Norway

{{main|Etymology of Norway}}

File:Ohthere.jpg's Old English account, translated: "Ohthere told his lord Ælfrede king that he lived northmost of all {{nowrap|Norwegians…"}}]]

Norway has two official names: Norge in Bokmål and Noreg in Nynorsk. The English name Norway comes from the Old English word Norþweg mentioned in 880, meaning "northern way" or "way leading to the north", which is how the Anglo-Saxons referred to the coastline of Atlantic Norway.{{Cite episode |title=Nomino 6:6 |url=https://tv.nrk.no/serie/nomino/DVFJ63000615/sesong-2/episode-6#t=22m18s |access-date=5 October 2016 |series=Nomino |station=NRK |date=4 October 2016 |season=2 |time=22:18 |language=no |archive-date=6 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006150442/https://tv.nrk.no/serie/nomino/DVFJ63000615/sesong-2/episode-6#t=22m18s |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url= http://forskning.no/historie-sprak/2016/02/sar-tvil-om-norges-opphav |title= Sår tvil om Norges opphav |date= 29 February 2016 |publisher= Forskning.no for Universitetet i Agder |language= no |access-date= 1 November 2016 |archive-date= 22 August 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170822095851/http://forskning.no/historie-sprak/2016/02/sar-tvil-om-norges-opphav |url-status= live }}{{Cite book|last=Skre|first=Dagfinn|url=https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/23221|title=Rulership in 1st to 14th century Scandinavia|date=2020|publisher=De Gruyter|pages=3, 5–10|hdl=20.500.12657/23221|isbn=978-1-193-55787-8 |language=English|access-date=22 June 2021|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204055/https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/23221|url-status=live}} The Anglo-Saxons of Britain also referred to the kingdom of Norway in 880 as Norðmanna land.

There is some disagreement about whether the native name of Norway originally had the same etymology as the English form. According to the traditional dominant view, the first component was originally norðr, a cognate of English north, so the full name was Norðr vegr, "the way northwards", referring to the sailing route along the Norwegian coast, and contrasting with suðrvegar "southern way" (from Old Norse suðr) for (Germany), and austrvegr "eastern way" (from austr) for the Baltic.{{cite journal | last=Heide | first=Eldar | title=Noregr tyder nok vegen mot nord, likevel | journal=Namn og Nemne | volume=33 | date=2016 | issn=2703-7371 | url=http://ojs.novus.no/index.php/NON/article/view/1333 | language=nb | access-date=14 August 2023 | page= | archive-date=22 February 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222105940/http://ojs.novus.no/index.php/NON/article/view/1333 | url-status=live }}

{{Main|History of Norway|History of Scandinavia}}

{{Main|Scandinavian prehistory}}

File:Bronze Age boats.png rock carvings at Steinkjer, Central Norway]]

The earliest traces of human occupation in Norway are found along the coast, where the huge ice shelf of the last ice age first melted between 11,000 and 8000 BC. The oldest finds are stone tools dating from 9500 to 6000 BC, discovered in Finnmark (Komsa culture) in the north and Rogaland (Fosna culture) in the southwest. Theories about the two cultures being separate were deemed obsolete in the 1970s.{{cite book | author = Klavs Randsborg | date = 14 September 2009 | title = The Anatomy of Denmark: Archaeology and History from the Ice Age to AD 2000 | publisher = Bloomsbury Academic | pages = | isbn = 978-0-7156-3842-2 | oclc = 1114604682}}

Between 3000 and 2500 BC, new settlers (Corded Ware culture) arrived in eastern Norway. They were Indo-European farmers who grew grain and kept livestock, and gradually replaced the hunting-fishing population of the west coast.

{{Main|Nordic Bronze Age|Iron Age Scandinavia}}

From about 1500 BC, bronze was gradually introduced. Burial cairns built close to the sea as far north as Harstad and also inland in the south are characteristic of this period, with rock carving motifs that differ from those of the Stone Age, depicting ships resembling the Hjortspring boat, while large stone burial monuments known as stone ships were also erected.Ling 2008. Elevated Rock Art. GOTARC Serie B. Gothenburg Archaeological Thesis 49. Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Gothenburg, Goumlteborg, 2008. {{ISBN|978-9185245345}}.

There is little archaeological evidence dating to the early Iron Age (the last 500 years BC). The dead were cremated, and their graves contained few goods. During the first four centuries AD, the people of Norway were in contact with Roman-occupied Gaul; about 70 Roman bronze cauldrons, often used as burial urns, have been found. Contact with countries farther south brought a knowledge of runes; the oldest known Norwegian runic inscription dates from the third century.

{{Main|Petty kingdoms of Norway|Viking Age}}

{{See also|Unification of Norway|Hereditary Kingdom of Norway}}

{{multiple image|align = right|direction = diagonal|total_width = 280|image1 = Le bateau viking dOseberg (4835828216).jpg|caption1 = The Oseberg ship at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo|image2 = Viking swords at Bergen Museum.jpg|caption2 = Viking swords found in Norway, preserved at the Bergen Museum}}

By the time of the first historical records of Scandinavia, about the 8th century, several small political entities existed in Norway. It has been estimated that there were nine petty realms in Western Norway during the early Viking Age.Bjørn Ringstad, Vestlandets største gravminner. Et forsøk på lokalisering av forhistoriske maktsentra, (Bergen, 1986) Archaeologist Bergljot Solberg on this basis estimates that there would have been at least 20 in the whole country.Bergljot Solberg, Jernalderen i Norge, (Oslo, 2000)

In the Viking period, Norwegian Viking explorers discovered Iceland by accident in the ninth century when heading for the Faroe Islands, and eventually came across Vinland, known today as Newfoundland, in Canada. The Vikings from Norway were most active in the northern and western British Isles and eastern North America isles.{{cite web|url=https://naturalhistory.si.edu/vikings/voyage/subset/vinland/archeo.html|title=Vinland Archeology|website=naturalhistory.si.edu|access-date=11 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308031025/https://naturalhistory.si.edu/vikings/voyage/subset/vinland/archeo.html|archive-date=8 March 2018|url-status=dead}}

File:Gjermundbu helmet - cropped.jpg found in Buskerud is the only known reconstructable Viking Age helmet.]]

According to tradition, Harald Fairhair unified them into one in 872 after the Battle of Hafrsfjord in Stavanger, thus becoming the first king of a united Norway.Larsen, p. 83. Harald's realm was mainly a South Norwegian coastal state. Fairhair ruled with a strong hand and according to the sagas, many Norwegians left the country to live in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and parts of Britain and Ireland.Foster, R. F. (2001) The Oxford History of Ireland. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|019280202X}}

Haakon I the Good was Norway's first Christian king, in the mid-10th century, though his attempt to introduce the religion was rejected. Norse traditions were replaced slowly by Christian ones in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. This is largely attributed to the missionary kings Olaf I Tryggvasson and Olaf II Haraldsson (St. Olaf). Olaf Tryggvasson conducted raids in England, including attacking London. Arriving back in Norway in 995, Olaf landed in Moster where he built a church which became the first Christian church in Norway. From Moster, Olaf sailed north to Trondheim where he was proclaimed King of Norway by the Eyrathing in 995.Larsen, p. 95. One of the most important sources for the history of the 11th century Vikings is the treaty between the Icelanders and Olaf II Haraldsson, king of Norway circa 1015 to 1028.Jones, Gwyn, A history of the Vikings (Oxford 2001).

Feudalism never really developed in Norway or Sweden, as it did in the rest of Europe. However, the administration of government took on a very conservative feudal character. The Hanseatic League forced royalty to cede to them greater and greater concessions over foreign trade and the economy, because of the loans the Hansa had made to the royals and the large debt the kings were carrying. The League's monopolistic control over the economy of Norway put pressure on all classes, especially the peasantry, to the degree that no real burgher class existed in Norway.Larsen, p. 201.

{{Main|Kingdom of Norway (872–1397)}}

{{See also|Greater Norway|Civil war era in Norway}}

File:Norwegian Hereditary Empire excluding Greenland.png at its greatest extent during the 13th century, including the Open Border with the Novgorod Republic]]

From the 1040s to 1130, the country was at peace.Stenersen: 36 In 1130, the civil war era broke out on the basis of unclear succession laws, which allowed the king's sons to rule jointly. The Archdiocese of Nidaros was created in 1152 and attempted to control the appointment of kings.Stenersen: 38 The church inevitably had to take sides in the conflicts. The wars ended in 1217 with the appointment of Håkon IV Håkonsson, who introduced clear laws of succession.Stenersen: 39

From 1000 to 1300, the population increased from 150,000 to 400,000, resulting both in more land being cleared and the subdivision of farms. While in the Viking Age farmers owned their own land, by 1300, seventy per cent of the land was owned by the king, the church, or the aristocracy, and about twenty per cent of yields went to these landowners.Stenersen: 37

The 14th century is described as Norway's golden age, with peace and increase in trade, especially with the British Islands, although Germany became increasingly important towards the end of the century. Throughout the High Middle Ages, the king established Norway as a sovereign state with a central administration and local representatives.Stenersen: 41

In 1349, the Black Death spread to Norway and within a year killed a third of the population. Later plagues reduced the population to half the starting point by 1400. Many communities were entirely wiped out, resulting in an abundance of land, allowing farmers to switch to more animal husbandry. The reduction in taxes weakened the king's position,Stenersen: 44 and many aristocrats lost the basis for their surplus. High tithes to church made it increasingly powerful and the archbishop became a member of the Council of State.Stenersen: 45

File:Barrio de Bryggen, Bergen.jpg in Bergen, once the centre of trade in Norway under the Hanseatic League trade network, now preserved as a World Heritage Site]]

The Hanseatic League took control over Norwegian trade during the 14th century and established a trading centre in Bergen. In 1380, Olaf Haakonsson inherited both the Norwegian (as Olaf IV) and Danish thrones (as Olaf II), creating a union between the two countries. In 1397, under Margaret I, the Kalmar Union was created between the three Scandinavian countries. She waged war against the Germans, resulting in a trade blockade and higher taxation on Norwegian goods, which led to a rebellion. However, the Norwegian Council of State was too weak to pull out of the union.Stenersen: 46

Margaret pursued a centralising policy which inevitably favoured Denmark because of its greater population.Derry p. 75 Margaret also granted trade privileges to the Hanseatic merchants of Lübeck in Bergen in return for recognition of her rule, and these hurt the Norwegian economy. The Hanseatic merchants formed a state within a state in Bergen for generations.Derry pp. 77–78 The "Victual Brothers" launched three devastating pirate raids on the port (the last in 1427).Derry p. 77

Norway slipped ever more to the background under the Oldenburg dynasty (established 1448). There was one revolt under Knut Alvsson in 1502.Derry pp. 81–82 Norway took no part in the events which led to Swedish independence from Denmark in the 1520s.Derry pp. 83–84

{{Main article|Kalmar Union}}

{{Main article|First Swedish–Norwegian union}}

Upon the death of King Haakon V in 1319, Magnus Eriksson, at just three years old, inherited the throne as King Magnus VII. A simultaneous movement to make Magnus King of Sweden proved successful (he was a grandson of King Magnus Ladulås of Sweden), and both the kings of Sweden and of Denmark were elected to the throne by their respective nobles. Thus Sweden and Norway were united under King Magnus VII.Larsen, p. 192.

In 1349, the Black Death killed between 50% and 60% of Norway's population{{Cite journal|pmid = 2197762|year = 1990|last1 = Oeding|first1 = P|title = The black death in Norway|journal = Tidsskrift for den Norske Laegeforening|volume = 110|issue = 17|pages = 2204–08}} and led to a period of social and economic decline.{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/67758/Black-Death |title=Black Death (pandemic) |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=23 July 2011 |archive-date=18 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718214050/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/67758/Black-Death |url-status=live }} Although the death rate was comparable with the rest of Europe, economic recovery took much longer because of the small, scattered population. Even before the plague, the population was only about 500,000.Larsen, pp. 202–03. After the plague, many farms lay idle while the population slowly increased. However, the few surviving farms' tenants found their bargaining positions with their landlords greatly strengthened.

File:Union of Kalmar (1500).svg, {{circa|1500}}]]

King Magnus VII ruled Norway until 1350, when his son, Haakon, was placed on the throne as Haakon VI.Larsen, p. 195 In 1363, Haakon married Margaret, daughter of King Valdemar IV of Denmark. Upon the death of Haakon in 1379, his 10-year-old son Olaf IV acceded to the throne. As Olaf had already been elected to the throne of Denmark in 1376, Denmark and Norway entered a personal union.Larsen, p. 197 Olaf's mother and Haakon's widow, Queen Margaret, managed the foreign affairs of Denmark and Norway during Olaf's minority.

Margaret was on the verge of achieving a union of Sweden with Denmark and Norway when Olaf IV suddenly died. Denmark made Margaret temporary ruler on the death of Olaf. On 2 February 1388, Norway followed suit and crowned Margaret. Queen Margaret knew that her power would be more secure if she were able to find a king to rule in her place. She settled on Eric of Pomerania, grandson of her sister. Thus at an all-Scandinavian meeting held at Kalmar, Erik of Pomerania was crowned king of all three Scandinavian countries, bringing the thrones of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden under the control of Queen Margaret when the country entered into the Kalmar Union.

{{Main|Denmark–Norway}}

After Sweden broke out of the Kalmar Union in 1521, Norway tried to follow suit,{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} but the subsequent rebellion was defeated, and Norway remained in a union with Denmark until 1814. This period was by some referred to as the "400-Year Night", since all of the kingdom's intellectual and administrative power was centred in Copenhagen.

File:Eerste fase van de Zeeslag in de Sont - First phase of the Battle of the Sound - November 8 1658 (Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraten, 1660).jpg between an allied Dano-Norwegian–Dutch fleet and the Swedish navy, 8 November 1658 (29 October OS)]]

With the introduction of Protestantism in 1536, the archbishopric in Trondheim was dissolved; Norway lost its independence and effectually became a colony of Denmark. The Church's income and possessions were instead redirected to the court in Copenhagen. 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.

Eventually restored as a kingdom (albeit in legislative union with Denmark) in 1661, Norway saw its land area decrease in the 17th century with the loss of the provinces Båhuslen, Jemtland, and Herjedalen to Sweden, as the result of a number of disastrous wars. In the north, its territory was increased by the acquisition of the provinces of Troms and Finnmark, at the expense of Sweden and Russia.

The famine of 1695–1696 killed roughly 10% of Norway's population."[https://books.google.com/books?id=6oOCfHxQDtwC&pg=PA153 Finding the family in medieval and early modern Scotland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417101736/https://books.google.com/books?id=6oOCfHxQDtwC&pg=PA153 |date=17 April 2023 }}". Elizabeth Ewan, Janay Nugent (2008). Ashgate Publishing. p. 153. {{ISBN|0754660494}} The harvest failed in Scandinavia at least nine times between 1740 and 1800, with great loss of life."[https://books.google.com/books?id=eGsCGAdH4YQC&pg=PA63 The savage wars of peace: England, Japan and the Malthusian trap] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128101941/https://books.google.com/books?id=eGsCGAdH4YQC&pg=PA63 |date=28 January 2022 }}". Alan Macfarlane (1997). p. 63. {{ISBN|0631181172}}

{{Main|United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway}}

{{See also|Norway in 1814|label 1=Norwegian protectorate|Norwegian romantic nationalism}}

File:Eidsvoll riksraad 1814.jpeg]]

After Denmark–Norway was attacked by the United Kingdom at the 1807 Battle of Copenhagen, it entered into an alliance with Napoleon, with the war leading to dire conditions and mass starvation in 1812. As the Danish kingdom was on the losing side in 1814, it was forced by the Treaty of Kiel to cede Norway to Sweden, while the old Norwegian provinces of Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands remained with the Danish crown.Treaty of Kiel, 14 January 1814. Norway took this opportunity to declare independence, adopted a constitution based on American and French models, and elected the Crown Prince of Denmark and Norway, Christian Frederick, as king on 17 May 1814 – celebrated as the Syttende mai (Seventeenth of May) holiday.

Norwegian opposition to the decision to link Norway with Sweden caused the Norwegian–Swedish War to break out as Sweden tried to subdue Norway by military means. As Sweden's military was not strong enough to defeat the Norwegian forces outright, and Norway's treasury was not large enough to support a protracted war, and as British and Russian navies blockaded the Norwegian coast,{{cite book|last = Nicolson|first = Harold|title = The Congress of Vienna; a study in allied unity, 1812–1822|publisher = Constable & co. ltd|year = 1946|page =295|quote=The British Government sought to overcome this reluctance by assisting Russia in blockading the coast of Norway}} the belligerents were forced to negotiate the Convention of Moss. Christian Frederik abdicated the Norwegian throne and authorised the Parliament of Norway to make the necessary constitutional amendments to allow for the personal union that Norway was forced to accept. On 4 November 1814, the Parliament (Storting) elected Charles XIII of Sweden as king of Norway, thereby establishing the union with Sweden.Larsen, p. 572. Under this arrangement, Norway kept its liberal constitution and its own independent institutions, though it shared a monarch and foreign policy with Sweden. Following the recession caused by the Napoleonic Wars, economic development of Norway remained slow until 1830.Larsen, p. 423.

This period also saw the rise of Norwegian romantic nationalism, 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), 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.

King Charles III John came to the throne of Norway and Sweden in 1818 and reigned to 1844. He protected the constitution and liberties of Norway and Sweden during the age of Metternich.{{POV statement|Added WP:NPOV tag|date=September 2022}} As such, he was regarded as a liberal monarch. However, he was ruthless in his use of paid informers, secret police and restrictions on the freedom of the press to put down public movements for reform—especially the Norwegian national independence movement.Franklin D. Scott, Sweden: the Nation's History (University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, 1977) p. 380.

The Romantic Era that followed the reign of Charles III John brought some significant social and political reforms. In 1854, women won the right to inherit property. In 1863, the last trace of keeping unmarried women in the status of minors was removed. Furthermore, women were eligible for different occupations, particularly the common school teacher.Larsen, p. 432. By mid-century, Norway's democracy was limited; voting was limited to officials, property owners, leaseholders and burghers of incorporated towns.Larsen, p. 431.

File:Saami Family 1900.jpg family in Norway, {{circa|1900}}]]

Norway remained a conservative society. Life in Norway (especially economic life) was "dominated by the aristocracy of professional men who filled most of the important posts in the central government".Larsen, p. 412. There was no strong bourgeois class to demand a breakdown of this aristocratic control.See "The Civil War in Switzerland" by Frederick Engels contained in Marx & Engels, Collected Works: Volume 6 (International Publishers, New York, 1976) p. 368. Thus, even while revolution swept over most of the countries of Europe in 1848, Norway was largely unaffected.

Marcus Thrane was a Utopian socialist who in 1848 organised a labour society in Drammen. In just a few months, this society had a membership of 500 and was publishing its own newspaper. Within two years, 300 societies had been organised all over Norway, with a total membership of 20,000 drawn from the lower classes of both urban and rural areas.Larsen, p. 433. In the end, the revolt was easily crushed; Thrane was captured and jailed.{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/593569/Marcus-Moller-Thrane|title=Marcus Møller Thrane – Norwegian journalist and socialist|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=11 April 2024|access-date=23 June 2022|archive-date=9 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009230514/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/593569/Marcus-Moller-Thrane|url-status=live}}

In 1898, all men were granted universal suffrage, followed by all women in 1913.

{{Main|Norwegian union dissolution referendum, 1905|label 1=Union dissolution referendum|Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden}}

Christian Michelsen, Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907, played a central role in the peaceful separation of Norway from Sweden on 7 June 1905. A national referendum confirmed the people's preference for a monarchy over a republic. However, no Norwegian could legitimately claim the throne, since none of Norway's noble families could claim royal descent.

The government then offered the throne of Norway to Prince Carl of Denmark, a prince of the Dano-German royal house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and a distant relative of Norway's medieval kings. Following the plebiscite, he was unanimously elected king by the Norwegian Parliament; he took the name Haakon VII.

Throughout the First World War, Norway remained neutral; however, diplomatic pressure from the British government meant that it heavily favoured the Allies. During the war, Norway exported fish to both Germany and Britain, until an ultimatum from the British government and anti-German sentiments as a result of German submarines targeting Norwegian merchantmen led to a termination of trade with Germany. 436 Norwegian merchantmen were sunk by the Kaiserliche Marine, with 1,150 Norwegian sailors killed.Riste, Olav. The Neutral Ally: Norway's relations with belligerent powers in the First World War (1995){{disputed inline|date=October 2022}}

{{See also|German occupation of Norway|Reichskommissariat Norwegen|Quisling regime}}

File:Bombingen av Kristiansund, 1940, Riksarkivet, Arkivreferanse PA 1667U2 050.jpg. The German invasion resulted in 24 towns being bombed in the spring of 1940.]]

Norway once more proclaimed its neutrality during the Second World War, but was invaded by German forces on 9 April 1940. Although Norway was unprepared for the German surprise attack (see: Battle of Drøbak Sound, Norwegian Campaign, and Invasion of Norway), military and naval resistance lasted for two months. Norwegian armed forces in the north launched an offensive against the German forces in the Battles of Narvik, but were forced to surrender on 10 June after losing British support which had been diverted to France during the German invasion of France.

King Haakon and the Norwegian government escaped to Rotherhithe in London. Throughout the war they sent radio speeches and supported clandestine military actions against the Germans. On the day of the invasion, the 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, Josef Terboven. Quisling, as minister president, later formed a collaborationist government under German control. Up to 15,000 Norwegians volunteered to fight in German units, including the Waffen-SS.{{cite web |url=http://www.nuav.net/volunter.html |title=Norwegian volunteers in the Wehrmacht and SS |publisher=Nuav.net |date=9 April 1940 |access-date=5 April 2010 |archive-date=3 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003202720/http://www.nuav.net/volunter.html |url-status=live }}

File:Albert Viljam Hagelin with Adolf Hitler and Vidkun Quisling, 13 February 1942.png meets the Norwegian Prime Minister Vidkun Quisling and minister Albert Viljam Hagelin, 13 February 1942]]

Many Norwegians and persons of Norwegian descent joined the Allied forces as well as the Free Norwegian Forces. In June 1940, a small group had left Norway following their king to Britain. This group included 13 ships, five aircraft, and 500 men from the Royal Norwegian Navy. By the end of the war, the force had grown to 58 ships and 7,500 men in service in the Royal Norwegian Navy, 5 squadrons of aircraft in the newly formed Norwegian Air Force, and land forces including the Norwegian Independent Company 1 and 5 Troop as well as No. 10 Commandos.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

During German occupation, Norwegians built a resistance movement which incorporated civil disobedience and armed resistance including the destruction of Norsk Hydro's heavy water plant and stockpile of heavy water at Vemork, which crippled the German nuclear programme. More important to the Allied war effort, however, was the role of the Norwegian Merchant Marine, the fourth-largest merchant marine fleet in the world. It was led by the Norwegian shipping company Nortraship under the Allies throughout the war and took part in every war operation from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the Normandy landings. Every December Norway gives a Christmas tree to the United Kingdom as thanks for the British assistance during the war.[https://web.archive.org/web/20111011171256/http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2137248.ece PM to light London tree]. Aftenposten. 5 December 2007

Svalbard was not occupied by German troops, but Germany secretly established a meteorological station there in 1944.{{Cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/einestages/kriegsende-in-der-arktis-a-946659.html|title=Kriegsende in der Arktis: Die vergessenen Haudegen|last=Frenzel|first=Eike|date=3 September 2010|work=Spiegel Online|access-date=4 November 2018|archive-date=25 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125141157/http://www.spiegel.de/einestages/kriegsende-in-der-arktis-a-946659.html|url-status=live}}

File:StatfjordA(Jarvin1982).jpg).]]

From 1945 to 1962, the Labour Party held an absolute majority in the parliament. The government, led by prime minister Einar Gerhardsen, embarked on a programme inspired by Keynesian economics, emphasising state financed industrialisation and co-operation between trade unions and employers' organisations. Many measures of state control of the economy imposed during the war were continued, although the rationing of dairy products was lifted in 1949, while price controls and rationing of housing and cars continued until 1960.

The wartime alliance with the United Kingdom and the United States continued in the post-war years. Although pursuing the goal of a socialist economy, the Labour Party distanced itself from the Communists, especially after the Communists' seizure of power in Czechoslovakia in 1948, and strengthened its foreign policy and defence policy ties with the US. Norway received Marshall Plan aid from the United States starting in 1947, joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) one year later, and became a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949.

Oil was discovered at the small Balder field in 1967, but production only began in 1999.{{cite web|url=http://www.norskolje.museum.no/balder/|title=Balder – Norsk Oljemuseum|website=www.norskolje.museum.no|access-date=6 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007021055/http://www.norskolje.museum.no/balder/|archive-date=7 October 2017|url-status=dead}} In 1969, the Phillips Petroleum Company discovered petroleum resources at the Ekofisk field west of Norway. In 1973, the Norwegian government founded the State oil company, Statoil (now Equinor). Oil production did not provide net income until the early 1980s because of the large capital investment required. Around 1975, both the proportion and absolute number of workers in industry peaked. Since then labour-intensive industries and services like factory mass production and shipping have largely been outsourced.

Norway was a founding member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Norway was twice invited to join the European Union, but ultimately declined after referendums that failed by narrow margins in 1972 and 1994.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20830201|title=Norwegian minister Espen Eide urges UK caution on quitting EU|date=23 December 2012|work=BBC News|access-date=23 December 2012|archive-date=23 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223070804/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20830201|url-status=live}}

File:2011 Norway attacks flower march 2.jpg of 22 July 2011.]]

In 1981, a Conservative Party government led by Kåre Willoch replaced the Labour Party with a policy of stimulating the stagflated economy with tax cuts, economic liberalisation, deregulation of markets, and measures to curb record-high inflation (13.6% in 1981).

Norway's first female prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland of the Labour Party continued many of the reforms, while backing traditional Labour concerns such as social security, high taxes, the industrialisation of nature, and feminism. By the late 1990s, Norway had paid off its foreign debt and had started accumulating a sovereign wealth fund. Since the 1990s, a divisive question in politics has been how much of the income from petroleum production the government should spend, and how much it should save.

In 2011, Norway suffered two terrorist attacks by Anders Behring Breivik which struck the government quarter in Oslo and a summer camp of the Labour party's youth movement at Utøya island, resulting in 77 deaths and 319 wounded.{{cite news |title=Norway mourns 77 dead a decade after terrorist attack |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/norway-mourns-77-dead-a-decade-after-terrorist-attack |work=PBS NewsHour |date=22 July 2021 |language=en-us |access-date=13 December 2021 |archive-date=13 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213073124/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/norway-mourns-77-dead-a-decade-after-terrorist-attack |url-status=live }}

Jens Stoltenberg led Norway as prime minister for eight years from 2005 to 2013.{{cite news|url=https://archive.canadianbusiness.com/business-news/early-returns-show-centre-right-bloc-winning-elections-in-norway/|title='Iron Erna' replaces Stoltenberg as Norway's prime minister as centre-right bloc takes power|website=canadianbusiness.com|date=9 September 2013|access-date=13 December 2021|archive-date=13 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213074333/https://archive.canadianbusiness.com/business-news/early-returns-show-centre-right-bloc-winning-elections-in-norway/|url-status=dead}} The 2013 Norwegian parliamentary election brought a more conservative government to power, with the Conservative Party and the Progress Party winning 43% of the electorate's votes.{{cite news |title=Norway election: Conservative Erna Solberg triumphs |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24014551 |work=BBC News |date=10 September 2013 |access-date=30 August 2022 |archive-date=18 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018114640/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24014551 |url-status=live }} In the Norwegian parliamentary election 2017 the centre-right government of Prime Minister Erna Solberg won re-election.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-election-idUSKCN1BL0J3|title=Norway's right-wing government wins re-election fought on oil, tax|first1=Henrik|last1=Stolen|first2=Joachim|last2=Dagenborg|newspaper=Reuters|date=12 September 2017|access-date=5 March 2021|archive-date=27 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527163130/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-election-idUSKCN1BL0J3|url-status=live}} The 2021 Norwegian parliamentary election saw a big win for the left-wing opposition in an election fought on climate change, inequality, and oil;{{Cite news|last1=Buli|first1=Nora|last2=Klesty|first2=Victoria|date=14 September 2021|title=Norway's left-wing opposition wins in a landslide, coalition talks next|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/norway-opposition-expected-win-election-fought-oil-inequality-2021-09-13/|access-date=19 October 2021|archive-date=19 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019005121/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/norway-opposition-expected-win-election-fought-oil-inequality-2021-09-13/|url-status=live}} Labour leader Jonas Gahr Støre was sworn in as prime minister.{{Cite web|url = https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/norways-prime-minister-present-government-80577776|title = Norway's prime minister presents his new government|website = ABC News|access-date = 26 October 2021|archive-date = 26 October 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211026094805/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/norways-prime-minister-present-government-80577776|url-status = live}}

{{Main|Geography of Norway|Geology of Norway}}

File:Satellite image of Norway in February 2003.jpg

Norway's core territory comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula; the remote island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard are also included.{{refn|name=Svalbard|group=note}} The Antarctic Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories and thus not considered part of the Kingdom. Norway also claims a section of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land.Holmesland, Arthur m.fl.: Norge, Oslo: Aschehoug, 1973. Norwegian possessions in the North Atlantic, Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland, remained Danish when Norway was passed to Sweden at the Treaty of Kiel.Kiel-traktaten. Danish translation 1814. Nasjonalbiblioteket/National Library of Norway, read 2 February 2014. Norway also comprised Bohuslän until 1658, Jämtland and Härjedalen until 1645, Shetland and Orkney until 1468,Schei, Liv K.: Orkenøyene, Oslo: Grøndahl, 1985. and the Hebrides and Isle of Man until the Treaty of Perth in 1266.Helle, Knut & Knut Mykland: Norge blir en stat. 1130–1319. Bergen: Universitetsforlaget, 1964.

Norway comprises the western and northernmost part of Scandinavia in Northern Europe,{{Citation|last1=Thuesen|first1=Nils Petter|title=Norge|date=14 May 2018|url=http://snl.no/Norge|work=Store norske leksikon|language=no|access-date=5 July 2018|last2=Thorsnæs|first2=Geir|last3=Røvik|first3=Sissel|archive-date=6 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706021727/https://snl.no/Norge|url-status=live}} between latitudes 57° and 81° N, and longitudes 4° and 32° E. Norway is the northernmost of the Nordic countries and if Svalbard is included also the easternmost.{{Cite news|url=https://www.kartverket.no/kunnskap/fakta-om-norge/Ytterpunkter/Norges_nordligste_ostligste_sorligste_vestligste/|title=Norge i nord, sør, øst og vest|date=8 March 2013|work=Kartverket|access-date=5 July 2018|language=nb|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705233750/https://www.kartverket.no/kunnskap/fakta-om-norge/Ytterpunkter/Norges_nordligste_ostligste_sorligste_vestligste/|archive-date=5 July 2018|url-status=dead}} Norway includes the northernmost point on the European mainland.{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/visit-norway/explore-north-cape-europe-s-northernmost-point-a8019571.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220621/https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/visit-norway/explore-north-cape-europe-s-northernmost-point-a8019571.html |archive-date=21 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Explore North Cape, Europe's northernmost point|date=14 December 2017|work=The Independent|access-date=5 July 2018|language=en-GB}} The rugged coastline is broken by huge fjords and thousands of islands. The coastal baseline is {{convert|2532|km}}. The coastline of the mainland including fjords stretches {{convert|28953|km}}, when islands are included the coastline has been estimated to {{convert|100915|km}}.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ssb.no/a/aarbok/kart/i.html|title=Statistisk årbok 2013: Geografisk oversikt|website=www.ssb.no|access-date=5 July 2018|archive-date=30 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930165108/https://www.ssb.no/a/aarbok/kart/i.html|url-status=live}} Norway shares a {{convert|1619|km|adj=on}} land border with Sweden, {{convert|727|km}} with Finland, and {{convert|196|km}} with Russia to the east. To the north, west and south, Norway is bordered by the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea, and Skagerrak.{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/norway/ |work=The World Factbook |title=Norway |author=Central Intelligence Agency |author-link=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=20 June 2013 |archive-date=11 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111023530/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/norway/ |url-status=live }} The Scandinavian Mountains form much of the border with Sweden.

At {{convert|385207|km2}} (including Svalbard and Jan Mayen; {{convert|323808|km2}} without), 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. Sognefjorden is the world's second deepest fjord, and the world's longest at {{convert|204|km}}. The lake Hornindalsvatnet is the deepest lake in Europe.{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/00/minifakta_en/en/ |title=Minifacts about Norway 2009: 2. Geography, climate and environment |publisher=Statistics Norway |access-date=25 October 2009 |archive-date=16 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130216153750/http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/00/minifakta_en/en/ |url-status=live }} Norway has about 400,000 lakesStrøm, Kaare (1959). Innsjøenes verden. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.Rogstad, Lars (1985). Opplegg For Ressursregnskp For Vann notat. Oslo: SSB/Statistics Norway. and 239,057 registered islands. Permafrost can be found all year in the higher mountain areas and in the interior of Finnmark county. Numerous glaciers are found in Norway. The land is mostly made of hard granite and gneiss rock, but slate, sandstone, and limestone are also common, and the lowest elevations contain marine deposits.

File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 NOR 1991–2020.svg types of Norway 1991–2020 (0C/32F isotherm for coldest month dividing C and D climates).|alt=]]

File:Precipitation normal Norway.jpg

Because of the Gulf Stream and prevailing westerlies, Norway experiences higher temperatures and more precipitation than expected at such northern latitudes, especially along the coast. The mainland experiences four distinct seasons, with colder winters and less precipitation inland. The northernmost part has a mostly maritime Subarctic climate, while Svalbard has an Arctic tundra climate. The southern and western parts of Norway, fully exposed to Atlantic storm fronts, experience more precipitation and have milder winters than the eastern and far northern parts. Areas to the east of the coastal mountains are in a rain shadow, and have lower rain and snow totals than the west. The lowlands around Oslo have the warmest summers, but also cold weather and snow in wintertime. The sunniest weather is along the south coast, but sometimes even the coast far north can be very sunny – the sunniest month with 430 sun hours was recorded in Tromsø.{{cite web|url=https://met.no/English/Climate_in_Norway/|title=Climate in Norway(English)|last=Met.no|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320232734/https://met.no/English/Climate_in_Norway/|archive-date=20 March 2017|access-date=20 March 2017}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=az3qCAAAQBAJ&q=koppen+climate+norway&pg=PA5|title=Selected climatic data for a global set of standard stations for vegetation|isbn=978-9400980402|date=6 December 2012|last1=Muller|first1=M. J.|publisher=Springer }}

Because of 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, 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.

Temperature anomalies found in coastal locations are exceptional, with southern Lofoten and Bø Municipality having all monthly means above freezing in spite of being north of the Arctic Circle. The very northernmost coast of Norway would be ice-covered in winter if not for the Gulf Stream.{{Cite web|url=http://ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/gs/|title=The Gulf Stream Myth|website=ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu|access-date=30 November 2016|archive-date=30 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230021448/http://ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/gs/|url-status=live}} The east of the country has a more continental climate, and the mountain ranges have subarctic and tundra climates. There is also higher rainfall in areas exposed to the Atlantic, especially the western slopes of the mountain ranges and areas close, such as Bergen. The valleys east of the mountain ranges are the driest; some of the valleys are sheltered by mountains in most directions. Saltdal Municipality in Nordland is the driest place with {{convert|211|mm|abbr=off}} precipitation annually (1991–2020). In southern Norway, Skjåk Municipality in Innlandet county gets {{convert|295|mm|abbr=off}} precipitation. Finnmarksvidda and some interior valleys of Troms county receive around {{convert|400|mm|abbr=off}} annually, and the high Arctic Longyearbyen {{convert|217|mm|abbr=off}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.yr.no/artikkel/norske-steder-blant-de-torreste-i-europa-1.13096592|title=Norske steder blant de tørreste i Europa (Places in Norway among the driest in Europe)|last=NRK|date=21 August 2016|publisher=NRK|access-date=26 August 2016|archive-date=26 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826010025/http://www.yr.no/artikkel/norske-steder-blant-de-torreste-i-europa-1.13096592|url-status=live}}

Parts of southeastern Norway including parts of Mjøsa have a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), the southern and western coasts and also the coast north to Bodø have an oceanic climate (Cfb), and the outer coast further north almost to North Cape has a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc). Further inland in the south and at higher altitudes, and also in much of Northern Norway, the subarctic climate (Dfc) dominates. A small strip of land along the coast east of North Cape (including Vardø) earlier had tundra/alpine/polar climate (ET), but this is mostly gone with the updated 1991–2020 climate normals, making this also subarctic. Large parts of Norway are covered by mountains and high altitude plateaus, and about one third of the land is above the treeline and thus exhibit tundra/alpine/polar climate (ET).{{cite web|url=https://en.climate-data.org/country/38/|title=Climate of Norway: Temperature, Climate graph, Climate table for Norway|publisher=Climate-Data.org|access-date=20 March 2017|archive-date=21 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321081459/https://en.climate-data.org/country/38/|url-status=live}}{{cite journal|title=Updated world map of the Koppen-Geiger climate classification|last=A study behind the updated maps of Köppen-Geiger climate classification|journal=Hydrology and Earth System Sciences|year=2007|volume=11|issue=5|pages=1633–1644|doi=10.5194/HESS-11-1633-2007|bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P|s2cid=9654551|doi-access=free| issn=1027-5606 }}{{cite journal|url=https://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/present.htm|title=World map of Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated|journal=Meteorologische Zeitschrift|volume=15|issue=3|pages=259–263|last=Website with maps|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405164155/http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/present.htm|archive-date=5 April 2017|bibcode=2006MetZe..15..259K|year=2006|doi=10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130}}

{{main|Wildlife of Norway}}

Norway has a larger number of different habitats than almost any other European country. There are approximately 60,000 species in Norway and adjacent waters (excluding bacteria and viruses). The Norwegian Shelf large marine ecosystem is considered highly productive.{{cite web|url=http://www.eoearth.org/article/Norwegian_Shelf_large_marine_ecosystem|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101005147/http://www.eoearth.org/article/Norwegian_Shelf_large_marine_ecosystem|archive-date=1 November 2012 |title=Norwegian Shelf ecosystem |publisher=Eoearth.org |access-date=30 May 2010}} The total number of species include 16,000 species of insects (probably 4,000 more species yet to be described), 20,000 species of algae, 1,800 species of lichen, 1,050 species of mosses, 2,800 species of vascular plants, up to 7,000 species of fungi, 450 species of birds (250 species nesting in Norway), 90 species of mammals, 45 fresh-water species of fish, 150 salt-water species of fish, 1,000 species of fresh-water invertebrates, and 3,500 species of salt-water invertebrates.{{cite web|url=http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/md/dok/nou-er/2004/nou-2004-28/6.html?id=388879 |title=NOU 2004 |publisher=Regjeringen.no |access-date=30 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511130011/http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/md/dok/NOU-er/2004/NOU-2004-28/6.html?id=388879 |archive-date=11 May 2008}} About 40,000 of these species have been described by science. The red list of 2010 encompasses 4,599 species.[https://web.archive.org/web/20130527150736/http://www.artsdatabanken.no/Article.aspx?m=207&amid=8737 Norwegian Red List 2010]. Artsdatabanken.no Norway contains five terrestrial ecoregions: Sarmatic mixed forests, Scandinavian coastal conifer forests, Scandinavian and Russian taiga, Kola Peninsula tundra, and Scandinavian montane birch forest and grasslands.{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}

Seventeen species are listed mainly because they are endangered on a global scale, such as the European beaver, even if the population in Norway is not seen as endangered. The number of threatened and near-threatened species equals to 3,682; it includes 418 fungi species, many of which are closely associated with the small remaining old-growth forests,[http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/norway/news/?6911/norways-forest-heritage-under-threat "WWF – Norway's forest heritage under threat"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018113754/http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/norway/news/?6911%2FNorways-forest-heritage-under-threat |date=18 October 2015 }}. panda.org. 15 April 2003 36 bird species, and 16 species of mammals. In 2010, 2,398 species were listed as endangered or vulnerable; of these 1,250 were listed as vulnerable (VU), 871 as endangered (EN), and 276 species as critically endangered (CR), among which were the grey wolf, the Arctic fox, and the pool frog.

The largest predator in Norwegian waters is the sperm whale, and the largest fish is the basking shark. The largest predator on land is the polar bear, while the brown bear is the largest predator on the Norwegian mainland. The largest land animal on the mainland is the elk (American English: moose).

Attractive and dramatic scenery and landscape are found throughout Norway.[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/07/norway-greatest-place-on-earth_n_4550413.html "25 Reasons Norway Is The Greatest Place On Earth"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010165518/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/07/norway-greatest-place-on-earth_n_4550413.html |date=10 October 2017 }}. The Huffington Post. 7 January 2014. The west coast of southern Norway and the coast of northern Norway present some of the most visually impressive coastal sceneries in the world. National Geographic has listed the Norwegian fjords as the world's top tourist attraction.{{cite news |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/11/061115-heritage-sites_2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061117224816/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/11/061115-heritage-sites_2.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 November 2006 |title=Best, Worst World Heritage Sites Ranked |work=National Geographic News |first=Hope |last=Hamashige |access-date=25 October 2009}} The country is also home to the natural phenomena of the Midnight sun (during summer), as well as the Aurora borealis known also as the Northern lights.{{Cite news|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/norway/travel-tips-and-articles/72649|title=Norway: come for the sun, stay for the light show|date=2 August 2010|work=Lonely Planet|access-date=11 April 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430073653/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/norway/travel-tips-and-articles/72649|archive-date=30 April 2017|url-status=dead}}

The 2024 Environmental Performance Index from Yale University, Columbia University and the World Economic Forum put Norway in seventh place, immediately below United Kingdom and Sweden.{{Cite web |date= |title=Environmental Performance Index 2024 |url=https://epi.yale.edu/downloads/2024-epi-report-20250106.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004102150/http://epi.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2016EPI_Full_Report_opt.pdf |archive-date=4 October 2017 |access-date=29 March 2025 |website=epi.yale.edu}} The index is based on environmental risks to human health, habitat loss, and changes in {{CO2}} emissions. The index notes over-exploitation of fisheries, but not Norway's whaling or oil exports.{{Cite web |url=http://epi.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2016_epi_framework_indicator_scores_friendly.xls |title=2016 Environmental Performance Index (excel/xls) |date=January 2016 |website=epi.yale.edu |access-date=23 December 2017 }} {{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Norway had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.98/10, ranking it 60th globally out of 172 countries.{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|display-authors=1|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G }}

{{Main|Politics of Norway|Law of Norway}}

{{See also|2021 Norwegian parliamentary election}}

File:Spring Royal Palace Slottet Oslo Norway (2022.04.21).jpg in Oslo]]

File:Kong Harald og Dronning Sonja - Kino 2012.JPG, Harald V and his consort, Queen Sonja
(reigning since 17 January 1991)]]

File:Nordic prime ministers’ meeting in Helsinki 1.11.2022 - 52469398971 (cropped).jpg, Jonas Gahr Støre
(since 14 October 2021)]]

File:Stortinget, Oslo, Norway.jpg is the Parliament of Norway.]]

Norway is considered to be one of the most developed democracies and states of justice in the world. Since 2010, Norway has been classified as the world's most democratic country by the Democracy Index.Wong, Curtis M. (14 December 2010). [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/14/worlds-top-democratic-gov_n_796107.html#s206314title=Norway__1 World's Top Democratic Governments: Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index 2010 (PHOTOS)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010165522/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/14/worlds-top-democratic-gov_n_796107.html#s206314title=Norway__1 |date=10 October 2017 }}. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 27 August 2013.[http://www.sida.se/Global/About Sida/Så arbetar vi/EIU_Democracy_Index_Dec2011.pdf Democracy index 2011] {{dead link|date=February 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. Economist Intelligence Unit Retrieved 27 August 2013.Davidson, Kavitha A. (21 March 2013). [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/21/democracy-index-2013-economist-intelligence-unit_n_2909619.html Democracy Index 2013: Global Democracy At A Standstill, The Economist Intelligence Unit's Annual Report Shows] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010165527/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/21/democracy-index-2013-economist-intelligence-unit_n_2909619.html |date=10 October 2017 }}. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 27 August 2013.

According to the Constitution of Norway, which was adopted on 17 May 1814{{cite web|url=https://stortinget.no/en/In-English/About-the-Storting/The-Constitution/The-Constitution/ |title=The Constitution – Complete text |work=The Storting's Information Corner |year=2011 |access-date=9 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829055430/http://www.stortinget.no/en/In-English/About-the-Storting/The-Constitution/The-Constitution/ |archive-date=29 August 2011}} and was inspired by the United States Declaration of Independence and French Revolution, Norway is a unitary constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government, wherein the King of Norway is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government. Power is separated among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government, as defined by the Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document.

The monarch officially retains executive power. But following the introduction of a parliamentary system of government, the duties of the monarch became strictly representative and ceremonial.{{cite web|url=http://www.kongehuset.no/c27300/seksjonstekst/vis.html?tid=29977|title=The King's constitutional role|publisher=The Royal Court of Norway|access-date=24 April 2009|archive-date=14 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714005240/http://www.kongehuset.no/c27300/seksjonstekst/vis.html?tid=29977|url-status=live}} The Monarch is commander-in-chief of the Norwegian Armed Forces, and serves as chief diplomatic official abroad and as a symbol of unity. Harald V of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg ascended to the Norwegian throne in 1991, the first since the 14th century who has been born in the country.{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/monarchy/ |title=The Monarchy |publisher=Norway.org |date=24 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222042421/http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/monarchy/ |archive-date=22 February 2012}} Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, is the heir to the throne.

In practice, the Prime Minister exercises the executive powers. Constitutionally, legislative power is vested with both the government and the Parliament of Norway, but the latter is the supreme legislature and a unicameral body.{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/storting/ |title=The Storting |publisher=Norway.org |date=10 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126212450/http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/storting/ |archive-date=26 January 2012}} Norway is fundamentally structured as a representative democracy. The Parliament can pass a law by simple majority of the 169 representatives, of which 150 are elected directly from 19 constituencies, and an additional 19 seats ("levelling seats") are allocated on a nationwide basis to make the representation in parliament correspond better with the popular vote for the political parties. A 4% election threshold is required for a party to gain levelling seats in Parliament.{{cite web|url=http://www.parties-and-elections.de/norway.html |title=Parties and Elections in Europe |first=Wolfram |last=Nordsieck |publisher=parties-and-elections.de |year=2011 |quote=Storting, 4-year term, 4% threshold (supplementary seats) |access-date=10 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903220240/http://parties-and-elections.de/norway.html |archive-date=3 September 2011}}

The Parliament of Norway, called the Storting, ratifies national treaties developed by the executive branch. It can impeach members of the government if their acts are declared unconstitutional. If an indicted suspect is impeached, Parliament has the power to remove the person from office.

The position of prime minister is allocated to the member of Parliament who can obtain the confidence of a majority in Parliament, usually the current leader of the largest political party or, more effectively, through a coalition of parties; Norway has often been ruled by minority governments. The prime minister nominates the cabinet, traditionally drawn from members of the same political party or parties in the Storting, making up the government. The PM organises the executive government and exercises its power as vested by the Constitution.{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/government |title=The Government |publisher=Norway.org |date=10 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903135300/http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/government/ |archive-date=3 September 2010}}

Norway has a state church, the Lutheran Church of Norway, which has gradually been granted more internal autonomy in day-to-day affairs, but which still has a special constitutional status. Formerly, the PM had to have more than half the members of cabinet be members of the Church of Norway; this rule was removed in 2012. The issue of separation of church and state in Norway has been increasingly controversial. A part of this is the evolution of the public school subject Christianity, a required subject since 1739. Even the state's loss in a battle at the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg{{cite web |url=https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-81356 |title=Case of Folgerø and Others v. Norway |date=29 June 2007 |access-date=17 March 2015 |website=European Court of Human Rights |archive-date=8 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208063742/http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-81356 |url-status=live }} in 2007 did not settle the matter. As of 1 January 2017, the Church of Norway is a separate legal entity, and no longer a branch of the civil service.{{Cite news|url=http://www.dagen.no/dagensdebatt/lederartikkel/P%C3%A5-statskirkens-siste-dag-429116|title=På statskirkens siste dag|newspaper=Dagen.no|language=no|access-date=4 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205111011/http://www.dagen.no/dagensdebatt/lederartikkel/P%C3%A5-statskirkens-siste-dag-429116|archive-date=5 February 2017|url-status=dead}}

Through the Council of State, a privy council presided over by the monarch, the prime minister and the cabinet meet at the Royal Palace and formally consult the Monarch. All government bills need formal approval by the monarch before and after introduction to Parliament. The Council approves all of the monarch's actions as head of state.

Members of the Storting are directly elected from party-list proportional representation in nineteen plural-member constituencies in a national multi-party system.{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/general/ |title=Form of Government |publisher=Norway.org |date=10 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120222042417/http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/general/ |archive-date=22 February 2012}} Historically, both the Norwegian Labour Party and Conservative Party have played leading political roles. In the early 21st century, the Labour Party has been in power since the 2005 election, in a Red–Green Coalition with the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party.{{cite web |url=http://www.123independenceday.com/norway/political-system.html |title=Political System of Norway |publisher=123independenceday.com |access-date=27 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225175552/http://www.123independenceday.com/norway/political-system.html |archive-date=25 February 2010 |url-status=dead }} Since 2005, both the Conservative Party and the Progress Party have won numerous seats in the Parliament.{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/ |title=Political System |publisher=Norway.org |date=18 November 2009 |access-date=27 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412142148/http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/ |archive-date=12 April 2010}}

In national elections in September 2013, two political parties, Høyre and Fremskrittspartiet, were elected on promises of tax cuts, more spending on infrastructure and education, better services and stricter rules on immigration, formed a government. Erna Solberg became prime minister, the second female prime minister after Gro Harlem Brundtland and the first conservative prime minister since Jan P. Syse. Solberg said her win was "a historic election victory for the right-wing parties".{{cite web |author=Bevanger, Lars |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24014551 |title=Norway election: Erna Solberg to form new government |publisher=BBC |date=10 September 2013 |access-date=15 February 2014 |archive-date=23 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023154253/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24014551 |url-status=live }} Her centre-right government won re-election in the 2017 Norwegian parliamentary election. Norway's new centre-left cabinet under Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, the leader the Labour Party, took office on 14 October 2021.{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2021-10-14/norways-prime-minister-present-his-new-government |title=Norway's Prime Minister Presents His New Government |work=U.S. News & World Report |agency=Associated Press |date=14 October 2021 |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=26 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026095923/https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2021-10-14/norways-prime-minister-present-his-new-government |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Administrative divisions of Norway|Counties of Norway|Municipalities of Norway|List of towns and cities in Norway}}

{{See also|Sápmi (area)}}

File:Fylkesinndeling2024 original.webp

Norway, a unitary state, is divided into fifteen first-level administrative counties (fylke).{{cite web | title=Fylkesinndelingen fra 2024 | publisher=regjeringen.no | date=5 July 2022 | url=https://www.regjeringen.no/no/tema/kommuner-og-regioner/kommunestruktur/fylkesinndelingen-fra-2024/id2922222/ | language=nb | access-date=11 January 2024 | archive-date=17 March 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317094243/https://www.regjeringen.no/no/tema/kommuner-og-regioner/kommunestruktur/fylkesinndelingen-fra-2024/id2922222/ | url-status=live }} The counties are administered through directly elected county councils who elect the County Mayor. Additionally, the King and government are represented in every county by a County Governor ({{langx|no|statsforvalteren}}).{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/local/ |title=Local Government |publisher=Norway.org |date=10 June 2009 |access-date=27 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611231520/http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/local/ |archive-date=11 June 2010}} The counties are then sub-divided into 357 second-level municipalities ({{langx|no|kommuner}}), which in turn are administered by directly elected municipal council, headed by a mayor and a small executive cabinet. The capital of Oslo is considered both a county and a municipality. Norway has two integral overseas territories out of mainland: Jan Mayen and Svalbard, the only developed island in the archipelago of the same name, located far to the north of the Norwegian mainland.{{cite web |title=An Introduction to Norway » Government & Politics |url=https://www.lifeinnorway.net/about-norway/government/ |website=Life in Norway |date=5 February 2017 |access-date=8 March 2021 |archive-date=16 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816180642/https://www.lifeinnorway.net/about-norway/government/ |url-status=live }}

There are 108 settlements that have town/city status in Norway (the Norwegian word {{lang|no|by}} is used to represent these places and that word can be translated as either town or city in English). Cities/towns in Norway were historically designated by the King and used to have special rules and privileges under the law. This was changed in the late 20th century, so now towns/cities have no special rights and a municipality can designate an urban settlement as a city/town. Towns and cities in Norway do not have to be large. Some cities have over a million residents such as Oslo, while others are much smaller such as Honningsvåg with about 2,200 residents. Usually, there is only one town within a municipality, but there are some municipalities that have more than one town within it (such as Larvik Municipality which has the town of Larvik and the town of Stavern.{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Byer i Norge |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |url=https://snl.no/byer_i_Norge |date=8 April 2024 |editor-last=Thorsnæs |editor-first=Geir |language=no |accessdate=1 July 2024}}

{{Main|Dependencies of Norway}}

There are three Antarctic and Subantarctic dependencies: Bouvet Island, Peter I Island, and Queen Maud Land. On most maps, there was an unclaimed area between Queen Maud Land and the South Pole until 12 June 2015 when Norway formally annexed that area.{{cite news|last1=Rapp|first1=Ole Magnus|title=Norge utvider Dronning Maud Land helt frem til Sydpolen|journal=Aftenposten|url=http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/Norge-utvider-Dronning-Maud-Land-helt-frem-til-Sydpolen-8168779.html|access-date=22 September 2015|date=21 September 2015|location=Oslo, Norway|language=no|quote=…formålet med anneksjonen var å legge under seg det landet som til nå ligger herreløst og som ingen andre enn nordmenn har kartlagt og gransket. Norske myndigheter har derfor ikke motsatt seg at noen tolker det norske kravet slik at det går helt opp til og inkluderer polpunktet.|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061346/http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/Norge-utvider-Dronning-Maud-Land-helt-frem-til-Sydpolen-8168779.html|url-status=live}}

File:Norway (+overseas), administrative divisions - english.svg

{{main|List of towns and cities in Norway}}

{{Largest cities of Norway}}

{{Main|Judiciary of Norway}}

Norway uses a civil law system where laws are created and amended in Parliament and the system regulated through the Courts of justice of Norway. It consists of the Supreme Court of 20 permanent judges and a Chief Justice, appellate courts, city and district courts, and conciliation councils.{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/judiciary/ |title=The Judiciary |publisher=Norway.org |date=10 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126212439/http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/judiciary/ |archive-date=26 January 2012}} The judiciary is independent of executive and legislative branches. While the Prime Minister nominates Supreme Court Justices for office, their nomination must be approved by Parliament and formally confirmed by the Monarch. Usually, judges attached to regular courts are formally appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The Courts' formal mission is to regulate the Norwegian judicial system, interpret the Constitution, and implement the legislation adopted by Parliament. In its judicial reviews, it monitors the legislative and executive branches to ensure that they comply with provisions of enacted legislation.

The law is enforced in Norway by the Norwegian Police Service. It is a Unified National Police Service made up of 27 Police Districts and several specialist agencies, such as Norwegian National Authority for the Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime, known as Økokrim; and the National Criminal Investigation Service, known as Kripos, each headed by a chief of police. The Police Service is headed by the National Police Directorate, which reports to the Ministry of Justice and the Police. The Police Directorate is headed by a National Police Commissioner. The only exception is the Norwegian Police Security Agency, whose head answers directly to the Ministry of Justice and the Police.

Norway abolished the death penalty for regular criminal acts in 1902 and for high treason in war and war-crimes in 1979. Norwegian prisons are humane, rather than tough, with emphasis on rehabilitation. At 20%, Norway's re-conviction rate is among the lowest in the world.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35813470 Anders Breivik: Just how cushy are Norwegian prisons?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922223917/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35813470 |date=22 September 2018 }} BBC

Reporters Without Borders, in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index, ranked Norway in first place out of 180 countries.{{cite web |title=Index 2023 – Global score |url=https://rsf.org/en/index?year=2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510151133/https://rsf.org/en/index?year=2023 |archive-date=10 May 2023 |access-date=22 March 2025 |website=Reporters Without Borders}} In general, the legal and institutional framework in Norway is characterised by a high degree of transparency, accountability and integrity, and the perception and the occurrence of corruption are very low.{{cite web|title=Global Corruption Barometer 2013-Norway|url=http://www.transparency.org/gcb2013/country/?country=norway|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021022145/http://www.transparency.org/gcb2013/country/?country=norway|archive-date=21 October 2014|publisher=Transparency International|access-date=17 November 2013}}

{{main|Human rights in Norway}}

Norway has been considered a progressive country, which has adopted legislation and policies to support women's rights, minority rights, and LGBT rights. As early as 1884, 171 of the leading figures, among them five Prime Ministers, co-founded the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights.Aslaug Moksnes. Likestilling eller særstilling? Norsk kvinnesaksforening 1884–1913 (p. 35), Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, 1984, {{ISBN|8205153566}} They successfully campaigned for women's right to education, women's suffrage, the right to work, and other gender equality policies. From the 1970s, gender equality also came high on the state agenda, with the establishment of a public body to promote gender equality, which evolved into the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud. Civil society organisations also continue to play an important role; women's rights organisations are today organised in the Norwegian Women's Lobby umbrella organisation.

In 1990, the Norwegian constitution was amended to grant absolute primogeniture to the Norwegian throne, meaning that the eldest child, regardless of gender, takes precedence in the line of succession. As it was not retroactive, the current successor to the throne is the eldest son of the King, rather than his eldest child.{{cite web|url=http://www.stortinget.no/en/In-English/About-the-Storting/The-Constitution/The-Constitution/ |title=The Constitution – Complete text |publisher=Stortinget.no |access-date=23 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629190647/http://stortinget.no/en/In-English/About-the-Storting/The-Constitution/The-Constitution/ |archive-date=29 June 2011}}

The Sámi people have for centuries been the subject of discrimination and abuse by the dominant cultures in Scandinavia and Russia, those countries claiming possession of Sámi lands.{{cite book|title=Civil Society in the Baltic Sea Region |first=Reetta |last=Toivanen |editor-first=Norbert |editor-last=Götz|year=2003 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |isbn=978-0754633174 |pages=205–216 |display-authors=etal}} Norway has been greatly criticised by the international community for the politics of Norwegianization of and discrimination against the indigenous population of the country.{{cite web |url=http://www.galdu.org/govat/doc/mindeengelsk.pdf |title=Journal of Indigenous People Rights. Issue No. 3/2005 |access-date=31 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212030751/http://www.galdu.org/govat/doc/mindeengelsk.pdf |archive-date=12 February 2015 }} Nevertheless, Norway was, in 1990, the first country to recognise ILO-convention 169 on indigenous people recommended by the UN.

Norway was the first country in the world to enact an anti-discrimination law protecting the rights of gay men and lesbians. In 1993, Norway became the second country to legalise civil union partnerships for same-sex couples, and on 1 January 2009, Norway became the sixth country to legalise same-sex marriage.{{cite web |title=Same-Sex Marriage Around the World |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/fact-sheet/gay-marriage-around-the-world/ |website=Pew Research Center |date=9 June 2023 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116174657/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/fact-sheet/gay-marriage-around-the-world/ |url-status=live }} As a promoter of human rights, Norway has held the annual Oslo Freedom Forum conference, a gathering described by The Economist as "on its way to becoming a human-rights equivalent of the Davos economic forum".{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/16219707?story_id=16219707 |title=Human rights: A crowded field |newspaper=The Economist |date=27 May 2010 |access-date=23 July 2011 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629210338/http://www.economist.com/node/16219707?story_id=16219707 |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Foreign relations of Norway}}

{{See also|Norway and the European Union|Whaling in Norway}}

File:KNM Fridtjof Nansen-2006-06-01-side.jpg Fridtjof Nansen class frigate]]

Norway maintains embassies in 75 countries.{{cite web |date=26 March 2025 |title=Norway - Embassies and consulates |url=https://www.embassypages.com/norway |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080206092107/http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/ud/dok/veiledninger/2005/Norges-utenriksstasjoner.html?id=88166&epslanguage=NO |archive-date=6 February 2008 |access-date=30 March 2025}} 73 countries maintain an embassy in Norway, all of them in the capital, Oslo.

Norway is a founding member of the United Nations (UN), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Council of Europe and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Norway issued applications for accession to the European Union (EU) and its predecessors in 1962, 1967 and 1992, respectively. While Denmark, Sweden and Finland obtained membership, the Norwegian electorate rejected the treaties of accession in referendums in 1972 and 1994.

After the 1994 referendum, Norway maintained its membership in the European Economic Area (EEA), granting the country access to the internal market of the Union, on the condition that Norway implements the Union's pieces of legislation which are deemed relevant.{{cite web |url=http://intportal.vaf.no/hoved.aspx?m=2761&amid=49981 |title=Refleksjoner fra Brussel – Hospitering ved Sørlandets Europakontor – Vest-Agder Fylkeskommune |publisher=Intportal.vaf.no |date=4 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606042007/http://intportal.vaf.no/hoved.aspx?m=2761&amid=49981 |archive-date=6 June 2013 |access-date=15 August 2010 }} Successive Norwegian governments have, since 1994, requested participation in parts of the EU's co-operation that go beyond the provisions of the EEA agreement. Non-voting participation by Norway has been granted in, for instance, the Union's Common Security and Defence Policy, the Schengen Agreement, and the European Defence Agency, as well as 19 separate programmes.{{cite web|url=http://www.eu-norge.org/en/Norges_forhold_til_EU/deltakelse/EU_programmer/ |title=EU-programmer |publisher=Eu-norge.org |date=30 June 2009 |access-date=29 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501055247/http://www.eu-norge.org/en/Norges_forhold_til_EU/deltakelse/EU_programmer/ |archive-date=1 May 2011}}

Norway participated in the 1990s brokering of the Oslo Accords, an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

{{Main|Norwegian Armed Forces}}

File:First Norwegian F-35.png lands at Luke Air Force Base.]]

The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 25,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to 2009 mobilisation plans, full mobilisation produces approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has conscription (including 6–12 months of training);{{cite web|url=http://www.mil.no/languages/english/start/facts/article.jhtml?articleID=32061 |title=NDF official numbers |publisher=NDF |access-date=22 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412023336/http://www.mil.no/languages/english/start/facts/article.jhtml?articleID=32061 |archive-date=12 April 2009}} in 2013, the country became the first in Europe and NATO to draft women as well as men. However, due to less need for conscripts after the Cold War, few people have to serve if they are not motivated.Gwladys Fouche and Balazs Koranyi (14 June 2013): [http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-norway-women-conscription-idUKBRE95D0N920130614 "Norway becomes first NATO country to draft women into military"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228065943/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-norway-women-conscription-idUKBRE95D0N920130614 |date=28 February 2019 }}, Reuters. Retrieved 15 June 2013. The Armed Forces are subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of Defence. The Commander-in-Chief is King Harald V. The military of Norway is divided into the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, the Royal Norwegian Air Force, the Norwegian Cyber Defence Force and the Home Guard.

The country was one of the founding nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on 4 April 1949. Norway contributed in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.{{cite web|url=http://www.mil.no/languages/english/start/general/ |title=Forsvarsnett: Norwegian forces abroad |access-date=2 September 2008 |publisher=mil.no |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929023134/http://www.mil.no/languages/english/start/general/ |archive-date=29 September 2008}} Additionally, Norway has contributed in several missions in contexts of the United Nations, NATO, and the Common Security and Defence Policy of the European Union.

{{Main|Economy of Norway|Energy in Norway|European Economic Area|Exclusive economic zone#Norway}}

File:Territorial waters - Norway.svg

File:EU and EFTA.svg (green) participate in the European Single Market and are part of the Schengen Area.]]

Norwegians enjoy the second-highest GDP per capita among European countries (after Luxembourg), and the sixth-highest GDP (PPP) per capita in the world. Norway ranks as the second-wealthiest country in monetary value, with the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation.{{cite journal|author=Baltais, Simon|title=Environment And Economy: Can They Co-Exist In The "Smart State"?|journal=Issues|volume=91|year=2010|pages=21–24|url=http://www.issuesmagazine.com.au/article/issue-june-2010/environment-and-economy-can-they-co-exist-%E2%80%9Csmart-state%E2%80%9D.html|access-date=20 March 2015|archive-date=7 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407135011/http://www.issuesmagazine.com.au/article/issue-june-2010/environment-and-economy-can-they-co-exist-%E2%80%9Csmart-state%E2%80%9D.html|url-status=dead}} According to the CIA World Factbook, Norway is a net external creditor of debt. Norway reclaimed first place in the world in the UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) in 2009.{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDI_2008_EN_Tables.pdf |title=Human development indices 2008 |date=18 December 2008 |work=Human Development Report |publisher=hdr.undp.org |access-date=12 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219191319/http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDI_2008_EN_Tables.pdf |archive-date=19 December 2008 }} The standard of living in Norway is among the highest in the world. Foreign Policy magazine ranks Norway last in its Failed States Index for 2009 and 2023, judging Norway to be the world's most well-functioning and stable country. The OECD ranks Norway fourth in the 2013 equalised Better Life Index and third in intergenerational earnings elasticity according to a 2010 study.[http://www.oecd.org/tax/public-finance/chapter%205%20gfg%202010.pdf A Family Affair: Intergenerational Social Mobility across OECD Countries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016174522/http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/2/7/45002641.pdf |date=16 October 2011 }}. OECD, 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2013.{{cite web|title=OECD Better Life Index|url=http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/#/11111111111|publisher=OECD|access-date=27 August 2013|archive-date=1 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901021731/http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/#/11111111111|url-status=live}}

The Norwegian economy is an example of a mixed economy; a prosperous capitalist welfare state, it features a combination of free market activity and large state ownership in certain key sectors, influenced by both liberal governments from the late 19th century and later by social democratic governments in the postwar era.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} Public healthcare in Norway is free (after an annual charge of around 2000 kroner for those over 16), and parents have 46 weeks paid{{cite web |url=https://www.nav.no/Familie/Svangerskap%2C+f%C3%B8dsel+og+adopsjon/Foreldrepenger+til+far+ved+f%C3%B8dsel+og+adopsjon |title=NAV – Foreldrepenger ved fødsel |publisher=Nav.no |year=2011 |access-date=18 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226164159/http://www.nav.no/Familie/Svangerskap%2C%2Bf%C3%B8dsel%2Bog%2Badopsjon/Foreldrepenger%2Btil%2Bfar%2Bved%2Bf%C3%B8dsel%2Bog%2Badopsjon |archive-date=26 February 2010 }} parental leave. The state income derived from natural resources includes a significant contribution from petroleum production. {{As of|2025|February}}, Norway has an unemployment rate of 3.9%, with 69.7% of the population aged 15–74 employed.{{cite web |date=March 2025 |title=Labour force survey |url=https://www.ssb.no/en/arbeid-og-lonn/sysselsetting/statistikk/arbeidskraftundersokelsen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161217022621/http://www.ssb.no/en/arbeid-og-lonn/statistikker/akumnd/maaned |archive-date=17 December 2016 |access-date=29 March 2025 |website=Statistics Norway}} People in the labour force are either employed or looking for work.{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/en/arbeid-og-lonn/statistikker/aku/kvartal/2013-10-30?fane=om#content |title=Labour force survey – About the statistics |publisher=Ssb.no |date=30 October 2013 |access-date=15 February 2014 |archive-date=24 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105937/http://www.ssb.no/en/arbeid-og-lonn/statistikker/aku/kvartal/2013-10-30?fane=om#content |url-status=live }} {{As of|2023}}, 10.6% of the population aged 18–67 receive a disability benefit{{cite web |date=3 July 2024 |title=Recipients of disability benefit |url=https://www.ssb.no/en/sosiale-forhold-og-kriminalitet/trygd-og-stonad/statistikk/uforetrygdede |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105014/http://www.ssb.no/a/english/aarbok/tab/tab-144.html |archive-date=24 December 2013 |access-date=29 March 2025 |publisher=Statistics Norway}} and 30% of the labour force are employed by the government, the highest in the OECD.{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/norge/tertiar/ |title=Dette er Norge |publisher=Statistics Norway |language=no |access-date=2 January 2013 |archive-date=21 February 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050221113806/http://www.ssb.no/norge/tertiar/ |url-status=live }} The hourly productivity levels, as well as average hourly wages in Norway, are among the highest in the world.{{cite web |url=http://www.bls.gov/fls/intl_gdp_capita_gdp_hour.pdf |title=International Comparisons of GDP per Capita and per Hour, 1960–2010 |author=Bureau of Labor Statistics |work=Division of International Labor Comparisons |access-date=16 March 2016 |archive-date=8 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608034721/https://www.bls.gov/fls/intl_gdp_capita_gdp_hour.pdf |url-status=live }}[http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ichcc.t01.htm "Hourly Compensation Costs, U.S. Dollars and U.S. = 100."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926123949/http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ichcc.t01.htm |date=26 September 2012 }} United States Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 December 2011. Web. 18 September 2012.

The egalitarian values of Norwegian society have kept the wage difference between the lowest paid worker and the CEO of most companies as much less than in comparable western economies.{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2172rank.html |title=Country Comparison: Distribution of Family Income – GINI Index |work=The World Factbook |author=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=20 June 2013 |archive-date=4 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604005151/http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2007/06/12/afx3810988.html |url-status=dead }} This is also evident in Norway's low Gini coefficient.

The state has large ownership positions in key industrial sectors, such as the strategic petroleum sector (Equinor), hydroelectric energy production (Statkraft), aluminium production (Norsk Hydro), the largest Norwegian bank (DNB), and telecommunication provider (Telenor). Through these big companies, the government controls approximately 30% of the stock values at the Oslo Stock Exchange. {{citation needed|date=June 2024}} When non-listed companies are included, the state has even higher share in ownership (mainly from direct oil licence ownership).{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} Norway is a major shipping nation and has the world's sixth largest merchant fleet, with 1,412 Norwegian-owned merchant vessels.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

By referendums in 1972 and 1994, Norwegians rejected proposals to join the European Union (EU). However, Norway, together with Iceland and Liechtenstein, participates in the European Union's single market through 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"{{cite web |url=http://www.lovdata.no/all/nl-19921127-109.html |title=EØS-loven – EØSl. Lov om gjennomføring i norsk rett av hoveddelen i avtale om Det europeiske økonomiske samarbeidsområde (EØS) m.v. (EØS-loven) |publisher=Lovdata.no |access-date=14 February 2009 |archive-date=20 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020221525/http://www.lovdata.no/all/nl-19921127-109.html |url-status=live }}—describes the procedures for implementing European Union rules in Norway and the other EFTA countries. Norway is a highly integrated member of most sectors of the EU internal market. Some sectors, such as agriculture, oil and fish, are not wholly covered by the EEA Treaty. Norway has also acceded to the Schengen Agreement and several other intergovernmental agreements among the EU member states.

The country is richly endowed with natural resources including petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals. Large reserves of petroleum and natural gas were discovered in the 1960s, which led to an economic boom.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} 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.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} In 2011, 28% of state revenues were generated from the petroleum industry."[https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3421.htm Norway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604190934/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3421.htm |date=4 June 2019 }}," U.S. Department of State{{failed verification|date=June 2024}}

Norway was the first country to ban deforestation, with a view to preventing its rain forests from vanishing. The country declared its intention at the UN Climate Summit in 2014 alongside Great Britain and Germany.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/08/europe/norway-deforestation/index.html|title=Norway first in world to ban deforestation|author=Farida Fawzy|website=CNN|date=8 June 2016|access-date=27 July 2019|archive-date=27 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727202235/https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/08/europe/norway-deforestation/index.html|url-status=live}}

File:Gaulosen og Øysand.jpg).]]

File:Stockfish in Lofoten.jpg has been exported from Lofoten in Norway for at least 1,000 years.]]

File:Heidrun, Norskehavet (28276260560).jpg (Heidrun oil field).]]

Export revenues from oil and gas have risen to over 40% of total exports and constitute almost 20% of the GDP.{{cite book |publisher=Statistics Norway |chapter-url=http://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/artikler-og-publikasjoner/this-is-norway/ |title=This is Norway |chapter=Secondary Industries |page=75 |date=14 October 2019 |access-date=14 January 2020 |archive-date=7 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207235828/https://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/artikler-og-publikasjoner/this-is-norway/ |url-status=live }} Norway is the fifth-largest oil exporter and third-largest gas exporter in the world, but it is not a member of OPEC. In 1995, the Norwegian government established the sovereign wealth fund ("Government Pension Fund – Global") to be funded with oil revenues.

The government controls its petroleum resources through a combination of state ownership in major operators in the oil fields (with approximately 62% ownership in Equinor in 2007) and the fully state-owned Petoro, which has a market value of about twice Equinor, and SDFI. Finally, the government controls licensing of exploration and production of fields. The fund invests in developed financial markets outside Norway. Spending from the fund is constrained by the budgetary rule (Handlingsregelen), which limits spending over time to no more than the real value yield of the fund, lowered in 2017 to 3% of the fund's total value.{{cite web |url=https://www.regjeringen.no/en/topics/the-economy/economic-policy/economic-policy/id418083/ |title=The Norwegian Fiscal Policy Framework |date=20 March 2019 |publisher=Government.no |access-date=14 January 2020 |archive-date=14 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114120314/https://www.regjeringen.no/en/topics/the-economy/economic-policy/economic-policy/id418083/ |url-status=live }}

Between 1966 and 2013, Norwegian companies drilled 5,085 oil wells, mostly in the North Sea.Ole Mathismoen (5 August 2013) Aftenposten p. 5 Oil fields not yet in the production phase include: Wisting Central—calculated size in 2013 at 65–156 million barrels of oil and {{convert|10|to|40|e9ft3|e9m3|abbr=off}}, (utvinnbar) of gas.{{cite web |author=Lindeberg, Anne |url=http://www.dn.no/energi/article2677091.ece |title=Her er Norges nye oljeprovins |publisher=Dn.no |access-date=12 October 2013 |date=6 September 2013 |archive-date=11 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011174336/http://www.dn.no/energi/article2677091.ece |url-status=live }} and the Castberg Oil Field (Castberg-feltet)—calculated size at 540 million barrels of oil, and {{convert|2|to|7|e9ft3|e6m3|abbr=off}} (utvinnbar) of gas.{{cite web |url=http://www.npd.no/Nyheter/Resultat-av-leteboring/2011/72208-1/ |title=Gass- og oljefunn nord for Snøhvitfeltet i Barentshavet – 7220/8-1 |publisher=Npd.no |date=1 April 2011 |access-date=12 October 2013 |archive-date=14 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014150921/http://www.npd.no/Nyheter/Resultat-av-leteboring/2011/72208-1/ |url-status=dead }} Both oil fields are located in the Barents Sea.

Norway is also the world's second-largest exporter of fish (in value, after China).{{cite web|url=http://www.globefish.org/filedownload.php?fileId=560 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171010164444/http://www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/en/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 October 2017 |title=FAO Globefish global trends 2006 |access-date=8 March 2009}}{{cite web |date=28 January 2011 |title=Mener Norge bør satse på våpen når oljen tar slutt – VG Nett om Stoltenberg-regjeringen |trans-title=They think Norway should invest in weapons when the oil runs out – VG Nett about the Stoltenberg government |url=http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/artikkel.php?artid=10037949 |access-date=7 March 2011 |website=vg.no |publisher=Verdens Gang |language=no |archive-date=4 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204132844/http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/artikkel.php?artid=10037949 |url-status=live }} Fish from fish farms and catch constitutes the second largest (behind oil/natural gas) export product measured in value.{{Cite web|url=https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/norsk-naringsvirksomhet---strukturen-i-n/id87547/#Sentrale|title=Norsk næringsvirksomhet – Strukturen i norsk økonomi|last=handelsdepartementet|first=Nærings- og|date=18 May 2000|website=Regjeringen.no|language=no|access-date=3 October 2018|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003220943/https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/norsk-naringsvirksomhet---strukturen-i-n/id87547/#Sentrale|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.ssb.no/nasjonalregnskap-og-konjunkturer/faktaside/norsk-naeringsliv|title=Norsk næringsliv|work=ssb.no|access-date=3 October 2018|language=nb-NO|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003190320/https://www.ssb.no/nasjonalregnskap-og-konjunkturer/faktaside/norsk-naeringsliv|url-status=live}} Norway is the world's largest producer of salmon, followed by Chile.{{Cite news|url=https://www.istoedinheiro.com.br/algas-nocivas-matam-mais-de-42-mil-toneladas-de-salmao-no-chile/|title=Algas nocivas matam mais de 4,2 mil toneladas de salmão no Chile|access-date=4 September 2022|archive-date=24 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024140847/https://www.istoedinheiro.com.br/algas-nocivas-matam-mais-de-42-mil-toneladas-de-salmao-no-chile/|url-status=live}}

Hydroelectric plants generate roughly 98–99% of Norway's electric power, more than any other country in the world.{{cite news |title=Binge and purge |url=http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12970769 |quote=98–99% of Norway's electricity comes from hydroelectric plants. |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=30 January 2009 |date=22 January 2009 |archive-date=6 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106222818/https://www.economist.com/briefing/2009/01/22/binge-and-purge |url-status=live }}

Norway contains significant mineral resources, and in 2013, its mineral production was valued at US$1.5 billion (Norwegian Geological Survey data). The most valuable minerals are calcium carbonate (limestone), building stone, nepheline syenite, olivine, iron, titanium, and nickel.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ngu.no/upload/publikasjoner/rapporter/2014/Mineral%20Resources2013_screen.pdf?fileId=560|title=Mineral Resources in Norway in 2013|access-date=14 November 2015|archive-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117031033/http://www.ngu.no/upload/publikasjoner/rapporter/2014/Mineral%20Resources2013_screen.pdf?fileId=560|url-status=live}}

In 2017, the Government Pension Fund controlled assets surpassed a value of US$1 trillion (equal to US$190,000 per capita),{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbim.no/en/|title=The fund|website=Norges Bank Investment Management|language=en-GB|access-date=4 June 2019|quote=2017 The fund's value reaches 1 trillion dollars|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121075650/https://www.nbim.no/en/|archive-date=21 November 2018|url-status=dead}} about 250% of Norway's 2017 GDP.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ssb.no/en/nasjonalregnskap-og-konjunkturer/statistikker/knr|title=National accounts – SSB|website=Statistics Norway|language=en-GB|access-date=14 January 2020|quote=Statistics Norway national accounts|archive-date=11 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111013605/https://www.ssb.no/en/nasjonalregnskap-og-konjunkturer/statistikker/knr|url-status=live}} It is the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world.{{cite news |author=Stanley Reed |title=Norway's Sovereign Wealth Fund Ramps Up Investment Plans |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/06/24/norways-sovereign-wealth-fund-ramps-up-investment-plans/ |quote=The fund, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund ... |newspaper=The New York Times |date=24 June 2014 |access-date=27 April 2015 |archive-date=22 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622201511/http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/06/24/norways-sovereign-wealth-fund-ramps-up-investment-plans/ |url-status=live }}

Other nations with economies based on natural resources, such as Russia, are trying to learn from Norway by establishing similar funds. The investment choices of the Norwegian fund are directed by ethical guidelines; for example, the fund is not allowed to invest in companies that produce parts for nuclear weapons. Norway's highly transparent investment scheme{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbim.no/en/transparency/|title=Transparency|website=www.nbim.no|language=en-GB|access-date=22 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121103940/https://www.nbim.no/en/transparency/|archive-date=21 November 2018|url-status=dead}} is lauded by the international community.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/b6e0e756-e87c-11e1-8397-00144feab49a |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/b6e0e756-e87c-11e1-8397-00144feab49a |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Investment: Norway's nest egg|website=Financial Times|date=19 August 2012|language=en-GB|access-date=22 November 2018}}

{{Main|Transport in Norway|Rail transport in Norway|List of airports in Norway}}

Due to the low population density, narrow shape and long coastlines of Norway, its public transport is less developed than in many European countries, especially outside the major cities. The country has long-standing water transport traditions, but the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications has in recent years implemented rail, road, and air transport through numerous subsidiaries to develop the country's infrastructure.Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communication, 2003: 3 Under discussion is development of a new high-speed rail system between the nation's largest cities.{{cite web |url=http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/updated-majority-in-favour-of-high-speed-trains/ |title=Majority in Favor of High-Speed Trains |publisher=Theforeigner.no |access-date=23 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724185049/http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/updated-majority-in-favour-of-high-speed-trains/ |archive-date=24 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |last1=Skjeggestad |first1=Sveinung Berg Bentzrød Helene |title=De aller fleste sier ja takk til lyntog |url=https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/i/8mz8G/De-aller-fleste-sier-ja-takk-til-lyntog |access-date=23 February 2019 |work=Aftenposten |date=7 March 2011 |language=nb-NO |archive-date=24 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224115743/https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/i/8mz8G/De-aller-fleste-sier-ja-takk-til-lyntog |url-status=live }}

Norway's main railway network consists of {{convert|4114|km|mi}} of standard gauge lines, of which {{convert|242|km|mi}} is double track and {{convert|64|km|mi}} high-speed rail (210 km/h) while 62% is electrified at {{15 kV AC}}. In 2023, the railways transported 78,220,000 passengers, 3,153 million passenger-kilometres, and 32,230,000 tonnes of cargo for 3,928 million tonne-kilometres.[https://www.ssb.no/en/transport-og-reiseliv/landtransport/statistikk/jernbanetransport Rail transport] Statistics Norway (2023). Retrieved 29 March 2025 The entire network is owned by Bane NOR.{{cite web | url=https://www.regjeringen.no/no/tema/transport-og-kommunikasjon/jernbane_og_jernbanetransport/jernbaneorganisering/id2344653/ | title=Slik er norsk jernbane organisert | date=3 July 2023 | access-date=29 March 2024 | archive-date=6 February 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206162105/https://www.regjeringen.no/no/tema/transport-og-kommunikasjon/jernbane_og_jernbanetransport/jernbaneorganisering/id2344653/ | url-status=live }} Domestic passenger trains are operated by various companies, including Vy, SJ, Go-Ahead and Flytoget, while freight trains are operated by CargoNet and OnRail.{{cite web |title=Slik er norsk jernbane organisert |url=https://www.regjeringen.no/no/tema/transport-og-kommunikasjon/jernbane_og_jernbanetransport/jernbaneorganisering/id2344653/ |website=Regjeringen.no |publisher=Norwegian Government |access-date=9 August 2024 |language=nb-NO |date=3 July 2023}}

Investment in new infrastructure and maintenance is financed through the state budget,{{cite web|url=http://www.jernbaneverket.no/english/about/ |title=About |author=Norwegian National Rail Administration |access-date=15 July 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071216163520/http://www.jernbaneverket.no/english/about/|archive-date=16 December 2007}} and subsidies are provided for passenger train operations.{{cite web |url=http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/sd/tema/kollektivtransport.html?id=1387 |title=Kollektivtransport |author=Norwegian Ministry of Transport |access-date=15 July 2008 |language=no |date=16 June 2006 |archive-date=20 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620034301/http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/sd/tema/kollektivtransport.html?id=1387 |url-status=live }} NSB operates long-haul trains, including night trains, regional services and four commuter train systems, around Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger.{{cite web |url=http://www.nsb.no/about_nsb/train_facts/ |title=Train facts |author=Norges Statsbaner |access-date=15 July 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080612161348/http://www.nsb.no/about_nsb/train_facts/|archive-date =12 June 2008 |author-link=Norwegian State Railways}}

File:Oslo_Airport_terminal_night_view.jpg]]

Norway has approximately {{convert|95120|km|mi}} of road network, of which {{convert|72033|km|mi}} are paved and {{convert|664|km|mi}} are motorway. The four tiers of road routes are national, county, municipal and private, with national and primary county roads numbered en route. The most important national routes are part of the European route scheme. The two most prominent are the European route E6 going north–south through the entire country, and the E39, which follows the West Coast. National and county roads are managed by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, 2003: 15

Norway has the world's largest registered stock of plug-in electric vehicles per capita.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/electric-cars-take-off-in-norway-2284439.html |title=Electric cars take off in Norway |agency=Agence France-Presse |work=The Independent |date=15 May 2011 |access-date=9 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517153515/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/electric-cars-take-off-in-norway-2284439.html |archive-date=17 May 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.avere.org/www/newsMgr.php?action=view&frmNewsId=611%C2%A7ion%3D&type=&SGLSESSID=tqiice0pmjdclt7l4q0s3s1o27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203054338/http://www.avere.org/www/newsMgr.php?action=view&frmNewsId=611%C2%A7ion=&type=&SGLSESSID=tqiice0pmjdclt7l4q0s3s1o27|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 February 2017|title=Norwegian Parliament extends electric car initiatives until 2018|author=European Association for Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (AVERE)|publisher=AVERE|date=3 September 2012|access-date=10 April 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://gronnbil.no/nyheter/eventyrlig-elbilsalg-i-2011-article218-239.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207090813/http://gronnbil.no/nyheter/eventyrlig-elbilsalg-i-2011-article218-239.html|archive-date=7 February 2012|title=Eventyrlig elbilsalg i 2011|trans-title=Adventurous electric vehicle sales in 2011|author=Hannisdahl, Ole Henrik|publisher=Grønn bil|date=9 January 2012|access-date=14 January 2012|language=no|url-status=dead}} See table "Elbilsalg i 2011 fordelt på måned og merke" (Electric vehicle sales in 2011, by month and brand) to see monthly sales for 2011. In March 2014, Norway became the first country where over 1 in every 100 passenger cars on the roads is a plug-in electric.{{cite web|url=http://www.gronnbil.no/nyheter/elbilsalget-i-mars-slo-alle-rekorder-article380-239.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405182251/http://www.gronnbil.no/nyheter/elbilsalget-i-mars-slo-alle-rekorder-article380-239.html|archive-date=5 April 2014|title=Elbilsalget i mars slo alle rekorder|language=no|trans-title=Electric vehicle sales in March broke all records|publisher=Grønn bil|date=2 April 2014|access-date=3 April 2014}} The plug-in electric segment market share of new car sales is also the highest in the world.{{cite web|url=http://www.hybridcars.com/top-6-plug-in-car-adopting-countries/|title=Top 6 Plug-In Vehicle Adopting Countries|author=Cobb, Jeff|publisher=HybridCars.com|date=16 January 2014|access-date=28 January 2015|archive-date=21 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221092202/http://www.hybridcars.com/top-6-plug-in-car-adopting-countries/|url-status=live}} According to a report by {{Lang|no|Dagens Næringsliv}} in June 2016, the country would like to ban sales of gasoline and diesel powered vehicles as early as 2025.{{cite news |last=Siu |first=Jason |url=http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2016/06/norway-to-make-gas-powered-car-sales-illegal-by-2025.html |title=Norway Wants to Make Gas-Powered Cars Illegal by 2025 |work=AutoGuide.com |publisher=VerticalScope Inc. |date=6 June 2016 |access-date=7 June 2016 |archive-date=7 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160607114038/http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2016/06/norway-to-make-gas-powered-car-sales-illegal-by-2025.html |url-status=live }}

Of the 146 airports in Norway, 52 are public,{{cite web |url=http://www.avinor.no/tridionimages/2007%20Passasjerer_tcm181-51564.xls |title=2007 Passasjerer |author=Avinor |year=2008 |access-date=15 July 2008 |language=no |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228235921/http://www.avinor.no/tridionimages/2007%20Passasjerer_tcm181-51564.xls |archive-date=28 December 2010 }} and 43 are operated by the state-owned Avinor.{{cite web |url=http://www.avinor.no/en/avinor/aboutavinor |title=About Avinor |author=Avinor |access-date=15 July 2008 |author-link=Avinor |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080331113335/http://www.avinor.no/en/avinor/aboutavinor |archive-date=31 March 2008 }} Seven airports have more than one million passengers annually. A total of 41,089,675 passengers passed through Norwegian airports in 2007, of whom 13,397,458 were international.

The central gateway to Norway by air is Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. Located about {{convert|35|km|mi}} northeast of Oslo, it is hub for the two major Norwegian airlines: Scandinavian Airlines{{cite web |url=http://www.sas.no/no/Misc/Service_Links_Container/Rutekart/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120628220717/http://www.sas.no/no/Misc/Service_Links_Container/Rutekart/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 June 2012 |title=Rutekart |author=Scandinavian Airlines System |access-date=15 July 2008 |author-link=Scandinavian Airlines }} and Norwegian Air Shuttle,{{cite web |url=http://ip.norwegian.no/ip/RouteMapAction.aspx?app_language=en-GB |title=Route Map |author=Norwegian Air Shuttle |access-date=15 July 2008 |author-link=Norwegian Air Shuttle |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080714021439/http://ip.norwegian.no/ip/RouteMapAction.aspx?app_language=en-GB |archive-date=14 July 2008 }} and for regional aircraft from Western Norway.{{cite web|url=http://www.wideroe.no/modules/module_123/proxy.asp?D=2&C=642&I=4274&language=NO |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080815052854/http://www.wideroe.no/modules/module_123/proxy.asp?D=2&C=642&I=4274&language=NO |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 August 2008 |title=Våre destinasjoner |author=Widerøe |access-date=15 July 2008 |author-link=Widerøe}} There are departures to most European countries and some intercontinental destinations.{{cite web|url=http://www.osl.no/index.asp?startID=&topExpand=1000314&subExpand=1000318&menuid=1001352&menuid_1=1001348&pid_1=1001332&l=3&languagecode=9&strUrl=//templates/applications/internet/showobject.asp?infoobjectid=1006072 |title=Car |author=Oslo Lufthavn |access-date=15 July 2008 |author-link=Oslo Airport, Gardermoen |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601232755/http://www.osl.no/index.asp?startID=&topExpand=1000314&subExpand=1000318&menuid=1001352&menuid_1=1001348&pid_1=1001332&l=3&languagecode=9&strUrl=%2F%2Ftemplates%2Fapplications%2Finternet%2Fshowobject.asp%3Finfoobjectid%3D1006072 |archive-date=1 June 2008 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.osl.no/index.asp?startID=&strUrl=//templates/applications/internet/showobject.asp?infoobjectid=1010847&showad=1&menuid=1001345&menuid_1=1001345&topExpand=1000314&subExpand=1000317&pid_1=1001332&l=2&languagecode=9 |title=International scheduled routes from Oslo |author=Oslo Lufthavn |access-date=15 July 2008 |author-link=Oslo Airport, Gardermoen |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080714220606/http://www.osl.no/index.asp?startID=&strUrl=%2F%2Ftemplates%2Fapplications%2Finternet%2Fshowobject.asp%3Finfoobjectid%3D1010847&showad=1&menuid=1001345&menuid_1=1001345&topExpand=1000314&subExpand=1000317&pid_1=1001332&l=2&languagecode=9 |archive-date=14 July 2008 }} A direct high-speed train connects to Oslo Central Station every 10 minutes for a 20 min ride.

File:Niels Henrik Abel.jpg made pioneering contributions in a variety of fields. The Abel Prize in mathematics, originally proposed in 1899 to complement the Nobel Prizes, is named in his honour.]]

Norway has a rich history of contributions to science, mathematics, and technology, with several internationally recognized scientists and innovators.

In mathematics, Niels Henrik Abel and Sophus Lie made groundbreaking contributions to analysis and group theory. Caspar Wessel was the first to describe vectors and complex numbers in the complex plane, laying the foundation for modern vector and complex analysis. Thoralf Skolem made revolutionary contributions to mathematical logic, while Øystein Ore and Ludwig Sylow advanced group theory. Atle Selberg, a major figure in 20th-century mathematics, was honored with the Fields Medal, Wolf Prize, and Abel Prize. Ernst S. Selmer's work significantly influenced modern cryptographic algorithms.

In physics, notable figures include Kristian Birkeland, known for his work on the aurora borealis, and Ivar Giaever, a Nobel laureate in physics. Carl Anton Bjerknes and Christopher Hansteen made contributions to hydrodynamics and geomagnetism, respectively. The meteorologists Vilhelm Bjerknes and Ragnar Fjørtoft were instrumental in the development of numerical weather prediction.

Norwegian chemists like Lars Onsager, a Nobel laureate, and Odd Hassel, recognized for his work in stereochemistry, have left a lasting legacy. Peter Waage and Cato Maximilian Guldberg formulated the law of mass action, fundamental to chemical reaction theory.

In technology, Victor Goldschmidt is regarded as a founder of modern geochemistry. Håkon Wium Lie pioneered Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), a cornerstone of web design. Pål Spilling contributed to the development of the Internet Protocol, bringing the Internet to Europe. Computer scientists Ole-Johan Dahl and Kristen Nygaard developed Simula, the first object-oriented programming language, earning them the prestigious Turing Award.

Norwegian academics have also advanced social sciences. Arne Næss founded deep ecology, while Johan Galtung established the field of peace studies. Criminologists Nils Christie and Thomas Mathiesen, sociologists Vilhelm Aubert, Harriet Holter, and Erik Grønseth, and political scientist Stein Rokkan made pioneering contributions to their fields. Economists Ragnar Frisch, Trygve Haavelmo, and Finn E. Kydland were honored with Nobel Prizes for their work in econometrics and macroeconomics.

As of 2024, Norway is ranked 21st in the Global Innovation Index in 2024.{{Cite book |author=World Intellectual Property Organization |year=2024 |title=Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/ |access-date=6 October 2024 |page=18 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.50062 |isbn=978-92-805-3681-2}} The country has produced fourteen Nobel laureates across various disciplines.

{{Main|Tourism in Norway}}

{{See also|Category:Tourist attractions in Norway|label 1=Tourist attractions in Norway}}

In 2019, Norway ranked 20th in the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report.{{Cite web |year=2019 |title=The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 Travel and Tourism at a Tipping Point |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_TTCR_2019.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307004114/http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest%20Press%20Releases/PR_TTCR08 |archive-date=7 March 2008 |access-date=29 March 2025 |publisher=World Economic Forum}} Tourism in Norway contributed to 4.2% of the gross domestic product as reported in 2016.{{cite journal|author=Statistics Norway|title=Key Figures for Norwegian travel and tourism|journal=Innovation Norway|year=2016|url=http://www.innovasjonnorge.no/contentassets/0d32e3231c0a4367a96838ee3bb5b294/key-figrues-2016.pdf|access-date=3 April 2018|archive-date=4 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404073253/http://www.innovasjonnorge.no/contentassets/0d32e3231c0a4367a96838ee3bb5b294/key-figrues-2016.pdf|url-status=dead}} Every one in fifteen people throughout the country work in the tourism industry. Tourism is seasonal in Norway, with more than half of total tourists visiting between the months of May and August.

The main attractions of Norway are the varied landscapes that extend across the Arctic Circle. It is famous for its coastline and its mountains, ski resorts, lakes and woods. Popular tourist destinations in Norway include Oslo, Ålesund, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, Kristiansand, Arendal, Tromsø, Fredrikstad, and Tønsberg. Much of the nature of Norway remains unspoiled, and thus attracts numerous hikers and skiers. The fjords, mountains and waterfalls in Western Norway and Northern Norway attract several hundred thousand foreign tourists each year. In the cities, cultural idiosyncrasies such as the Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo and Saga Oseberg in Tønsberg attract many visitors, as do landmarks such as Bryggen in Bergen, Vigeland installation in Frogner Park in Oslo, Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Fredrikstad Fortress (Gamlebyen) in Fredrikstad, and the ruin park of Tønsberg Fortress in Tønsberg.

{{Main|Demographics of Norway}}

File:Annual population growth of Norway.svg in Norway 1951–2016, in thousands]]

Norway's population was 5,585,044 people in the fourth quarter of 2024.{{Cite web|title=Befolkningen|url=https://www.ssb.no/befolkning/faktaside/befolkningen|access-date=25 November 2020|website=ssb.no|language=no|archive-date=23 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323174146/https://www.ssb.no/befolkning/faktaside/befolkningen|url-status=live}} Norwegians are an ethnic North Germanic people. The total fertility rate (TFR) in 2023 was estimated at 1.40 children born per woman,{{Cite web|url=https://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/nokkeltall|title=Key figures|website=ssb.no|language=en|access-date=26 June 2019|archive-date=6 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706220530/https://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/nokkeltall|url-status=live}} below the replacement rate of 2.1, it remains considerably below the high of 4.69 children born per woman in 1877.{{citation|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=NOR|title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|author=Max Roser|date=2014|work=Our World In Data, Gapminder Foundation|access-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807220310/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=NOR|archive-date=7 August 2018|url-status=dead}} In 2024 the median age of the Norwegian population was 40 years.{{Cite web |date=25 February 2025 |title=Mean and median age in municipalities, counties and the entire populace (M) 2000 - 2025 |url=https://www.ssb.no/en/statbank/table/13536 |access-date=29 March 2025 |website=Statistics Norway}}

The Sámi people are indigenous to the Far North and have traditionally inhabited central and northern parts of Norway and Sweden, as well as areas in northern Finland and in Russia on the Kola Peninsula. Another national minority are the Kven people, descendants of Finnish-speaking people who migrated to northern Norway from the 18th up to the 20th century. From the 19th century up to the 1970s, the Norwegian government tried to assimilate both the Sámi and the Kven, encouraging them to adopt the majority language, culture and religion.Eivind Bråstad Jensen. 1991. Fra fornorskningspolitikk mot kulturelt mangfold. Nordkalott-Forlaget. Because of this "Norwegianization process", many families of Sámi or Kven ancestry now identify as ethnic Norwegian.I. Bjørklund, T. Brantenberg, H. Eidheim, J.A. Kalstad and D. Storm. 2002. Australian Indigenous Law Reporter (AILR) 1 7(1)

The national minorities of Norway are Kvens, Jews, Forest Finns, and Romani people.{{cite web|url= https://www.regjeringen.no/en/topics/indigenous-peoples-and-minorities/national-minorities/id1404/#:~:text=Groups%20with%20a%20long%2Dstanding,Roma%20and%20Romani%20people%2FTaters.|title= National minorities - regjeringen.no|date= 11 January 2007|access-date= 4 January 2024|archive-date= 3 February 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240203202646/https://www.regjeringen.no/en/topics/indigenous-peoples-and-minorities/national-minorities/id1404/#:~:text=Groups%20with%20a%20long%2Dstanding,Roma%20and%20Romani%20people%2FTaters.|url-status= live}}

In 2017, Norway's population ranked first on the World Happiness Report, and in 2025, it ranked seventh.{{cite web | last=Rankin | first=Jennifer | title=Happiness is on the wane in the US, UN global report finds | website=the Guardian | date=20 March 2017 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/20/norway-ousts-denmark-as-worlds-happiest-country-un-report | access-date=22 March 2023 | archive-date=16 August 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816175820/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/20/norway-ousts-denmark-as-worlds-happiest-country-un-report | url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Hunter |first=Marnie |date=2025-03-20 |title=These are the world's happiest countries in 2025 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/worlds-happiest-countries-2025-wellness/index.html#:~:text=Finland,%20Denmark,%20Iceland%20and%20Sweden,role%20too,%20according%20to%20Helliwell. |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=CNN |language=en}}

{{Clear}}

{{Main|Norwegian diaspora|Immigration to Norway}}

File:Percentage of Norwegians born to two Norwegian parents.png

Particularly in the 19th century, when economic conditions were difficult in Norway, tens of thousands of people migrated to the United States and Canada, where they could work and buy land in frontier areas. Many went to the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. In 2006, according to the US Census Bureau, almost 4.7 million persons identified as Norwegian Americans,{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-qr_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_DP2&-geo_id=01000US&-ds_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=|title=American FactFinder – Results|website=factfinder.census.gov|access-date=8 August 2017}} {{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} which was larger than the population of ethnic Norwegians in Norway itself.{{cite web|url=http://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/nokkeltall/population|title=Population: Key figures for the population|work=ssb.no|access-date=4 September 2016|archive-date=6 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806141407/http://ssb.no/en/befolkning/nokkeltall/population|url-status=dead}} In the 2021 Canadian census, 466,500 Canadian citizens identified as having Norwegian ancestry.{{cite web |author=Statistics Canada |author-link=Statistics Canada |date=10 May 2023 |title=Religion by ethnic or cultural origins: Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810034101 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224190955/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=1118296&GK=0&GRP=0&PID=105396&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=95&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&D1=0&D2=0&D3=0&D4=0&D5=0&D6=0%20 |archive-date=24 December 2018 |access-date=29 March 2025}}

In 2024, approximately 931,081 individuals (16.8% of the population) of the population of Norway were immigrants. Of these, 386,559 (41.5%) had a Western background (Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand), while 544,521 (58.5%) had a non-Western background (Asia, Africa, South and Central America). 221,459 individuals (4% of the population) were children of immigrants, born in Norway.{{Cite web |title=Facts about immigration |url=https://www.ssb.no/en/innvandring-og-innvandrere/faktaside/innvandring |access-date=9 October 2024 |website=SSB |language=en}}

The largest groups of immigrants have come from Poland, Lithuania, Sweden and Syria, as well as Ukraine since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Immigrants have settled in all Norwegian municipalities. In 2013, the cities with the highest share of immigrants were Oslo (32%) and Drammen (27%).[http://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/statistikker/innvbef Innvandrere og norskfødte med innvandrerforeldre, 25 April 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123190440/https://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/statistikker/innvbef|date=23 November 2020}} Statistics Norway. Retrieved 30 December 2013 According to Reuters, Oslo is the "fastest growing city in Europe because of increased immigration".Hare, Sophie. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120923173213/http://af.reuters.com/article/sudanNews/idAFL6E7IM19S20110722 "Factbox – facts about Norway"], Reuters. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2011. In recent years, immigration has accounted for most of Norway's population growth.{{Cite web |date=5 March 2018 |title=14 per cent of population are immigrants |url=https://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/artikler-og-publikasjoner/14-per-cent-of-population-are-immigrants |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229070247/https://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/artikler-og-publikasjoner/14-per-cent-of-population-are-immigrants |archive-date=29 December 2022 |access-date=29 December 2022 |website=ssb.no |language=en}}

{{Main|Religion in Norway}}

File:Wikipedia 8733.JPG in Trondheim]]

Separation of church and state happened significantly later in Norway than in most of Europe, and remains incomplete. In 2012, the Norwegian parliament voted to grant the Church of Norway greater autonomy,{{cite web |url=http://digitaljournal.com/article/324906 |work=Digital Journal |title=Norway abolishes state-sponsored Church of Norway |last1=Fraser |first1=Sean |date=15 May 2012 |access-date=20 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614144414/http://digitaljournal.com/article/324906 |archive-date=14 June 2013 |url-status=dead }} a decision which was confirmed in a constitutional amendment on 21 May 2012.{{cite web |url=http://religionnews.com/2017/01/05/norway-and-its-national-church-part-ways/ |title=Norway and its national church part ways |date=5 January 2017 |access-date=5 January 2017 |archive-date=1 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401081739/https://religionnews.com/2017/01/05/norway-and-its-national-church-part-ways/ |url-status=live }}

Until 2012 parliamentary officials were required to be members of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Norway, and at least half of all government ministers had to be a member of the state church. As state church, the Church of Norway's clergy were viewed as state employees, and the central and regional church administrations were part of the state administration. Members of the Royal family are required to be members of the Lutheran church. On 1 January 2017, Norway made the church independent of the state, but retained the Church's status as the "people's church".[https://kirken.no/nb-NO/om-kirken/slik-styres-kirken/kirkeordning/ny-kirkeordning-2020/ På vei mot ny kirkeordning] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213091126/https://kirken.no/nb-NO/om-kirken/slik-styres-kirken/kirkeordning/ny-kirkeordning-2020/ |date=13 December 2017 }} Den Norske Kirke. Retrieved 12 December 2017.[https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2017/6-january/news/world/norwegian-church-passes-milestone-in-modification-of-its-links-with-state Norwegian Church passes milestone in modification of its links with State] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213090705/https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2017/6-january/news/world/norwegian-church-passes-milestone-in-modification-of-its-links-with-state |date=13 December 2017 }} Church Times, 6 January 2017.

Most Norwegians are registered at baptism as members of the Church of Norway. Many remain in the church to participate in the community and practices such as baptism, confirmation, marriage, and burial rites. About 61.7% of Norwegians were members of the Church of Norway in 2024. In the same year, approximately 50.4% of all newborns were baptised and about 47.6% of all 15-year-olds were confirmed in the church.[https://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/religion-og-livssyn/statistikk/den-norske-kirke Den norske kirke] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125173428/http://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/statistikker/kirke_kostra/aar|date=25 November 2017}} 17 March 2025 Statistics Norway

{{Pie chart

|thumb = right

|caption = Official religious affiliation in Norway (31 December 2019):[http://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/statistikker/kirke_kostra/aar Church of Norway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125173428/http://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/statistikker/kirke_kostra/aar |date=25 November 2017 }} Statistics Norway 17 May 2020[https://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/statistikker/trosamf/aar/2020-12-08 Members of religious and life stance communities outside the Church of Norway, by religion/life stance.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501120513/https://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/statistikker/trosamf/aar/2020-12-08 |date=1 May 2022 }} Statistics Norway 8 December 2019[https://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/statistikker/trosamf/aar/2020-12-08?fane=tabell&sort=nummer&tabell=439532 Members of Christian communities outside the Church of Norway.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505075738/https://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/statistikker/trosamf/aar/2020-12-08?fane=tabell&sort=nummer&tabell=439532 |date=5 May 2022 }} Statistics Norway 8 December 2020

|label1 = Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway

|value1 = 68.68

|color1 = DodgerBlue

|label2 = Catholic Church

|value2 = 3.08

|color2 = DarkOrchid

|label3 = Pentecostal congregations

|value3 = 0.76

|color3 = DarkTurquoise

|label4 = Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox

|value4 = 0.53

|color4 = Orchid

|label5 = Evangelical Lutheran Free Church

|value5 = 0.36

|color5 = Aquamarine

|label6 = Other Christian denominations

|value6 = 2.21

|color6 = Indigo

|label7 = Islam

|value7 = 3.41

|color7 = Green

|label8 = Buddhism

|value8 = 0.40

|color8 = Yellow

|label9 = Hinduism

|value9 = 0.21

|color9 = Orange

|label10 = Secular Humanism

|value10 = 1.85

|color10 = Red

|label11 = Unaffiliated

|value11 = 18.32

|color11 = Honeydew

|value12=0.09|color12=Tomato|label12=Other Religion}}

According to the 2010 Eurobarometer Poll, 22% of Norwegian citizens responded that "they believe there is a God", 44% responded that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 29% responded that "they don't believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force". Five per cent gave no response.{{cite web|date=October 2010|title=Special Eurobarometer, biotechnology|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430163128/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_225_report_en.pdf|archive-date=30 April 2011|page=204}} In the early 1990s, studies estimated that between 4.7% and 5.3% of Norwegians attended church on a weekly basis.{{cite web |url=http://www.dawnnorge.no/dawnnorge/vedlegg/dawn_eng_22.08.2003_00.40.49.doc |title=The People in the Church |publisher=dawnnorge.no |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815191030/http://www.dawnnorge.no/dawnnorge/vedlegg/dawn_eng_22.08.2003_00.40.49.doc |archive-date=15 August 2007}} This figure has dropped to about 2%.{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/kirke_kostra_en/ |title=KOSTRA (Municipality-State-Reporting): Church |publisher=Statistics Norway |access-date=29 August 2010 |archive-date=28 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428233928/http://www.ssb.no/kirke_kostra_en/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/kirke_kostra_en/arkiv/tab-2010-06-16-02-en.html |title=Church of Norway. Church services and participants, by diocese. 2005–2009 (Corrected 28 June 2010) |publisher=Statistics Norway |date=28 June 2010 |access-date=7 March 2011 |archive-date=16 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016220017/http://www.ssb.no/kirke_kostra_en/arkiv/tab-2010-06-16-02-en.html |url-status=live }}

In 2010, 10% of the population was religiously unaffiliated, while another 9% were members of religious communities outside the Church of Norway.{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/ |title=More members in religious and philosophical communities |publisher=Statistics Norway |access-date=8 March 2009 |archive-date=13 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113185254/http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/ |url-status=live }} Other Christian denominations total about 4.9% of the population, the largest of which is the Roman Catholic Church, with 83,000 members, according to 2009 government statistics.{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/trosamf_en/arkiv/tab-2009-12-09-03-en.html |title=Members of Christian communities outside the Church of Norway |publisher=Statistics Norway |access-date=21 August 2010 |archive-date=17 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017114102/http://www.ssb.no/trosamf_en/arkiv/tab-2009-12-09-03-en.html |url-status=live }} The {{lang|no|Aftenposten}} (Evening Post) in October 2012 reported there were about 115,234 registered Roman Catholics in Norway; the reporter estimated that the total number of people with a Roman Catholic background may be 170,000–200,000 or higher.Andreas Sletteholm: [http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/Na-er-det-flere-katolikker-enn-muslimer-i-Norge-7033287.html "Nå er det flere katolikker enn muslimer i Norge"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121205221337/http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/Na-er-det-flere-katolikker-enn-muslimer-i-Norge-7033287.html |date=5 December 2012 }}, Aftenposten, 3 December 2012

Others include Pentecostals (39,600), the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway (19,600), the United Methodist Church in Norway (11,000), Baptists (9,900), Eastern Orthodox (9,900), Brunstad Christian Church (6,800), Seventh-day Adventists (5,100), Assyrians of the ACOE and the Chaldean Catholic Church, and others. The Swedish, Finnish and Icelandic Lutheran congregations in Norway have about 27,500 members in total. Other Christian denominations comprise less than 1% each, including 4,000 members in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and 12,000 Jehovah's Witnesses.

Among non-Christian religions, Islam is the largest, with 166,861 registered members (2018), and probably fewer than 200,000 in total.{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/en/trosamf |title=Religious communities and life stance communities |publisher=Statistics Norway |access-date=9 December 2011 |archive-date=11 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811173058/http://www.ssb.no/en/trosamf |url-status=live }}

Other religions comprise less than 1% each, including 819 adherents of Judaism.{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/trosamf_en/arkiv/tab-2009-12-09-01-en.html |title=Members of religious and life-stance communities outside the Church of Norway, by religion/life stance |publisher=Statistics Norway |access-date=21 August 2010 |archive-date=17 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017120037/http://www.ssb.no/trosamf_en/arkiv/tab-2009-12-09-01-en.html |url-status=live }} Indian immigrants introduced Hinduism to Norway, which in 2011 has slightly more than 5,900 adherents, or 1% of non-Lutheran Norwegians. Sikhism has approximately 3,000 adherents, with most living in Oslo, which has two gurdwaras. Drammen also has a sizeable population of Sikhs; the largest gurdwara in north Europe was built in Lier. There are eleven Buddhist organisations, grouped under the Buddhistforbundet organisation, with slightly over 14,000 members, which make up 0.2% of the population. The Baháʼí Faith religion has slightly more than 1,000 adherents. Around 1.7% (84,500) of Norwegians belong to the secular Norwegian Humanist Association.

From 2006 to 2011, the fastest-growing religious communities in Norway were Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Oriental Orthodox Christianity, which grew in membership by 80%; however, their share of the total population remains small, at 0.2%. It is associated with the immigration from Eritrea and Ethiopia, and to a lesser extent from Central and Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries. Other fast-growing religions were Roman Catholicism (78.7%), Hinduism (59.6%), Islam (48.1%), and Buddhism (46.7%).{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/arkiv/ |title=Religious communities and life stance communities |publisher=Statistics Norway |access-date=9 December 2011 |archive-date=20 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120092759/http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/arkiv/ |url-status=live }}

As in other Scandinavian countries, the ancient Norse followed a form of Germanic paganism known as Norse paganism. By the end of the 11th century, when Norway had been Christianised, the indigenous Norse religion and practices were prohibited. Remnants of the native religion and beliefs of Norway survive today in the form of names, referential names of cities and locations, the days of the week, and everyday language. Modern interest in the old ways has led to a revival of pagan religious practices in the form of Åsatru. The Norwegian Åsatrufellesskapet Bifrost formed in 1996; in 2011, the fellowship had about 300 members. Foreningen Forn Sed was formed in 1999 and has been recognised by the Norwegian government.

The Sámi minority retained their shamanistic religion well into the 18th century, when most converted to Christianity under the influence of Dano-Norwegian Lutheran missionaries. Today there is a renewed appreciation for the Sámi traditional way of life, which has led to a revival of Noaidevuohta.{{cite web |url=http://www.tnp.no/norway/panorama/2792-shamanism-approved-as-a-religion-in-norway |title=Shamanism Approved as a Religion in Norway |publisher=Tnp.no |date=15 March 2012 |access-date=12 October 2013 |archive-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015233036/http://www.tnp.no/norway/panorama/2792-shamanism-approved-as-a-religion-in-norway |url-status=live }} Some Norwegian and Sámi celebrities are reported to visit shamans for guidance.{{cite web |url=http://www.kjendis.no/2012/05/08/kjendis/sjaman/geir_kvarme/mari_maurstad/21498916/ |title=Geir Kvarme gikk til sjaman for å få balanse |publisher=Kjendis.no |access-date=22 September 2012 |date=8 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715005848/http://www.kjendis.no/2012/05/08/kjendis/sjaman/geir_kvarme/mari_maurstad/21498916/ |archive-date=15 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |author=AV: ellen kongsnes |url=http://www.aftenbladet.no/energi/Samisk-sjaman-skapte-oljefeber-2927059.html |title=Samisk sjaman skapte oljefeber |publisher=Aftenbladet.no |access-date=22 September 2012 |archive-date=5 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905141417/http://www.aftenbladet.no/energi/Samisk-sjaman-skapte-oljefeber-2927059.html |url-status=dead }}

{{Main|Health in Norway}}

File:Life expectancy in Norway.svg

Norway was awarded first place according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI) for 2013.{{cite book|last1=United Nations|title=Human Development Report 2013|publisher=United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)|isbn=978-9211263404|date=November 2012}} From the 1900s, improvements in public health occurred as a result of development in several areas such as social and living conditions, changes in disease and medical outbreaks, establishment of the health care system, and emphasis on public health matters. Vaccination and increased treatment opportunities with antibiotics resulted in great improvements within the Norwegian population. Improved hygiene and better nutrition were factors that contributed to improved health.

The disease pattern in Norway changed from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases and chronic diseases as cardiovascular disease. Inequalities and social differences are still present in public health in Norway.{{cite web|last1=Nordhagen|first1=R|last2=Major|first2=E|last3=Tverdal|first3=A|last4=Irgens|first4=L|last5=Graff-Iversen|first5=S|title=Folkehelse i Norge 1814–2014|url=http://www.fhi.no/artikler/?id=110607|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140904132346/http://www.fhi.no/artikler/?id=110607|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 September 2014|publisher=Folkehelseinstituttet|access-date=2 September 2014|year=2014}}

In 2024 the infant mortality rate was 2.1 per 1,000 live births among children under the age of one. For girls it was 1.7 and for boys 2.4, which is the lowest infant mortality rate for boys ever recorded in Norway.[http://ssb.no/en/dode/ "Deaths – SSB"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150309032552/http://www.ssb.no/en/dode |date=9 March 2015 }}. ssb.no.

{{Main|Education in Norway}}

File:NTNU.jpg in Trondheim]]

Higher education in Norway is offered by a range of seven universities, five specialised colleges, 25 university colleges as well as a range of private colleges. Education follows the Bologna Process involving Bachelor (3 years), Master (2 years) and PhD (3 years) degrees.{{cite web |url=http://www.bologna-berlin2003.de/pdf/Norway1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040206190401/http://www.bologna-berlin2003.de/pdf/Norway1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 February 2004 |title=Norway – Implementation of the elements of the Bologna Process |access-date=30 May 2010 }} Acceptance is offered after finishing upper secondary school with general study competence.

Public education is virtually free for citizens from EU/EEA and Switzerland, but other nationalities need to pay tuition fees.{{Cite web |date=15 March 2022 |title=Are University Degrees Free In Norway? (Updated With New 2023 Information!) – The Norway Guide |url=https://thenorwayguide.com/university-degrees-free/ |access-date=11 February 2023 |website=thenorwayguide.com |language=en-US |archive-date=11 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211163056/https://thenorwayguide.com/university-degrees-free/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=30 January 2023 |title=Tuition Fees In Norway: Detailed Guide For 2023 – The Norway Guide |url=https://thenorwayguide.com/tuition-fees-in-norway/ |access-date=11 February 2023 |website=thenorwayguide.com |language=en-US |archive-date=11 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211163057/https://thenorwayguide.com/tuition-fees-in-norway/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Tuition fees for students from outside EU/EEA and Switzerland {{!}} Study in Norway |url=https://studyinnorway.no/tuition-fees-students-outside-eueea-and-switzerland |access-date=11 February 2023 |website=studyinnorway.no |archive-date=11 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211163056/https://studyinnorway.no/tuition-fees-students-outside-eueea-and-switzerland |url-status=dead }} Higher education has historically been free for everyone regardless of nationality, but tuition fees for all students from outside EU/EEA and Switzerland was implemented in 2023.{{Cite web |last=Kunnskapsdepartementet |date=6 October 2022 |title=Utanlandske studentar skal betale for å studere i Noreg |url=https://www.regjeringen.no/nn/aktuelt/utenlandske-studenter/id2930852/ |access-date=11 February 2023 |website=Regjeringa.no |language=nn-NO}}{{Cite web |date=7 October 2022 |title=Norway Abolishes Free University Education For People Outside Of EU/EEA – The Norway Guide |url=https://thenorwayguide.com/norway-abolishes-free-university-education-for-people-outside-of-eu-eea/ |access-date=11 February 2023 |website=thenorwayguide.com |language=en-US |archive-date=11 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211163056/https://thenorwayguide.com/norway-abolishes-free-university-education-for-people-outside-of-eu-eea/ |url-status=live }}

The academic year has two semesters, from August to December and from January to June. The ultimate responsibility for the education lies with the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.

{{Main|Languages of Norway|Norwegian dialects}}

{{See also|Norwegian language|Sámi languages}}

File:Norske Målgreiner.png

Norwegian in its two forms, Bokmål and Nynorsk, is the main national official language of all of Norway. Sámi, a group which includes three separate languages, is recognised as a minority language on the national level and is a co-official language alongside Norwegian in the Sámi administrative linguistic area (Forvaltningsområdet for samisk språk) in Northern Norway.{{cite web |title=Offisiell status for samisk |url=https://www.sprakradet.no/Spraka-vare/Spraka-i-Norden/Samisk/ |publisher=Language Council of Norway |access-date=19 August 2021 |quote=Samisk har status som minoritetsspråk i Noreg, Sverige og Finland, og i alle tre landa har samisk status som offisielt språk i dei samiske forvaltningsområda. |trans-quote=Sámi is recognised as a minority language in Norway, Sweden and Finland, and is an official language within the Sámi administrative areas in all three countries. |archive-date=15 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815194636/https://www.sprakradet.no/Spraka-vare/Spraka-i-Norden/Samisk/ |url-status=live }} Kven is a minority language and is a co-official language alongside Norwegian in one municipality, also in Northern Norway.{{Citation|last1=Vikør|first1=Lars S.|title=språk i Norge|date=22 May 2019|url=http://snl.no/spr%C3%A5k_i_Norge|work=Store norske leksikon|language=no|access-date=26 June 2019|last2=Jahr|first2=Ernst Håkon|last3=Berg-Nordlie|first3=Mikkel|archive-date=8 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608034527/https://snl.no/spr%C3%A5k_i_Norge|url-status=live}}Norges grunnlov, § 108 (Constitution of Norway, article 108, mention the Sámi language specifically){{cite web|url=https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/stmeld-nr-35-2007-2008-/id519923/sec4|title=St.meld. nr. 35 (2007–2008)|first=Kultur- og|last=kirkedepartementet|date=27 June 2008|access-date=5 March 2017|archive-date=5 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305114621/https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/stmeld-nr-35-2007-2008-/id519923/sec4|url-status=live}}

Norwegian is a North Germanic language descended from Old Norse. It is the main national language of Norway and is spoken throughout the country. Norwegian is spoken natively by over 5 million people mainly in Norway, but is generally understood throughout Scandinavia and to a lesser degree other Nordic countries. It has two official written forms, Bokmål and Nynorsk. Both are used in public administration, schools, churches, and media. Bokmål is the written language used by a majority of about 85%. Around 95% of the population speak Norwegian as their first or native language, although many speak dialects that may differ significantly from the written languages. Norwegian dialects are mutually intelligible, although listeners with limited exposure to dialects other than their own may struggle with certain phrases and pronunciations.

Norwegian is closely related to and generally mutually intelligible with its neighbour Scandinavian languages; Danish and Swedish, and the three main Scandinavian languages thus form both a dialect continuum and a larger language community with about 25 million speakers. All three languages are commonly employed in communication among inhabitants of the Scandinavian countries. As a result of the co-operation within the Nordic Council, inhabitants of all Nordic countries always have the right to communicate with Norwegian authorities in Danish or Swedish as equal alternatives to Norwegian.{{Cite web|date=26 January 2017|title=Interesting Facts About the Norwegian Language (Norsk)|url=https://www.nordictrans.com/blog/interesting-facts-norwegian-language/|access-date=17 November 2020|website=Nordictrans.com|language=en-US|archive-date=24 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024114438/https://www.nordictrans.com/blog/interesting-facts-norwegian-language/|url-status=live}} In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Norwegian language was subject to strong political and cultural controversies. This led to the development of Nynorsk in the 19th century and to the formation of alternative spelling standards in the 20th century.

Several Uralic Sámi languages, which are related but not generally mutually intelligible, are traditionally spoken by the Sámi people primarily in Northern Norway and to much lesser extent in some parts of Central Norway. Around 15,000 people have officially registered as Sámi in the Sámi census (Samemanntallet), but the number of people of recent Sámi heritage is often estimated at 50,000 people. The number of people who have some knowledge of Northern Sámi, including as a second language, is estimated at 25,000 people, but only a minority are native speakers. The other Sámi languages are heavily endangered and spoken by at most a few hundred people. Most people of Sámi heritage are today native speakers of Norwegian as a result of past assimilation policies.{{cite web |url=http://eplads.norden.org/nordenssprak/kap2/2c/01.asp |title=Nordens språk med røtter og føtter–Samiske språk |publisher=Eplads.norden.org |access-date=26 March 2013 |archive-date=10 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410053944/http://eplads.norden.org/nordenssprak/kap2/2c/01.asp |url-status=dead }}

Speakers have a right to be educated and to receive communication from the government in their own language in a special forvaltningsområde (administrative area) for Sámi languages.[http://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/1987-06-12-56#KAPITTEL_3 "Lov om Sametinget og andre samiske rettsforhold (sameloven) – Lovdata"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225104822/http://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/1987-06-12-56#KAPITTEL_3 |date=25 February 2014 }}. lovdata.no.{{cite web|url=http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/kd/dok/nouer/1995/nou-1995-18/35/2/6.html?id=337330 |publisher=Kunnskapsdepartementet |title=NOU 1995: 18 – Ny lovgivning om opplæring |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027205706/http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/kd/dok/nouer/1995/nou-1995-18/35/2/6.html?id=337330 |archive-date=27 October 2014|date=4 July 1995 }} The Kven minority historically spoke the Uralic Kven language (considered a separate language in Norway, but generally perceived as a Finnish dialect in Finland). Today the majority of ethnic Kven have little or no knowledge of the language.{{cite web |url=http://www.kvenskinstitutt.no/kvener/ |title=Kvener – Kainun institutti |publisher=Kvenskinstitutt.no |access-date=26 March 2013 |archive-date=19 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119082455/http://www.kvenskinstitutt.no/kvener/ |url-status=live }} As Norway has ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) the Kven language together with Romani and Scandoromani language has become officially recognised minority languages.{{cite web |url=http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/fad/tema/nasjonale_minoriteter/midtspalte/minoritetssprakpakta.html?id=86936 |title=Minoritetsspråkpakten |publisher=Fornyings-, administrasjons- og kirkedepartementet |date=26 October 2018 |access-date=27 October 2014 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021722/http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/fad/tema/nasjonale_minoriteter/midtspalte/minoritetssprakpakta.html?id=86936 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://www.regjeringen.no/nn/dep/kud/dokument/proposisjonar-og-meldingar/stortingsmeldingar/2007-2008/stmeld-nr-35-2007-2008-/4/2/2.html?id=519980 |publisher=Kulturdepartementet |title=St.meld. nr. 35 (2007–2008) – Mål og meining |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141027002053/http://www.regjeringen.no/nn/dep/kud/dokument/proposisjonar-og-meldingar/stortingsmeldingar/2007-2008/stmeld-nr-35-2007-2008-/4/2/2.html?id=519980 |archive-date=27 October 2014}}

Some supporters have also advocated making Norwegian Sign Language an official language.{{cite web |url=http://www.regjeringen.no/nn/dep/kud/dokument/proposisjonar-og-meldingar/stortingsmeldingar/2007-2008/stmeld-nr-35-2007-2008-.html?id=519923 |title=St.meld. nr. 35. Mål og meining : Ein heilskapleg norsk språkpolitikk |date=27 June 2008 |publisher=Kultur- og kirkedepartementet |access-date=27 October 2014 |archive-date=27 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027091650/http://www.regjeringen.no/nn/dep/kud/dokument/proposisjonar-og-meldingar/stortingsmeldingar/2007-2008/stmeld-nr-35-2007-2008-.html?id=519923 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.nrk.no/kultur-og-underholdning/1.6116963 |title=Tegnspråk blir offisielt språk |publisher=NRK |date=26 June 2008}}

The primary foreign language taught in Norwegian schools is English, and the majority of the population, especially those born after World War II, is fairly fluent in English. German, French and Spanish are also commonly taught as second or, more often, third languages. Russian, Japanese, Italian, Latin, and rarely Chinese (Mandarin) are offered in some schools, mostly in the cities. Traditionally, English, German and French were considered the main foreign languages in Norway. These languages, for instance, were used on Norwegian passports until the 1990s, and university students have a general right to use these languages when submitting their theses.

90% of Norwegians are fluent in English.{{Cite web |last=Leiro |first=Eivind |date=9 May 2023 |title=Is English Language Spoken In Norway? (Is It ACTUALLY Used) |url=https://norwegiancommunity.com/guides/other-languages/england/is-english-spoken-norway/ |access-date=30 May 2024 |website=Norwegian Community |language=en-US |archive-date=31 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531145636/https://norwegiancommunity.com/guides/other-languages/england/is-english-spoken-norway/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Culture of Norway}}

File:Wilhelmine Seippel.jpg, are widely used on special occasions.]]

The Norwegian farm culture continues to play a role in contemporary Norwegian culture. In the 19th century, it inspired a strong romantic nationalistic movement, which is still visible in the Norwegian language and media. Norwegian culture expanded with nationalist efforts to achieve an independent identity in the areas of literature, art and music. This continues today in the performing arts and as a result of government support for exhibitions, cultural projects and artwork.{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761556517_4/norway.html |title="Norway's Culture", Encarta |publisher=Webcitation.org |access-date=15 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028211352/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761556517_4/Norway.html |archive-date=28 October 2009 }}

{{Main|Cinema of Norway}}

Norwegian cinema has received international recognition. The documentary film Kon-Tiki (1950) won an Academy Award. Another notable film is The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix, an animated feature film directed by Ivo Caprino. The film was released in 1975 and is the most widely seen Norwegian film of all time.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Nils Gaup's Pathfinder (1987), the story of the Sámi, was nominated for an Oscar. Berit Nesheim's The Other Side of Sunday was nominated for an Oscar in 1997.

File:The Monn Keys (cropped) - Egil Monn-Iversen.jpg had so much influence in Norwegian culture that he received the nickname the Godfather.]]

Since the 1990s, the film industry has expanded, producing up to 20 feature films each year. Particular successes were Kristin Lavransdatter, based on a novel by a Nobel Prize winner; The Telegraphist and Gurin with the Foxtail. Knut Erik Jensen was among the more successful new directors, together with Erik Skjoldbjærg, who is remembered for Insomnia.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120126134405/http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/culture/film/A_Brief_History_of_Norwegian_Film/ "A brief history of Norwegian film"] Elling and the 2012 adaption of Kon-Tiki was nominated for an Oscar for the best foreign language film. The TV-series Skam created by Julie Andem received a cult following and international recognition, with many countries making their own adaptations.

Norwegian directors such as Joachim Rønning, Anja Breien, Espen Sandberg, Liv Ullmann and Morten Tyldum have made internationally successful movies such as The Imitation Game, Passengers, Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, as well as the TV series Jack Ryan and Marco Polo. Composers include Thomas Bergersen, who composed for Avatar, The Dark Knight, Harry Potter and Narnia. Egil Monn-Iversen has been one of the most influential modern composers in Norway, having composed scores to over 100 Norwegian movies and TV series.

Norway has been used as filming location for Hollywood and other international productions, including Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Among the thousands of movies filmed in Norway include Die Another Day, No Time to Die, The Golden Compass, Spies Like Us, Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Black Widow, Tenet, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Heroes of Telemark, as well as the TV series Lilyhammer and Vikings.{{cite web |url=http://www.norwegianfilm.com/index.php?ID=FilmsShotInNorway |title=Norwegian Film Commission |publisher=Norwegianfilm.com |access-date=22 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426061733/http://www.norwegianfilm.com/index.php?ID=FilmsShotInNorway |archive-date=26 April 2012 }}

{{Main|Music of Norway}}

{{See also|Nordic popular music#Norway|label 1=Norwegian music industry}}

File:Edvard Grieg (1888) by Elliot and Fry - 02.jpg, composer and pianist]]

The classical music of the romantic composers Edvard Grieg, Rikard Nordraak and Johan Svendsen is internationally known, as is the modern music of Arne Nordheim. Norway's classical performers include Leif Ove Andsnes, a pianist; Truls Mørk, an outstanding cellist; and the Wagnerian soprano Kirsten Flagstad.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

The Norwegian ballad tradition, known as the "ballad wave" (Norwegian: visebølgen), started as a cultural movement in the 1960s, greatly inspired by the Swedish ballad tradition and its modern representatives such as Olle Adolphson and Cornelis Vreeswijk. Some of its prominent representatives are Ole Paus, Lillebjørn Nilsen and Finn Kalvik.Rigmor Falla: Tone, tekst og trubadur: 60 år med Visens Venner. Andresen & Butenschøn. Oslo 2003. ISBN 978-82-8089-216-4

The jazz scene is thriving. Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Mari Boine, Arild Andersen and Bugge Wesseltoft are internationally recognised while Paal Nilssen-Love, Supersilent, Jaga Jazzist and Wibutee are becoming world-class artists.{{cite web |url=http://www.studyinnorway.no/sn/Living-in-Norway/Culture |title=Culture |publisher=Studyinnorway.no |date=26 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219033541/http://www.studyinnorway.no/sn/Living-in-Norway/Culture |archive-date=19 February 2012 |access-date=16 November 2009 }}

Norway has a strong folk music tradition which remains popular.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120126212358/http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/culture/music/folk/ Folk Music from Norway] Among the most prominent folk musicians are Hardanger fiddlers Andrea Een, Olav Jørgen Hegge and Annbjørg Lien, and the vocalists Agnes Buen Garnås, Kirsten Bråten Berg and Odd Nordstoga.

Norwegian black metal, a form of rock music in Norway, has been an influence in world music since the late 20th century.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}} Since the 1990s, Norway's export of black metal has been developed by such bands as Emperor, Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Mayhem, Burzum and Immortal. Bands such as Enslaved, Kvelertak, Dimmu Borgir and Satyricon have evolved the genre while still garnering worldwide fans.

Notable female solo artists from Norway include Susanne Sundfør, Sigrid, Astrid S, Adelén, Julie Bergan, Maria Mena, Tone Damli, Margaret Berger, Lene Marlin, Christel Alsos, Maria Arredondo, Marion Raven and Marit Larsen (both former members of the defunct pop-rock band M2M), Lene Nystrøm (vocalist of the Danish Eurodance group Aqua), Anni-Frid Lyngstad (vocalist of the Swedish pop group ABBA), and Aurora Aksnes. Norwegian songwriters and producers for international artists include Stargate, Espen Lind, Lene Marlin and Ina Wroldsen.

Norway has been a constant competitor in the Eurovision Song Contest, participating 62 times. Since its first participation in 1960, Norway has won the competition three times: Bobbysocks's win in {{escyr|1985}}, Secret Garden's win in {{escyr|1995}} and Alexander Rybak's win in {{escyr|2009}}.{{cite web|title= Norway in Eurovision|url= https://eurovision.tv/country/norway|website= Eurovision.tv|access-date= 2 August 2023|archive-date= 21 June 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220621202300/https://eurovision.tv/country/norway|url-status= live}} Alexander Rybak's win in 2009 with his song Fairytale was a major win in Eurovision's history as it scored the biggest margin of victory ever.{{cite web|title= Norway in Eurovision|url= https://eurovision.tv/country/norway|website= Eurovision.tv|access-date= 2 August 2023|quote= Norway has won the contest 3 times and scored the biggest margin of victory ever in 2009.|archive-date= 21 June 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220621202300/https://eurovision.tv/country/norway|url-status= live}} The song was an international hit, peaking at number one in several countries.{{cite web | last=Hung | first=Steffen | title=Alexander Rybak Fairytale | website=swedishcharts.com | date=24 April 2009 | url=https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Alexander+Rybak&titel=Fairytale&cat=s | access-date=3 August 2023 | archive-date=16 August 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816180210/https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Alexander+Rybak&titel=Fairytale&cat=s | url-status=live }}

Norway enjoys many music festivals throughout the year, all over the country. Norway is the host of one of the world's biggest extreme sport festivals with music, Ekstremsportveko—a festival held annually in Voss. Oslo is the host of many festivals, such as Øyafestivalen and by:Larm. Oslo used to have a summer parade similar to the German Love Parade. In 1992, the city of Oslo wanted to adopt the French music festival Fête de la Musique. Fredrik Carl Størmer established the festival. From its first year, "Musikkens Dag" gathered thousands of people and artists in the streets of Oslo. "Musikkens Dag" is now renamed Musikkfest Oslo.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

{{Main|Norwegian literature}}

{{See also|List of Norwegian writers}}

{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2022}}

File:Henrik Ibsen av Eilif Peterssen 1895.jpg, the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare.]]

The history of Norwegian literature starts with the pagan Eddaic poems and skaldic verse of the ninth and tenth 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 influenced the literature written in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Major works of that period include Historia Norwegiæ, Þiðrekssaga 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. During the union with Denmark, the government imposed using only written Danish, which decreased the writing of Norwegian literature.

Two major events precipitated a major resurgence in Norwegian literature: in 1811 a Norwegian university was established in Christiania, and in 1814 the Norwegians created their first Constitution. Authors were inspired and became recognised first in Scandinavia, and then worldwide; among them were Henrik Wergeland, Peter Christen 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 Ein glad gut (A Happy Boy) and Synnøve Solbakken, are typical of the Norwegian romantic nationalism of their day. Kielland's novels and short stories are mostly naturalistic. Although an important contributor to early romantic nationalism, (especially Peer Gynt), Henrik Ibsen is better known for his pioneering realistic dramas such as The Wild Duck and A Doll's House.

In the 20th 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 (known for Kristin Lavransdatter) in 1928.

{{Main|Architecture of Norway}}

File:Stave church Urnes - Panorama HDR cropped.jpg has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.]]

File:Dalen Hotell IMG 4773.jpg in Telemark built in Dragon Style, a style of design architecture that originated during the Norwegian romantic nationalism.]]

With expansive forests, Norway has long had a tradition of building in wood. Many of today's most interesting new buildings are made of wood, reflecting the strong appeal that this material continues to hold for Norwegian designers and builders.{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/culture/architecture/norwegian/ |title=The evolution of Norwegian architecture |publisher=The official site of Norway |access-date=20 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606075917/http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/culture/architecture/norwegian/ |archive-date=6 June 2013}}

With Norway's conversion to Christianity, churches were built. Stonework architecture was introduced from Europe for the most important structures, beginning with the construction of Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. In the early Middle Ages, wooden stave churches were constructed throughout Norway. Some of them have survived; they represent Norway's most unusual contribution to architectural history. Urnes Stave Church in inner Sognefjord is on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Another notable example of wooden architecture is the buildings at Bryggen Wharf in Bergen, also on the list for World Cultural Heritage sites, consisting of a row of tall, narrow wooden structures along the quayside.

In the 17th century, under the Danish monarchy, cities and villages such as Kongsberg and Røros were established. The city Kongsberg had a church built in the Baroque style. Traditional wooden buildings that were constructed in Røros have survived.

After Norway's union with Denmark was dissolved in 1814, Oslo became the capital. The architect Christian H. Grosch designed the earliest parts of the University of Oslo, the Oslo Stock Exchange, and many other buildings and churches constructed in that early national period.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the city of Ålesund was rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style, influenced by styles of France. The 1930s, when functionalism dominated, became a strong period for Norwegian architecture. It is only since the late 20th century that Norwegian architects have achieved international renown. One of the most striking modern buildings in Norway is the Sámi Parliament in Kárášjohka, designed by Stein Halvorson and Christian Sundby. Its debating chamber, in timber, is an abstract version of a lavvo, the traditional tent used by the nomadic Sámi people.{{cite web |url=http://www.leslieburgher.co.uk/portfolio/Other/norway.htm |title=Norwegian Architecture |author=Burgher, Leslie |publisher=Leslie Burgher website |access-date=30 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012161831/http://www.leslieburgher.co.uk/portfolio/Other/norway.htm |archive-date=12 October 2010 }}

{{Main|Norwegian art}}

File:The Scream.jpg by Edvard Munch, 1893]]

For an extended period, the Norwegian art scene was dominated by artwork from Germany and Holland as well as by the influence of Copenhagen. It was in the 19th century that a truly Norwegian era began, first with portraits, later with impressive landscapes. Johan Christian Dahl, originally from the Dresden school, eventually returned to paint the landscapes of western Norway, defining Norwegian painting for the first time."{{cite book |author= Haverkamp, Frode |title = Hans Fredrik Gude: From National Romanticism to Realism in Landscape |language = no}}

Norway's newly found independence from Denmark encouraged painters to develop their Norwegian identity, especially with landscape painting by artists such as Kitty Kielland, a female painter who studied under Hans Gude, and Harriet Backer, another pioneer among female artists, influenced by impressionism. Frits Thaulow, an impressionist, was influenced by the art scene in Paris as was Christian Krohg, a realist painter, famous for his paintings of prostitutes.{{cite web |url=http://www.artcyclopedia.com/nationalities/Norwegian.html |title=Norwegian Artists |publisher=Artcyclopedia.com |access-date=23 July 2011 |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010160732/http://www.artcyclopedia.com/nationalities/Norwegian.html |url-status=live }}

Of particular note is Edvard Munch, a symbolist/expressionist painter who became world-famous for The Scream which is said to represent the anxiety of modern man. Other notable works from Munch includes The Sick Child, Madonna and Puberty.

Other artists of note include Harald Sohlberg, a neo-romantic painter remembered for his paintings of Røros, and Odd Nerdrum, a figurative painter who maintains that his work is not art, but kitsch.

{{Main|Norwegian cuisine}}

Norway's culinary traditions show the influence of long seafaring and farming traditions, with salmon (fresh and cured), herring (pickled or marinated), trout, codfish, and other seafood, balanced by cheeses (such as brunost, Jarlsberg cheese, and gamalost), dairy products, and breads (predominantly dark/darker).

Lefse is a Norwegian potato flatbread, usually topped with large amounts of butter and sugar, most commonly eaten around Christmas. Traditional Norwegian dishes include lutefisk, smalahove, pinnekjøtt, raspeball, and fårikål.{{cite web |url=http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Norway.html |title=Countries and Their Cultures, Norway |publisher=Everyculture.com |date=4 September 2010 |access-date=23 July 2011 |archive-date=6 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006092754/https://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Norway.html/ |url-status=live }} A Norwegian speciality is rakefisk, which is fermented trout, consumed with thin flatbread and sour cream. The most popular pastry is vaffel.

{{Update|section|date=March 2025|reason=Lacks info on handball from the late 2010's onward and track and field}}

{{See also|List of Norwegian sport governing bodies|Football in Norway}}

File:Marit Bjørgen Holmenkollen 2011 001.jpg from Norway is the most successful Winter Olympian of all time, with 15 medals]]

Sports are a central part of Norwegian culture, and popular sports include cross-country skiing, ski jumping, mountaineering, hiking, association football, handball, biathlon, speed skating, and, to a lesser degree, ice hockey.

Norway is known internationally for its role in the development of modern winter sports, particularly skiing. From the 19th century Norway also became a premier mountaineering destination, with books such as William Cecil Slingsby's Norway, the Northern Playground contributing to the country's popularity among early mountain climbers.{{cite book |last1=Neate |first1=Jill |title=Mountaineering Literature |date=1986 |publisher=The Mountaineers Books |isbn=0938567047 |page=145}}

Association football is the most popular sport in Norway in terms of active membership. In 2014–2015 polling, football ranked far behind biathlon and cross-country skiing in terms of popularity as spectator sports.{{cite news|url=http://www.dagbladet.no/2015/04/10/sport/langrenn/fotball/norsk_idrett/petter_northug/38629571/|title=Knock-out fra Northug & co.|newspaper=Dagbladet|date=22 June 2015|access-date=22 June 2015|archive-date=22 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622201025/http://www.dagbladet.no/2015/04/10/sport/langrenn/fotball/norsk_idrett/petter_northug/38629571/|url-status=live}} Ice hockey is the biggest indoor sport.{{cite web|url=https://www.nrk.no/trondelag/stor-interesse-for-ishockey-1.10984731|title=Stor interesse for ishockey|publisher=NRK|date=13 April 2013|access-date=11 June 2016|archive-date=18 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818013912/https://www.nrk.no/trondelag/stor-interesse-for-ishockey-1.10984731|url-status=live}} The women's handball national team has won several titles, including two Summer Olympics championships (2008, 2012), three World Championships (1999, 2011, 2015), and six European Championship (1998, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014).

In association football, the women's national team has won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1995 and the Olympic Football Tournament in 2000. The women's team also has two UEFA European Women's Championship titles (1987, 1993). The men's national football team has participated three times in the FIFA World Cup (1938, 1994, and 1998), and once in the European Championship (2000). The highest FIFA ranking Norway has achieved is second, a position it has held twice, in 1993 and in 1995.{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/associations/association=nor/men/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219142916/http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/associations/association=nor/men/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 February 2015|title=FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking|publisher=FIFA|date=22 June 2015|access-date=22 June 2015}}

Norwegian players in the National Football League include Halvor Hagen, Bill Irgens, Leif Olve Dolonen Larsen, Mike Mock, and Jan Stenerud.Grasso, John (2013). Historical Dictionary of Football. Scarecrow Press. 490 pp. {{ISBN|978-0810878570}}.

Bandy is a traditional sport in Norway and the country is one of the four founders of Federation of International Bandy. In terms of licensed athletes, it is the second biggest winter sport in the world.{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbandy.com/newspost_7640.html|title=Bandy destined for the Olympic Winter Games!|access-date=4 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017132109/http://www.worldbandy.com/newspost_7640.html|archive-date=17 October 2018|url-status=dead}} As of January 2018, the men's national team has captured one silver and one bronze, while the women's national team has managed five bronzes at the World Championships.

Norway first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, and has sent athletes to compete in every Games since then, except for the sparsely attended 1904 Games and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow when they participated in the American-led boycott. Norway leads the overall medal tables at the Winter Olympic Games by a considerable margin. Norway has hosted the Games on two occasions:

• 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo
• 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer

It also hosted the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, making Norway the first country to host both Winter regular and Youth Olympics.

Norway featured a women's national team in beach volleyball that competed at the 2018–2020 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.{{cite news |title=Continental Cup Finals start in Africa |url=https://www.fivb.com/en/about/news/continental-cup-finals-start-in-africa?id=94414 |access-date=7 August 2021 |work=FIVB |date=22 June 2021 |archive-date=7 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807141038/https://www.fivb.com/en/about/news/continental-cup-finals-start-in-africa?id=94414 |url-status=live }}

Chess has gained huge popularity in Norway. Magnus Carlsen, a Norwegian, was the world chess champion between 2013 and 2023.{{cite web|url=http://www.nrk.no/sport/carlsen-er-verdensmester_-_-jeg-er-lykkelig-og-lettet-1.12060026|title=Carlsen er verdensmester – Jeg er lykkelig og lettet|publisher=NRK|date=22 June 2015|access-date=22 June 2015|archive-date=16 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016014806/http://www.nrk.no/sport/carlsen-er-verdensmester_-_-jeg-er-lykkelig-og-lettet-1.12060026|url-status=live}} Many of the biggest chess tournaments are broadcast live on national television, with the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships airing on the country's biggest television channel NRK1.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrk.no/sport/slik-blir-sjakk-vm-pa-nrk-1.17183434|title=Slik blir sjakk-VM på NRK|date=26 December 2024|accessdate=13 March 2025|lang=nb|publisher=NRK}}

{{Portal|Norway}}

• Outline of Norway

{{Notelist}}

{{NoteFoot}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |ref = Larsen |last = Larsen |first = Karen |year = 1948 |title = A History of Norway |publisher = Princeton University Press |location = Princeton, New Jersey }}

{{refend}}

{{Sister project links|d=yes|voy=Norway}}

{{NIE Poster|year=1905}}

• [https://regjeringen.no/en/id4/ regjeringen.no] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924112706/https://www.regjeringen.no/en/id4/ |date=24 September 2022 }}, official Norwegian government website
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060209022219/http://www.norway.no/ Norway.no], Norway's official portal
• [http://www.ssb.no/english/ Statistics Norway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226231149/http://ssb.no/english/ |date=26 February 2011 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170531174956/http://www.environment.no/ State of the Environment Norway]
• [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/norway/ Norway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111023530/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/norway/ |date=11 January 2021 }}. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
• [https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/420178/Norway Norway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502183400/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/420178/Norway |date=2 May 2015 }} entry at Britannica.com
• {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Norway |volume= XVII |last= Gosse |first= Edmund William |author-link= Edmund Gosse | pages = 575–592 |short=1}}
• {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Norway | volume= 19 |last1= Gosse |first1= Edmund William |author1-link= Edmund Gosse | last2= and four others| pages = 799–818 |short= 1}}
• {{Cite EB1922 |wstitle= Norway |volume= 31 |last= Hammer |first= Simon Christian |author-link= Simon Christian Hammer |short= 1}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160126102504/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/norway.htm Norway] from UCB Libraries GovPubs
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17743896 Norway profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129020321/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17743896 |date=29 November 2018 }} from the BBC News
• [http://www.norway.info/ Norway.info] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210326195754/http://www.norway.info/ |date=26 March 2021 }}, official foreign portal of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• {{Wikiatlas|Norway}}
• {{osmrelation-inline|1059668}}
• [http://www.ssb.no/a/english/minifakta/en/ Official facts about Norway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419093212/http://www.ssb.no/a/english/minifakta/en/ |date=19 April 2014 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110916144449/http://www.visitnorway.com/ VisitNorway.com], official travel guide to Norway.
• {{YouTube|M1h_wIvwhzI|National Anthem of Norway}}
• [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=NO Key Development Forecasts for Norway] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512033624/http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=NO |date=12 May 2012 }} from International Futures
• [http://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/Country/NOR/Year/2017/Summary World Bank Summary Trade Statistics Norway]

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