Area Total | 323,802 sq km |
Climate | temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast |
Natural Resources | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower |
Imports | Sweden 11.4%, Germany 11%, China 9.8%, US 6.8%, South Korea 6.7%, Denmark 5.4%, UK 4.7% (2017) – machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs |
Government | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Capital | Oslo |
Population | 5,372,191 (July 2018 est.) |
Ethnicity | Norwegian 83.2% (includes about 60,000 Sami), other European 8.3%, other 8.5% (2017 est.) |
Language | Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities |
Exports | UK 21.1%, Germany 15.5%, Netherlands 9.9%, Sweden 6.6%, France 6.4%, Belgium 4.8%, Denmark 4.7%, US 4.6% (2017) – petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish |
News about Norway
- Taxes and budgets: Everything that changes in Norway in May 2024by The Local on May 1, 2024
Tax rebates, an update on the ‘exit tax’, the revised national budget, and a potential new interest rate strategy are among the key things to look out for in May.
- EXPLAINED: How wealthy is the 'average' Norwegian?by The Local on May 1, 2024
Norway is known for its high wages and stable economy. New figures have revealed the wealth of the average resident in the Nordic country.
- Norway accelerating Ukraine aidby The Local on May 1, 2024
Norway's Prime Minister said Tuesday his country would accelerate its military and civilian aid for Ukraine for this year by seven billion kroner to a total of 22 billion kroner (£2 billion).
- Labour Day: What happens in Norway on May 1st?by The Local on May 1, 2024
Labour Day (May 1st) is a big deal in Norway, which is no surprise considering the strength and influence of the labour movement in the country. Here's how Norwegians typically mark the day.
- What are Norway's highest-paying jobs and occupations?by The Local on May 1, 2024
Norway's known for its high wages, but how much do workers in its highest paying sectors take home each month?
- Reader question: How do the EU's new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?by The Local on May 1, 2024
As European travellers prepare for the introduction of enhanced passport checks known as the Entry & Exit System (EES), many readers have asked us what this means for the '90-day rule' for non-EU citizens.
- What's open and what's closed on May 1st in Norway?by The Local on April 30, 2024
May 1st, or Labour Day, is widely celebrated in Norway, with anyone even vaguely left-leaning joining marches and attending political speeches across the country. But it's also a public holiday, so what's open and what's closed?
- Norway invites proposals for blocks for controversial deep-sea miningby The Local on April 30, 2024
Norwegian authorities on Monday took another step towards the controversial mining of its seabed, by inviting potential actors to nominate blocks that would be of interest in a first licensing round.
- 'There was noone doing it': The story behind Oslo's only English bookstoreby The Local on April 30, 2024
Six months after launching Oslo's only English language bookstore, Seattle native Indigo Trigg-Hauger doesn't regret a thing.
- Dying salmon worry Norway's giant fish-farm industryby The Local on April 30, 2024
They are hailed for their omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients, but Norway's salmon are not in the best of health themselves at the fish farms where they are bred.
- Norway to get a taste of summer with 20C days this weekby The Local on April 30, 2024
Summer is finally here! Or least it is if you live in southern Norway, where a warm front coming up from Europe will bring t-shirt temperatures of 20C by Thursday, according to forecasts.
- Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesdayby The Local on April 30, 2024
Risk of retail strike as union talks go into overtime, 20C temperatures expected in the south, hotel magnate appeals tax judgement, and other news from Norway on Tuesday.
- First case of walrus dying from bird flu recorded in Arcticby Guardian staff and agencies (Norway | The Guardian) on April 30, 2024
Virus has already killed other mammals including sea lions and seals, while also taking toll on farm animalsThe first case of a walrus dying from bird flu has been detected on one of Norway’s Arctic islands, a researcher has said.The walrus was found last year on Hopen island in the Svalbard archipelago, Christian Lydersen, of the Norwegian Polar […]
- Norwegian police charge Olympic champion's father for domestic violenceby The Local on April 29, 2024
Norwegian police said Monday that Gjert Ingebrigtsen, father and former coach of 1,500m Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, had been charged with domestic violence against a family member.
- Which city in Norway faces the biggest rise in sea levels?by The Local on April 29, 2024
Much of Norway's coast is still rising due to the rebound from the glaciers which melted 10,000 years ago. But while that lessens the risk of rising sea-levels it doesn't remove it. Here are the cities likely to be worst affected.
- Norway foreign minister accuses west of double standards on Gaza at World Economic Forum – videoby (Norway | The Guardian) on April 29, 2024
Norway's foreign minister has criticised some western countries for their inconsistent responses to violations of international law in Gaza and Ukraine. Speaking on the second day of the World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Espen Barth Eide said: 'Many western countries ... hesitated to use the same type of language against […]
- Norwegian Dream review – queer romance speaks for all the oppressed underclassesby Phil Hoad (Norway | The Guardian) on April 29, 2024
This idealistic feature draws parallels between the struggles of immigrant Polish workers in Norway and the homophobia faced by two young lovers, but can’t quite sew up the two seamsDirector Leiv Igor Devold makes an unexpected link-up between Norway, the country where he grew up, and Poland, where he attended film school, in this idealistic but sometimes […]
- Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Mondayby The Local on April 29, 2024
Earthquake near Bergen, perpetrators of Oslo shooting still at large, retail industry strike looms, and other news from Norway on Monday.
- The differences between being married and a cohabitant in Norwayby The Local on April 28, 2024
Depending on whether you are married or just in a long-term relationship with someone in Norway, rules dictating everything from your immigration rights to your tax rules can be different.
- Do you need to declare foreign property to the Norwegian tax authorities?by The Local on April 28, 2024
The tax implications of owning property abroad can be complex, so it's important to read up on the rules to make sure you end up on the right side of the tax laws.
- Pant: Everything you need to know about Norway's bottle recycling systemby The Local on April 28, 2024
The Norwegian bottle deposit system, known as pant, promotes recycling and reducing waste. Here's a closer look at how it works and why it's become an integral part of Norwegian culture.
- 'Don't let anything put you off': How foreigners in Norway raise bilingual kidsby The Local on April 27, 2024
Foreigners living and raising children in Norway, might want them to become native speakers of at least two languages. We asked our readers to share their tips and experiences.
- Four tips to help the parents of newborns in Norway save money on essentialsby The Local on April 27, 2024
Welcoming a newborn into the family brings great joy but can also come with significant expenses. However, savvy parents in Norway can minimise these costs by utilising various money-saving strategies.
- Mentally stimulating work plays key role in staving off dementia, study findsby Ian Sample Science editor (Norway | The Guardian) on April 17, 2024
People in routine and repetitive jobs found to have 31% greater risk of disease in later life, and 66% higher risk of mild cognitive problemsIf work is a constant flurry of mind-straining challenges, bursts of creativity and delicate negotiations to keep the troops happy, consider yourself lucky.Researchers have found that the more people use their brains […]
- Ireland and Spain reiterate plan to form alliance to recognise state of Palestineby Rory Carroll in Dublin, Sam Jones in Madrid and Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels (Norway | The Guardian) on April 12, 2024
Leaders of two nations vow to muster international support for two-state solution to Gaza crisisIreland and Spain have reiterated their intention to forge an alliance of countries that will soon recognise Palestine as a nation state.The Irish taoiseach, Simon Harris, and Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, vowed on Friday to muster international […]
- Venice Biennale 2024: Nordic pavilion explores mythmaking amid ‘canon’ controversyby Miranda Bryant in Stockholm (Norway | The Guardian) on April 10, 2024
The Swedish artist Lap-See Lam is drawing on the Cantonese operas of the 19th century to explore the ‘fiction’ of cultureAmid a polarising debate taking place in Sweden over what constitutes culture, the artist behind this year’s Nordic pavilion at the Venice Biennale hopes her multilingual opera staged on a Chinese dragon ship will act as a sort of […]
- Reindeer skins and sonic looms: Borealis music festival dives into Sámi cultureby Charlotte Higgins (Norway | The Guardian) on April 9, 2024
At the Norwegian event, creators from Europe’s only Indigenous nation used kettles, synthpop and recordings of salmon to create music that drew on their often threatened traditionsOn stage in a former industrial building in the Norwegian city of Bergen sits a strange, if not bewildering, selection of objects. There is an upright, warp-weighted loom, one […]
- From the Arctic Circle to the top of European theatre: director Eline Arbo on being ‘an outsider looking in’by Natasha Tripney (Norway | The Guardian) on April 4, 2024
The Norwegian theatremaker talks about succeeding Ivo van Hove as artistic director of one of the influential Internationaal Theater Amsterdam and staging classic plays as rock concertsWhen Eline Arbo informed her mother at a young age that she wanted to be a theatre director, her mother told her that it would take more than talent and hard work to become a […]
- ‘Wonderful experience’: Researcher’s close encounter with Svalbard polar bearsby Miranda Bryant in Stockholm (Norway | The Guardian) on April 2, 2024
Meteorologist says bears were not aggressive but they fired signal gun to scare them awayKatarzyna Kudłacz was preparing a breakfast of scrambled eggs at a research station on Svalbard when she looked up to see she had three unexpected guests.Shocked and in awe, the meteorologist immediately alerted her colleagues to the female polar bear and her two cubs […]
- Johan Galtung obituaryby Hugh Miall (Norway | The Guardian) on March 21, 2024
Norwegian sociologist who founded the discipline of peace studies and proposed creative solutions for many of the world’s conflictsThe Norwegian sociologist Johan Galtung, who has died aged 93, was a leading contributor to peace and conflict research. His ideas about positive peace and structural violence have had a global resonance. Now taught in more […]