Area: 323,759 sq km (125,004 sq miles)
Population:4,445,329 (1999)
Capital:Oslo
Religion: Evangelical Lutherans; plus other Christian denominations.
Geography: Norway is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean,
to the east by Russia, Finland and Sweden, to the south by the
Skagerrak (which separates it from Denmark) and to the west by
the North Sea. The coastline is 2735km (1700 miles) long, its
most outstanding feature being the fjords. Most of them are between
80 and 160km long (50-100 miles), and are often very deep and
surrounded by towering mountains. Much of northern Norway lies
beyond the Arctic Circle and the landscape is stark. In the south
the landscape consists of forests with many lakes and rivers.
Climate: Coastal areas have a moderate climate owing
to the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift. Inland temperatures
are more extreme with hot summers and cold winters (November to
March). In general, the lowlands of the south experience colder
winters and warmer summers than the coastal areas. Rain is distributed
throughout the year with frequent inland snowfalls during the
winter. The northern part of the country inside the Arctic Circle
has continuous daylight at midsummer, and twilight all day during
winter.
Government: Constitutional monarchy. Declared independence
from Sweden in 1905. Head of State: King Harald V since 1991.
Head of Government: Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik since
2001.
Language: Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk). Lappish is
spoken by the Sami population in the north. English is widely
spoken.
Time: Norway Mainland: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in
March to last Saturday before last Sunday in October). Jan Mayen
Islands, Svalbard: GMT + 1.
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are of the European
round two-pin type.
Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 47. Outgoing international
code: 00.
Currency: Norwegian Krone (NOK) = 100 øre. Notes are
in denominations of NOK1000, 500, 200, 100 and 50. Coins are in
denominations of NOK20, 10, 5 and 1, and 50 øre.
Currency exchange: Eurocheque cards allow encashment of personal
cheques. ATMs are widely available.
Credit & debit cards: All major credit and debit cards
are widely accepted. Check with your credit or debit card company
for details of merchant acceptability and other services which
may be available.
Travellers cheques: Accepted in banks, hotels, shops and by
airlines.
Banking hours: Mon-Wed and Fri 0815-1530 (1500 in summer),
Thurs 0815-1800. |
