in Norway and adjacent waters excluding bacteria and virus. The Norwegian Shelf large marine ecosystem is considered highly productive. Climate The southern and western parts of Norway, fully exposed to Atlantic storm fronts, experience more precipitation and have milder winters than the eastern and far northern parts. Areas to the east of the coastal mountains are in a , and have lower rain and snow totals than the west. The lowlands around Oslo have the warmest and sunniest summers, but also cold weather and snow in wintertime. Because of Norway's high , there are large seasonal variations in daylight. Conversely, from late November to late January, the sun never rises above the horizon in the north, and daylight hours are very short in the rest of the country. The coastal climate of Norway is exceptionally mild compared with areas on similar latitudes elsewhere in the world, with the passing directly offshore the northern areas of the Atlantic coast, continuously warming the region in the winter. Temperature anomalies found in coastal locations are exceptional, with and lacking a meteorological winter in spite of being north of the Arctic Circle. The Gulf Stream has this effect only on the northern parts of Norway, not in the south, despite what is commonly believed. The northern coast of Norway would thus be ice-covered if not for the Gulf Stream. As a side-effect, the Scandinavian Mountains prevent continental winds from reaching the coastline, causing very cool summers throughout Atlantic Norway. Oslo has more of a continental climate, similar to Sweden's. The mountain ranges have subarctic and tundra climates. There is also very high rainfall in areas exposed to the Atlantic, such as Bergen. Oslo, in comparison, is dry, being in a. Longyearbyen is the driest place in Norway with 190 millimetres 7. Parts of southeastern Norway including parts of have warm-summer Dfb , while the more southern and western coasts are mostly of the Cfb. Further inland in southeastern and northern Norway, the Dfc dominates; this is especially true for areas in the rain shadow of the. Some of the inner valleys of get so little precipitation annually, thanks to the rain shadow effect, that they meet the requirements for dry-summer subarctic climates Dsc. In higher altitudes, close to the coasts of southern and western Norway, one can find the rare subpolar oceanic climate Cfc. This climate is also common in Northern Norway, but there usually in lower altitudes, all the way down to sea level. A small part of the northernmost coast of Norway has the ET. Large parts of Norway are covered by mountains and high altitude plateaus, many of which also exhibit the ET. Climate data for Oslo-Blindern Köppen Dfb 1961—1990 , Norway Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C °F 12. The total number of species include 16,000 species of insects probably 4,000 more species yet to be described , 20,000 species of , 1,800 species of , 1,050 species of , 2,800 species of , up to 7,000 species of , 450 species of birds 250 species nesting in Norway , 90 species of mammals, 45 fresh-water species of fish, 150 salt-water species of fish, 1,000 species of fresh-water , and 3,500 species of salt-water invertebrates. About 40,000 of these species have been described by science. The of 2010 encompasses 4,599 species. Cold-water in off of the southern coast of Norway. Seventeen species are listed mainly because they are endangered on a global scale, such as the , even if the population in Norway is not seen as endangered. The number of threatened and near-threatened species equals to 3,682; it includes 418 fungi species, many of which are closely associated with the small remaining areas of old-growth forests, 36 bird species, and 16 species of mammals. In 2010, 2,398 species were listed as endangered or vulnerable; of these were 1250 listed as vulnerable VU , 871 as endangered EN , and 276 species as critically endangered CR , among which were the , the healthy population on Svalbard and the. The largest predator in Norwegian waters is the , and the largest fish is the. The largest predator on land is the , while the is the largest predator on the Norwegian mainland. The largest land animal on the mainland is the elk American English:. Environment Attractive and dramatic scenery and landscape are found throughout Norway. The west coast of southern Norway and the coast of northern Norway present some of the most visually impressive coastal sceneries in the world. The country is also home to the natural phenomena of the Midnight sun during summer , as well as the known also as the Northern lights. The 2016 from , and the put Norway in seventeenth place, immediately below Croatia and Switzerland. The index is based on environmental risks to human health, habitat loss, and changes in CO2 emissions. The index notes over-exploitation of fisheries, but not or. Norway is considered to be one of the most developed democracies and in the world. Since 2010, Norway has been classified as the world's most democratic country by the. According to the , which was adopted on 17 May 1814 and inspired by the and of 1776 and 1789, respectively, Norway is a with a of government, wherein the is the and the is the. Power is separated among the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, as defined by the Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document. The officially retains executive power. But following the introduction of a parliamentary system of government, the duties of the monarch have since become strictly representative and ceremonial, such as the formal appointment and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other ministers in the executive government. Accordingly, the Monarch is of the , and serves as chief diplomatic official abroad and as a symbol of unity. In practice, the Prime Minister exercises the executive powers. Constitutionally, legislative power is vested with both the government and the Parliament of Norway, but the latter is the supreme legislature and a body. Norway is fundamentally structured as a. The Parliament can pass a law by simple majority of the 169 representatives, who are elected on the basis of from 19 constituencies for four-year terms. A 4% election threshold is required for a party to gain levelling seats in Parliament. There are a total of 169 members of parliament. The Parliament of Norway, called the meaning Grand Assembly , ratifies national developed by the executive branch. It can members of the government if their acts are declared unconstitutional. If an indicted suspect is impeached, Parliament has the power to remove the person from office. The position of , Norway's head of government, is allocated to the member of Parliament who can obtain the confidence of a majority in Parliament, usually the current leader of the largest political party or, more effectively, through a coalition of parties. A single party generally does not have sufficient political power in terms of the number of seats to form a government on its own. Norway has often been ruled by minority governments. The prime minister nominates the cabinet, traditionally drawn from members of the same political party or parties in the Storting, making up the government. The PM organises the executive government and exercises its power as vested by the Constitution. Norway has a state church, the Lutheran , which has in recent years gradually been granted more internal autonomy in day-to-day affairs, but which still has a special constitutional status. Formerly, the PM had to have more than half the members of cabinet be members of the Church of Norway, meaning at least ten out of the 19 ministries. This rule was however removed in 2012. The issue of in Norway has been increasingly controversial, as many people believe it is time to change this, to reflect the growing diversity in the population. A part of this is the evolution of the public school subject Christianity, a required subject since 1739. Even the state's loss in a battle at the at in 2007 did not settle the matter. As of 1 January 2017, the Church of Norway is a separate legal entity, and no longer a branch of the civil service. Through the , a presided over by the monarch, the prime minister and the cabinet meet at the and formally consult the Monarch. All government bills need the formal approval by the monarch before and after introduction to Parliament. The Council reviews and approves all of the monarch's actions as head of state. Although all government and parliamentary acts are decided beforehand, the privy council is an example of symbolic gesture the king retains. Members of the Storting are directly elected from in nineteen constituencies in a national. Historically, both the and have played leading political roles. In the early 21st century, the Labour Party has been in power since the , in a with the and the. Since 2005, both the Conservative Party and the have won numerous seats in the Parliament, but not sufficient in the to overthrow the coalition. Commentators have pointed to the poor co-operation between the opposition parties, including the and the. In national elections in September 2013, voters ended eight years of Labor rule. Two political parties, and , elected on promises of tax cuts, more spending on infrastructure and education, better services and stricter rules on immigration, formed a government. Coming at a time when Norway's economy is in good condition with low unemployment, the rise of the right appeared to be based on other issues. Administrative divisions See also: Norway, a , is divided into eighteen first-level administrative fylke. The counties are administrated through directly elected county assemblies who elect the County Governor. Additionally, the and government are represented in every county by a , who effectively acts as a Governor. As such, the Government is directly represented at a local level through the County Governors' offices. The counties are then sub-divided into 422-second-level municipalities kommuner , which in turn are administrated by directly elected municipal council, headed by a mayor and a small executive cabinet. The capital of is considered both a county and a municipality. Norway has two integral overseas territories: and , the only developed island in the archipelago of the same name, located miles away to the north. There are three and : , , and. On most maps, there had been an unclaimed area between Queen Maud Land and the until 12 June 2015 when Norway formally annexed that area. A geopolitical map of Norway, showing the 19 , the Spitsbergen and islands, which are part of the Norwegian kingdom 96 settlements have status in Norway. In most cases, the city borders are coterminous with the borders of their respective municipalities. Often, Norwegian city municipalities include large areas that are not developed; for example, Oslo municipality contains large forests, located north and south-east of the city, and over half of Bergen municipality consists of mountainous areas. Main article: Norway uses a where laws are created and amended in Parliament and the system regulated through the. It consists of the of 20 permanent judges and a , , city and , and. The judiciary is independent of executive and legislative branches. While the Prime Minister nominates Supreme Court Justices for office, their nomination must be approved by Parliament and formally confirmed by the Monarch in the Council of State. Usually, judges attached to regular courts are formally appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Courts' strict and formal mission is to regulate the Norwegian judicial system, interpret the Constitution, and as such implement the legislation adopted by Parliament. In its judicial reviews, it monitors the legislative and executive branches to ensure that they comply with provisions of enacted legislation. It is a Unified National Police Service made up of 27 Police Districts and several specialist agencies, such as , known as Økokrim; and the , known as Kripos, each headed by a chief of police. The Police Service is headed by the , which reports to the Ministry of Justice and the Police. The Police Directorate is headed by a National Police Commissioner. The only exception is the , whose head answers directly to the Ministry of Justice and the Police. Norway abolished the death penalty for regular criminal acts in 1902. The legislature abolished the death penalty for high treason in war and war-crimes in 1979. In general, the legal and institutional framework in Norway is characterised by a high degree of transparency, accountability and integrity, and the perception and the occurrence of corruption are very low. Norway has ratified all relevant international anti-corruption conventions, and its standards of implementation and enforcement of anti-corruption legislation are considered very high by many international anti-corruption working groups such as the OECD Anti-Bribery Working Group. However, there are some isolated cases showing that some municipalities have abused their position in public procurement processes. Norwegian prisons are humane, rather than tough, with emphasis on rehabilitation. At 20%, Norway's re-conviction rate is among the lowest in the world. Foreign relations Norway maintains embassies in 82 countries. Norway is a founding member of the United Nations UN , the NATO , the and the European Free Trade Association EFTA. Norway issued applications for accession to the European Union EU and its predecessors in 1962, 1967 and 1992, respectively. While Denmark, Sweden and Finland obtained membership, the Norwegian electorate rejected the treaties of accession in referenda in 1972 and 1994. After the 1994 referendum, Norway maintained its membership in the European Economic Area EEA , an arrangement granting the country access to the of the Union, on the condition that Norway implements the Union's pieces of legislation which are deemed relevant of which there were approximately seven thousand by 2010 Successive Norwegian governments have, since 1994, requested participation in parts of the EU's co-operation that go beyond the provisions of the EEA agreement. Non-voting participation by Norway has been granted in, for instance, the Union's , the , and the , as well as 19 separate programmes. In addition, it participated in the 1990s brokering of the , an attempt to resolve the. Military Norwegian tanks in the snow in The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 25,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to 2009 mobilisation plans, full mobilisation produces approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has including 6—12 months of training ; in 2013, the country became the first in Europe and NATO to draft women as well as men. However, due to less need for conscripts after the ended with the break-up of the Soviet Union, few people have to serve if they are not motivated. The Armed Forces are subordinate to the. The military of Norway is divided into the following branches: the , the , the , the and the. In response to its being overrun by Germany in 1940, the country was one of the founding nations of the NATO on 4 April 1949. At present, Norway contributes in the ISAF in. Additionally, Norway has contributed in several missions in contexts of the United Nations, NATO, and the of the European Union. GDP and GDP growth Norwegians enjoy the second-highest among European countries after , and the sixth-highest in the world. Today, Norway ranks as the second-wealthiest country in the world in monetary value, with the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation. According to the CIA World Factbook, Norway is a net external creditor of debt. Norway maintained first place in the world in the HDI for six consecutive years 2001—2006 , and then reclaimed this position in 2009, through 2015. The standard of living in Norway is among the highest in the world. The ranks Norway fourth in the 2013 equalised and third in intergenerational earnings elasticity. Norway's claimed economic zones The Norwegian economy is an example of a , a prosperous capitalist and social democracy country featuring a combination of activity and large state ownership in certain key sectors. The state income derived from natural resources includes a significant contribution from petroleum production. Norway has an unemployment rate of 4. People in the labour force are either employed or looking for work. The hourly productivity levels, as well as average hourly wages in Norway, are among the highest in the world. The values of Norwegian society have kept the wage difference between the lowest paid worker and the CEO of most companies as much less than in comparable western economies. This is also evident in. The state has large ownership positions in key industrial sectors, such as the strategic petroleum sector , hydroelectric energy production , aluminium production , the largest Norwegian bank , and telecommunication provider. Through these big companies, the government controls approximately 30% of the stock values at the Oslo Stock Exchange. When non-listed companies are included, the state has even higher share in ownership mainly from direct oil licence ownership. Norway is a major shipping nation and has the world's 6th largest , with 1,412 Norwegian-owned merchant vessels. By referendums in 1972 and , Norwegians rejected proposals to join the European Union EU. However, Norway, together with and , participates in the European Union's single market through the European Economic Area EEA agreement. Norway is a highly integrated member of most sectors of the EU internal market. Some sectors, such as agriculture, oil and fish, are not wholly covered by the EEA Treaty. Norway has also acceded to the and several other intergovernmental agreements among the EU member states. The country is richly endowed with natural resources including petroleum, , fish, , and minerals. Large reserves of petroleum and natural gas were discovered in the 1960s, which led to a boom in the economy. Norway has obtained one of the highest standards of living in the world in part by having a large amount of natural resources compared to the size of the population. In 2011, 28% of state revenues were generated from the petroleum industry. Norway is the first country which banned cutting of trees deforestation , in order to prevent rain forests from vanishing. The country declared its intention at the UN Climate Summit in 2014, alongside Great Britain and Germany. Crops, that are typically linked to forests' destruction are timber, soy, palm oil and beef. Now Norway has to find new way to provide these essential products without exerting negative influence on its environment. Resources has been exported from in Norway for at least 1,000 years Fish industry Norway is also the world's second-largest exporter of fish in value, after China. The most valuable minerals are calcium carbonate , building stone, , , iron, , and. Oil industry Oil production has been central to the Norwegian economy since the 1970s, with a dominating Export revenues from oil and gas have risen to almost 50% of total exports and constitute more than 20% of the GDP. Norway is the fifth-largest oil exporter and third-largest gas exporter in the world, but it is not a member of. In 1995, the Norwegian government established the sovereign wealth fund , which would be funded with oil revenues, including taxes, dividends, sales revenues and licensing fees. This was intended to reduce overheating in the economy from oil revenues, minimise uncertainty from volatility in oil price, and provide a cushion to compensate for expenses associated with the ageing of the population. The government controls its petroleum resources through a combination of state ownership in major operators in the oil fields with approximately 62% ownership in in 2007 and the fully state-owned , which has a market value of about twice Statoil, and. Finally, the government controls licensing of exploration and production of fields. The fund invests in developed financial markets outside Norway. The budgetary rule Handlingsregelen is to spend no more than 4% of the fund each year assumed to be the normal yield from the fund. It is the largest in the world. The fund controls about 1. The Norwegian Central Bank operates investment offices in London, New York, and Shanghai. Guidelines implemented in 2007 allow the fund to invest up to 60% of the capital in shares maximum of 40% prior , while the rest may be placed in bonds and real-estate. As the stock markets tumbled in September 2008, the fund was able to buy more shares at low prices. In this way, the losses incurred by the market turmoil was recuperated by November 2009. The investment choices of the Norwegian fund are directed by ; for example, the fund is not allowed to invest in companies that produce parts for nuclear weapons. Norway's highly investment scheme is lauded by the international community. In 2000, the government sold one-third of the state-owned oil company Statoil in an. The next year, the main telecom supplier, , was listed on. The state also owns significant shares of Norway's largest bank, and the airline. Since 2000, economic growth has been rapid, pushing unemployment down to levels not seen since the early 1980s unemployment in 2007: 1. The international financial crisis has primarily affected the industrial sector, but unemployment has remained low, and was at 3. In contrast to Norway, Sweden had substantially higher actual and projected unemployment numbers as a result of the recession. Thousands of mainly young Swedes migrated to Norway for work during these years, which is easy, as the labour market and social security systems overlap in the Nordic Countries. In the first quarter of 2009, the GNP of Norway surpassed Sweden's for the first time in history, although its population is half the size. Oil fields External image Between 1966 and 2013, Norwegian companies drilled 5085 oil wells, mostly in the. Of these 3672 are utviklingsbrønner regular production ; 1413 are letebrønner exploration ; and 1405 have been terminated avsluttet. Oil fields not yet in production phase include: —calculated size in 2013, 65—156 million barrels of oil and 10 to 40 billion cubic feet 0. Both oil fields are located in the. Transport highway at Brattlikollen outskirts of Due to the low population density, narrow shape and long coastlines of Norway, its public transport is less developed than in many European countries, especially outside the major cities. The country has long-standing water transport traditions, but the has in recent years implemented rail, road, and air transport through numerous subsidiaries to develop the country's infrastructure. Under discussion is development of a new high-speed rail system between the nation's largest cities. The railways transported 56,827,000 passengers 2,956 million and 24,783,000 tonnes of cargo 3,414 million. The entire network is owned by the. All domestic passenger trains except the are operated by NSB. Several companies operate freight trains. Investment in new infrastructure and maintenance is financed through the state budget, and subsidies are provided for passenger train operations. NSB operates long-haul trains, including , regional services and four systems, around , , and. Visualization of as of 2017 after the latest expansion and renovation Norway has approximately 92,946 kilometres 57,754 mi of road network, of which 72,033 kilometres 44,759 mi are paved and 664 kilometres 413 mi are motorway. The four tiers of road routes are national, county, municipal and private, with national and primary county roads numbered en route. The most important national routes are part of the scheme. The two most prominent are the going north-south through the entire country, and the , which follows the West Coast. National and county roads are managed by the. Norway has the world's largest registered stock of. In March 2014, Norway became the first country where over 1 in every 100 passenger cars on the roads is a plug-in electric. The plug-in electric segment of new car sales is also the highest in the world. According to a report by in June 2016, the country would like to ban all gasoline and diesel powered vehicles as early as 2025. In June 2017, 42% of new cars registered were electric. Of the 97 airports in Norway, 52 are public, and 46 are operated by the state-owned. A total of 41,089,675 passengers passed through Norwegian airports in 2007, of whom 13,397,458 were international. The central gateway to Norway by air is. Located about 35 kilometres 22 mi northeast of Oslo, it is for the two major Norwegian airlines: and , and for regional aircraft from Western Norway. There are departures to most European countries and some intercontinental destinations. A direct high-speed train connects to Oslo Central Station every 10 minutes for a 20 min ride. Distribution of Norwegian dialect groups: North Norwegian yellow , Trøndelag Norwegian navy blue , West Norwegian orange and East Norwegian pale blue. Norwegian and Sami are the two official languages of Norway. The Norwegian language has two official written forms, and. Both are used in public administration, schools, churches, and media. Bokmål is the written language used by a large majority of about 80—85%. Around 95% of the population speak Norwegian as their first or native language, although many speak dialects that may differ significantly from the written languages. All Norwegian dialects are mutually intelligible, although listeners with limited exposure to dialects other than their own may struggle to understand certain phrases and pronunciations in some other dialects. Several Sami languages are spoken and written throughout the country, especially in the north, by some members of the Sami people. Estimates suggest that about one third of the Norwegian Sami speak a Sami language. Speakers have a right to be educated and to receive communication from the government in their own language in a special forvaltningsområde administrative area for Sami languages. The minority historically spoke the Uralic considered a separate language in Norway, but generally perceived as a Finnish dialect in Finland. Today the majority of ethnic Kven have little or no knowledge of the language. Some supporters have also advocated making an official language of the country. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Norwegian language was subject to. This led to the development of Nynorsk in the 19th century and to the formation of alternative spelling standards in the 20th century. Norwegian is similar to the other languages in Scandinavia: and. All three languages are to a degree mutually intelligible and can be, and commonly are, employed in communication among inhabitants of the Scandinavian countries. As a result of the co-operation within the , inhabitants of all Nordic countries, including and , have the right to communicate with Norwegian authorities in their own language. The Norwegian government offers language instructional courses for immigrants wishing to obtain Norwegian citizenship. With increasing concern about assimilating immigrants, since 1 September 2008, the government has required that an applicant for Norwegian citizenship give evidence of proficiency in either Norwegian or in one of the Sami languages, or give proof of having attended classes in Norwegian for 300 hours, or meet the language requirements for university studies in Norway that is, by being proficient in one of the Scandinavian languages. The primary foreign language taught in Norwegian schools is English, considered an international language since the post-WWII era. The majority of the population is fairly fluent in English, especially those born after World War II. German, French and Spanish are also commonly taught as second or, more often, third languages. Russian, Japanese, Italian, , and rarely are offered in some schools, mostly in the cities. Traditionally, English, German and French were considered the main foreign languages in Norway. These languages, for instance, were used on until the 1990s, and university students have a general right to use these languages when submitting their theses. Since the late 20th century, Norway has attracted immigrants from southern and central Europe, the Mideast, Africa, Asia and beyond. In 2012, an official study showed that 86% of the total population have at least one parent who was born in Norway. More than 710,000 individuals 13% are immigrants and their descendants; there are 117,000 children of immigrants, born in Norway. In 2013, the Norwegian government said that 14% of the Norwegian population were immigrants or children of two immigrant parents. About 6% of the immigrant population come from EU, North America and Australia, and about 8. In 2012, of the total 660,000 with immigrant background, 407,262 had Norwegian citizenship 62. Immigrants have settled in all municipalities. The cities or municipalities with the highest share of immigrants in 2012 were 32% and 27%. The share in Stavanger was 16%. In recent years, immigration has accounted for most of Norway's population growth. In 2011, 16% of newborn children were of immigrant background. The are indigenous to the Far North and have traditionally inhabited central and northern parts of Norway and Sweden, as well as areas in northern Finland and in Russia on the. Another national minority are the , descendants of Finnish-speaking people who migrated to northern Norway from the 18th up to the 20th century. From the 19th century up to the 1970s, the Norwegian government tried to assimilate both the Sami and the Kven, encouraging them to adopt the majority language, culture and religion. Main articles: and Particularly in the 19th century, when economic conditions were difficult in Norway, tens of thousands of people migrated to the United States and Canada, where they could work and buy land in frontier areas. Many went to the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. In 2006, according to the US Census Bureau, almost 4. In the 2011 Canadian census, 452,705 Canadian citizens identified as having. Immigration Main article: On 1 January 2013 , the number of immigrants or children of two immigrants residing in Norway was 710,465, or 14. Yearly immigration has increased since 2005. While yearly net immigration in 2001—2005 was on average 13,613, it increased to 37,541 between 2006 and 2010, and in 2011 net immigration reached 47,032. This is mostly because of increased immigration by residents of the EU, in particular from Poland. In 2012, the immigrant community which includes immigrants and children born in Norway of immigrant parents grew by 55,300, a record high. Net immigration from abroad reached 47,300 300 higher than in 2011 , while immigration accounted for 72% of Norway's population growth. Children of Pakistani, Somali and parents made up the largest groups of all Norwegians born to immigrant parents. Largest immigrant groups 1st and 2nd generation : National background Population Poland 97,196 Lithuania 37,638 Sweden 36,315 Somalia 28,696 Germany 24,601 Iraq 22,493 Syria 20,823 Philippines 20,537 Pakistan 19,973 Eritrea 19,957 are the largest non-European minority group in Norway. Most of their 32,700 members live in and around Oslo. The and immigrant populations have increased significantly in recent years. After the enlargement of the EU in 2004, a wave of immigrants arrived from Central and Northern Europe, particularly Poland, Sweden and Lithuania. The fastest growing immigrant groups in 2011 in absolute numbers were from Poland, Lithuania and Sweden. The policies of immigration and integration have been the subject of much debate in Norway. Religion The in , the largest in Norway happened significantly later in Norway than in most of Europe and is not yet complete. In 2012, the Norwegian parliament voted to grant the greater autonomy, a decision which was confirmed in a constitutional amendment on 21 May 2012. Until 2012 parliamentary officials were required to be members of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Norway, and at least half of all government ministers had to be a member of the state church. As state church, the Church of Norway's clergy were viewed as state employees, and the central and regional church administrations were part of the state administration. Members of the Royal family are required to be members of the Lutheran church. Most Norwegians are registered at baptism as members of the , which has been Norway's since its establishment. In recent years the church has been granted increasing internal autonomy, but it retains its special constitutional status and other special ties to the state, and the constitution requires that the reigning monarch must be a member and states that the country's values are based on its Christian and humanist heritage. Many remain in the church to participate in the community and practices such as , , marriage and burial rites. In 2017, about 53. In the early 1990s, studies estimated that between 4. This figure has dropped to about 2%. In 2010, 10% of the population was , while another 9%, were members of religious communities outside the Church of Norway. Other Christian denominations total about 4. The Aftenposten Norwegian, The Evening Post in October 2012 reported there were about 115,234 registered Roman Catholics in Norway; the reporter estimated that the total number of people with a Roman Catholic background may be 170,000—200,000 or higher. Others include 39,600 , the 19,600 , 11,000 , 9,900 , 9,900 , 6,800 , 5,100 , , and others. The Swedish, Finnish and Icelandic Lutheran congregations in Norway have about 27,500 members in total. Other Christian denominations comprise less than 1% each, including 4,000 members in and 12,000. The on the outskirts of Oslo is the largest mosque in Norway Among non-Christian religions, is the largest, with 132,135 registered members 2014 , and probably fewer than 200,000 in total. It is practised mainly by , , , and immigrants, as well as. Other religions comprise less than 1% each, including 819 adherents of. Indian immigrants introduced to Norway, which in 2011 has slightly more than 5,900 adherents, or 1% of non-Lutheran Norwegians. Sikhs first came to Norway in the early 1970s. The troubles in Punjab after and riots committed against Sikhs in India after the led to an increase in Sikh refugees moving to Norway. Drammen also has a sizeable population of Sikhs; the largest gurdwara in north Europe was built in. There are eleven organisations, grouped under the organisation, with slightly over 14,000 members, which make up 0. The religion has slightly more than 1,000 adherents. From 2006 to 2011, the fastest-growing religious communities in Norway were and , which grew in membership by 80%; however, their share of the total population remains small, at 0. It is associated with the huge immigration from and , and to a lesser extent from and Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries. Other fast-growing religions were the 78. As in other Scandinavian countries, the ancient Norse followed a form of native known as. By the end of the 11th century, when Norway had been , the indigenous Norse religion and practices were prohibited. Remnants of the native religion and beliefs of Norway survive today in the form of names, referential names of cities and locations, the days of the week, and other parts of everyday language. Modern interest in the old ways has led to a revival of pagan religious practices in the form of. The Norwegian Åsatrufellesskapet Bifrost formed in 1996; in 2011, the fellowship had about 300 members. Foreningen Forn Sed was formed in 1999 and has been recognised by the Norwegian government. The Sami minority retained their well into the 18th century, when most converted to Christianity under the influence of Dano-Norwegian Lutheran. Some Norwegian and Sami celebrities are reported to visit for guidance. Five percent gave no response. Health Main article: Norway was awarded first place according to the UN's HDI for 2013. In the 1800s, by contrast, poverty and dominated in Norway together with and epidemics. From the 1900s, improvements in public health occurred as a result of development in several areas such as social and , changes in disease and medical outbreaks, establishment of the health care system, and emphasis on public health matters. Improved hygiene and better nutrition were factors that contributed to improved health. The disease pattern in Norway changed from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases and chronic diseases as. Inequalities and social differences are still present in public health in Norway today. In 2013 the infant mortality rate was 2. For girls it was 2. Education The main building of the in is offered by a range of seven , five specialised colleges, 25 as well as a range of private colleges. Education follows the involving 3 years , 2 years and PhD 3 years degrees. Acceptance is offered after finishing with general study competence. Public education is virtually free, regardless of nationality. The academic year has two , from August to December and from January to June. The ultimate responsibility for the education lies with the. In the 19th century, it inspired a strong movement, which is still visible in the and. Norwegian culture blossomed with nationalist efforts to achieve an independent identity in the areas of literature, art and music. This continues today in the performing arts and as a result of government support for exhibitions, cultural projects and artwork. Traditional Norwegian farmer's costumes, known as folkedrakt, and modern costumes inspired by those costumes, known as , are widely used on special occasions. Human rights Norway has been considered a progressive country, which has adopted legislation and policies to support women's rights, minority rights, and. As early as 1884, 171 of the leading figures, among them five Prime Ministers for the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party, co-founded the. They successfully campaigned for women's , , the , and other gender equality policies. From the 1970s, gender equality also came high on the state agenda, with the establishment of a public body to promote gender equality, which evolved into the. Civil society organisations also continue to play an important role, and the women's rights organisations are today organised in the umbrella organisation. In 1990, the Norwegian constitution was amended to grant to the Norwegian throne, meaning that the eldest child, regardless of gender, takes precedence in the line of succession. As it was not retroactive, the current successor to the throne is the eldest son of the King, rather than his eldest child. The Sami people have never been a single community in a single region of. Norway has been greatly criticised by the international community for the politics of of and discrimination against the indigenous population of the country. Nevertheless, Norway was, in 1990, the first country to recognise on recommended by the UN. In regard to LGBT rights, Norway was the first country in the world to enact an anti-discrimination law protecting the rights of gays and lesbians. In 1993, Norway became the second country to legalise partnerships for same-sex couples, and on 1 January 2009 to grant full to same-sex couples. The documentary film 1950 won an. In 1959, 's Nine Lives was nominated, but failed to win. Another notable film is English: Pinchcliffe Grand Prix , an animated feature film directed by. The film was released in 1975 and is based on characters from Norwegian cartoonist. It is the most widely seen Norwegian film of all time. Since the 1990s, the film industry has thrived, producing up to 20 feature films each year. Particular successes were , based on a novel by a Nobel Prize winner; and. The country has also been used as filming location for several Hollywood and other international productions, including 1980 , for which the producers used as a filming location for scenes of the ice planet Hoth. It included a memorable battle in the snow. The films , , and , as well as the TV series and also had scenes set in Norway. A short film, The Spirit of Norway was featured at at Pavilion at located within in Florida in the United States. The attraction and the film ceased their operations on 5 October 2014. Music , composer and pianist The classical of the composers , and is internationally known, as is the modern music of. Norway's classical performers include , one of the world's more famous pianists; , an outstanding cellist; and the great Wagnerian soprano. Since the 1990s, Norway's export of , a lo-fi, dark and raw form of , has been developed by such bands as , , , , , and. More recently bands such as , , and have evolved the genre into the present day while still garnering worldwide fans. Controversial events associated with the black metal movement in the early 1990s included several and two prominent. The jazz scene in Norway is thriving. Among the most prominent folk musicians are , and , and the vocalists , and. Other internationally recognised bands are , ,. A-ha initially rose to global fame during the mid-1980s. In the 1990s and 2000s, the group maintained its popularity domestically, and has remained successful outside Norway, especially in Germany, Switzerland, France, and Brazil. In recent years, various Norwegian songwriters and production teams have contributed to the music of other international artists. The Norwegian production team has produced songs for , , , and , among others. Norway enjoys many music festivals throughout the year, all over the country. Norway is the host of one of the world's biggest festivals with music, —a festival held annually in. Oslo is the host of many festivals, such as and. Oslo used to have a summer parade similar to the German. In 1992, the city of Oslo wanted to adopt the French music festival Fête de la Musique. Literature , author The history of Norwegian literature starts with the and verse of the 9th and 10th centuries, with poets such as and. The arrival of Christianity around the year 1000 brought Norway into contact with European mediaeval learning, and history writing. Merged with native oral tradition and Icelandic influence, this influenced the literature written in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Major works of that period include , and. Little Norwegian literature came out of the period of the Scandinavian Union and the subsequent Dano-Norwegian union 1387—1814 , with some notable exceptions such as and. During the union with Denmark, the government imposed using only written Danish, which decreased the writing of Norwegian literature. Two major events precipitated a major resurgence in Norwegian literature: in 1811 a Norwegian university was established in. Secondly, seized by the spirit of revolution following the and revolutions, the Norwegians created their first in 1814. Strong authors were inspired who became recognised first in Scandinavia, and then worldwide; among them were , , and. Kielland's novels and short stories are mostly naturalistic. Although an important contributor to early romantic nationalism, especially , is better known for his pioneering realistic dramas such as and. They caused an uproar because of his candid portrayals of the middle classes, complete with infidelity, unhappy marriages, and corrupt businessmen. Writers such as the following also made important contributions: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and. Research Internationally recognised Norwegian scientists include the mathematicians , and , physical chemist , physicist , chemists , , and. In the 20th century, Norwegian academics have been pioneering in many , including , sociology and. Prominent academics include , a philosopher and founder of ; , the founder of ; and , criminologists; , a social anthropologist; , and , sociologists; , a pioneer of women's law; , a political scientist; and economists , , and. In 2014, the two Norwegian scientists and won the along with. Architecture in built in , a style of design architecture that originated during the. With Norway's conversion to Christianity some 1,000 years ago, churches were built. Stonework architecture was introduced from Europe for the most important structures, beginning with the construction of in. In the early , wooden were constructed throughout Norway. Some of them have survived; they represent Norway's most unusual contribution to architectural history. A fine example, in inner , is on 's. Another notable example of wooden architecture is the buildings at Wharf in Bergen, also on the list for World Cultural Heritage sites, consisting of a row of tall, narrow wooden structures along the quayside. The 17th-century town of , designated in 1980 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has narrow streets and wooden houses. In the 17th century, under the Danish monarchy, cities and villages such as and were established. The city Kongsberg had a church built in the Baroque style. Traditional wooden buildings that were constructed in Røros have survived. After Norway's union with Denmark was dissolved in 1814, Oslo became the capital. The architect designed the earliest parts of the , the , and many other buildings and churches constructed in that early national period. At the beginning of the 20th century, the city of was rebuilt in the style, influenced by styles of France. The 1930s, when functionalism dominated, became a strong period for Norwegian architecture. It is only since the late 20th century that Norwegian architects have achieved international renown. One of the most striking modern buildings in Norway is the in , designed by and. Its debating chamber, in timber, is an abstract version of a lavvo, the traditional tent used by the nomadic. Art Brudeferd i Hardanger by og , 1848 For an extended period, the Norwegian art scene was dominated by artwork from Germany and Holland as well as by the influence of Copenhagen. It was in the 19th century that a truly Norwegian era began, first with portraits, later with impressive landscapes. Johan Christian Dahl 1788—1857 , originally from the Dresden school, eventually returned to paint the landscapes of western Norway, defining Norwegian painting for the first time. Other artists of note include , a neo-romantic painter remembered for his paintings of , and , a figurative painter who maintains that his work is not art, but. Some traditional Norwegian dishes include , , , , and. Some quirky Norwegian speciality is rakefisk, which is a fermented trout, consumed with thin flatbread flatbrød, not lefse and sour cream. And the most popular pastry among all population is vaffel. It is different from Belgian in taste and consistency and is served with sour cream, brown cheese, butter and sugar, or strawberry or raspberry jam, which can all be mixed or eaten separately. Sports Skier from Norway is the of all time, with 15 medals Sports are a central part of Norwegian culture, and popular sports include association football, , , , , and, to a lesser degree, and. Association football is the most popular sport in Norway in terms of active membership. In 2014—2015 polling, football ranked far behind and in terms of popularity as spectator sports. The has won several titles, including two championships , , three , , , and six , , , , ,. In association football, the has won the in and the in. The women's team also has two titles ,. The has participated three times in the , , , and once in the. The highest FIFA ranking Norway has achieved is 2nd, a position it has held twice, in 1993 and in 1995. There are about 10 and 29 in Norway. Ski jumping hill in Oslo during the is a traditional sport in Norway and the country is one of the four founders of. In terms of licensed athletes, it is the second biggest winter sport in the world. As of January 2018, has captured one silver and one bronze, while has managed five bronzes at. Norway first participated at the in 1900, and has sent athletes to compete in every Games since then, except for the sparsely attended and the in Moscow when they participated in the. Norway leads at the with considerable margin. 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