About Norway

When you think about Norway you probably imagine fjords, mountains, snow, skiing, reindeer, moose, fishing and Vikings. And apart from the Vikings your picture is probably still quite accurate! Add the less well known summer meadows, beaches, forests, farms and fresh air and you may find you already know Norway quite well.

Norway is renowned for the rugged beauty of its landscape, with mountains, fjords, forests and glaciers. The geographical position of the Land of the Midnight Sun balances long cold winters with delightfully warm and light summers. While Norway’s natural wonders have made this European frontier famous, there are also hidden treasures in historic sites from Viking and medieval times, as well as pretty fishing villages and lively and cosmopolitan, if comparatively small, cities.

Norway occupies the western Scandinavian Peninsula, bordering Sweden, Finland and Russia. Counting territorial waters it also has borders with Danish and British waters. Norway’s long, thin form has an extensive western coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean, where the fjords are found.

History

Norway’s most famous period is possibly the Viking era of the 8th to 11th centuries, when norsemen made a name for themselves with Viking raids into Europe and beyond. Following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav Tryggvason in 994, however, the kingdom converted gradually to the church. In 1397 Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark which ultimately lasted more than 400 years. Norway was ceded to the king of Sweden in 1814 however Norwegian people this and founded their own constitution based on the French and American models on 17 May 1814. Constitution Day (17 May) is still celebrated as Norway’s national day.

Sweden agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king. A century of growing nationalism including a burgeoning national culture followed, leading to a referendum in 1905 which dissolved the union and granted Norway independence. Today we see a new union forming, with the pairing of the two countries WRC-events.

Norway remained neutral in World War I, but suffered heavy losses through shipping. Despite declaring neutrality in World War II, Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1940-45 and in 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a member of NATO. Norway’s economy was transformed with the discovery of oil and gas in the 1960s and Norway’s extensive welfare system and successful balance of free market activity and government intervention consistently ensures that this small but proud nation has in recent years had a place at the top of the United Nations Development Program which surveys global standards of living.