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英国 United Kingdom 爱尔兰 Ireland 比利时 Belgium 荷兰 Netherlands 法国 France 西班牙 Spain 葡萄牙 Portugal 意大利 Italy 希腊 Greece 奥地利 Austria 匈牙利 Hungary 德国 Germany 瑞士 Switzerland 罗马尼亚 Romania 俄罗斯 Russia 波兰 Poland 克罗地亚 Croatia (Hrvatska) 捷克 Czech 芬兰 Finland 瑞典 Sweden 挪威 Norway 冰岛 Iceland 土耳其 Turkey 丹麦 Denmark 阿尔巴尼亚 Albania 爱沙尼亚 Republic of Estonia 安道尔 Andorra 白俄罗斯 Belarus 保加利亚 The Republic of Bulgaria 波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那 Bosnia and Herzegovina 梵蒂冈 Vatican City State (Holy See) 黑山 The Republic of Montenegro 拉脱维亚 Latvia 立陶宛 Republic of Lithuania 列支敦士登 Liechtenstein 卢森堡 Luxembourg 马耳他 Republic of Malta 马其顿 The Republic of Macedonia 摩尔多瓦 The Republic of Moldova 摩纳哥 Monaco 塞尔维亚 the Republic of Serbia 斯洛伐克 The Slovak Republic 斯洛文尼亚 the Republic of Slovenia 圣马力诺 San Marino 乌克兰 Ukraine |
| Norway Capital:Oslo Country Code: no |
 挪威国名释义：挪威一词，大约出现于9 世纪， 它是由Norreweg转来，意为"通往北方之路"、"北方航道"。当时来往于斯堪的纳维亚半岛的航道主要有3条：东路经波罗的海，西路经北海，北路沿着半岛的北岸出入。 当时，北路一线海岸地区依航线的名称被叫做"诺雷韦格(Norreweg)地区"，是将日耳曼语的Norre( 北)和Weg(路)拼合而成的地名。在英语中，将其后半部的"韦格"Weg(路)换成英语的"威 "Way(路)，读作"挪威"(Norway)。但在挪威本国，人们还是把从古名演变过来的Norge作为正式国名。 独立日：6月7日（1905年） 国庆日：5月17日（1814年） 国花：石南花 国鸟：河鸟 国歌：《对！我们热爱祖国》 语言：挪威语 挪威通行两种相似的官方语言，学校也教授这两种语言。波克默尔语(Bokmal) 是主要语言，因为由丹麦文演变而来，所以又称丹麦式挪语(Dano-Norwegian)。通用于百分之八十的人口。 另一种语言则是新挪威语(New-Norwegian或Nynorsk)，因为是从丹麦统治时的旧挪威语演变而来，包涵许多日常方言的特色，具草根性。二次大战后，由于都市化的影响，新挪威语明显少用了，所以波克默尔语还是占优势。观光区的挪威人也普遍说英文，但乡村地区的人们几乎不说英文。 民族：日耳曼族挪威人占95%，北部有萨米族约2万人。 宗教：基督教 货币：挪威克朗(krone)通常在国际汇市写成NOK，在北欧写成Nkr，挪威境内则是kr。 1挪威克郎等于100欧雷(Ore)，有面额50欧雷，1、5、10、20克郎的硬币及50、100、200、500、1000克郎的纸币。 国旗：呈长方形，长与宽之比为11:8。旗地为红色，旗面上有蓝、白色的十字形图案，略偏左侧。挪威曾在1397年与丹麦、瑞典结成卡尔马联盟，为丹麦所统治，所以国旗上的十字源自丹麦国旗的十字图案。挪威国旗有两种，政府机构悬挂燕尾式国旗，其他场合悬挂上述横长方形国旗。1821年，挪威制定商船旗时以此为图案。1905年独立时，正式定为国旗。红、蓝、白三色的组合，是典型的自由与独立的标志。 国徽：挪威简洁明了的国徽呈盾形，红色的盾面上直立着一只金色狮子，头戴王冠，持金柄银斧。金狮是力量的象征，银斧是挪威自由的保护者圣奥拉夫的武器。盾徽上端是一顶镶嵌着圆球和十字的金色王冠。它最初于13世纪出现在哈康国王祖先斯瓦莱国王的旗帜与徽章上。盾徽中雄狮前肢紧握战斧的图案是8世纪以来神圣国王的个人象征。金色雄狮头上的王冠造形简朴，体现了斯堪的纳维亚地区金属制作的特有风格。盾徽顶端的王冠，象征王族的威严和至高无上的权力。 国家政要：国王哈拉尔五世 (Harald V)，１９９１年继承王位；首相斯托尔滕贝格(Jens Stoltenberg)，２００５年１０月任职。 餐饮简介： 广大的国土却有三分之一位于北极圈内，因此份量充足又能提供热能的饮食，便形成日常生活的餐饮模式。早餐份量充足，起士、熏鲑鱼、鸡蛋、麦片、面包、咖啡、红茶等，午餐用得不多，晚餐可以品尝烧烤驯鹿肉或雷鸟，不过著名的维京料理却是一种以冷食为主的餐点，有兴趣也可以试试。挪威人最爱喝啤酒，葡萄酒和威士忌价钱很高。 习俗：挪威人非常喜欢握手。无论何时，当陌生人相会，总要握手及互道姓名。同样地，当以后遇见了不怎么熟的人，你也得在招呼时及道别时握手。 电话： 挪威电话号码无区域码，所有国内电话号码皆为8码。公用电话收1、5、10克郎硬币，查号台：180。 打长途电话用卡式电话会较方便，电话卡面额有35、98及210克郎3种，可在报摊(Narvesen)购得。17:00-8:00的通话费是其它时段的1/3。 自然地理 面积为３８５１５５平方公里（包括斯瓦尔巴群岛、扬马延岛等属地）。位于北欧斯堪的纳维亚半岛西部，东邻瑞典，东北与芬兰和俄罗斯接壤，南同丹麦隔海相望，西濒挪威海。海岸线长２．１万公里（包括峡湾），多天然良港。斯堪的纳维亚山脉纵贯全境，高原、山地、冰川约占全境２／３以上。南部小丘、湖泊、沼泽广布。大部分地区属温带海洋性气候。 挪威是世界重要的海事国之一，其海岸线曲折，近海岛屿达１５万多个，既是优良港口，又是风景优美的游览区。 挪威本土属亚寒带针叶林气候，斯瓦尔巴群岛、扬马延岛属苔原气候。首都年平均气温7℃，年降水量740毫米左右。 在位于其西海岸的贝根，可欣赏到由百万年冰川地形变动而形成的峡湾景色，远眺群山环抱两岸风光美丽，令人目不暇给。奥斯陆是挪威的著名港口，四周山水环抱，风光如画，亦是全国最大的经济文化中心。福洛格纳公园、维京船博物馆等都是这里的著名游览区，还有一座滑雪博物馆，详细介绍关于滑雪的历史。 挪威地处偏北，其最南点（北纬约５８度）比中国最北点（不到北纬５４度）还要北。北极圈横穿挪威北部，北部一些城市到了６、７月份根本没有夜，可以看到午夜的太阳以及美丽的北极光。最北端的北角也是欧洲大陆的最北点。 许多人把木制狭板教堂看成是斯堪的纳维亚国家的特色，如今，这类教堂在世界上保存最完好的主要是在挪威。挪威现存３０座木制教堂，而奥尔内斯木制教堂则是它们当中最引人注目的一座。它位于西海岸的松恩－菲尤拉讷郡，建于１２世纪。教堂是一个四方形的三层建筑，全部用木材建成，每层都有陡峭的披檐，上为尖顶，外形颇似东方的神庙。教堂的山墙上刻有各种图案。教堂内的陈设至今仍保持着中世纪时的风格。教堂目前保存完好，观光者络绎不绝。１９７９年，奥尔内斯木制教堂被联合国教科文组织列为世界文化遗产之一。 霍尔门考山是挪威的滑雪圣地。它位于奥斯陆东北约１３公里处，海拔３７１米，风景优美。从１８９２年起，每年３月，世界闻名的滑雪大赛都在此举行。如果从远处眺望奥斯陆城市的轮廓，你会看到霍尔门考伦跳雪台非常醒目地高高耸立在奥斯陆霍尔门考伦山上。它也是这项最具有挪威特色的体育项目的非常生动、形象的一种标志。霍尔门考伦山下还有一个滑雪博物馆。 人口 ４６０．５万（２００５年１月）。９６％为挪威人，外国移民约占４.６％。有萨米族约３万人，主要分布在北部。官方语言为挪威语，英语为通用语。９０％居民信奉国教基督教路德宗。 首都 奥斯陆（Oslo），市区人口约５３万（２００５年１月）。 奥斯陆是挪威的政治中心,也是金融,商业和工业中心,它的造船业在世界造船业中占有突出地位,堪称“海洋之都” 行政区划 全国设１市１８郡，下设４５４个市政：奥斯陆（市）、阿克什胡斯、东福尔、海德马克、奥普兰、布斯克吕、西福尔、泰勒马克、东阿格德尔、西阿格德尔、罗加兰、霍达兰、松恩－菲尤拉讷、默勒－鲁姆斯达尔、南特伦德拉格、北特伦德拉格、诺尔兰、特罗姆斯、芬马克。 简史 从9世纪开始，挪威被许多小王国统治而且侵略集团到达诺曼底，冰岛，格陵兰，苏格兰和爱尔兰以外的岛屿，及新世界海岸，挪威最终于12世纪统一并在13世纪到达它中世纪繁荣的高度。 公元９世纪形成统一的王国。900年，国王霍尔法格统一挪威。在９—１１世纪北欧海盗时期，曾不断向外扩张，进入鼎盛时期。１４世纪中叶开始衰落，１３９７年与丹麦和瑞典组成卡尔马联盟，受丹麦统治。１８１４年，丹麦把挪威割让给瑞典，换取西波美拉尼亚。1814年5月17日通过宪法规定挪威为世袭君主立宪国， 定该日为国庆日。１９０５年独立成立君主国，并选丹麦王子卡尔为国王，称哈康七世。第一次世界大战中保持中立。第二次世界大战中被法西斯德国占领，哈康国王及他的政府流亡英国。１９４５年获得解放。１９５７年哈康七世逝世，其子即位，称奥拉夫五世。 政治 现行宪法于１８１４年５月１７日通过，后经多次修订。宪法规定，挪威实行君主立宪制，国王为国家元首兼武装部队统帅，并提名首相人选，但无权解散议会。议会分上下两院，除制定法律先由下院后由上院讨论外，其他问题均由两院合并讨论。 经济 挪威是拥有现代化工业的发达国家。现有可开采原油蕴藏量为４２.８亿立方米，天然气４万多亿立方米。其他矿产资源有：煤２－５亿吨，铁０．３亿吨，钛０．１８亿吨。水力资源丰富，可开发的水电资源约１８７０亿度，已开发６３％。北部沿海是世界著名渔场。农业面积１０４６３平方公里，其中牧草地６３２９平方公里。副食基本可自给，粮食主要靠进口。工业在国民经济中占有重要地位，主要传统工业部门有机械、水电、冶金、化工、造纸、木材加工、鱼产品加工和造船。西欧最大的铝生产国和出口国，镁的产量居世界第二，硅铁合金产品大部分供出口。７０年代兴起的近海石油工业已成为国民经济重要支柱，为西欧最大产油国、世界第三大石油出口国。主要旅游点有奥斯陆、卑尔根、勒罗斯、北角等地。 新闻出版 １９９９年全国出版各种日报６５种，日平均发行量２２９万份。另有其他报刊约１１０种。主要报纸有《晚邮报》、《世界之路报》、《日报》、《卑尔根时报》等，其中发行量最大的《世界之路报》。挪威国家广播公司（NRK）１９３３年建立，分广播、电视两部分，隶属文化部。 挪威通讯社 (Norwegian News Agency) (Norsk Telegrambyra -- NTB) 创建于１８６７年９月１日，是挪威唯一的通讯社，总社设在挪威首都奥斯陆，属于挪威报纸联合股份公司性质。最高决策机构是报业代表大会及其常设委员会。经理和主编由委员会任命，领导日常工作。挪通社在经济上依靠全国１１５家报纸付给的电讯稿和图片订费。挪通社在国内无分社，只在卑尔根和特隆汉姆两大城市派有常驻记者。国内新闻主要通过各地报纸指定的报道员提供。挪通社在议会中专门派有报道组。国际新闻主要依靠转发路透社、法新社和合众国际社以及北欧各国通讯社的电讯。挪通社与德新社和塔斯社等许多通讯社都订有交换电讯合同，同北欧各国通迅社保持密切合作，同他们在北京、华盛顿、莫斯科和波恩联合派有常驻记者。有时，还联合派出记者到外国采访报道。挪通社１９７４年和新华社就曾相互交换新闻换文。 外交 挪威以同北约合作为其外交和安全政策的基础。积极发展与欧盟及北欧的合作，同时与邻国俄罗斯维持睦邻关系。近年来，进一步加强与欧盟、美国、俄罗斯及周边国家的关系，更加重视发展与亚太国家的联系，努力拓展外交空间，通过联合国积极参与国际事务。挪威是北大西洋公约组织、欧洲委员会、北欧理事会、欧洲自由贸易联盟成员国。 与中国关系：１９５４年１０月５日，挪威与中国建交。２００７年３月，斯托尔滕贝格首相对中国进行正式访问。 2008年5月12日汶川大地震后，挪威外交部13日宣布,挪威政府决定向中国提供2000万挪威克朗(约合390万美元)捐助款。挪威环境与国际发展大臣埃里克·索尔海姆还说,如果中国方面需要挪威提供特殊设备或其他帮助,挪威将尽力而为 工业和航运业 挪威是铝、硅、铁和镁的主要生产者，北海石油则为石化工业提供原料，挪威也是世界上最大的化肥生产国之一。挪威的企业以中、小型为主，最重要的有医药工业、电子业、服务业、养鱼业和传统的船舶制造业。挪威的造船厂擅长建造先进的特殊用途船舶。另外，挪威也为世界各地的船队提供零部件和各种服务。从北欧海盗时代起，挪威船就开始航行于世界各地，今天的挪威已是世界第四位航运大国。 交通状况 挪威的大众运输系统相当便利，火车公车及渡轮班次彼此密切衔接。在火车站可免费索取《NSB Togruter》，内容详载了火车时刻表及与公车的转乘信息，非常实用。船与公车的出发时间会因季节甚至假日而变动(例如周六的运输班次特别少) 所以不妨到各地的旅游服务处索取最新的时刻表。 ·空运 25岁以下或67岁以上的旅客都可购买优惠票，而且航空公司间常有折扣战。北欧航空也售外国旅客80到110美元的预购票，可用于斯堪地半岛上任两定点间(包括挪威城市)该公司的直飞航线。布拉森公司有“挪威旅游票”(Visit Norway Pass)。以特伦汗将挪威分界为两大航区，各区内任两定点间的航线只须约85美元。威德罗航空公司推出410克郎的夏日季票(6月-8月间)，详情请洽威德航空。 ·公车系统 挪威有四通八达的公车系统，长途巴士坐起来相当舒适，以距离长短算票价，平均每100公里112克郎。许多巴士公司有优惠学生、老人及家庭、75折到半价的折扣票，要记得询问。 ·铁路系统 在挪威，你可以选择北欧四国联营火车票，购买一个月选十天的票种最合适。 另一种选择是购买挪威国铁联票，可以不限次数、距离在特定时间内搭火车游挪威，也可在入境后购买。 旺季二等舱票价如下：连续7天、14天的联票各为1260、1700克郎；一个月内任选3天的联票为900克郎。10-4月的票价8折。挪威火车的二等舱相当舒适，与一等舱相去不大，实不须多花一半的价钱去坐一等舱。 除了联票之外还有一种票叫做“minipris”，长程旅行使用相当划算，但最晚必须在出发前一天购买。这种票适用于许多班次列车，但非全部。你可参阅《NSB Togruter》手册上，有标绿点的班次便可用“minipris”。 ·租车 主要的租车公司(如Hertz, Avis, Europcar)，在机场及市中心都设有服务处，但租车所费不匪。若亲自现场租车，一部小型车一天800克郎(含加值税及保险费)、不限公里数。但租车公司为吸引观光客，有时会推出“饭店价”600克郎。一般来说抵达挪威之前，先以电话或网络预订车会较划算。 主要租车公司另外也有周末租车优惠，较为经济。周五中午过后取车、周一上午十点以前还车即可，要记得确认此价格要是不限公里数的才划算。 ·船 大规模的渡轮及快艇运输网，联络了近海岛屿及滨海市镇、峡湾地区的交通。挪威传奇的巡航汽船(Hurtigruten)，百年来一直是联络北部临海零散小渔村的生命线。每晚皆有从卑尔根往北驶的船，经过6天的航程、停靠33个港，目的地为科克内斯(Kirkenes)，之后随即回头往南驶。如果天气不错，沿途的群山峻岭、峡湾绵延，映着湛蓝海天尽入眼底，美不胜收。淡季9/1-4/30期间，有减价方案，所有票价6折优惠，不妨多加利用。 福利国家 挪威是创建现代福利国家的先驱之一。福利国家的基础是一套旨在保障社会和经济安全的经济体系。每个公民都是国家福利与劳保组织的成员，享有医疗、退休金、残废金等一整套广泛的经济资助。 在过去的几年里，国家将重点放在改善有孩子家庭的生活水平上，除了每个家庭都可以得到儿童抚养费之外，与妇女生产有关的假期条例也订得非常宽泛。 百分之九十以上的儿童都在公立学校免费上学，规定必须接受的期限是九年，但每个人都有继续求学深造的权利。 跨入新世纪挪威经济活动的很大一部分是以利用自然资源为基础的。同时，挪威也是最依赖其国际贸易的国家。为了迎接未来的挑战，企业和政府都非常重视研究与发展。 冲破疆界 阿蒙森（1872-1928）是人类中第一个到达南极的，也是第一个驾船通过加拿大以北的西北通道的人；弗里德持乔夫·南森 （1861-1930）的一生丰富多彩，他既是科学家和极地学者，又是艺术家和政治家，他曾滑雪穿越格陵兰，又驾驶帆船“弗拉姆”号穿过北冰洋，为表彰他对遣返战争难民和解除前苏联早期大饥荒所作的努力，1922年被授予诺贝尔和平奖；科学家图勒·海耶达尔（1914-）是当今最负名的探险家，他曾驾驶木筏《康提基号》从南美洲抵达玻里尼西亚群岛，证明早期印第安人有可能用同样方法横过太平洋，他还驾驶蒲草船《拉号》证明了人类可能早已穿越过大西洋。 在挪威的剧院里当然可以看到亨里克·易卜生（1828-1906）的《群鬼》和《玩偶之家》，但在纽约、伦敦、巴黎或柏林看到易卜生戏剧的机会大概同样多。易卜生给欧洲戏剧增加了莎士比亚以来一直缺少的心理深度和社会效果。三位挪威作家曾获得诺贝尔文学奖。比昂斯提尔纳·比昂森（1832-1910）于1903年获奖。他主要写作民间传说、小说、诗歌和戏剧并创作了挪威国歌和歌词。克努特·汉姆生（1859-1952）1920年因《土地的成长》一书获奖，那时他已经完成了《饥饿》、《潘神》和《维多莉亚》等著作。西格里德·温赛特（1882-1949）在1928年获奖。她的名著是有关克丽斯汀?拉芙朗斯达特的三部曲，该书已被翻译成多种文字出版。在绘画上，爱德华·蒙克（1863-1944）的《呐喊》那样人人皆知的作品并不多见。蒙克是现代绘画表现主义的开创人。作曲家爱德华·格里格因其大量的音乐作品“晨曲”而名闻遐迩。如他的许多其他作品一样，格里格在此借鉴了挪威民间音乐的音色与和声，他的A大调协奏曲是许多钢琴家的保留曲目。 索尼亚·海妮（1912-1969）曾获得十次花样滑冰世界冠军和三次奥运会冠军。她开创了位于奥斯陆郊外荷维库敦的海妮—翁斯达艺术中心。格莱特·维茨（1953-）是最熟悉的纽约柏油马路的挪威妇女，她曾获纽约和伦敦马拉松的冠军，还多次荣获马拉松和野外长跑世界冠军。格莱特·维茨已作为妇女长跑的先驱载入史册。 奥斯陆 挪威首都奥斯陆是北方之路上的都城。这座城市正如北欧人直爽的性格，透彻而奔放。远古时代，巨大的冰川使不堪重负的山体一点点下沉，最终与海洋连通而形成了今天的峡湾。奥斯陆市南侧的阿布列格区是观赏峡湾绝好去处，可乘班轮在峡湾是畅游。码头最北端，专辟为露天鱼市。不知是因为鱼市的吸引，还是良港的天然特征，奥斯陆峡湾可称得上水鸟的世界，很远处就能听到鸟儿的叫声。 峡湾之旅之后，再乘船约２０分钟可抵达对面的比格岛，岛上有著名的海盗船博物馆和民俗博物馆。民俗博物馆是世界上最早的露天博物馆，这里集中展示了整个挪威的民风民情。能在一天内“走遍”挪威全国。民俗博物馆展出从全国各地原物移来的１５３座古式房屋，还有１７００年至１８００年的城市建筑如旧式加油站等。 民俗博物馆边的海盗博物馆是斯堪的纳维亚国家中最受欢迎的海盗文化宝库之一。展品均是从奥斯陆峡湾地区维京人墓穴中发现的，其中最为壮观的是两艘世界上保护得最好的建于公元９世纪的木制海盗船。博物馆中还展示了维京人的许多出土用品，包括马车、炊具等，游人可根据它们遥想“海盗岁月”。 岛上有公共汽车返回市区，奥市中心不大，可徒步游览。从旅游资讯中心出发，先去对面的市政厅，这座砖红色的建筑于１９５０年为庆祝奥斯陆建城９００年而建，布局为凹字形，周围有大量雕塑，表现了挪威人生活的各个方面。市政厅广场港东边是临海而立的阿克斯胡斯城堡，建于７００年前。从这里可以俯瞰峡湾。出城堡北行１０分钟，就可到达奥斯陆最繁华的卡尔·约翰大街。大街东起奥斯陆最大的基督教堂，横贯市中心。在每年五月十七日的挪威国庆节时，街边豪华旅店的阳台就成了最佳的观景点。 沿街而行，在国家剧院前，可以看到举世闻名的戏剧大师易卜生的雕像。两年一度的易卜生戏剧节使这里成为奥斯陆重要的文化展场。继续西行，路北广场上有一组仿古罗马风格的建筑，这就是著名的奥斯陆大学，诺贝尔和平奖颁奖典礼每年就在这时举行。在大街的尽头，是气度不凡的皇宫，后面是古木参天的国王花园。公园南侧的大街上有易卜生博物馆和诺贝尔学院，前方不远处著名的雕塑－－“加莱义民”群雕中的“拿钥匙的人”是罗凡赠送给奥斯陆的珍贵礼物。 提起奥斯陆和名胜，最著名的要算是维吉兰雕塑公园了。它是以弗洛格纳公园的绿地、湖泊为自然背景，由挪威著名雕塑家古斯塔夫·维吉兰用４０年时间精心设计建造的，整个公园以人生为主题，用铸铁、铜和花岗岩三种材料雕成５００多座雕像。公园中最有名的雕像是“生气的男孩”、“人生喷泉”和“生命之柱”。 喜爱运动的朋友自然不会错过有１００多年历史的侯门库伦跳雪台。这座位于奥斯陆北面山坡上的高大建筑物造型优美，雪白的台体高达百米以上，用蓝色绘的是挪威北部的驯鹿，红色绘着夏季挪威北部特有的奇妙自然景观“午夜太阳”。雪原上的驯鹿用角顶起不落和太阳，挪威人以此诠释冰雪运动的含义。从市内任何一点都可以看到它，而从高高的跳台上也可将整个奥斯陆市区一览无余。每年３月的跳雪节都吸引了成千上万滑雪者，在此惊人一跳的记录有１１３米远。 罗弗敦群岛 罗弗敦在挪威语中是“山猫脚”的意思，同时也暗指其领海拔地而起的一列险峻的岛屿——“罗弗敦之墙”。这堵“罗弗敦之墙”在西部峡湾与北海之间形成了一道长达１６０公里的屏障。墨西哥湾暖流使得这里的冬季相对比较温暖湿润，每年从１月到４月末，大批的鱼群会汇集到罗弗敦的浅岸水域产卵，每年这时就会有大量渔民涌入。 近年来，罗弗敦海岛上的渔民少了，旅游者和艺术家的数量却增加了。那些创造了罗弗敦历史的渔民的棚屋，现在成了前来度假的游客们的假日居所。被罗弗敦日光所吸引的画家们越来越为人们所熟知。在靠近斯沃尔瓦的斯维内亚，人们新近为六位瑞典画家和两位挪威画家建造了一所“艺术之家”。挪威中部的特隆赫姆(Trondheim)，是个小小的城市，从这里坐火车向北穿过北极圈到博德，从博德再乘渡船就可到达对面的罗弗敦群岛。由莫斯肯内斯码头上岸，离码头不到100米的渔屋，这是一些由木柱子架在海边上的红色木房子，有的已有一百多年的历史。罗弗敦一带没有那种有服务员和总台的旅馆，全是清一色的自助式渔民屋。夏季供游人小住，冬天供渔民长租。 罗弗敦群岛最西端有一个叫奥(A)的渔村， 是E10（欧洲10号）公路的尽头，是世界上名称最短的村落之一，为此人们慕名而去。群岛北面的涟堡是个海边的小渔村，与奥、莫斯肯内斯稍有不同，奥、莫斯肯内斯的红房子很密集，都架在海面上；涟堡则是向海敞开，风大浪凶，稀疏的房子都建在岸边陆地上，几乎全是长住的各国钓鱼者。 特隆赫姆的旅游景点如下： Nidaros大教堂；斯堪的纳维亚中世纪最大的建筑物；The Archbishop's Palace大主教宫；Stiftgarden的皇家官邸；斯堪的纳维亚最大的木建筑；Kristiansten Fotr克里斯汀山顶要塞；Ringve Museum音乐史博物馆。 挪威的黄石公园－海尔西特 位于盖伦格峡湾西侧，和盖伦格并称为挪威的黄石公园，有非常辽阔的田园山景，清晨在半山腰俯视这山城，绿色庄园蒙上一层薄薄的白雾，那份恬适感让人流连忘返。这里也是一千多年以前维京人入侵英、法、俄等国的基地，所以可发现旧时农庄的遗迹。 假城镇－巴里斯川(Balestrand) 索格纳(Sognefjord)峡湾，挪威最长最深的峡湾，长达两百多公里，最深处达一千三百公尺，有些地方垂直之山壁自海平面忽然升起达千公尺，大自然的鬼斧神工教人惊叹。 巴里斯川是索格纳峡湾旁的小镇，是几个小峡湾的会合点，也是此区域重要的旅游点与交通城市，远处高山积雪终年不化，夏天山谷里绿草如荫，像是英格兰的乡村景色，又有点像是瑞士的湖边渡假村。 旅游服务中心在车站旁，可提供健行路线图。或安排船、健行、租单车，邮局旁有两家快餐店， Hostle餐厅有70kr的特餐。 波多Bodo 波多是挪威北部Nordland的最大城，也是重要港口。又因位于挪威国营铁路的北端终点，兼之是出入罗浮敦群岛(Lofoten)的枢纽，因此交通地位格外重要。 一般人旅行挪威北境，很少会在波多多作停留；因为二次大战时，这个美丽的小城曾遭德军无情的摧残，几近全毁。1950年间重建，但整个城市至此不复原貌。 改建后的博物馆或教堂都相当现代化，只有罗丁教堂(Rodin Church)这座石材所筑的巴洛克式教堂较有可观。市区内由青年旅馆步行约三十分钟可以登上Ronvik山，在此可以清楚地欣赏午夜太阳的美景。 波多南郊约33公里处的 Saltstraumen 有全世界最大的漩涡奇景，巨浪在长三公里的峡湾间翻腾，声势惊人，甚是壮观。 此外，由奥斯陆(Oslo)、安道尔尼斯(Andalsnes)、特伦汗(Trondheim)、波多到纳维克 (Narvik)的火车路线也为旅行者所津津乐道：这段景观火车路线里有高山、瀑布、河谷、森林、海岸线，还将通过标示北极圈的石制纪念碑。火车并会停下五分钟，让旅行者下车摄影留念呢！ 挪威的四大峡湾 盖朗厄尔峡湾 盖朗厄尔峡湾位于挪威西南岸的卑尔根北部，是挪威峡湾中最为美丽神秘的一处。峡湾全长 16 公里，两岸耸立着海拔 1500 米以上的群山。盖朗厄尔峡湾以瀑布众多而著称，有许多瀑布沿着陡峭的岩壁泻入该峡湾，比如“新郎的面纱”和“七姊妹”。峡湾顶端是盖朗厄尔村，到该村仅靠一条沿山坡蜿蜒而下的长1000米的道路，夏季徒步前来度假的游客很多。村里除1842年建造的盖朗厄尔峡湾教堂外，还有摄影师经常光顾的福里达尔斯尤威展望台和海拔1500米高的达尔斯尼巴展望台。周围的景点还有位布里克斯达尔冰川。 松恩峡湾 松恩峡湾是挪威最大的峡湾，也是世界上最长、最深的峡湾，全长达240公里，最深处达1308米。两岸山高谷深，谷底山坡陡峭，垂直上长，直到海拔1500米的峰顶。峡湾两岸的岩层很坚硬，主要由花岗岩和片麻岩构成，并夹杂着少数的石灰岩、白云岩和大理岩。陡峭的崖壁插入地表以下1200米，在平整成高原之前，崖壁伸向天空。松恩峡湾其实是一个峡湾主干的名称，其还附有许多的小峡湾，其中最著名的纳勒尔峡湾是世界上最狭窄的峡湾，最窄处仅250米。这里的崖壁紧挤在一起，以致船只下行时似乎消逝在隧道中。大峡湾将其沿途塑造成光裸而荒无人烟的景色，沿途两侧的大部分山脉赫然耸立于水面之上，似乎终日处于黄昏暮光中。 哈当厄尔峡湾 哈当厄尔峡湾全长179公里，是四大峡湾中最为平缓的一处，有田园般风景的峡湾。哈当厄尔峡湾是个很大的峡湾，也有一些小的分支峡湾，爱的峡湾就是其中的一个。峡湾两岸山坡的果树鲜花盛开，缤纷烂漫。哈当厄尔峡湾尽头是著名的休闲胜地——乌托内和洛夫特胡斯的乌伦斯旺地区。约800年前僧侣到此地种植了苹果树和杏树，每到5月便开花，夏季结果。哈当厄尔峡湾沿线也有许多壮观的瀑布，还有哈当厄尔韦德国立公园，挪威第三大规模的弗格丰纳冰河等景观。 吕瑟峡湾 吕瑟峡湾位于挪威南部，全长 42 公里。吕瑟峡湾的入口是挪威西海岸的斯塔万格。河水在凸兀的峭壁和巍峨的群山之间蜿蜒流淌。两岸巨岩兀立，其中海拔600 米的断崖布雷凯斯特伦是最值得一看的地方。站在巨岩之上，感觉自己犹如漂浮在空中，能强烈地感受到大自然雄劲的活力。斯塔万格位于挪威的西部，是到吕瑟峡湾游览观光的理想出发点，从这里您还可以乘观光船游览。 The Kingdom of Norway also includes the Arctic island territories of Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard is based upon the Svalbard Treaty, but that treaty does not apply to Jan Mayen. Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean and Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land in Antarctica are external dependencies, but those three entities do not form part of the kingdom. Since World War II, Norway has experienced rapid economic growth, and is now amongst the wealthiest countries in the world, with a Scandinavian welfare system. Norway is the world's third largest oil exporter after Russia and Saudi Arabia and the petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of GDP. It has also rich resources of gas fields, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals. Norway was the second largest exporter of seafood (in value, after China) in 2006. Other main industries include food processing, shipbuilding, metals, chemicals, mining, fishing and pulp and paper products. Norway was ranked highest of all countries in human development from 2001 to 2006, and came second in 2007 (to fellow Nordic country Iceland). It also rated the most peaceful country in the world in a 2007 survey by Global Peace Index. It is a founding member of NATO. Norway is officially called Kongeriket Norge in the bokmål written norm, and Kongeriket Noreg in the nynorsk written norm. In other languages spoken in Norway the country is known as Northern Sami: Norga, or Norgga gonagasriika Lule Sami: Vuodna or Vuona gånågisrijkka Southern Sami: Nøørje or Nøørjen gånkarijhke Finnish/Kven: Norja or Norjan kuningaskunta Many etymologists believe the country's name comes from the North Germanic languages and that it means "the northern route" (the way to the north), which in Old Norse would be nord veg or *norð vegri.[citation needed] The Old Norse name for Norway was Nóreegr, in Anglo-Saxon Norþ weg, and in Medieval Latin Nhorvegia. The Old Norse and nynorsk forms are quite similar to an ancient Sami word that means "along the coast" or "along the sea" — realized as nuorrek in contemporary Lule Sami. The presence of the archaic prosecutive case marker (sometimes also called prolative in Finno-Ugric language research) supports the claim that the Sami word is indigenous and not a borrowing from North Germanic languages. The earliest known written occurrence of the name "Norway" is in the late 9th century, Old English translation of Orosius' Seven Books of History Against The Pagans, written by King Alfred the Great of Wessex, and adapted by him to include an account of the travels of Ohthere of Hålogaland. History Archaeological findings indicate that Norway was inhabited at least since early 10th millennium BC. Most historians agree that the core of the populations colonizing Scandinavia came from the present-day Germany. In the first centuries AD, Norway consisted of a number of petty kingdoms. According to tradition, Harald Fairhair unified them into one, in 872 AD after the Battle of Hafrsfjord, thus becaming the first king of a united Norway. Rock carvings at AltaThe Viking age, 8-11th centuries AD, was characterized by expansion and immigration. Many Norwegians left the country to live in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and parts of Britain and Ireland. The modern-day Irish cities of Limerick, Dublin, and Waterford were founded by Norwegian settlers. Norse traditions were slowly replaced by Christianity in the 9th and 10th centuries, and this is largely attributed to the missionary kings Olav Tryggvasson and St. Olav. Haakon the Good was Norway's first Christian king, in the mid tenth century, though his attempt to introduce the religion was rejected. In 1349, the Black Death killed between 40% and 50% of the population, resulting in a period of decline, both socially and economically. Ostensibly, royal politics at the time resulted in several personal unions between the Nordic countries, eventually bringing the thrones of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden under the control of Queen Margrethe I of Denmark when the country entered into the Kalmar Union. Although Sweden broke out of the union in 1523, Norway remained till 1814, a total of 434 years. The National romanticism of the 19th century, the centralization of the kingdom's royal, intellectual, and administrative powers in Copenhagen, Denmark, the dissolution of the archbishopric in Trondheim with the introduction of Protestantism in 1537, as well as the distribution of the church's incomes to the court in Copenhagen meant that Norway lost the steady stream of pilgrims to the relics of St. Olav at the Nidaros shrine, and with them, much of the contact with cultural and economic life in the rest of Europe. The steady decline was highlighted by the loss of the provinces Båhuslen, Jemtland, and Herjedalen to Sweden, as a result of wars. After Denmark–Norway was attacked by Great Britain, it entered into an alliance with Napoleon, with the war leading to dire conditions and mass starvation in 1812. As the kingdom found itself on the losing side in 1814 it was forced to cede Norway to the kingdom 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 American and French models, and elected the Danish crown prince Christian Fredrik as king on May 17, 1814. This caused the Norwegian-Swedish War to break out between Sweden and Norway but as Sweden's military was not strong enough to defeat the Norwegian forces outright, Norway agreed to enter a personal union with Sweden. Under this arrangement, Norway kept its liberal constitution and independent institutions, except for the foreign service. The 1814 constitutional assembly, painted by Oscar Wergeland.This period also saw the rise of the Norwegian romantic nationalism cultural movement, as Norwegians sought to define and express a distinct national character. The movement covered all branches of culture, including literature (Henrik Wergeland, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe, Henrik Ibsen), painting (Hans Gude, Adolph Tidemand), music (Edvard Grieg), and even language policy, where attempts to define a native written language for Norway led to today's two official written forms for Norwegian: Bokmål and Nynorsk. Christian Michelsen, a Norwegian shipping magnate and statesman, Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907 played a central role in the peaceful separation of Norway from Sweden on June 7, 1905. After a national referendum confirmed the people's preference for a monarchy over a republic, the Norwegian government offered the throne of Norway to the Danish Prince Carl and Parliament unanimously elected him king. He took the name of Haakon VII, after the medieval kings of independent Norway. In 1898, all men were granted universal suffrage, followed by all women in 1913. During both World wars Norway claimed neutrality but during World War II it was invaded by German forces on April 9, 1940 while the allies also had plans in mind for an invasion of the country. In April 1940, the British fleet mined Norwegian territorial waters. Norway was unprepared for the German surprise attack, but military resistance continued for two months. During the Norwegian Campaign, the Kriegsmarine lost many ships including the cruiser Blücher. The battles of Vinjesvingen and Hegra eventually became the last strongholds of Norwegian resistance in southern Norway in May, while the armed forces in the north launched an offensive against the German forces in the Battles of Narvik, until they were forced to surrender on June 10. On the day of the invasion, the collaborative leader of the small National-Socialist party Nasjonal Samling — Vidkun Quisling — 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, Reichskommissar Josef Terboven. Quisling, as minister president, later formed a collaborationist government under German control. At the time of the invasion, Norway had the fourth largest merchant marine in the world led by the shipping company Nortraship, which under the Allies took part in every war operation from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the Normandy landings. Following the war, the Social Democrats came to power and ruled the country for much of the cold war. Norway joined NATO in 1949, and became a close ally of the United States. Two plebiscites to join the European Union failed by narrow margins in 1972 and 1994. Large reserves of petroleum and natural gas were discovered in the 1960s, which led to a continuing boom in the economy. Geography, climate and environment Satellite image of continental Norway in winterNorway comprises the western part of Scandinavia in Northern Europe. The rugged coastline, broken by huge fjords and thousands of islands, stretches over 2,500 km as the crow flies and over 83,000 km including the fjords and islands. Norway shares a 2,542 km land border with Sweden, Finland, and Russia to the east. To the west and south, Norway is bordered by the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea, and Skagerak. The Barents Sea washes on Norway's northern coasts. At 385,252 km² (including Jan Mayen, Svalbard), Norway is slightly larger than Germany, but much of the country is dominated by mountainous or high terrain, with a great variety of natural features caused by prehistoric glaciers and varied topography. 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. The longest is Sognefjorden. Norway also contains many glaciers and waterfalls. Typical Western Norwegian landscape with village (Geiranger)The land is mostly made of hard granite and gneiss rock, but slate, sandstone and limestone are also common, and the lowest elevations have marine deposits. Due to the Gulf Stream and prevailing westerlies, Norway experiences warmer 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 Subarctic climate, while Svalbard has an Arctic tundra climate. Due to Norway's high latitude, there are large seasonal variations in daylight. From late May to late July, the sun never completely descends beneath the horizon in areas north of the Arctic Circle (hence Norway's description as the "Land of the Midnight Sun") and the rest of the country experiences up to 20 hours of daylight per day. 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. Politics Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. The Royal House is a branch of the princely family of Glücksburg, originally from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. As it stands, the functions of the King, Harald V, are 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 the name of the King (King's Council or cabinet). The reserve powers vested in the Monarch by the constitution have in the 20th century in reality been symbolic, but has on a few occasions been important such as in World War II, when the Monarch said he would step down if the government should accept the German demand. The Council of State consists of a Prime Minister and other ministers, formally appointed by the King. Parliamentarism has evolved since 1884 and entails that the cabinet must not have the parliament against it, and that the appointment by the King is a formality when there is a clear majority in Parliament for a party or a coalition of parties. But after elections resulting in no clear majority to any party or coalition, the leader of the party most likely to be able to form a government is appointed Prime Minister by the King. Norway has often been ruled by minority governments. The King has government meetings every Friday at the Royal Palace (Council of State), but the government decisions are decided in advance in government conferences, headed by the Prime Minister, every Tuesday and Thursday. The King opens the Parliament every October, he receives ambassadors to the Norwegian court, and he is the symbolic Supreme Commander of the Norwegian Defence Force and the Head of the Church of Norway. Stortinget, Oslo.The Norwegian parliament, Stortinget, currently has 169 members (increased from 165, effective from the elections of 12 September, 2005). The members are elected from the nineteen counties for four-year terms according to a system of proportional representation. In addition, 19 seats, the socalled "levelling seats" are allocated on a nationwide basis to make the representation in parliament correspond better with the popular vote. There is a 4% election threshold to gain levelling seats. When voting on legislation, the Storting – until the 2009 election – divides itself into two chambers, the Odelsting and the Lagting. Laws are in most cases proposed by the government through a Member of the Council of State, or in some cases by a member of the Odelsting in case of repeated disagreement in the joint Storting. Nowadays, however, the Lagting rarely disagrees, effectively rubber-stamping the Odelsting's decisions. A constitutional amendment of February 20, 2007 will repeal the division after the 2009 general election. Impeachment cases are very rare (the last being in 1927, when Prime Minister Abraham Berge was acquitted) and may be brought against Members of the Council of State, of the Supreme Court (Høyesterett), or of the Storting for criminal offenses which they may have committed in their official capacity. Prior to an amendment to the Norwegian Constitution on February 20, 2007 indictments were raised by the Odelsting and judged by the Lagting and the Supreme Court justices as part of the High Court of the Realm. In the new system impeachment cases will be heard by the five highest ranking Supreme Court justices and six lay members in one of the Supreme Court courtrooms (previously cases were heard in the Lagting chamber). Storting representatives may not perform as lay judges. Indictments will be raised by the Storting in a plenary session. The Storting otherwise functions as a unicameral parliament and after the 2009 general election the division into Odelsting and Lagting for passing legislation will be abolished. Legislation will then have to go through two – three in case of dissent – readings before being passed and sent to the King for assent. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court (eighteen permanent judges and a chief justice), courts of appeal, city and district courts, and conciliation councils. Judges attached to regular courts are appointed by the King in council. In order to form a government, more than half the membership of the Council of State is required to belong to the Church of Norway. Currently, this means at least ten out of nineteen members. After the negotiations of looser ties between the church and the state, it was decided that this requirement will be abolished in the near future. In December each year, Norway gives a Christmas tree to the United Kingdom, in thanks for the UK's assistance during World War II. A ceremony takes place to erect the tree in Trafalgar Square. In its 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Norway at a shared 1st place (with Iceland) out of 169 countries. Corporal punishment of children has been illegal in Norway since 1983. Foreign relations Map of NorwayNorway maintains embassies in 86 countries around the world. Norway has diplomatic relations with many countries without maintaining an embassy in the country. 60 countries maintain an embassy in Norway, all of them in the capital, Oslo. Norway was a founding member of the United Nations, NATO, the Council of Europe, the European Free Trade Association, the OECD and the OSCE, and maintains membership in several other international organisations. Norway has twice rejected proposed membership of the European Union although Norway has access to the European single market through membership in the European Economic Area. Norway has also assisted in international negotiations, such as in facilitating the Oslo Accords. Cities and municipalities A geopolitical map of Norway, exhibiting its nineteen first-level administrative divisions (fylker or "counties")Norway is divided into nineteen first-level administrative regions known as fylker ("counties", singular fylke) and 430 second-level kommuner ("municipalities", singular kommune). The fylke is the intermediate administration between state and municipality. The King is represented in every county by a Fylkesmann. There is ongoing debate as to whether the nineteen "fylker" should be replaced with five to nine larger regions.[citation needed] Some expect this to happen by 2010, whereas others expect the intermediate administration to disappear entirely. Another option would probably require consolidating the municipalities into larger entities and delegating greater responsibility to them. The counties of Norway are: Akershus Aust-Agder Buskerud Finnmark Hedmark Hordaland Møre og Romsdal Nordland Nord-Trøndelag Oppland Oslo Østfold Rogaland Sogn og Fjordane Sør-Trøndelag Telemark Troms Vest-Agder Vestfold Economy Norwegians enjoy the second highest GDP per-capita (after Luxembourg) and third highest GDP (PPP) per-capita in the world, and has maintained first place in the world in the UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) for six consecutive years (2001-2006). However, in 2007 Iceland very narrowly beat Norway as the #1 place according to the Human Development Index. Cost of living is about 30% higher in Norway than in the United States and 25% higher than the United Kingdom. The standard of living in Norway is very high, and the continuing increase in oil prices ensure that Norway will remain one of the richest countries in the world over the foreseeable future. The Norwegian economy is an example of mixed economy, featuring a combination of free market activity and large government ownership. The government controls key areas, such as the strategic petroleum sector (StatoilHydro), hydroelectric energy production (Statkraft), aluminium production (Norsk Hydro), the largest Norwegian bank (DnB NOR) and telecommunication provider (Telenor). The government controls 31.6% of publicly listed companies. When non-listed companies are included the state has even higher share in ownership (mainly from direct oil license ownership). The control mechanisms over petroleum resources are a combination of state ownership in major operators in the Norwegian fields (StatoilHydro approx. 62% in 2007) and the fully state owned Petoro (market value of about twice Statoil) and SDFI. Finally the government controls licensing of exploration and production of fields. The country is richly endowed with natural resources including petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals. 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. The income from natural resources include a significant contribution from petroleum production and the substantial and well-managed income related to this sector. Norway also has a very low unemployment rate, currently below 2% (June 2007). The hourly productivity levels, as well as average hourly wages in Norway are among the highest in the world. The egalitarian values of the Norwegian society[citation needed] ensure that the wage difference between the lowest paid worker and the CEO of most companies is much smaller than in comparable western economies. This is also evident in Norway's low Gini coefficient. Export revenues from oil and gas have risen to 45% of total exports and constitute more than 20% of the GDP. Only Russia and OPEC member Saudi Arabia export more oil than Norway, which is not an OPEC member. To reduce over-heating from oil money and the uncertainty from the oil income volatility, and to save money for an aging population, the Norwegian state started in 1995 to save petroleum income (taxes, dividends, licensing, sales) in a sovereign wealth fund ("Government Pension Fund — Global"). This also reduces the boom and bust cycle associated with raw material production and the marginalization of non-oil industry (see also Dutch Disease). 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 ). By January 2006, the pension fund had reached a value of USD 200 billion. During the first half of 2007, the pension fund became the largest fund in Europe, with assets totalling about USD 300 billion, equivalent to over USD 62,000 per capita. As such, the Norwegian state has savings equal to 100% of the Norwegian GDP. Norway has the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation (April 2007). Projections indicate that the Norwegian pension fund may become the largest capital fund in the world. It is the second largest state-owned sovereign wealth fund in the world, second only to the sovereign wealth fund of Abu-Dhabi. Conservative estimates tell that the fund may reach USD 800-900 billion by 2017. Other natural resource-based economies in countries like Russia and Chile are trying to learn from Norway by establishing similar funds. The investment choices of the Norwegian fund are guided by ethical guidelines. For example, the fund is not allowed to invest in companies that produce parts for nuclear weapons. The openness about the investment choices is lauded by the international community. The future size of the fund is of course closely linked to the oil price and the developments in international financial market. At an average oil price of USD 100 per barrel, the trade surplus for 2008 is expected to reach USD 80 billion. At present oil prices (June 2008) the trade surplus for 2008 is expected to reach USD 90 billion. Norway is also the world's largest exporter of fish. In light of the rising energy and food prices, Norway's economic prospects are better than perhaps any other country in the world. Investing in research and development is an important priority for the Norwegian government, as it is important to have something to fall back on when the oil becomes a smaller part of the economy. Referendums in 1972 and 1994 indicated that the Norwegian people wished to remain outside the European Union (EU). However, Norway, together with Iceland and Liechtenstein, participates in the European Union's single market via the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement. The EEA Treaty between the European Union countries and the EFTA countries – transposed into Norwegian law via "EØS-loven" – describes the procedures for implementing European Union rules in Norway and the other EFTA countries. This makes Norway a highly integrated member of most sectors of the EU internal market. However, some sectors, such as agriculture, oil and fish, are not wholly covered by the EEA Treaty. Norway has also acceded to the Schengen Agreement and several other intergovernmental agreements between the EU member states. In 2000, the government sold one-third of the then 100% state-owned oil company Statoil in an IPO. The next year, the main telecom supplier, Telenor, was listed on Oslo Stock Exchange. The state also owns significant shares of Norway's largest bank, DnB NOR and the airline SAS. Since 2000, economic growth has been rapid, pushing unemployment down to levels not seen since the early 1980s. (unemployment: 1.3%) Demography Borgund stave churchAs of 2007, Norway's population numbered 4.7 million. Most Norwegians are ethnic Norwegians, a North Germanic people. The Sami people traditionally inhabit central and northern parts of Norway and Sweden, as well as in northern Finland and in Russia on the Kola Peninsula. Another national minority are the Kven people who are the descended of Finnish speaking people that moved to northern Norway in the 18th up to 20th century. Both the Sami and the Kven were subjected to a strong assimilation policy by the Norwegian government from the 19th century up to the 1970s. Because of this "Norwegianisation process", many families of Sami or Kven ancestry now self-identify as ethnic Norwegian . This, combined with a long history of co-habitation of the Sami and North Germanic peoples on the Scandinavian peninsula, makes claims about ethnic population statistics less straightforward than is often suggested — particularly in central and northern Norway. Other groups recognized as national minorities of Norway are Jews, Forest Finns, Roma/Gypsies and Romani people/Travellers. In recent years, immigration has accounted for more than half of Norway's population growth. According to Statistics Norway (SSB), record 61,200 immigrants arrived in the country in 2007 — 35% higher than 2006. At the beginning of 2008, there were 459,600 persons in Norway with an immigrant background (i.e. immigrants, or born of immigrant parents), comprising 9.7% of the total population. 350,000 of these were from a non-Western background, which includes the formerly Communist countries according to the definition used by Statistics Norway. The largest immigrant groups by country of origin, in order of size, are Poles, Pakistanis, Swedish, Iraqis, Somalis , Vietnamese, Danes, and Germans.The Iraqi immigrant population has shown a large increase in recent years. After the enlargement of the EU in 2004, there has also been an influx of immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Poland. The largest increase in 2007 was of immigrants from Poland, Germany, Sweden and Lithuania . Religion In common with other Scandinavian countries, the Norse followed a form of native Germanic paganism known as Norse paganism. By the end of the eleventh century, when Norway had been Christianized, the indigenous Norse religion and practices were prohibited. Anti-heathenry laws, however, were removed early in the twentieth century.[citation needed] Many remnants of the native religion and beliefs of Norway exist today, including names, referential names of cities and locations, the days of the week, and other parts of the everyday language. Parts of the Sami minority retained their shamanistic religion well into the 18th century when they were converted to Christianity by Dano-Norwegian missionaries. Nearly 83% of Norwegians are members of the state Church of Norway, to which they are registered at birth. Many remain in the state church to be able to use services such as baptism, confirmation, marriage and burial, rites which have strong cultural standing in Norway. Up to 40% of the membership attends church or religious meetings during a year , with fewer attending regularly. According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 32% of Norwegian citizens responded that "they believe there is a god," whereas 47% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 17% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force." Other Christian denominations total about 4.5% of the population. These include the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Pentecostal congregations, the Methodist Church, Adventists, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Jehovah's Witnesses and others. Among non-Christian religions, Islam is the largest, representing about 1.5% of the population: It is practiced mainly by the Somalian, Arab, Albanian, Pakistani and Turkish communities. Other religions comprise less than 1% each, including Judaism (see Jews in Norway). Indian immigrants introduced Hinduism to Norway, but account for less than 5,000 people, or 1% of non-Lutheran Norwegians . There are eleven Buddhist organizations, grouped under the Buddhistforbundet organisation, which make up 0.42% of the population. Around 1.5% of Norwegians adhere to the secular Norwegian Humanist Association. About 5% of the population is unaffiliated. Languages Reine, Lofoten.The North Germanic Norwegian language has two official written forms, Bokmål and Nynorsk. They have officially equal status, i.e. they are both used in public administration, in schools, churches, radio and television, but Bokmål is used by the vast majority, about 85-90%. Around 95% of the population speak Norwegian as their native tongue, although many speak dialects that may differ significantly from the written language. In general Norwegian dialects are inter-intelligible, though some may require significant effort. Several Finno-Ugric Sami languages are spoken and written throughout the country, especially in the north, by the Sami people. The state recognises these languages as official, and speakers have a right to get education in Sami language no matter where they are living, and receive communications from government in various Sami languages. The Kven minority speak the Finno-Ugric Kven language/Finnish. Norwegian is highly similar to the other languages in Scandinavia, Swedish and Danish. All three languages are mutually intelligible and can be, and commonly are, employed in communication between inhabitants of the Scandinavian countries. As a result of the cooperation within the Nordic Council, inhabitants of all Nordic countries, including Iceland and Finland, have the right to communicate with the Norwegian authorities in their own language. Any Norwegian student who is a child of immigrant parents is encouraged to learn the Norwegian language. The Norwegian government offers language instructional courses for immigrants wishing to obtain Norwegian citizenship. Somali is the largest non-western language spoken in Norway[citation needed], as Somalis are the third largest population of non-western immigrants in Norway, after Pakistani and Iraqi people. The main foreign languages taught in Norwegian elementary school are English, German and French. Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Italian are available in some schools, mostly in the cities. Individual human rights Scouts holding Norwegian flags lead a parade on the 17 May, Norway's Constitution DayNorway is currently the second most highly ranked nation in the UN Human Development Index, an index made up by literacy rate, education level and per capita income, though it had been the highest on the list for the six years between 2001 and 2006. Freedom of expression is enshrined in Article 1 of the Constitution of Norway. Freedom of religion is enshrined in Article 2 of the Constitution, which also establishes the state religion as "Evangelical Lutheran". The press is not censored. Editors adhere to self-imposed commandments of caution, in order to protect people's privacy and other civic rights.(Vær Varsom-plakaten- Norwegian Wikipedia in Bokmål, see for an English translation). Public radio and TV broadcast without interference from the government, although permission to broadcast depends on the program spectrum. Broadcast advertisement is regulated, with particular restrictions on paid political messages and advertising directed at children. The constitution forbids retroactive laws, punishment not based on laws and court decisions, and the use of torture. Capital punishment for high crime during wartime was abolished in 1979. In 1999, the Human Rights conventions of the United Nations and the Council of Europe were constituted as law in Norway (menneskerettsloven) and given superiority to all laws after the constitution. Norwegian lawyers have joined the Council of Europe's Committee Against Torture to express their concern about the long-term detention of criminal defendants and the use of solitary confinement in Norway, deeming it to be torture. Long processing times for asylum seekers and the treatment of those arriving without identity papers has also been under discussion. An issue of much debate and public interest in Norway is the phenomenon of criminals and suspected terrorists being granted asylum, on the grounds that they may be persecuted in their native countries. Examples are Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad (a.k.a. Mullah Krekar), the Aeroflot hijackers of 1993, and several suspected war criminals, for example suspected collaborators in the Rwandan Genocide. Successive governments have often been criticised for deporting sick people, orphans, and well-integrated children. In 2005, the international conventions against discrimination of women and race discrimination were incorporated into (but not made superior to) Norwegian law. Amnesty International has recently focused on violence against women in Norway and a shortage of public services to victims of violence. Norway has compulsory military service for men. Conscripts are drafted at age 18 for initial service (førstegangstjeneste) of between six to twelve months (Service may begin at age 17 with parental consent). After completion of the initial service period, personnel serving in the home guard are transferred to reserve units, which may be called up for periodic training (repetisjonstjeneste) until age 44. Conscientious objectors serve twelve months in alternative civilian national service. If a candidate refuses to attend the assessment of fitness (sesjon), where any objections to future military service are to be stated, they are liable to prosecution. A person who is deemed fit for service and who is not a conscientious objector, but still refuses military service is also liable to prosecution. Changes to the structure of the armed forces has resulted in a lower demand for conscripts, and the number of males needing to serve is decreasing.[citation needed] Homosexuality was officially decriminalized in 1972 and same sex civil partnerships were instituted in 1993. According to Statistics Norway (SSB), 192 same sex civil partnerships were recorded in 2004. Since 2002, it has become possible for same sex couples to adopt each other's children from previous relationships, although joint adoption is not allowed. The Norwegian government introduced a gender neutral marriage law in June 2008, allowing same-sex marriages, granting homosexuals the same rights and obligations as heterosexuals. International rankings Organization Survey Ranking International Monetary Fund GDP per capita 2nd out of 232 (2006) United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index 2nd out of 177 (2007) (1st, 2001-2006) A.T. Kearney / Foreign Policy Globalization Index 2005 14th out of 111 Heritage Foundation / Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom 2006 30th out of 155 Reporters Without Borders Worldwide press freedom index 1st out of 168 (1st 2002-2005) Save the Children State of the World's Mothers 2004 (Children) 1st out of 119 Save the Children State of the World's Mothers 2004 (Women) 6th out of 119 Save the Children State of the World's Mothers 2004 (Mothers) 6th out of 119 UNICEF Child Well-being league table 7th out of 21 industrial countries Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2004 8th out of 145 World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2005-2006 9th out of 117 Nationmaster Labour Strikes 5th out of 27 The Economist Intelligence Unit Worldwide quality-of-life index, 2005 3rd out of 111 Yale University/Columbia University Environmental Sustainability Index, 2005 (pdf) 2nd out of 146 The Fund for Peace Failed States Index, 2007 177th out of 177 (the most desirable result) The Economist Global Peace Index 3rd out of 140 (2008) The Economist Democracy Index 4th out of 167 Privacy International Leading Surveillance Societies Around the World, 2007 21-23rd out of 30 European states (Systemic failure to uphold safeguards) Literature The history of Norwegian literature starts with the pagan Eddaic poems and skaldic verse of the 9th and 10th centuries with poets such as Bragi Boddason and Eyvindr Skáldaspillir. The arrival of Christianity around the year 1000 brought Norway into contact with European medieval learning, hagiography and history writing. Merged with native oral tradition and Icelandic influence this was to flower into an active period of literature production in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Major works of that period include Historia Norwegie, Thidreks saga and Konungs skuggsjá. 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 Petter Dass and Ludvig Holberg. In his play Peer Gynt, Ibsen characterized this period as "Twice two hundred years of darkness/brooded o'er the race of monkeys", although the latter line is not as frequently quoted as the former. During the union with Denmark, written Norwegian was replaced by Danish. Two major events precipitated a major resurgence in Norwegian literature. In 1811 a Norwegian university was established in Christiania Seized by the spirit of revolution following the American and French Revolutions, the Norwegians signed their first constitution in 1814. Soon, the cultural backwater that was Norway brought forth a series of strong authors recognized first in Scandinavia, and then worldwide; among them were Henrik Wergeland, Peter Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe and Camilla Collett. By the late 19th century, in the Golden Age of Norwegian literature, the so-called Great Four emerged: Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Alexander Kielland, and Jonas Lie. Bjørnson's "peasant novels", such as "En glad gutt" (A Happy Boy) and "Synnøve Solbakken" are typical of the national romanticism of their day, whereas Kielland's novels and short stories are mostly realistic. Although an important contributor to early Norwegian romanticism (especially the ironic Peer Gynt), Henrik Ibsen's fame rests primarily on his pioneering realistic dramas such The Wild Duck and A Doll's House, many of which caused moral uproar because of their candid portrayals of the middle classes. In the twentieth century three Norwegian novelists were awarded the Nobel prize in literature: Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in 1903, Knut Hamsun for the book "Markens grøde" ("Growth of the Soil") in 1920, and Sigrid Undset in 1928. In the 20th century writers like Dag Solstad, Jostein Gaarder, Erik Fosnes Hansen, Jens Bjørneboe, Kjartan Fløgstad, Lars Saabye Christensen, Johan Borgen, Herbjørg Wassmo, Jan Erik Vold, Rolf Jacobsen, Olaf Bull, Jan Kjærstad, Georg Johannesen, Tarjei Vesaas, Sigurd Hoel, Arnulf Øverland and Johan Falkberget have made important contributions to Norwegian literature. |
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