Country	Norway
Capital	Oslo
Continent	Europe
Currency	Norwegian krone(NOK)
Languages	Bokmal Norwegian, Nynorsk Norwegian, Northern Sami, Lule Sami, Kven & Southern Sami

Locaion

Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden

Geographic Co ordinates

62 00 N, 10 00 E

Land Boundries

Total:2,542 km
Border countries:Finland 727 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 196 km

Geography - note

about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much-indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of the most rugged and longest coastlines in the world

Population

4,676,305 (July 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world:118/p>

Nationality

Noun:Norwegian(s)
Adjective:Norwegian

Ethnic groups

Norwegian 94.4% (includes Sami, about 60,000), other European 3.6%, other 2% (2007 estimate)

Religions

Church of Norway 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1% (2004)

Languages

Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities

Country Name

Conventional long form:Kingdom of Norway
Conventional short form:Norway
Local long form:Kongeriket Norge
Local short form:Norge

Government Type

constitutional monarchy

Capital

Name:Oslo
Geographic coordinates:59 55 N, 10 45 E
Time difference:UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions

19 counties (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold

Independence

7 June 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union)

National Holiday

Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Constitution

17 May 1814; amended many times

Legal system

mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Chief of state:King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch (born 20 July 1973)
Head of government:Prime Minister Jens STOLTENBERG (since 17 October 2005)
Cabinet:State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of parliament
(For more information visit the World Leaders website)
Elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the parliament

Legislative branch

modified unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats; members elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
Elections:last held on 14 September 2009 (next to be held in September 2013)
Election results:percent of vote by party - DNA 35.4%, FrP 22.9%, H 17.2%, SV 6.2%, Sp 6.2%, KrF 5.5%, V 3.9%, other 2.7%; seats by party - DNA 64, FrP 41, H 30, SV 11, Sp 11, KrF 10, V 2
note: for certain purposes, the parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership in the Lagting and three-fourths of its membership in the Odelsting

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the monarch)

Political Parties and Leaders

Center Party (Senterpartiet or Sp) [Liv Signe NAVARSETE]; Christian People's Party (Kristelig Folkeparti or KrF) [Dagfinn HOYBRATEN]; Conservative Party (Hoyre or H) [Erna SOLBERG]; Labor Party (Det norske Arbeiderpartiet or DNA) [Jens STOLTENBERG]; Liberal Party (Venstre or V) [Lars SPONHEIM]; note - has announced his resignation; Progress Party (Framstegspartiet or FrP) [Siv JENSEN]; Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti or SV) [Kristin HALVORSEN]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Norwegian Aid Committee or NORWAC; Norwegian Association of the Disabled; Pure Salmon Campaign; The Consumer Council (consumer advocacy group)
Other:environmental groups; media; reform movements

International organization participation

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, FATF, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Wegger C. STROMMEN
Chancery:2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone:[1] (202) 333-6000
FAX:[1] (202) 337-0870
Consulate(s) general:Houston, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Barry B. WHITE
Embassy:Henrik Ibsens gate 48, 0244 Oslo; note - the embassy will move to Huseby in the near future
Mailing address:PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707
Telephone:[47] (22) 44 85 50
FAX:[47] (22) 44 33 63, 56 27 51

Flag description

red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag); the colors recall Norway's past political unions with Denmark (red and white) and Sweden (blue)

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Tourism -         Ministry Of Tourism

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This RSS feed URL is deprecatedThis RSS feed URL is deprecated, please update. New URLs can be found in the footers at https://news.google.com/news 70 Years Later, Norway Apologizes to Women Who Had ... - New York Times New York Times 70 Years Later, Norway Apologizes to Women Who Had ... New York Times LONDON — In a national reckoning with its past, the Norwegian government has offered an official apology to women — and their offspring — who were ... Norway Apologizes for Treatment of 'German Girls' During WWII ...The Epoch Times all 3 news articles » Norway Apologizes for Persecuting WWII "German Girls" | Smart News - Smithsonian Smithsonian Norway Apologizes for Persecuting WWII "German Girls" | Smart News Smithsonian For the “German Girls,” as they came to be called—the approximately 50,000 women in Norway who had consorted, or were rumored to have consorted with ... and more » UK troops touch down in Norway following epic road move - GOV.UK - GOV.UK GOV.UK UK troops touch down in Norway following epic road move - GOV.UK GOV.UK Hundreds of British Army troops have successfully completed an epic road move to Norway. and more » Stunning shots show crystal-clear waters in Norway's lakes and fjords - Yahoo News Yahoo News Stunning shots show crystal-clear waters in Norway's lakes and fjords Yahoo News Marine researcher Tomasz Furmanek, 44, from Bøjarnesveien, Norway, takes stunning images while kayaking through various fjords and lakes in the Scandinavian country. During Tomasz's free time, he works as a freelance photographer traveling around ... Norway frees Russian spying suspect but probe continues - Reuters Reuters Norway frees Russian spying suspect but probe continues Reuters He had denied wrongdoing and the Russian Foreign Ministry had demanded that Norway drop the charges and release Bochkaryov, who it identified as a member of staff in the Russian parliament's upper house. Norway's Police Security Service (PST) had ... Norway To Free Russian Spy SuspectRadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty Norway to free Russian spying suspect but continue probeChannel NewsAsia Russian man freed in Norway to fly to Moscow on SaturdayTASS all 45 news articles » Norway Apologizes To Women Who Faced Reprisals For Wartime Relations With Nazis - NPR NPR Norway Apologizes To Women Who Faced Reprisals For Wartime Relations With Nazis NPR Norway issued an apology on Wednesday to women who faced retaliation and public disgrace for having relationships with occupying German forces during World War II. Up to 50,000 Norwegian women are thought to have had intimate relationships with ... Norway apologises to its World War Two 'German girls'BBC News Norway apologises to women punished for relationships with German soldiersThe Guardian Norway apologizes to mistreated war-time 'German girls'The Local Norway euronews -Deutsche Welle -BBC News -Women in the World all 76 news articles » Ed Stafford: An explorer's guide to travelling Norway's coastline by kayak - inews.co.uk inews.co.uk Ed Stafford: An explorer's guide to travelling Norway's coastline by kayak inews.co.uk With an impressive 15,000 miles of coastline to explore, Norway is best navigated by kayak – if you're committed, says explorer Ed Stafford. It's the end of a long day. Hours of paddling through open seas are starting to take their toll on your body ... 22 July Netflix: Norway massacre survivor speaks out - News.com.au - NEWS.com.au NEWS.com.au 22 July Netflix: Norway massacre survivor speaks out - News.com.au NEWS.com.au She saw him from a distance, up to her neck in water, swimming for her life. Blood was pouring from a bullet wound in her arm. She was swimming away from ... Norway massacre survivor says Netflix film 22 July is inaccurate - NZ ...New Zealand Herald July 22 tells the story of Norway's 2011 massacre of 68 people and ...The Sun all 82 news articles » SAS contracts Aero Norway for CFM56 support - FlightGlobal - Flightglobal SAS contracts Aero Norway for CFM56 support - FlightGlobal Flightglobal Engine maintenance provider Aero Norway has been selected to service CFM International CFM56-7Bs powering Scandinavian Airlines' 67 Boeing 737NGs. Aero Norway sign agreement to provide engine MRO Services for ...AviationPros.com all 2 news articles » Norway to free Russian spy suspect: agency - The Daily Star Norway to free Russian spy suspect: agency The Daily Star Norway will release a Russian suspected of spying, the country's intelligence agency announced yesterday. Mikhail Bochkarev, 51, was arrested on September 21 at Oslo airport after attending a seminar in Norway's parliament, accused of having collected ...