歐洲:
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 |
| 挪威 Norway 首都:奧斯陸 國家代碼: no |
 挪威國名釋義：挪威一詞，大約出現於9 世紀， 它是由Norreweg轉來，意為"通往北方之路"、"北方航道"。當時來往於斯堪的納維亞半島的航道主要有3條：東路經波羅的海，西路經北海，北路沿着半島的北岸出入。 當時，北路一綫海岸地區依航綫的名稱被叫做"諾雷韋格(Norreweg)地區"，是將日耳曼語的Norre( 北)和Weg(路)拼合而成的地名。在英語中，將其後半部的"韋格"Weg(路)換成英語的"威 "Way(路)，讀作"挪威"(Norway)。但在挪威本國，人們還是把從古名演變過來的Norge作為正式國名。 獨立日：6月7日（1905年） 國慶日：5月17日（1814年） 國花：石南花 國鳥：河鳥 國歌：《對！我們熱愛祖國》 語言：挪威語 挪威通行兩種相似的官方語言，學校也教授這兩種語言。波剋默爾語(Bokmal) 是主要語言，因為由丹麥文演變而來，所以又稱丹麥式挪語(Dano-Norwegian)。通用於百分之八十的人口。 另一種語言則是新挪威語(New-Norwegian或Nynorsk)，因為是從丹麥統治時的舊挪威語演變而來，包涵許多日常方言的特色，具草根性。二次大戰後，由於都市化的影響，新挪威語明顯少用了，所以波剋默爾語還是占優勢。觀光區的挪威人也普遍說英文，但鄉村地區的人們幾乎不說英文。 民族：日耳曼族挪威人占95%，北部有薩米族約2萬人。 宗教：基督教 貨幣：挪威剋朗(krone)通常在國際匯市寫成NOK，在北歐寫成Nkr，挪威境內則是kr。 1挪威剋郎等於100歐雷(Ore)，有面額50歐雷，1、5、10、20剋郎的硬幣及50、100、200、500、1000剋郎的紙幣。 國旗：呈長方形，長與寬之比為11:8。旗地為紅色，旗面上有藍、白色的十字形圖案，略偏左側。挪威曾在1397年與丹麥、瑞典結成卡爾馬聯盟，為丹麥所統治，所以國旗上的十字源自丹麥國旗的十字圖案。挪威國旗有兩種，政府機構懸挂燕尾式國旗，其他場合懸挂上述橫長方形國旗。1821年，挪威製定商船旗時以此為圖案。1905年獨立時，正式定為國旗。紅、藍、白三色的組合，是典型的自由與獨立的標志。 國徽：挪威簡潔明了的國徽呈盾形，紅色的盾面上直立着一隻金色獅子，頭戴王冠，持金柄銀斧。金獅是力量的象徵，銀斧是挪威自由的保護者聖奧拉夫的武器。盾徽上端是一頂鑲嵌着圓球和十字的金色王冠。它最初於13世紀出現在哈康國王祖先斯瓦萊國王的旗幟與徽章上。盾徽中雄獅前肢緊握戰斧的圖案是8世紀以來神聖國王的個人象徵。金色雄獅頭上的王冠造形簡樸，體現了斯堪的納維亞地區金屬製作的特有風格。盾徽頂端的王冠，象徵王族的威嚴和至高無上的權力。 國傢政要：國王哈拉爾五世 (Harald V)，１９９１年繼承王位；首相斯托爾滕貝格(Jens Stoltenberg)，２００５年１０月任職。 餐飲簡介： 廣大的國土卻有三分之一位於北極圈內，因此份量充足又能提供熱能的飲食，便形成日常生活的餐飲模式。早餐份量充足，起士、熏鮭魚、雞蛋、麥片、面包、咖啡、紅茶等，午餐用得不多，晚餐可以品嚐燒烤馴鹿肉或雷鳥，不過著名的維京料理卻是一種以冷食為主的餐點，有興趣也可以試試。挪威人最愛喝啤酒，葡萄酒和威士忌價錢很高。 習俗：挪威人非常喜歡握手。無論何時，當陌生人相會，總要握手及互道姓名。同樣地，當以後遇見了不怎麽熟的人，你也得在招呼時及道別時握手。 電話： 挪威電話號碼無區域碼，所有國內電話號碼皆為8碼。公用電話收1、5、10剋郎硬幣，查號臺：180。 打長途電話用卡式電話會較方便，電話卡面額有35、98及210剋郎3種，可在報攤(Narvesen)購得。17:00-8:00的通話費是其它時段的1/3。 自然地理 面積為３８５１５５平方公裏（包括斯瓦爾巴群島、揚馬延島等屬地）。位於北歐斯堪的納維亞半島西部，東鄰瑞典，東北與芬蘭和俄羅斯接壤，南同丹麥隔海相望，西瀕挪威海。海岸綫長２．１萬公裏（包括峽灣），多天然良港。斯堪的納維亞山脈縱貫全境，高原、山地、冰川約占全境２／３以上。南部小丘、湖泊、沼澤廣布。大部分地區屬溫帶海洋性氣候。 挪威是世界重要的海事國之一，其海岸綫麯折，近海島嶼達１５萬多個，既是優良港口，又是風景優美的遊覽區。 挪威本土屬亞寒帶針葉林氣候，斯瓦爾巴群島、揚馬延島屬苔原氣候。首都年平均氣溫7℃，年降水量740毫米左右。 在位於其西海岸的貝根，可欣賞到由百萬年冰川地形變動而形成的峽灣景色，遠眺群山環抱兩岸風光美麗，令人目不暇給。奧斯陸是挪威的著名港口，四周山水環抱，風光如畫，亦是全國最大的經濟文化中心。福洛格納公園、維京船博物館等都是這裏的著名遊覽區，還有一座滑雪博物館，詳細介紹關於滑雪的歷史。 挪威地處偏北，其最南點（北緯約５８度）比中國最北點（不到北緯５４度）還要北。北極圈橫穿挪威北部，北部一些城市到了６、７月份根本沒有夜，可以看到午夜的太陽以及美麗的北極光。最北端的北角也是歐洲大陸的最北點。 許多人把木製狹板教堂看成是斯堪的納維亞國傢的特色，如今，這類教堂在世界上保存最完好的主要是在挪威。挪威現存３０座木製教堂，而奧爾內斯木製教堂則是它們當中最引人註目的一座。它位於西海岸的鬆恩－菲尤拉訥郡，建於１２世紀。教堂是一個四方形的三層建築，全部用木材建成，每層都有陡峭的披檐，上為尖頂，外形頗似東方的神廟。教堂的山墻上刻有各種圖案。教堂內的陳設至今仍保持着中世紀時的風格。教堂目前保存完好，觀光者絡繹不絶。１９７９年，奧爾內斯木製教堂被聯合國教科文組織列為世界文化遺産之一。 霍爾門考山是挪威的滑雪聖地。它位於奧斯陸東北約１３公裏處，海拔３７１米，風景優美。從１８９２年起，每年３月，世界聞名的滑雪大賽都在此舉行。如果從遠處眺望奧斯陸城市的輪廓，你會看到霍爾門考倫跳雪臺非常醒目地高高聳立在奧斯陸霍爾門考倫山上。它也是這項最具有挪威特色的體育項目的非常生動、形象的一種標志。霍爾門考倫山下還有一個滑雪博物館。 人口 ４６０．５萬（２００５年１月）。９６％為挪威人，外國移民約占４.６％。有薩米族約３萬人，主要分佈在北部。官方語言為挪威語，英語為通用語。９０％居民信奉國教基督教路德宗。 首都 奧斯陸（Oslo），市區人口約５３萬（２００５年１月）。 奧斯陸是挪威的政治中心,也是金融,商業和工業中心,它的造船業在世界造船業中占有突出地位,堪稱“海洋之都” 行政區劃 全國設１市１８郡，下設４５４個市政：奧斯陸（市）、阿剋什鬍斯、東福爾、海德馬剋、奧普蘭、布斯剋呂、西福爾、泰勒馬剋、東阿格德爾、西阿格德爾、羅加蘭、霍達蘭、鬆恩－菲尤拉訥、默勒－魯姆斯達爾、南特倫德拉格、北特倫德拉格、諾爾蘭、特羅姆斯、芬馬剋。 簡史 從9世紀開始，挪威被許多小王國統治而且侵略集團到達諾曼底，冰島，格陵蘭，蘇格蘭和愛爾蘭以外的島嶼，及新世界海岸，挪威最終於12世紀統一並在13世紀到達它中世紀繁榮的高度。 公元９世紀形成統一的王國。900年，國王霍爾法格統一挪威。在９—１１世紀北歐海盜時期，曾不斷嚮外擴張，進入鼎盛時期。１４世紀中葉開始衰落，１３９７年與丹麥和瑞典組成卡爾馬聯盟，受丹麥統治。１８１４年，丹麥把挪威割讓給瑞典，換取西波美拉尼亞。1814年5月17日通過憲法規定挪威為世襲君主立憲國， 定該日為國慶日。１９０５年獨立成立君主國，並選丹麥王子卡爾為國王，稱哈康七世。第一次世界大戰中保持中立。第二次世界大戰中被法西斯德國占領，哈康國王及他的政府流亡英國。１９４５年獲得解放。１９５７年哈康七世逝世，其子即位，稱奧拉夫五世。 政治 現行憲法於１８１４年５月１７日通過，後經多次修訂。憲法規定，挪威實行君主立憲製，國王為國傢元首兼武裝部隊統帥，並提名首相人選，但無權解散議會。議會分上下兩院，除製定法律先由下院後由上院討論外，其他問題均由兩院合併討論。 經濟 挪威是擁有現代化工業的發達國傢。現有可開採原油藴藏量為４２.８億立方米，天然氣４萬多億立方米。其他礦産資源有：煤２－５億噸，鐵０．３億噸，鈦０．１８億噸。水力資源豐富，可開發的水電資源約１８７０億度，已開發６３％。北部沿海是世界著名漁場。農業面積１０４６３平方公裏，其中牧草地６３２９平方公裏。副食基本可自給，糧食主要靠進口。工業在國民經濟中占有重要地位，主要傳統工業部門有機械、水電、冶金、化工、造紙、木材加工、魚産品加工和造船。西歐最大的鋁生産國和出口國，鎂的産量居世界第二，硅鐵合金産品大部分供出口。７０年代興起的近海石油工業已成為國民經濟重要支柱，為西歐最大産油國、世界第三大石油出口國。主要旅遊點有奧斯陸、卑爾根、勒羅斯、北角等地。 新聞出版 １９９９年全國出版各種日報６５種，日平均發行量２２９萬份。另有其他報刊約１１０種。主要報紙有《晚郵報》、《世界之路報》、《日報》、《卑爾根時報》等，其中發行量最大的《世界之路報》。挪威國傢廣播公司（NRK）１９３３年建立，分廣播、電視兩部分，隸屬文化部。 挪威通訊社 (Norwegian News Agency) (Norsk Telegrambyra -- NTB) 創建於１８６７年９月１日，是挪威唯一的通訊社，總社設在挪威首都奧斯陸，屬於挪威報紙聯合股份公司性質。最高决策機構是報業代表大會及其常設委員會。經理和主編由委員會任命，領導日常工作。挪通社在經濟上依靠全國１１５傢報紙付給的電訊稿和圖片訂費。挪通社在國內無分社，衹在卑爾根和特隆漢姆兩大城市派有常駐記者。國內新聞主要通過各地報紙指定的報道員提供。挪通社在議會中專門派有報道組。國際新聞主要依靠轉發路透社、法新社和合衆國際社以及北歐各國通訊社的電訊。挪通社與德新社和塔斯社等許多通訊社都訂有交換電訊合同，同北歐各國通迅社保持密切合作，同他們在北京、華盛頓、莫斯科和波恩聯合派有常駐記者。有時，還聯合派出記者到外國采訪報道。挪通社１９７４年和新華社就曾相互交換新聞換文。 外交 挪威以同北約合作為其外交和安全政策的基礎。積極發展與歐盟及北歐的合作，同時與鄰國俄羅斯維持睦鄰關係。近年來，進一步加強與歐盟、美國、俄羅斯及周邊國傢的關係，更加重視發展與亞太國傢的聯繫，努力拓展外交空間，通過聯合國積極參與國際事務。挪威是北大西洋公約組織、歐洲委員會、北歐理事會、歐洲自由貿易聯盟成員國。 與中國關係：１９５４年１０月５日，挪威與中國建交。２００７年３月，斯托爾滕貝格首相對中國進行正式訪問。 2008年5月12日汶川大地震後，挪威外交部13日宣佈,挪威政府决定嚮中國提供2000萬挪威剋朗(約合390萬美元)捐助款。挪威環境與國際發展大臣埃裏剋·索爾海姆還說,如果中國方面需要挪威提供特殊設備或其他幫助,挪威將盡力而為 工業和航運業 挪威是鋁、硅、鐵和鎂的主要生産者，北海石油則為石化工業提供原料，挪威也是世界上最大的化肥生産國之一。挪威的企業以中、小型為主，最重要的有醫藥工業、電子業、服務業、養魚業和傳統的船舶製造業。挪威的造船廠擅長建造先進的特殊用途船舶。另外，挪威也為世界各地的船隊提供零部件和各種服務。從北歐海盜時代起，挪威船就開始航行於世界各地，今天的挪威已是世界第四位航運大國。 交通狀況 挪威的大衆運輸係統相當便利，火車公車及渡輪班次彼此密切銜接。在火車站可免費索取《NSB Togruter》，內容詳載了火車時刻表及與公車的轉乘信息，非常實用。船與公車的出發時間會因季節甚至假日而變動(例如周六的運輸班次特別少) 所以不妨到各地的旅遊服務處索取最新的時刻表。 ·空運 25歲以下或67歲以上的旅客都可購買優惠票，而且航空公司間常有折扣戰。北歐航空也售外國旅客80到110美元的預購票，可用於斯堪地半島上任兩定點間(包括挪威城市)該公司的直飛航綫。布拉森公司有“挪威旅遊票”(Visit Norway Pass)。以特倫汗將挪威分界為兩大航區，各區內任兩定點間的航綫衹須約85美元。威德羅航空公司推出410剋郎的夏日季票(6月-8月間)，詳情請洽威德航空。 ·公車係統 挪威有四通八達的公車係統，長途巴士坐起來相當舒適，以距離長短算票價，平均每100公裏112剋郎。許多巴士公司有優惠學生、老人及家庭、75折到半價的折扣票，要記得詢問。 ·鐵路係統 在挪威，你可以選擇北歐四國聯營火車票，購買一個月選十天的票種最合適。 另一種選擇是購買挪威國鐵聯票，可以不限次數、距離在特定時間內搭火車遊挪威，也可在入境後購買。 旺季二等艙票價如下：連續7天、14天的聯票各為1260、1700剋郎；一個月內任選3天的聯票為900剋郎。10-4月的票價8折。挪威火車的二等艙相當舒適，與一等艙相去不大，實不須多花一半的價錢去坐一等艙。 除了聯票之外還有一種票叫做“minipris”，長程旅行使用相當划算，但最晚必須在出發前一天購買。這種票適用於許多班次列車，但非全部。你可參閱《NSB Togruter》手册上，有標緑點的班次便可用“minipris”。 ·租車 主要的租車公司(如Hertz, Avis, Europcar)，在機場及市中心都設有服務處，但租車所費不匪。若親自現場租車，一部小型車一天800剋郎(含加值稅及保險費)、不限公裏數。但租車公司為吸引觀光客，有時會推出“飯店價”600剋郎。一般來說抵達挪威之前，先以電話或網絡預訂車會較划算。 主要租車公司另外也有周末租車優惠，較為經濟。周五中午過後取車、周一上午十點以前還車即可，要記得確認此價格要是不限公裏數的纔划算。 ·船 大規模的渡輪及快艇運輸網，聯絡了近海島嶼及濱海市鎮、峽灣地區的交通。挪威傳奇的巡航汽船(Hurtigruten)，百年來一直是聯絡北部臨海零散小漁村的生命綫。每晚皆有從卑爾根往北駛的船，經過6天的航程、停靠33個港，目的地為科剋內斯(Kirkenes)，之後隨即回頭往南駛。如果天氣不錯，沿途的群山峻嶺、峽灣綿延，映着湛藍海天盡入眼底，美不勝收。淡季9/1-4/30期間，有減價方案，所有票價6折優惠，不妨多加利用。 福利國傢 挪威是創建現代福利國傢的先驅之一。福利國傢的基礎是一套旨在保障社會和經濟安全的經濟體係。每個公民都是國傢福利與勞保組織的成員，享有醫療、退休金、殘廢金等一整套廣泛的經濟資助。 在過去的幾年裏，國傢將重點放在改善有孩子家庭的生活水平上，除了每個家庭都可以得到兒童撫養費之外，與婦女生産有關的假期條例也訂得非常寬泛。 百分之九十以上的兒童都在公立學校免費上學，規定必須接受的期限是九年，但每個人都有繼續求學深造的權利。 跨入新世紀挪威經濟活動的很大一部分是以利用自然資源為基礎的。同時，挪威也是最依賴其國際貿易的國傢。為了迎接未來的挑戰，企業和政府都非常重視研究與發展。 衝破疆界 阿蒙森（1872-1928）是人類中第一個到達南極的，也是第一個駕船通過加拿大以北的西北通道的人；弗裏德持喬夫·南森 （1861-1930）的一生豐富多彩，他既是科學家和極地學者，又是藝術傢和政治傢，他曾滑雪穿越格陵蘭，又駕駛帆船“弗拉姆”號穿過北冰洋，為表彰他對遣返戰爭難民和解除前蘇聯早期大饑荒所作的努力，1922年被授予諾貝爾和平奬；科學家圖勒·海耶達爾（1914-）是當今最負名的探險傢，他曾駕駛木筏《康提基號》從南美洲抵達玻裏尼西亞群島，證明早期印第安人有可能用同樣方法橫過太平洋，他還駕駛蒲草船《拉號》證明了人類可能早已穿越過大西洋。 在挪威的劇院裏當然可以看到亨裏剋·易卜生（1828-1906）的《群鬼》和《玩偶之傢》，但在紐約、倫敦、巴黎或柏林看到易卜生戲劇的機會大概同樣多。易卜生給歐洲戲劇增加了莎士比亞以來一直缺少的心理深度和社會效果。三位挪威作傢曾獲得諾貝爾文學奬。比昂斯提爾納·比昂森（1832-1910）於1903年獲奬。他主要寫作民間傳說、小說、詩歌和戲劇並創作了挪威國歌和歌詞。剋努特·漢姆生（1859-1952）1920年因《土地的成長》一書獲奬，那時他已經完成了《饑餓》、《潘神》和《維多莉亞》等著作。西格裏德·溫賽特（1882-1949）在1928年獲奬。她的名著是有關剋麗斯汀?拉芙朗斯達特的三部麯，該書已被翻譯成多種文字出版。在繪畫上，愛德華·蒙剋（1863-1944）的《吶喊》那樣人人皆知的作品並不多見。蒙剋是現代繪畫表現主義的開創人。作麯傢愛德華·格裏格因其大量的音樂作品“晨麯”而名聞遐邇。如他的許多其他作品一樣，格裏格在此藉鑒了挪威民間音樂的音色與和聲，他的A大調協奏麯是許多鋼琴傢的保留麯目。 索尼亞·海妮（1912-1969）曾獲得十次花樣滑冰世界冠軍和三次奧運會冠軍。她開創了位於奧斯陸郊外荷維庫敦的海妮—翁斯達藝術中心。格萊特·維茨（1953-）是最熟悉的紐約柏油馬路的挪威婦女，她曾獲紐約和倫敦馬拉鬆的冠軍，還多次榮獲馬拉鬆和野外長跑世界冠軍。格萊特·維茨已作為婦女長跑的先驅載入史册。 奧斯陸 挪威首都奧斯陸是北方之路上的都城。這座城市正如北歐人直爽的性格，透徹而奔放。遠古時代，巨大的冰川使不堪重負的山體一點點下沉，最終與海洋連通而形成了今天的峽灣。奧斯陸市南側的阿布列格區是觀賞峽灣絶好去處，可乘班輪在峽灣是暢遊。碼頭最北端，專闢為露天魚市。不知是因為魚市的吸引，還是良港的天然特徵，奧斯陸峽灣可稱得上水鳥的世界，很遠處就能聽到鳥兒的叫聲。 峽灣之旅之後，再乘船約２０分鐘可抵達對面的比格島，島上有著名的海盜船博物館和民俗博物館。民俗博物館是世界上最早的露天博物館，這裏集中展示了整個挪威的民風民情。能在一天內“走遍”挪威全國。民俗博物館展出從全國各地原物移來的１５３座古式房屋，還有１７００年至１８００年的城市建築如舊式加油站等。 民俗博物館邊的海盜博物館是斯堪的納維亞國傢中最受歡迎的海盜文化寶庫之一。展品均是從奧斯陸峽灣地區維京人墓穴中發現的，其中最為壯觀的是兩艘世界上保護得最好的建於公元９世紀的木製海盜船。博物館中還展示了維京人的許多出土用品，包括馬車、炊具等，遊人可根據它們遙想“海盜歲月”。 島上有公共汽車返回市區，奧市中心不大，可徒步遊覽。從旅遊資訊中心出發，先去對面的市政廳，這座磚紅色的建築於１９５０年為慶祝奧斯陸建城９００年而建，佈局為凹字形，周圍有大量雕塑，表現了挪威人生活的各個方面。市政廳廣場港東邊是臨海而立的阿剋斯鬍斯城堡，建於７００年前。從這裏可以俯瞰峽灣。出城堡北行１０分鐘，就可到達奧斯陸最繁華的卡爾·約翰大街。大街東起奧斯陸最大的基督教堂，橫貫市中心。在每年五月十七日的挪威國慶節時，街邊豪華旅店的陽臺就成了最佳的觀景點。 沿街而行，在國傢劇院前，可以看到舉世聞名的戲劇大師易卜生的雕像。兩年一度的易卜生戲劇節使這裏成為奧斯陸重要的文化展場。繼續西行，路北廣場上有一組仿古羅馬風格的建築，這就是著名的奧斯陸大學，諾貝爾和平奬頒奬典禮每年就在這時舉行。在大街的盡頭，是氣度不凡的皇宮，後面是古木參天的國王花園。公園南側的大街上有易卜生博物館和諾貝爾學院，前方不遠處著名的雕塑－－“加萊義民”群雕中的“拿鑰匙的人”是羅凡贈送給奧斯陸的珍貴禮物。 提起奧斯陸和名勝，最著名的要算是維吉蘭雕塑公園了。它是以弗洛格納公園的緑地、湖泊為自然背景，由挪威著名雕塑傢古斯塔夫·維吉蘭用４０年時間精心設計建造的，整個公園以人生為主題，用鑄鐵、銅和花崗岩三種材料雕成５００多座雕像。公園中最有名的雕像是“生氣的男孩”、“人生噴泉”和“生命之柱”。 喜愛運動的朋友自然不會錯過有１００多年歷史的侯門庫倫跳雪臺。這座位於奧斯陸北面山坡上的高大建築物造型優美，雪白的臺體高達百米以上，用藍色繪的是挪威北部的馴鹿，紅色繪着夏季挪威北部特有的奇妙自然景觀“午夜太陽”。雪原上的馴鹿用角頂起不落和太陽，挪威人以此詮釋冰雪運動的含義。從市內任何一點都可以看到它，而從高高的跳臺上也可將整個奧斯陸市區一覽無餘。每年３月的跳雪節都吸引了成千上萬滑雪者，在此驚人一跳的記錄有１１３米遠。 羅弗敦群島 羅弗敦在挪威語中是“山貓腳”的意思，同時也暗指其領海拔地而起的一列險峻的島嶼——“羅弗敦之墻”。這堵“羅弗敦之墻”在西部峽灣與北海之間形成了一道長達１６０公裏的屏障。墨西哥灣暖流使得這裏的鼕季相對比較溫暖濕潤，每年從１月到４月末，大批的魚群會匯集到羅弗敦的淺岸水域産卵，每年這時就會有大量漁民涌入。 近年來，羅弗敦海島上的漁民少了，旅遊者和藝術傢的數量卻增加了。那些創造了羅弗敦歷史的漁民的棚屋，現在成了前來度假的遊客們的假日居所。被羅弗敦日光所吸引的畫傢們越來越為人們所熟知。在靠近斯沃爾瓦的斯維內亞，人們新近為六位瑞典畫傢和兩位挪威畫傢建造了一所“藝術之傢”。挪威中部的特隆赫姆(Trondheim)，是個小小的城市，從這裏坐火車嚮北穿過北極圈到博德，從博德再乘渡船就可到達對面的羅弗敦群島。由莫斯肯內斯碼頭上岸，離碼頭不到100米的漁屋，這是一些由木柱子架在海邊上的紅色木房子，有的已有一百多年的歷史。羅弗敦一帶沒有那種有服務員和總臺的旅館，全是清一色的自助式漁民屋。夏季供遊人小住，鼕天供漁民長租。 羅弗敦群島最西端有一個叫奧(A)的漁村， 是E10（歐洲10號）公路的盡頭，是世界上名稱最短的村落之一，為此人們慕名而去。群島北面的漣堡是個海邊的小漁村，與奧、莫斯肯內斯稍有不同，奧、莫斯肯內斯的紅房子很密集，都架在海面上；漣堡則是嚮海敞開，風大浪兇，稀疏的房子都建在岸邊陸地上，幾乎全是長住的各國釣魚者。 特隆赫姆的旅遊景點如下： Nidaros大教堂；斯堪的納維亞中世紀最大的建築物；The Archbishop's Palace大主教宮；Stiftgarden的皇傢官邸；斯堪的納維亞最大的木建築；Kristiansten Fotr剋裏斯汀山頂要塞；Ringve Museum音樂史博物館。 挪威的黃石公園－海爾西特 位於蓋倫格峽灣西側，和蓋倫格並稱為挪威的黃石公園，有非常遼闊的田園山景，清晨在半山腰俯視這山城，緑色莊園蒙上一層薄薄的白霧，那份恬適感讓人流連忘返。這裏也是一千多年以前維京人入侵英、法、俄等國的基地，所以可發現舊時農莊的遺跡。 假城鎮－巴裏斯川(Balestrand) 索格納(Sognefjord)峽灣，挪威最長最深的峽灣，長達兩百多公裏，最深處達一千三百公尺，有些地方垂直之山壁自海平面忽然升起達千公尺，大自然的鬼斧神工教人驚嘆。 巴裏斯川是索格納峽灣旁的小鎮，是幾個小峽灣的會合點，也是此區域重要的旅遊點與交通城市，遠處高山積雪終年不化，夏天山𠔌裏緑草如蔭，像是英格蘭的鄉村景色，又有點像是瑞士的湖邊渡假村。 旅遊服務中心在車站旁，可提供健行路綫圖。或安排船、健行、租單車，郵局旁有兩傢快餐店， Hostle餐廳有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。又因位於挪威國營鐵路的北端終點，兼之是出入羅浮敦群島(Lofoten)的樞紐，因此交通地位格外重要。 一般人旅行挪威北境，很少會在波多多作停留；因為二次大戰時，這個美麗的小城曾遭德軍無情的摧殘，幾近全毀。1950年間重建，但整個城市至此不復原貌。 改建後的博物館或教堂都相當現代化，衹有羅丁教堂(Rodin Church)這座石材所築的巴洛剋式教堂較有可觀。市區內由青年旅館步行約三十分鐘可以登上Ronvik山，在此可以清楚地欣賞午夜太陽的美景。 波多南郊約33公裏處的 Saltstraumen 有全世界最大的漩渦奇景，巨浪在長三公裏的峽灣間翻騰，聲勢驚人，甚是壯觀。 此外，由奧斯陸(Oslo)、安道爾尼斯(Andalsnes)、特倫汗(Trondheim)、波多到納維剋 (Narvik)的火車路綫也為旅行者所津津樂道：這段景觀火車路綫裏有高山、瀑布、河𠔌、森林、海岸綫，還將通過標示北極圈的石製紀念碑。火車並會停下五分鐘，讓旅行者下車攝影留念呢！ 挪威的四大峽灣 蓋朗厄爾峽灣 蓋朗厄爾峽灣位於挪威西南岸的卑爾根北部，是挪威峽灣中最為美麗神秘的一處。峽灣全長 16 公裏，兩岸聳立着海拔 1500 米以上的群山。蓋朗厄爾峽灣以瀑布衆多而著稱，有許多瀑布沿着陡峭的岩壁瀉入該峽灣，比如“新郎的面紗”和“七姊妹”。峽灣頂端是蓋朗厄爾村，到該村僅靠一條沿山坡蜿蜒而下的長1000米的道路，夏季徒步前來度假的遊客很多。村裏除1842年建造的蓋朗厄爾峽灣教堂外，還有攝影師經常光顧的福裏達爾斯尤威展望臺和海拔1500米高的達爾斯尼巴展望臺。周圍的景點還有位布裏剋斯達爾冰川。 鬆恩峽灣 鬆恩峽灣是挪威最大的峽灣，也是世界上最長、最深的峽灣，全長達240公裏，最深處達1308米。兩岸山高𠔌深，𠔌底山坡陡峭，垂直上長，直到海拔1500米的峰頂。峽灣兩岸的岩層很堅硬，主要由花崗岩和片麻岩構成，並夾雜着少數的石灰岩、白雲岩和大理岩。陡峭的崖壁插入地表以下1200米，在平整成高原之前，崖壁伸嚮天空。鬆恩峽灣其實是一個峽灣主幹的名稱，其還附有許多的小峽灣，其中最著名的納勒爾峽灣是世界上最狹窄的峽灣，最窄處僅250米。這裏的崖壁緊擠在一起，以致船衹下行時似乎消逝在隧道中。大峽灣將其沿途塑造成光裸而荒無人煙的景色，沿途兩側的大部分山脈赫然聳立於水面之上，似乎終日處於黃昏暮光中。 哈當厄爾峽灣 哈當厄爾峽灣全長179公裏，是四大峽灣中最為平緩的一處，有田園般風景的峽灣。哈當厄爾峽灣是個很大的峽灣，也有一些小的分支峽灣，愛的峽灣就是其中的一個。峽灣兩岸山坡的果樹鮮花盛開，繽紛爛漫。哈當厄爾峽灣盡頭是著名的休閑勝地——烏托內和洛夫特鬍斯的烏倫斯旺地區。約800年前僧侶到此地種植了蘋果樹和杏樹，每到5月便開花，夏季結果。哈當厄爾峽灣沿綫也有許多壯觀的瀑布，還有哈當厄爾韋德國立公園，挪威第三大規模的弗格豐納冰河等景觀。 呂瑟峽灣 呂瑟峽灣位於挪威南部，全長 42 公裏。呂瑟峽灣的入口是挪威西海岸的斯塔萬格。河水在凸兀的峭壁和巍峨的群山之間蜿蜒流淌。兩岸巨岩兀立，其中海拔600 米的斷崖布雷凱斯特倫是最值得一看的地方。站在巨岩之上，感覺自己猶如漂浮在空中，能強烈地感受到大自然雄勁的活力。斯塔萬格位於挪威的西部，是到呂瑟峽灣遊覽觀光的理想出發點，從這裏您還可以乘觀光船遊覽。 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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