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{{about|the European country}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Noruega|Noriega}}
{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Norway
|native_name = {{unbulleted list |{{native name|nb|Kongeriket Norge}} |{{native name|nn|Kongeriket Noreg}} |{{native name|se|Norgga gonagasriika}}}}
|common_name = Norway
|image_flag = Flag of Norway.svg
|image_coat = Coat of Arms of Norway.svg
|image_map = Europe-Norway.svg
|map_caption = {{map caption |location_color=dark green |region=] |region_color=dark grey |legend=Europe-Norway.svg}}
|national_anthem = {{unbulleted list |'']''{{nbsp|2}}{{small|('']'')}} |{{small|''Yes, we love this country''}} |<center>]</center><hr/>''']:''' '']''<br/>{{small|''The King's Song''}}}}
|official_languages = {{nowrap|] {{small|(]{{\}}])}}}} and<br>]<br>]<br>]<br><small>(Sami languages are official in nine municipalities.)</small>
|regional_languages = {{unbulleted list |] |] |]}}
|official_religion = Lutheranism|] = ]|demonym = ]<br /><small>In ]: ''Nordmann''</small>
|ethnic_groups =
{{unbulleted list
| 86% ]<ref name=autogenerated6>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/innvbef_en/tab-2011-04-28-01-en.html |title=Population 1 January 2010 and 2011 and changes in 2010, by immigration category and country background. Absolute numbers |publisher=] |date=1 January 2010 |accessdate=23 July 2011}}</ref>
| 1.3% ]<ref name="factbook">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/no.html |work=The World Factbook |title=Norway |author=Central Intelligence Agency |authorlink=Central Intelligence Agency |accessdate=20 June 2013}}</ref>
| 12% other:<ref name=autogenerated6/>
| ] | ] | ] | ]
| ]<ref name="ssb">{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/en/innvbef/ |work=Statistisk sentralbyrå |title=Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents (2014) |author=Statistics Norway |authorlink=Statistics Norway |accessdate=24 April 2014}}</ref>
}}
|capital = {{Coat of arms|Oslo}}
|latd=59 |latm=56 |latNS=N |longd=10 |longm=41 |longEW=E
|largest_city = capital
|government_type = ] ] ]
|leader_title1 = ]
|leader_name1 = ]
|leader_title2 = ]
|leader_name2 = ]
|leader_title3 = ]
|leader_name3 = ]
|leader_title4 = ]
|leader_name4 = ]
|legislature = '']''
|state_religion = ]
|sovereignty_type = ]
|established_event1 = ]
|established_date1 = ]
|established_event2 = ]
|established_date2 = 17 May 1814
|established_event3 = {{nowrap|] of<br/>]}}
|established_date3 = 7 June 1905
|established_event4 = {{nowrap|Restoration from<br/>]}}
|established_date4 = 8 May 1945
|area_rank = 61st<sup>a</sup>
|area_magnitude = 1 E11
|area_km2 = 385,178<ref name="land area">Data is accessible by following "Create tables and diagrams" link on the following site, and then using table 09280 "Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" for "The whole country" in year 2013 and summing up entries "Land area" and "Freshwater": {{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/en/natur-og-miljo/statistikker/arealdekke |title=Area of land and fresh water, 1 January 2013 |publisher=] |date=28 May 2013 |accessdate=23 November 2013}}</ref>
|area_sq_mi = 148,718 <!--Do not remove per ]-->
|percent_water = 5.2<sup>b</sup>
|population_estimate = |population_estimate_rank = |population_estimate_year =
|population_census = 5,136,700<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ssb.no/befolkning/statistikker/folkendrkv/kvartal/2013-11-21?fane=tabell#content |title=Population on 1 October 2013 |publisher=] |accessdate=2013-11-26}}</ref>
|population_census_year = 2013
|population_density_km2 = 15.5
|population_density_sq_mi = 35 <!--Do not remove per ]-->
|population_density_rank = 213th
|GDP_PPP_year = 2015
|GDP_PPP = $353.230 billion<ref name="imf2">{{cite web |title=Norway |publisher=International Monetary Fund |accessdate=28 January 2015 |year=2015 |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2012&ey=2019&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=66&pr1.y=11&c=142&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a=}}</ref>
|GDP_PPP_rank = 46th
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $67,619<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 4th
|GDP_nominal = $523.188 billion<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_nominal_rank = 22nd
|GDP_nominal_year = 2015
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $100,438<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 3rd
|Gini_year = 2011
|Gini_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
|Gini = 22.3 <!--number only-->
|Gini_ref = <ref name=eurogini>{{cite web|title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income (source: SILC)|url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=ilc_di12|publisher=Eurostat Data Explorer|accessdate=13 August 2013}}</ref>
|Gini_rank =
|HDI_year = 2013 <!--Please use the year to which the HDI data refers, not the publication year-->
|HDI_change = steady <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
|HDI = 0.944 <!--number only-->
|HDI_ref = <ref name="HDI">{{cite web |url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr14-summary-en.pdf |title=2014 Human Development Report Summary |date=2014 |accessdate=27 July 2014 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme | pages=21–25}}</ref>
|HDI_rank = 1st
|currency = ]
|currency_code = NOK
|time_zone = ]
|utc_offset = +1
|time_zone_DST = ]
|utc_offset_DST = +2
|date_format = dd.mm.yyyy
|drives_on = right
|patron_saint = ] (until the protestant reformation)
|calling_code = ]
|cctld = ]<sup>c</sup>
|footnote_a = Includes ]. (Without these two areas, the area of Norway is 323,802 km{{smallsup|2}}, placing it 67th in the world.<ref name="CIA, List of states for area">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html |author=Central Intelligence Agency |work=The World Factbook |title=Area |accessdate=20 June 2013}}</ref>)
|footnote_b = This percentage is for the mainland, Svalbard, and Jan Mayen. This percentage counts glaciers as "land". It's calculated as 19,940.14/(365,246.17+19,940.14).<ref name="land area"/>
|footnote_c = Two more TLDs have been assigned, but are not used: ] for Svalbard and Jan Mayen; ] for ].
}}

'''Norway''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Norway.ogg|ˈ|n|ɔr|w|eɪ}}; ]: {{audio|Norge (country).ogg|''Norge''|help=no}} (]) or {{audio|Noreg (country).ogg|''Noreg''|help=no}} (])), officially the '''Kingdom of Norway''', is a ] and ] ] whose territory comprises the western portion of the ], ], and the ] ] of ].{{#tag:ref|The ] (also known as the ]) of 9 February 1920 recognises the full and absolute sovereignty of Norway over the arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen (now called ]).<ref name="Board1986">{{cite book|author=National Research Council (U.S.). Polar Research Board|title=Antarctic treaty system: an assessment|publisher=National Academies Press|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=gNxjxfm4cSgC&pg=PA370|accessdate=24 July 2011|year=1986|isbn=978-0-309-03640-5|pages=}}</ref>|group=note}}
The Antarctic ] and the sub-Antarctic ] are ] and thus not considered part of the Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of ] known as ]. Until 1814, the Kingdom included the ] (since 1035), ] (1261), and ] (1262).

Norway has a total area of {{convert|385252|km2|sqmi}} and a population of 5,109,059 people (2014).<ref name="Population">{{cite web|url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/02/befolkning_en/ |title=Population |date=19 March 2012 |publisher=] |accessdate=19 March 2012}}</ref> The country shares a long eastern border with ] (] or 1,006&nbsp;mi long). Norway is bordered by ] and ] to the north-east, and the ] to the south, with ] on the other side. Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the ].

King ] of the ] is the current ]. ] became Prime Minister in 2013, replacing ] who later became the 13th Secretary General of ]. A ] since 1814, state power is ] between the ], the King and his ], and the ]. Between 1661 and 1814, Norway was an ], and before 1661, the King shared power with the ]. Traditionally established in ] and originating in one of the ], Norway is one of the oldest still existing kingdoms in ] and world-wide. The Kingdom has existed continuously for over 1,100 years, and the ] includes over sixty kings and earls.

Norway has both administrative and political subdivisions on two levels, known as counties (]) and municipalities (]). The ] have a certain amount of self-determination and influence over traditional territories through the ] and the ]. Norway ] with the ] and its member countries (despite rejecting full EU membership in ]), as well as with the ]. Norway is a founding member of the ], NATO, the ], the ] and the ]; a member of the ], the ] and the ]; and is also a part of the ].

The country maintains a combination of ] and a ] with ] and a comprehensive ] system. Norway has extensive reserves of ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. The petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of the country's ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL0674675920070906 |title=UPDATE 1-Statistics Norway raises '07 GDP outlook, cuts '08 |publisher=Uk.reuters.com |date=6 September 2007 |accessdate=8 March 2009}}</ref> The country has the ] ] in the world on the ] and ] lists, as well as ] on a more comprehensive <ref>{{cite web|title=The World's Richest Countries|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/bethgreenfield/2012/02/22/the-worlds-richest-countries/|website=forbes.com|accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} ] list. On a ] basis, it is the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas outside the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2173rank.html |title=CIA – The World Factbook – Country Comparison :: Oil – production |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=7 March 2011}}{{dead link|date=August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2180rank.html |title=CIA – The World Factbook – Country Comparison :: Natural gas – production |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |accessdate=7 March 2011}}{{dead link|date=August 2013}}</ref> From 2001 to 2006,<ref name=autogenerated1>{{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|accessdate=12 May 2009}}</ref> and then again from 2009 to 2014, Norway had the highest ] ranking in the world.<ref name="HDI"/><ref name="HDI2">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf|title=Human Development Index 2009|date=5 October 2009|work=Human Development Report|publisher=hdr.undp.org|accessdate=5 October 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2011_EN_Table1.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2011|publisher=United Nations|accessdate=2 November 2011}}</ref><ref>. '']'', 15 March 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.</ref> Norway has also topped the ] for the last five years.<ref>. ''],'' 29 October 2013.</ref> The ] ranks Norway fourth in the 2013 equalised ] and third in intergenerational earnings elasticity.<ref>. ''],'' 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2013.</ref><ref name="OECD Better Life Index">{{cite web|title=OECD Better Life Index|url=http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/#/11111111111|publisher='']'' |accessdate=27 August 2013}}</ref> From 2010 to 2012, Norway was classified as the most democratic country by the ].<ref>Curtis M. Wong (14 December 2010). . ''].'' Retrieved 27 August 2013.</ref><ref>. '']'' Retrieved 27 August 2013.</ref><ref>Kavitha A. Davidson (21 March 2013). . ''].'' Retrieved 27 August 2013.</ref>

Around 994 A.D., two centuries of ] raids to southern and western areas of Europe tapered off following the adoption of ]. Norway then expanded its overseas territory to parts of ], ], the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland. Norwegian power peaked in 1265. Competition from the ], and the spread of the ], weakened the country. In 1397, Norway became part of the ] with Denmark and Sweden. The Union lasted until Sweden left in 1523. The remaining ] lasted nearly three centuries. In 1814, Norwegians ] a ] before being forced into a ]. In 1905, Norway ended the union, subsequently confirmed in a ], ending over 500 years of monarchs residing outside the country. In the same year, the country confirmed the election of its own king. Despite its declaration of neutrality in ], Norway was ] for 5 years by forces of ]. In 1949 it abandoned neutrality, becoming a founding member of ]. Discovery of oil in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes.

== Etymology ==<!--linked-->
{{weasel|date=December 2014}}] believe the country's name means "the northward route" (the "way north" or the "north way"), which in ] would have been ''nor veg'' or *''norð vegr''. The Old Norse name for Norway was ''Nóregr'', the ] ''Norþ weg'' and ] ''Northvegia''. The official name of the Kingdom of Norway in ] is "Kongeriket Norge", while in ] it is "Kongeriket Noreg", both only a couple of letters removed from the original "northern way": ''Nor(d)-(v)eg''. In ] and ], it is referred to as ''Norrige'' and ''Norge''. This might be from another root, which means, "] in the north".

Around 890 AD, ] distinguished "Norwegians" ("nordmenn", the people of Norvegr) from ] and ]. While he identified the Sami people by their nomadic way of life, Danes he identified geographically or politically. According to Ohthere, "Danes" dominated ] and Kattegat, the bodies of water separating present day Denmark from the Scandinavian peninsula. "Norwegians" on the other hand lived on the North Sea and Atlantic coasts, and were connected to the islands of the North Atlantic. Ohthere's Norway covered a much smaller area than present day Norway.<ref>Orning, Hans Jacob: En vestlandskonge? ''Klassekampen'', 18 February 2013.</ref>

== History ==
] ] at ], ]]]
{{Main|History of Norway|History of Scandinavia}}

=== Prehistory ===
{{Main|Scandinavian prehistory}}

The first inhabitants were the ] (11th to 10th millennia BC), which was a late ] culture during the Younger Dryas, the last spell of cold at the end of the Weichsel glaciation. The culture is named after the village of ], {{convert|25|km|2|abbr=on}} north-east of Hamburg in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, where wooden arrow shafts and clubs have been excavated.<ref name="Genetics">{{cite web|url=http://hpgl.stanford.edu/publications/EJHG_2002_v10_521-529.pdf|title=Different genetic components in the Norwegian population revealed by the analysis of mtDNA and Y chromosome polymorphisms|year=2002|work=European Journal of Human Genetics|publisher=Nature Publishing Group|accessdate=6 June 2009}}</ref> The earliest traces of human occupation in Norway are found along the coast, where the huge ice shelf of the ] first melted between 11,000 and 8,000 BC. The oldest finds are stone tools dating from 9,500 to 6,000 BC, discovered in ] (]) in the north and ] (]) in the south-west. However, theories about two altogether different cultures (the Komsa culture north of the ] being one and the Fosna culture from ] to ] being the other) were rendered obsolete in the 1970s.
]]]

More recent finds along the entire coast revealed to archaeologists that the difference between the two can simply be ascribed to different types of tools and not to different cultures. Coastal fauna provided a means of livelihood for fishermen and hunters, who may have made their way along the southern coast about 10,000 BC when the interior was still covered with ice. It is now thought that these so-called "Arctic" peoples came from the south and followed the coast northward considerably later. Some may have come along the ice-free coast of the Kola Peninsula, but the evidence of this is still poor.

In the southern part of the country are dwelling sites dating from about 5,000 BC. Finds from these sites give a clearer idea of the life of the hunting and fishing peoples. The implements vary in shape and mostly are made of different kinds of stone; those of later periods are more skilfully made. ] (i.e. petroglyphs) have been found, usually near hunting and fishing grounds. They represent game such as ], ], ], ]s, ]s, ], ]s, and ] (especially ] and ]), all of which were vital to the way of life of the coastal peoples. The carvings at ] in Finnmark, the largest in Scandinavia, were made at sea level continuously from 4,200 to 500 BC and mark the progression of the land as it rose from the sea after the last ice age (]).

=== Bronze Age ===
{{Main|Nordic Bronze Age}}
] tribes described by ] in Norway]]
] from ] (800 AD)]]
Between 3000 and 2500 BC new settlers (]) arrived in ]. They were ] ] who grew ] and kept ] and ]. The hunting-fishing population of the west coast was also gradually replaced by farmers, though hunting and fishing remained useful secondary means of livelihood.

From about 1500 BC ] was gradually introduced, but the use of stone implements continued; Norway had few riches to barter for bronze goods, and the few finds consist mostly of elaborate weapons and brooches that only chieftains could afford. Huge burial cairns built close to the sea as far north as ] and also inland in the south are characteristic of this period. The motifs of the rock carvings differ from those typical of the ]. Representations of the ], ], ], ], ], and people are all strongly stylised.

=== Iron Age ===
{{Main|Pre-Roman Iron Age}}
Little has been found dating from the early ] (the last 500 years BC). The dead were cremated, and their graves contain few burial goods. During the first four centuries AD the people of Norway were in contact with Roman-occupied ]. About 70 Roman bronze cauldrons, often used as burial urns, have been found. Contact with the civilised countries farther south brought a knowledge of ]; the oldest known Norwegian runic inscription dates from the 3rd century. At this time the amount of settled area in the country increased, a development that can be traced by coordinated studies of ], ], and place-names. The oldest root names, such as nes, vik, and bø ("cape," "bay," and "farm"), are of great antiquity, dating perhaps from the Bronze Age, whereas the earliest of the groups of compound names with the suffixes vin ("meadow") or heim ("settlement"), as in Bjorgvin (Bergen) or Saeheim (Seim), usually date from the 1st century AD.

=== Migration Age ===
{{Main|Migration Age}}
The destruction of the ] by the ] (5th century) is characterised by rich finds, including ]s' graves containing magnificent weapons and gold objects.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} Hill forts were built on precipitous rocks for defence. Excavation has revealed stone foundations of farmhouses {{convert|18|to|27|m|ft}} long—one even {{convert|46|m|ft|abbr=off}} long—the roofs of which were supported on wooden posts. These houses were family homesteads where several generations lived together, with people and cattle under one roof.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} From this period and later (600–800), nascent communities can be traced. Defense works require co-operation and leadership, so petty states of some kind with a defence and administrative organisation must have existed.

These states were based on either ] or ]s (e.g., the ] of ] in ]). By the 9th century each of these small states had ] (local or regional assemblies),{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} for negotiating and settling disputes. The ''thing'' meeting places, each eventually with a ] (open-air sanctuary) or a ] (temple; literally "hill"), were usually situated on the oldest and best farms, which belonged to the chieftains and wealthiest farmers. The regional ''things'' united to form even larger units: assemblies of deputy yeomen from several regions. In this way, the ''lagting'' (assemblies for negotiations and lawmaking) developed. The Gulating had its meeting place by ] and may have been the centre of an aristocratic confederation{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} along the western fjords and islands called the Gulatingslag. The Frostating was the assembly for the leaders in the ] area; the earls ], near ], seem to have enlarged the Frostatingslag by adding the coastland from ] to the ]. A lagting developed in the area of ]{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} in the east and eventually established its meeting place at ], becoming known as the Eidsivating. The area around ], although at times closely tied to Denmark, developed a lagting—with its meeting place at ] called the Borgarting.

=== Viking Age ===
{{Main|Viking Age}}
] found at Gjermundbu near ], ], is the only ] helmet that has been found.]]
] at the ] in ], Norway]]

The looting of the monastery at Lindisfarne in Northeast England on 8 January 793 by ‘harrowing inroads of heathen men’ has long been regarded as the event which marked the beginning of the Viking Age.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://loststory.net/node/91 |title=Age of the vikings |publisher=http://loststory.net/ |date= |accessdate=2015-02-17}}</ref> The ] was characterised by expansion and emigration by ] seafarers. According to tradition, ] (Harald Hårfagre) unified them into one in 872 after the ] in ], thus becoming the first king of a united Norway. (The date of 872 may be somewhat arbitrary. In fact, the actual date may be just prior to 900).<ref>Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'' (Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1948) p. 83.</ref> Harald's realm was mainly a ] coastal state. Harald 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. The modern-day Irish cities of ], ] and ] were founded by Norwegian settlers.<ref>RF Foster: "The Oxford History of Ireland", Oxford University Press, 1989</ref>
] were slowly replaced by ] in the 10th and 11th centuries. This is largely attributed to the missionary kings ] and ]. ] was Norway's first Christian king, in the mid-10th century, though his attempt to introduce the religion was rejected. Born sometime in between 963–969, Olav Tryggvasson set off raiding in England with 390 ships. He attacked ] during this raiding. Arriving back in Norway in 995, Olav landed in Moster.<ref name="Larsen, p95">Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'' p. 95.</ref> There he built a church which became the first Christian church ever built in Norway.<ref name="Larsen, p95"/> From Moster, Olav sailed north to Trondheim where he was acclaimed King of Norway by the Eyrathing in 995.<ref name="Larsen, p95"/>

] never really developed in Norway and Sweden, as it did in the rest of Europe.<ref name="Larsen, p201">Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'' (Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1948) p. 201.</ref> However, the administration of government took on a very conservative feudal character.<ref name="Larsen, p201"/> The ] forced the royalty to cede to them greater and greater concessions over foreign trade and the economy.<ref name="Larsen, p201"/> The League had this hold over the royalty because of the loans the Hansa had made to the royalty and the large debt the kings were carrying.<ref name="Larsen, p201"/> 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.<ref name="Larsen, p201"/>

=== Kalmar Union ===
]
{{Main|Kalmar Union}}
Upon the death of Haakon V, King of Norway, in 1319, ], at just three years old, inherited the throne as King Magnus VII of Norway.<ref name=larsen>Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'' (Princeton University Press, 1948) p. 192.</ref> At the same time a movement to make Magnus King of Sweden proved successful.<ref name=larsen/> (At this time both the kings of Sweden and of Denmark were elected to the throne by their respective nobles.)<ref name=larsen/> Thus, with his election to the throne of Sweden, both Sweden and Norway were united under King Magnus VII.<ref name=larsen/>

In 1349, the ] radically altered Norway, killing between 50% and 60% of its population<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2197762&dopt=Abstract |title=The Black Death in Norway |publisher=Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov |date=3 December 2008 |accessdate=8 March 2009}}</ref> and leaving it in a period of social and economic decline.<ref name=enc>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/67758/Black-Death |title=Black Death (pandemic) |publisher=Britannica.com |accessdate=23 July 2011}}</ref> The plague left Norway very poor.<ref>Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'' p. 203.</ref> Although the death rate was comparable with the rest of Europe, economic recovery took much longer because of the small, scattered population.<ref name="enc"/> Before the plague, the population was only about 500,000 people.<ref name=end>pp. 202–203.</ref> After the plague, many farms lay idle while the population slowly increased.<ref name="enc"/>
] c. 1500 AD]]
The few surviving farms' tenants found their bargaining positions with their landlords greatly strengthened.<ref name=enc/>

King Magnus VII ruled Norway until 1350, when his son, Haakon, was placed on the throne as ].<ref name=autogenerated3>p. 195</ref> In 1363, Haakon VI married ], the daughter of King ].<ref name="enc"/> Upon the death of Haakon VI, in 1379, his son, ], was only 10 years old.<ref name="enc"/> Olaf had already been elected to the throne of Denmark on 3 May 1376.<ref name="enc"/> Thus, upon Olaf's accession to the throne of Norway, Denmark and Norway entered ].<ref name=autogenerated2>p. 197</ref> Olaf's mother and Haakon's widow, Queen Margaret, managed the foreign affairs of Denmark and Norway during the minority of Olaf IV.<ref name="enc"/>

Margaret was working toward a union of Sweden with Denmark and Norway by having Olaf elected to the Swedish throne. She was on the verge of achieving this goal when Olaf IV suddenly died.<ref name="enc"/> However, Denmark made Margaret temporary ruler upon the death of Olaf. On 2 February 1388 Norway followed suit and crowned Margaret.<ref name=enc/>

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 ], grandson of her sister. Thus at an all-Scandinavian meeting held at Kalmar, Erik of Pomerania was crowned king of all three Scandinavian countries. Thus, royal politics resulted in personal unions between the ], eventually bringing the thrones of Norway, ], and ] under the control of Queen Margaret when the country entered into the ].

=== Union with Denmark ===
{{Main|Denmark–Norway}}
] between an allied Dano-Norwegian–] fleet and the Swedish navy, 29 October 1658.]]
After Sweden broke out of the ] in 1521, Norway tried to follow suit, but the ensuing rebellion was defeated, and Norway remained in a union with Denmark until 1814, a total of 436 years. During the ] of the 19th century, this period was by some referred to as the "400-Year Night", since all of the kingdom's royal, intellectual, and administrative power was centred in ] in Denmark. In fact, it was a period of great prosperity and progress for Norway, especially in terms of shipping and foreign trade, and it also secured the country's revival from the demographic catastrophe it suffered in the ]. Based on the respective natural resources, Denmark–Norway was in fact a very good match, since Denmark supported Norway's needs for grain and food supplies, and Norway supplied Denmark with timber, metal, and fish.

With the ] in 1536, the archbishopric in Trondheim was dissolved, and Norway lost its independence, and effectually became a ] to Denmark. The Church's incomes and possessions were instead redirected to the court in Copenhagen. Norway lost the steady stream of pilgrims to the relics of ] at the ] 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 ], ], and ] to Sweden, as the result of a number of disastrous wars with Sweden. In the north, however, its territory was increased by the acquisition of the northern provinces of ] and ], at the expense of Sweden and Russia.

The ] of 1695–96 killed roughly 10% of Norway's population.<ref>"''''". Elizabeth Ewan, Janay Nugent (2008). ]. p.153. ISBN 0-7546-6049-4</ref> The harvest failed in Scandinavia at least nine times between 1740 and 1800, with great loss of life.<ref>"''''". Alan Macfarlane (1997). p.63. ISBN 0-631-18117-2</ref>

=== Union with Sweden ===
{{Main|Union between Sweden and Norway}}

]]]
After Denmark–Norway was attacked by the ] at the ], it entered into an alliance with ], with the war leading to dire conditions and mass ] in 1812. As the Danish kingdom found itself on the losing side in 1814, it was forced, under terms of the ], to cede Norway to the king of Sweden, while the old Norwegian provinces of Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands remained with the Danish crown.<ref>], 14 January 1814.</ref>

Norway took this opportunity to declare independence, adopted a constitution based on ] and ] models, and elected the Crown Prince of Denmark and Norway, ], as king on 17 May 1814. This is the famous ] (Seventeenth of May) holiday celebrated by Norwegians and Norwegian-Americans alike. ''Syttende Mai'' is also called ''Norwegian Constitution Day''.

Norwegian opposition to the great powers' decision to link Norway with Sweden caused the ] 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,<ref>{{cite book
| last = Nicolson
| first = Harold
| title = The Congress of Vienna; a study in allied unity, 1812–1822
| publisher = Constable & co. ltd
| year = 1946
| location =
| page =295|quote=The British Government sought to overcome this reluctance by assisting Russia in blockading the coast of Norway}}</ref> the belligerents were forced to negotiate the ]. According to the terms of the convention, Christian Frederik abdicated the Norwegian throne and authorised the ] to make the necessary constitutional amendments to allow for the ] that Norway was forced to accept. On 4 November 1814 the Parliament (Storting) elected ] as king of Norway, thereby establishing the ].<ref>Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'' p. 572.</ref> Under this arrangement, Norway kept its liberal constitution and its own independent institutions, except for the foreign service. Following the recession caused by the ], economic development of Norway remained slow until economic growth began around 1830.<ref>Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'' p. 423.</ref>
], c. 1890.<br/> ''(Photo: ]/Norwegian Museum of Cultural History)'']]
This period also saw the rise of the ], as Norwegians sought to define and express a distinct national character. The movement covered all branches of culture, including literature (] , ] , ] , ] ), painting (] , ] ), music (] ), and even language policy, where attempts to define a native written language for Norway led to today's two official written forms for Norwegian: ] and ].

], who came to the throne of Norway and Sweden in 1818, was the second king following Norway's break from Denmark and the union with Sweden. Charles John was a complex man whose long reign extended to 1844. He protected the constitution and liberties of Norway and Sweden during the age of ]. As such, he was regarded as a liberal monarch for that age. However, he was ruthless in his use of paid informers, the secret police and restrictions on the ] to put down public movements for reform—especially the Norwegian national independence movement.<ref>Franklin D. Scott, ''Sweden: the Nation's History'' (]: Minneapolis, 1977) p. 380.</ref>

The ] that followed the reign of King Charles III John brought some significant social and political reforms. In 1854, women won the right to inherit property in their own right just like men.<ref name="Larsen, p432">Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'' p. 432.</ref> In 1863, the last trace of keeping unmarried women in the status of minors was removed.<ref name="Larsen, p432"/> Furthermore, women were then eligible for different occupations, particularly the common school teacher.<ref name="Larsen, p432"/> However, by mid-century, Norway was still far from a "democracy". Voting was limited to officials, property owners, leaseholders, and burghers of incorporated towns.<ref>Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'', p. 431.</ref> There was some dissatisfaction with this system.{{Citation needed|date=May 2014}}

] (Lapp) family in Norway around 1900]]
Still 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."<ref>Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'', p. 412.</ref> There was no strong bourgeosie class in Norway to demand a breakdown of this aristocratic control of the economy.<ref name="Marx Engels">See "The Civil War in Switzerland" by Frederick Engels contained in Marx & Engels, ''Collected Works: Volume 6'' (International Publishers, New York, 1976) p. 368.</ref> Thus, even while revolution swept over most of the countries of Europe in 1848, Norway was largely unaffected by revolts that year.<ref name="Marx Engels"/> Indeed, the Thrane movement was the only "revolt" that broke out in Norway in 1848.{{Citation needed|date=May 2014}}

] was a Utopian socialist.<ref name="Larsen, p433">Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'' p. 433.</ref> He made his appeal to the labouring classes urging a change of social structure "from below upwards."<ref name="Larsen, p433"/> In 1848, he organised a labour society in ]. In just a few months this society had a membership of 500 and the society was publishing its own newspaper.<ref name="Larsen, p433"/> Within two years 300 societies had been organised all over Norway with a total membership of 20,000 persons.<ref name="Larsen, p433"/> The membership was drawn from the lower classes of both the town and country.<ref name="Larsen, p433"/> For the first time these two groups felt they had common cause with each other.<ref name="Larsen, p433"/> In the end, the revolt was easily crushed; Thrane was captured and sentenced to three years in jail for crimes against the safety of the state. Upon his release from jail, after serving his sentence, Marcus Thrane migrated to the United States.

In 1898, all men were granted ], followed by all ] in 1913.

=== Independence ===
{{Main|Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden}}

], a shipping magnate and statesman, and Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907, played a central role in the peaceful separation of Norway from Sweden on 7 June 1905. After a national referendum confirmed the people's preference for a monarchy over a republic, the Norwegian government offered the throne of Norway to Prince Carl of Denmark, and ] unanimously elected him king, the first king of a fully independent Norway in 586 years. He took the name of ], after the medieval kings of independent Norway.

=== World War I and II ===
{{See also|Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany|Free Norwegian Forces}}
] in 1940]]
During World War I, Norway was a neutral country. In reality, however, Norway had been pressured by the United Kingdom to hand over increasingly large parts of its massive merchant fleet to the UK at low rates, as well as to join the trade blockade against Germany. Norwegian merchant marine ships with Norwegian sailors were then required to sail under the British flag and risk being sunk by German submarines.<ref name="Larsen, p510">Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'' p. 510.</ref> Thus, many Norwegian sailors and ships were lost.<ref name="Larsen, p510"/> Thereafter, the world ranking of the Norwegian merchant marine fell from fourth place to sixth place in the world.<ref name="Larsen, p510"/>

Norway also proclaimed its neutrality during ], but Norway was ] on 9 April 1940. Although Norway was unprepared for the German surprise attack (see: ], ], and ]), military and naval resistance lasted for two months. The armed forces in the north launched an offensive against the German forces in the ], until they were forced to surrender on 10 June after losing British help diverted to France during the German ].

King Haakon and the Norwegian government escaped to ], in London, and they supported the fight through inspirational radio speeches from London and by supporting clandestine military actions in Norway against the Nazis. On the day of the invasion, the leader of the small National-Socialist party ], ], 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, ] ]. Quisling, as ''minister president'', later formed a ]. Up to 15,000 Norwegians volunteered to fight in German units, including the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nuav.net/volunter.html |title=Norwegian volunteers in the wehrmacht and SS |publisher=Nuav.net |date=9 April 1940 |accessdate=5 April 2010}}</ref>
]
The fraction of the Norwegian population that supported Germany was traditionally smaller than in Sweden but greater than is generally appreciated today. It included a number of prominent personalities such as ]. The concept of a "Germanic Union" of member states fit well into their thoroughly nationalist-patriotic ideology.

Many Norwegians and persons of Norwegian descent joined the Allied forces as well as the ]. In June 1940 a small group left Norway following the Norwegian king to the United Kingdom. It consisted of 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 Norwegian Navy, 5 squadrons of aircraft (including Spitfires, Sunderland flying boats and Mosquitos) in the newly formed Norwegian Air Force, and land forces including the ] and 5 Troop as well as No. 10 ].

During the five years of ], Norwegians built a ] which fought the German occupation forces with both civil disobedience and armed resistance including the destruction of ]'s ] plant and stockpile of heavy water at ], which crippled the German nuclear programme (see: '']''). More important to the ] war effort, however, was the role of the Norwegian ]. At the time of the ], Norway had the 4th largest merchant marine fleet in the world. It was led by the Norwegian shipping company ] under the Allies throughout the war and took part in every war operation from the ] to the ]. Each December Norway gives a ] to the ] as thanks for the British assistance during World War II. A ceremony takes place to erect the tree in London's ].<ref>{{dead link|date=February 2012}}, '']''.</ref>

=== Post-World War II history ===

From 1945 to 1962, the ] held an absolute majority in the parliament. The government, led by prime minister ], embarked on a programme inspired by ], emphasising state financed industrialisation and co-operation between ]s and ]s.
Many measures of state control of the economy imposed during the war were continued, although the ] of dairy products was lifted in 1949, while price control and rationing of housing and cars continued as long as until 1960.
]
The wartime alliance with the United Kingdom and the ] was 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 ] in 1948), and strengthened its foreign policy and defence policy ties with the US.
Norway received ] aid from the United States starting in 1947, joined the ] one year later, and became a founding member of the ] (NATO) in 1949.

In 1969, the ] discovered ] resources at the ] field west of Norway. In 1973, the Norwegian government founded the State oil company, ].
Oil production did not provide net income until the early 1980s because of the large capital investment that was required to establish the country's petroleum industry.

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 ] (EFTA).
Two ]s on joining the ] failed by narrow margins in 1972 and 1994.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20830201|title=Norwegian minister Espen Eide urges UK caution on quitting EU |date=23 December 2012 |work=] |accessdate=23 December 2012}}</ref>

], 25 July 2011]]
In 1981, a Conservative government led by ] replaced the Labour Party with a policy of stimulating the ] 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, ] of the Labour party, continued many of the reforms of her right-wing predecessor, while backing traditional Labour concerns such as ], high taxes, the industrialisation of nature, and feminism.
By the late 1990s, Norway had paid off its foreign debt and had started accumulating a ]. 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 ] conducted by ] which struck the ] in Oslo and a summer camp of the Labour party's ] at ] island, resulting in 77 deaths and 319 wounded. The ] brought a more conservative government to power with the ] and the ], winning 43% of the electorate's votes.

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

]]]

Norway comprises the western part of ] in ]. The rugged coastline, broken by huge ]s and thousands of ]s, stretches {{convert|25000|km}} and {{convert|83000|km}} and include fjords and islands. Norway shares a {{convert|1619|km|adj=on}} land border with ], {{convert|727|km}} with ], and {{convert|196|km}} with ] to the east. To the north, west and south, Norway is bordered by the ], the ], the ], and ].<ref name="factbook"/>

]]]
] in ], ]]]
], Norway, ]]
At {{convert|385252|km2}} (including ] and ]) (and {{convert|323802|km2}} without), much of the country is dominated by mountainous or high terrain, with a great variety of natural features caused by prehistoric ]s and varied ]. The most noticeable of these are the fjords: deep grooves cut into the land flooded by the sea following the end of the Ice Age. The longest is ]en at {{convert|204|km}}. Sognefjorden is the world's second deepest fjord, and the world's longest. ] is the deepest lake in all Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/00/minifakta_en/en/ |title=Minifacts about Norway 2009: 2. Geography, climate and environment |publisher=] |accessdate=25 October 2009 |authorlink=Statistics Norway}}</ref>
] can be found all year in the higher mountain areas and in the interior of Finnmark county. ] are found in Norway.

Norway lies between latitudes ] and ], and longitudes ] and ].

The land is mostly made of hard ] and ] rock, but ], ], and ] are also common, and the lowest elevations contain marine deposits. Because of the ] 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 ], while Svalbard has an ] ] climate.

Because of the large latitudinal range of the country and the varied topography and climate, Norway has a larger number of different ]s than almost any other European country. There are approximately 60,000 species in Norway and adjacent waters (excluding bacteria and virus). The Norwegian Shelf large marine ecosystem is considered highly productive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eoearth.org/article/Norwegian_Shelf_large_marine_ecosystem |title=Norwegian Shelf ecosystem |publisher=Eoearth.org |accessdate=30 May 2010}}</ref>

=== 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 ], and have lower rain and snow totals than the west. The lowlands around Oslo have the warmest and sunniest summers but also cold weather and ] in wintertime.

Because of Norway's high ], 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 (hence Norway's description as the "Land of the ]"), 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.

=== Biodiversity ===
]]]
The total number of species include 16,000 species of ]s (probably 4,000 more species yet to be described), 20,000 species of ], 1,800 species of ], 1,050 species of ]es, 2,800 species of ]s, up to 7,000 species of ], 450 species of ]s (250 species nesting in Norway), 90 species of ]s, 45 fresh-water species of fish, 150 salt-water species of fish, 1,000 species of fresh-water ]s, and 3,500 species of salt-water invertebrates.<ref>{{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 |accessdate=30 May 2010}}</ref> About 40,000 of these species have been described by science. The ] of 2010 encompasses 4,599 species.<ref name=red>{{dead link|date=February 2014}}. Artsdatabanken</ref>

Seventeen species are listed mainly because they are endangered on a global scale, such as the ], 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 areas of old-growth forests,<ref></ref> 36 bird species, and 16 species of mammals. In 2010, 2,398 species were listed as endangered or vulnerable; of these were 1250 listed as vulnerable (VU), 871 as endangered (EN), and 276 species as critically endangered (CR), among which were the ], the ] (healthy population on Svalbard) and the ].<ref name=red/>

The largest predator in Norwegian waters is the ], and the largest fish is the ]. The largest predator on land is the ], while the ] is the largest predator on the Norwegian mainland, where the Elk (known in North America as the ])is the largest animal.

=== Environment ===
Stunning and dramatic scenery and landscape is found throughout Norway.<ref>. huffingtonpost.com. 7 January 2014.</ref> The west coast of southern Norway and the coast of northern Norway present some of the most visually impressive coastal sceneries in the world. ] has listed the Norwegian fjords as the world's top tourist attraction.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/11/061115-heritage-sites_2.html |title=Best, Worst World Heritage Sites Ranked |work=] |first=Hope |last=Hamashige |accessdate=25 October 2009}}</ref> The 2012 ] put Norway in third place, based on the environmental performance of the country's policies.

<div class="center">
<gallery perrow="5">
File:Atnsjøen og Rondane 01.JPG|] in ], ]
File:Feigefossen Norway 2009.JPG|Feigefossen, ]
File:Muskus.jpg|] in the low ] at ]
File:islands of norway.jpg|Some of the larger ]s along the coastline of northern Norway
File:Orland6.jpg|Norway is mountainous, but there are also some flat areas like ], ], and ]et
</gallery>
</div>
] ] ]]
{{wideimage|LodalenPano.jpg|688px|A road on the ]}}

{{-}}

== Politics and government ==
{{Main|Politics of Norway|Law of Norway}}
{{See also|Norwegian parliamentary election, 2013}}
] of Norway in ]]]
], the ] since 1991]]
].]]
], the ] 2013-]]
According to the ], which was adopted on 17 May 1814<ref name="Constitution">{{cite web |url= http://www.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 |accessdate=9 September 2011}}</ref> and inspired by the ] and ] of 1776 and 1789, respectively, Norway is a ] ] with a ] of government, wherein the ] is the ] and the ] is the ]. 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 ] officially retains executive power. However, following the introduction of a parliamentary system of government, the duties of the Monarch have since become strictly representative and ceremonial,<ref>{{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 |accessdate=24 April 2009}}</ref> such as the formal appointment and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other ministers in the executive government. Accordingly, the Monarch is ] of the ], and serves as chief diplomatic official abroad and as a symbol of unity. ] of the ] was crowned King of Norway in 1991, the first since the 14th century who has been born in the country.<ref name="norway.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/monarchy/ |title=The Monarchy |publisher=Norway.org |date=24 June 2010 |accessdate=12 December 2011}}{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref> ], is the legal and rightful heir to the throne and the Kingdom.

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 ] body.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/storting/ |title=The Storting |publisher=Norway.org |date=10 June 2009 |accessdate=27 January 2010}}{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref> Norway is fundamentally structured as a ]. The Parliament can pass a law by simple majority of the 169 representatives, who are elected on the basis of ] from 19 constituencies for four-year terms.

150 are elected directly from the 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.<ref name="Election threshold">{{cite web |url= http://www.parties-and-elections.de/norway.html |title=Parties and Elections in Europe |first=Wolfram|last=Nordsieck|work=parties-and-elections.de |year=2011 |quote=Storting, 4-year term, 4% threshold (supplementary seats)|accessdate=10 September 2011}}{{dead link|date=August 2013}}</ref> There are a total of 169 ].

The Parliament of Norway, called the '']'' (meaning Grand Assembly), ratifies national ] developed by the executive branch. It can ] 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 ], Norway's head of government, is allocated to the Member of Parliament who can obtain the ] of a majority in Parliament, usually the current leader of the largest political party or, more effectively, through a coalition of parties. A single party generally does not have sufficient political power in terms of the number of seats to form a government on its own. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/government/ |title=The Government |publisher=Norway.org |date=10 June 2009|accessdate=27 January 2010}}{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref> Reflecting its monarchical past, Norway was established under the ], and it continues as the state church. To form a government, the PM must have more than half the members of Cabinet be members of the Church of Norway. Currently, this means at least ten out of the 19 ministries. The issue of ] in Norway has been increasingly controversial, as many people believe it is time to change this, to reflect the growing diversity in the population.

Through the ], a ] presided over by the Monarch, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet meet at the ] and formally consult the Monarch. All government bills need the formal approval by the Monarch before and after introduction to Parliament. The Council reviews and approves all of the Monarch's actions as head of state. Although all government and parliamentary acts are decided beforehand, the privy council is an example of symbolic gesture the King retains.<ref name="norway.org"/>

Members of the Storting are directly elected from ]s ] in nineteen ] constituencies in a national ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/general/|title=Form of Government |publisher=Norway.org |date=10 September 2009 |accessdate=27 January 2010}}{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref> Historically, both the ] and ] have played leading political roles. In the early 21st century, the Labour Party has been in power since the ], in a ] with the ] and the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.123independenceday.com/norway/political-system.html |title=Political System of Norway |publisher=123independenceday.com |accessdate=27 January 2010}}</ref>

Since 2005, both the Conservative Party and the ] have won numerous seats in the Parliament, but not sufficient in the ] to overthrow the coalition. Commentators have pointed to the poor co-operation between the opposition parties, including the ] and the ]. ], the leader of the Labour Party, continues to have the necessary majority through his multi-party alliance to continue as PM.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/|title=Political System |publisher=Norway.org |date=18 November 2009 |accessdate=27 January 2010}}{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref>

In national elections in September 2013, voters ended eight years of Labor rule. Two political parties, ] and ], elected on promises of tax cuts, more spending on infrastructure and education, better services and stricter rules on ], formed a government. Coming at a time when Norway's economy is in good condition with low unemployment, the rise of the right appeared to be based on other issues. ] became prime minister, the second female prime minister after ] and the first conservative prime minister since ]. Solberg said her win was "a historic election victory for the right-wing parties".<ref>{{cite web|author=Lars Bevanger |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24014551 |title=Norway election: Erna Solberg to form new government |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=10 September 2013 |accessdate=15 February 2014}}</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Norway|Counties of Norway|Municipalities of Norway|List of towns and cities in Norway|Dependencies of Norway}}
Norway, a ], is divided into nineteen first-level administrative ] (''fylker''). The counties are administrated through directly elected county assemblies who elect the County Governor. Additionally, the ] and government are represented in every county by a ], who effectively acts as a ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/local/ |title=Local Government |publisher=Norway.org |date=10 June 2009 |accessdate=27 January 2010}}{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref> As such, the Government is directly represented at a local level through the County Governors' offices. The counties are then sub-divided into 430 second-level ] (''kommuner''), which in turn are administrated by directly elected municipal council, headed by a ] and a small executive cabinet. The capital of ] is considered both a county and a municipality. Norway has two integral overseas territories: ] and ], the only developed island in the archipelago of the same name, located miles away to the north. There are three ] and ] ]: ], ] and ].

96 settlements have ] status in Norway. In most cases, the city borders are coterminous with the borders of their respective municipalities. Often, Norwegian city municipalities include large areas that are not developed; for example, Oslo municipality contains large forests, located north and south-east of the city, and over half of Bergen municipality consists of mountainous areas.

], the ] (Spitsbergen) and ] islands, which are part of the Norwegian kingdom]]

The counties of Norway are:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | County (fylke)
! scope="col" | Administrative centre
! scope="col" | Most populous municipality
! scope="col" | Region
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Østfold}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Akershus}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Oslo}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Hedmark}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Oppland}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Buskerud}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Vestfold}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Telemark}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Aust-Agder}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Vest-Agder}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Rogaland}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Hordaland}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Sogn og Fjordane}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Møre og Romsdal}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Sør-Trøndelag}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Nord-Trøndelag}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Nordland}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Troms}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Finnmark}}
| ]
| ]
| ]
|}<references group="n"/>

=== Judicial system and law enforcement ===
{{main|Judiciary of Norway}}

Norway uses a ] where laws are created and amended in Parliament and the system regulated through the ]. It consists of the ] of 19 permanent judges and a ], ]s, city and ]s, and ].<ref name="norway">{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/society/political/judiciary/|title=The Judiciary |publisher=Norway.org |date=10 June 2009 |accessdate=27 January 2010}}{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref> 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 in the Council of State. Usually, judges attached to regular courts are formally appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The Courts' strict and formal mission is to regulate the Norwegian judicial system, interpret the Constitution, and as such 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.<ref name="norway" />

The ] by the ]. It is a Unified National Police Service made up of 27 Police Districts and several specialist agencies, such as ], known as ''Økokrim''; and the ], each headed by a chief of police. The Police Service is headed by the ], 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 ], whose head answers directly to the Ministry of Justice and the Police.

Norway abolished the death penalty for regular criminal acts in 1902. The legislature abolished the death penalty for high treason in war and war-crimes in 1979. ], in its 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, ranked Norway at a shared first place (along with Iceland) out of 169 countries.<ref>, Reporters Without Borders.{{en icon}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Global Corruption Barometer 2013-Norway|url=http://www.transparency.org/gcb2013/country/?country=norway|work=Transparency International|publisher=Transparency International|accessdate=17 November 2013}}</ref> Norway has ratified all relevant international anti-corruption conventions, and its standards of implementation and enforcement of anti-corruption legislation are considered very high by many international anti-corruption working groups such as the OECD Anti-Bribery Working Group.<ref>{{cite web|title=PHASE 3 REPORT ON IMPLEMENTING THE OECD ANTI-BRIBERY CONVENTION IN NORWAY|url=http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/media/3831685/OECDphase3reportEN.pdf|work=The OECD Anti-Bribery Working Group|publisher=The OECD Anti-Bribery Working Group|accessdate=17 November 2013}}</ref> Økokrim has proven to be an efficient, professional and independent unit with a strong capacity to investigate and prosecute corruption in Norway and abroad. However, there are some isolated cases showing that some municipalities have abused their position in public procurement processes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Snapshot of the Norway Country Profile|url=http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/europe-central-asia/norway/snapshot.aspx|work=Business Anti-Corruption Portal|publisher=GAN Integrity Solutions|accessdate=17 November 2013}}</ref>

=== Foreign relations ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Norway}}
{{See also|Norway and the European Union|Whaling in Norway}}

] ]]]

Norway maintains embassies in 86 countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/ud/dok/veiledninger/2005/Norges-utenriksstasjoner.html?id=88166&epslanguage=NO |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080206092107/http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/ud/dok/veiledninger/2005/Norges-utenriksstasjoner.html?id=88166&epslanguage=NO |archivedate=6 February 2008 |title=List of Norwegian embassies at the website of the Norwegian ministry of foreign affairs |publisher=Web.archive.org |date=6 February 2008 |accessdate=12 October 2013}}</ref> 60 countries maintain an embassy in Norway, all of them in the capital, Oslo.

Norway is a founding member of the ] (UN), the ] (NATO), the ] 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 referenda in 1972 and 1994.

After the 1994 referendum, Norway maintained its membership in the European Economic Area (EEA), an arrangement granting the country access to the ] of the Union, on the condition that Norway implements those of the Union's pieces of legislation which are deemed relevant (of which there were approximately seven thousand by 2010)<ref>{{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 |accessdate=29 August 2010}}{{dead link|date=August 2013}}</ref> 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 ], the ], and the ], as well as 19 separate programmes.<ref>{{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 |accessdate=29 August 2010}}</ref>

Norway contributes to ]. In addition, it participated in the 1990s brokering of the ], an attempt to resolve the ]. These were unsuccessful.

=== Military ===
{{Main|Norwegian Armed Forces}}
] tanks in the snow in ]]]

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 ] (including 6–12 months of training);<ref name=NDFnumbers>{{cite web |url=http://www.mil.no/languages/english/start/facts/article.jhtml?articleID=32061 |title= NDF official numbers |publisher=NDF |accessdate=22 April 2009}}</ref> in 2013, the country became the first in Europe and NATO to draft women as well as men. However, due to less need for conscipts after the ] ended with the break-up of the Soviet Union, few people have to serve if they are not motivated.<ref>Gwladys Fouche and Balazs Koranyi (14 June 2013): , ]. Retrieved 15 June 2013.</ref> The Armed Forces are subordinate to the ]. The Commander-in-Chief is ]. The military of Norway is divided into the following branches: the ], the ], the ], the ] and the ].

In response to its being overrun by Germany in 1940, the country was one of the founding nations of the ] (NATO) on 4 April 1949. At present, Norway contributes in the ] (ISAF) in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mil.no/languages/english/start/general/ |title=Forsvarsnett: Norwegian forces abroad |accessdate=2 September 2008|publisher=www.mil.no}}</ref> Additionally, Norway has contributed in several missions in contexts of the United Nations, NATO, and the ] of the European Union.

{{-}}

== Health==
{{merge to|section=yes|Health in Norway|date=December 2014}}
{{Main|Health in Norway}}

Norway was awarded first place according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI) for 2013.<ref>{{cite book|last1=United Nations|title=Human Development Report 2013|publisher=United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).|isbn=978-92-1-126340-4}}</ref> Poverty and infectious diseases dominated in Norway together with famines, and epidemics in the 1800s. 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 today.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014">{{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|publisher=Folkehelseinstituttet|accessdate=2014-09-02|year=2014}}</ref>

=== Infant mortality ===

In Asker and Bærum infant mortality was 40 percent of all livebirths in 1809.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Fure|first1=E|title=Spedbarnsdødeligheten i Asker og Bærum på 1700- og 1800 tallet|journal=Tidsskr Nor Lægeforen|date=2005|volume=125: 3468-71}}</ref> In 1900, infant mortality was higher in Norway than in any other European country.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/> However, development of the welfare state in the 1900s contributed to the decrease in infant mortality rates and it has kept them at low numbers since. This can be attributed to better nutrition and living conditions, better education and economy, and better treatment possibilities and preventive health care, especially immunization.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/>
The infant mortality rate increased again in the 1970s due to ] (SIDS). SIDS was earlier unknown, and the increase was dramatic. The trend was reversed when Norwegian parents were encouraged to lay their children on their backs when sleeping.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/>

=== Population ===

At the beginning of the 18th century the total population was just under 1 million; it doubled within the next hundred years even though many had emigrated. Life expectancy in 1846 was about 50 years for women and 47 years for men.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bævre|first1=K|title=Levealderen i Norge - Folkehelserapporten 2014|url=http://www.fhi.no/artikler/?id=110610|publisher=Folkehelseinstituttet|accessdate=2014-09-07|year=2014}}</ref> At the beginning of the 1900s the population was 2,2 million and it doubled again, increasing to about 4,5 million by the start of the new millennium when 15% of the country’s population lived in Oslo and Akershus. During industrialization many people migrated from the countryside to the cities for work. Norway changed from a peasant society to an industrial one; the workforce in agriculture, forestry and fishing declined while the percentage affiliated with industry increased.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/>

=== Discovery of microbes ===

In the late 1800s microbes were discovered and the prevention of diseases became possible. Until this time, the spreading of infections had only been debated. With new discoveries within the field and greater understanding on how bacteria and viruses transfer and spread among humans, it was possible to make significant changes in the treatment and care of patients. One example was to isolate people with leprosy and tuberculosis in order to stop these diseases from spreading to other people.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/>

=== Antibiotics and vaccines ===

The first antibiotic, ], was introduced in the 1940s. These antibiotics were very powerful tools in preventing and treating childhood diseases. In the 1800 and 1900s many vaccines were developed and the childhood vaccination program grew rapidly. Norway gained control over almost all of the feared childhood diseases. Vaccines against measles (]) were introduced to the childhood immunization program in 1978. Rubella is dangerous to the fetus if the mother is affected during pregnancy. Today, all children are offered free vaccines which are voluntary. The coverage for most vaccines is high.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/>

=== HIV/AIDS ===

In the early 1980s ] surfaced as an unknown disease. Norway was early in preventing the transmission of HIV/AIDS in high-risk groups through the implementation of information campaigns. The ] was later discovered and HIV tests became available from 1985.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/>

=== Cardiovascular diseases ===

Incidences of tuberculosis became fewer and an increase in cases and mortality of chronic diseases appeared, especially ]s. Tobacco is one of the most important causes of cardiovascular disease. During World War II, tobacco use in Norway was limited because of strict rationing. After the war, sale of tobacco bloomed and so did the implications from consuming it. In the late 1900s, chronic diseases dominated and because of increased life expectancy, people live longer with these chronic diseases. Around the turn of the ], new treatment and prevention for cardiovascular diseases ensured a decrease in mortality, however, these diseases are still one of the country's greatest public challenges.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/>
]s, a new concept from the second half of the 1900s is a public challenge in Norway. Tobacco use and increases in ] levels show a strong correlation to higher risk of cardiovascular disease.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/>

=== Today’s health status as of 2014 ===

==== New challenges ====
A wealthy economy makes it possible to buy tobacco, fast food, sweet drinks, and sweets that few people had access to or could afford until after 1950. These days many people have desk jobs, cars, less demanding housework as well as indoor plumbing. Physical activity is decreasing; electronics, computers, social media, and the internet demand more of daily life. Drugs have also become more available in society. New living conditions such as these give rise to new challenges for public health.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/> Only 30 percent of adults in Norway follow the common advice to be physically active for 150 minutes per week.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Owe|first1=KM|last2=Mykletun|first2=A|last3=Nystad|first3=W|last4=Forsen|first4=L|title=Fysisk aktivitet - Folkehelserapporten 2014|url=http://www.fhi.no/artikler/?id=110551|publisher=Folkehelseinstituttet|accessdate=2014-09-03|year=2014}}</ref> Reduced physical activity increases the risk for overweight and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. In Norway, as many as one in five adults are believed to be overweight or obese.<ref name="Folkehelseinstituttet">{{cite web|last1=Folkehelseinstituttet|title=For lite fysisk aktivitet - en av Norges største helseutfordringer|url=http://www.fhi.no/artikler/?id=89311|publisher=Folkehelseinstituttet|accessdate=2014-09-07|year=2011}}</ref>

==== Non-communicable diseases ====
The most dominant diseases in Norway in the 21st century are cardiovascular diseases, cancer, ] (COPD), and ]. Technological progress and development within medical treatment have since the 1970s have had a huge impact on survival, especially from cardiovascular diseases.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/> Elders suffer from disabilities and chronic diseases such as cancer, dementia, and ] disorders. The elderly often have multiple diseases simultaneously, which together affect functional capacity, quality of life, and mental health.<ref name="Folkehelse i Norge 1814 - 2014"/> Norway has an aging population, which means that in some decades a higher percentage of the population will be older than it is today. However, elders today are living longer with better health and better functioning than before.<ref name="Folkehelseinstituttet"/>
In Norway today, the municipalities have greater health responsibilities than earlier. Health promotion and prevention from birth to elderly in the municipalities is important factors for improved public health.

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Norway|Energy in Norway|European Economic Area}}
]
]
Norwegians enjoy the second-highest ] (after ]) and fourth-highest ] in the world. Today, Norway ranks as the second-wealthiest country in the world in monetary value, with the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation.<ref>Baltais, Simon. "Environment And Economy: Can They Co-Exist In The "Smart State"?," ''Issues'' 91 (2010): 21–24. ''Education Research Complete.'' Web. 18 September 2012.</ref> According to the CIA World Factbook, Norway is a net external creditor of debt.<ref name="factbook"/> Norway maintained first place in the world in the ] ] (HDI) for six consecutive years (2001–2006),<ref name="HDI"/> and then reclaimed this position in 2009, through 2014.<ref name="HDI2"/> The standard of living in Norway is among the highest in the world. ] ranks Norway last in its ] for 2009, judging Norway to be the world's most well-functioning and stable country. Based on continued oil and gas exports, coupled with a healthy economy and substantial accumulated wealth, Norway is expected to continue as among the richest countries in the world in the foreseeable future.

The Norwegian economy is an example of a ], a prosperous capitalist ] and social democracy country featuring a combination of ] activity and large state ownership in certain key sectors. Public health care is free (above a certain level), and parents have 46 weeks paid<ref>{{cite web|url=http://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 |accessdate=18 April 2011}}</ref> parental leave. The state income derived from natural resources includes a significant contribution from petroleum production. Norway has a very low unemployment rate, currently 2.6%.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Kari Vartdal Riise |author2=Cecilie Langum Becker |url=http://www.dn.no/forsiden/borsMarked/article2461528.ece |title=Norge i særstilling |publisher=DN.no |language=Norwegian |date=31 August 2012 |accessdate=22 September 2012}}</ref> 69% of the population aged 15–74 are employed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssb.no/en/arbeid-og-lonn/statistikker/aku |title=Labour force survey - SSB |publisher=Ssb.no |date=29 January 2014 |accessdate=15 February 2014}}</ref> Persons in the labour force are either employed or unemployed. The remaining group of persons is labelled not in the labour force.<ref>{{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 - SSB |publisher=Ssb.no |date=30 October 2013 |accessdate=15 February 2014}}</ref> 9.5% of the population aged 18–66 is receiving disability pension<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssb.no/a/english/aarbok/tab/tab-144.html |title=Statistical Yearbook of Norway 2013, Table 144: National Insurance. Disability pension, by county. 31 December 2012 |publisher=Ssb.no |date=31 December 2012 |accessdate=15 February 2014}}</ref> and 30% of the labour force are employed by the government, the highest in the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/norge/tertiar/ |title=Dette er Norge |publisher=] |language=Norwegian |accessdate=2 January 2013}}</ref> The hourly productivity levels, as well as average hourly wages in Norway, are among the highest in the world.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref> United States Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 December 2011. Web. 18 September 2012.</ref>

The ] 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.<ref>{{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 |accessdate=20 June 2013}}</ref> This is also evident in ].

The state has large ownership positions in key industrial sectors, such as the strategic ] sector (] and ]), hydroelectric energy production (]), aluminium production (]), the largest Norwegian bank (]), and telecommunication provider (]). Through these big companies, the government controls approximately 30% of the stock values at the Oslo Stock Exchange. When non-listed companies are included, the state has even higher share in ownership (mainly from direct oil license ownership). Norway is a major ] nation and has the world's 6th largest ], with 1,412 Norwegian-owned merchant vessels.

By referendums in 1972 and ], Norwegians rejected proposals to join the European Union (EU). However, Norway, together with ] and ], 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"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lovdata.no/all/nl-19921127-109.html |title=EØS-loven&nbsp;— EØSl. Lov om gjennomføring i norsk rett av hoveddelen i avtale om Det europeiske økonomiske samarbeidsområde (EØS) m.v. (EØS-loven) |publisher=Lovdata.no |accessdate=14 February 2009}}</ref>– 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 ] and several other intergovernmental agreements among the EU member states.

The country is richly endowed with natural resources including ], ], ], ], and ]s. Large reserves of petroleum and ] were discovered in the 1960s, which led to a boom in the economy. 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. In 2011, 28% of state revenues were generated from the petroleum industry.<ref>"," U.S. Department of State</ref>

=== Resources ===
])]]
] (])]]
] has been exported from ] in Norway for at least 1,000 years]]
Export revenues from oil and gas have risen to almost 50% of total exports and constitute more than 20% of the ].<ref>{{cite book |publisher=] |url=http://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/artikler-og-publikasjoner/this-is-norway/ |title=This is Norway |chapter=Secondary Industries |page=40 |date=15 March 2009 |accessdate=24 March 2013}}</ref> Norway is the fifth-largest oil exporter and third-largest gas exporter in the world, but it is not a member of ]. In 1995 the Norwegian government established the sovereign wealth fund (]), which would be funded with oil revenues, including taxes, dividends, sales revenues and licensing fees. This was intended to reduce overheating in the economy from oil revenues, minimise uncertainty from volatility in oil price, and provide a cushion to compensate for expenses associated with the ageing of the population.

The government controls its petroleum resources through a combination of state ownership in major operators in the oil fields (with approximately 62% ownership in ] in 2007) and the fully state-owned ], which has a market value of about twice Statoil, and ]. Finally, the government controls licensing of exploration and production of fields. The fund invests in developed financial markets outside Norway. The budgetary rule (''Handlingsregelen'') is to spend no more than 4% of the fund each year (assumed to be the normal yield from the fund).

In August 2014, the Government Pension Fund controlled assets were valued at approximately US$870 billion (equal to US$173,000 per capita) which is about 174% of Norway's current GDP. It is the largest{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} sovereign wealth fund in the world. Conservative estimates project that the fund may reach US$800–900 billion by 2017. Projections indicate that the Norwegian pension fund may become{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} the largest capital fund in the world. The fund controls about 1.3% of all listed shares in Europe and more than 1% of all the publicly traded shares in the world. The Norwegian Central Bank operates investment offices in London, New York and Shanghai. Guidelines implemented in 2007 allow the fund to invest up to 60% of the capital in shares (maximum of 40% prior), while the rest may be placed in bonds and real-estate. As the stock markets tumbled in September 2008, the fund was able to buy more shares at low prices. In this way, the losses incurred by the market turmoil was recuperated by November 2009.

Other nations with economies based on natural resources, such as ], are trying to learn from Norway by establishing similar funds. The investment choices of the Norwegian fund are directed by ]; for example, the fund is not allowed to invest in companies that produce parts for nuclear weapons. Norway's highly ] investment scheme is lauded by the international community.

The future size of the fund is closely linked to the price of oil and to developments in international financial markets. The Norwegian trade surplus for 2008 reached approximately US$80 billion. With an enormous amount of cash invested in international financial markets, Norway had the financial muscle to avert many of the worst effects of the financial crisis that hit most countries in the fall of 2008. As most western countries struggle with burgeoning foreign debt, Norway remains a nation of stowed-away wealth, financial stability, and economic power. In spite of the crisis, Norway in 2009 still had a 9% state budget surplus, and was the only western country to run a surplus as of July of that year.

In 2000, the government sold one-third of the state-owned oil company Statoil in an ]. The next year, the main telecom supplier, ], was listed on ]. The state also owns significant shares of Norway's largest bank, ] and the airline ]. Since 2000, ] has been rapid, pushing unemployment down to levels not seen since the early 1980s (unemployment in 2007: 1.3%). The international financial crisis has primarily affected the industrial sector, but unemployment has remained low and was at 3.3% (86 000 people) in August 2011. In contrast to Norway, ] had substantially higher actual and projected unemployment numbers as a result of the recession. In the 1st quarter of 2009, the GNP of Norway surpassed Sweden's for the first time in history, although its population is half the size.

Norway is also the world's 2nd-largest exporter of fish (in value, after China).<ref name="GGT">{{cite web|url=http://www.globefish.org/filedownload.php?fileId=560 |title=FAO Globefish global trends 2006 |accessdate=8 March 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> It is the 6th-largest arms exporter in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dagbladet.no/2011/01/28/nyheter/industri/politikk/arbeidsliv/arbeiderpartiet/15228276/ |title=Mener Norge bør satse på våpen når oljen tar slutt – nyheter |publisher=Dagbladet.no |date=28 January 2011 |accessdate=7 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/artikkel.php?artid=10037949 |title=Mener Norge bør satse på våpen når oljen tar slutt – VG Nett om Stoltenberg-regjeringen |publisher=Vg.no |accessdate=7 March 2011}}</ref> ] generate roughly 98–99% of Norway's electric power, more than any other country in the world.<ref>{{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. |work=] |accessdate=30 January 2009 |date=22 January 2009}}</ref>

==== Oil fields ====
{{external media
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From 1966 to 2013, Norway companies have drilled 5085 ]s, mostly in the ].<ref name=NorwegianSectorOnly?4053wells>{{cite news|newspaper=Aftenposten|date=5 August 2013|author=]|quote=|page=5}}</ref> 3672 are ''utviklingsbrønner'' (regular production);<ref name="NorwegianSectorOnly?4053wells"/> 1413 are ''letebrønner'' (exploration); and 1405 of these have been terminated (''avsluttet'').<ref name="NorwegianSectorOnly?4053wells"/>

Oil fields not yet in production phase include: ]—calculated size in 2013, 65-156 million barrels of oil and 10-40 billion cubic feet,
(''utvinnbar'') of gas.<ref name=WistingCentral>{{cite web|author=Anne Lindeberg ,&nbsp; TDN Finans |url=http://www.dn.no/energi/article2677091.ece |title=Her er Norges nye oljeprovins |publisher=Dn.no |date= |accessdate=12 October 2013}}</ref> and the ] (''Castberg-feltet''<ref name="WistingCentral"/>)—calculated size 540 million barrels of oil, and 2-7 billion cubic meters (''utvinnbar'') of gas.<ref name=Castberg-feltet>{{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 |accessdate=12 October 2013}}</ref> Both oil fields are located in the ].

=== Transport ===
{{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 ] is less developed than in many European countries, especially outside the major cities. The country has longstanding ] traditions, but the ] has in recent years implemented ], ] and ] through numerous subsidiaries to develop the country's infrastructure.<ref>Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communication, 2003: 3</ref> Under discussion is development of a new high-speed rail system between the nation's largest cities.<ref>{{cite web|author=Norway |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 |accessdate=23 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=no&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aftenposten.no%2Fnyheter%2Firiks%2Farticle4053578.ece&act=url |title=The vast majority said yes (high-speed trains), thanks to lyntog |publisher=Translate.google.com |accessdate=23 July 2011}}</ref>

] highway in ]]]

Norway's main railway network consists of {{convert|4114|km|mi}} of ] lines, of which {{convert|242|km|mi}} is ] and {{convert|64|km|mi}} ] (210&nbsp;km/h) while 62% is electrified at {{15 kV AC}}. The railways transported 56,827,000 passengers 2,956 million ]s and 24,783,000 tonnes of cargo 3,414 million ]s.<ref>Norwegian National Rail Administration, 2008: 4</ref> The entire network is owned by the ].<ref name=jbvabout>{{cite web|url=http://www.jernbaneverket.no/english/about/ |title=About |author=Norwegian National Rail Administration |accessdate=15 July 2008| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071216163520/http://www.jernbaneverket.no/english/about/| archivedate=16 December 2007}}</ref> All domestic passenger trains except the ] are operated by ] (NSB).<ref>Norwegian National Rail Administration, 2008: 13</ref> Several companies operate freight trains.<ref>Norwegian National Rail Administration, 2008: 16</ref>

Investment in new infrastructure and maintenance is financed through the ],<ref name=jbvabout/> and subsidies are provided for passenger train operations.<ref name=minpt>{{cite web |url=http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/sd/tema/kollektivtransport.html?id=1387 |title=Kollektivtransport |author=Norwegian Ministry of Transport |accessdate=15 July 2008 |language=Norwegian}}</ref> NSB operates long-haul trains, including ], regional services and four ] systems, around ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nsb.no/about_nsb/train_facts/ |title=Train facts |author=Norges Statsbaner |accessdate=15 July 2008| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080612161348/http://www.nsb.no/about_nsb/train_facts/| archivedate =12 June 2008 |authorlink=Norwegian State Railways}}</ref>

] and ] aircraft at ]]]

Norway has approximately {{convert|92946|km|mi}} of ] network, of which {{convert|72033|km|mi}} are paved and {{convert|664|km|mi}} are ].<ref name="factbook"/> The four tiers of road routes are national, county, municipal and private, with only the national roads numbered en route. The most important national routes are part of the ] scheme. The two most prominent are the ] going north-south through the entire country, and the ], which follows the West Coast. National and county roads are managed by the ].<ref>Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, 2003: 15</ref>

Norway has the world's largest registered stock of ], with ] recognized as the EV capital of the world.<ref name=NorwayLargest>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/electric-cars-take-off-in-norway-2284439.html|title=Electric cars take off in Norway|author=]|work=]|date=2011-05-15|accessdate=2011-10-09}}</ref><ref name=AVERE>{{cite web|url=http://www.avere.org/www/newsMgr.php?action=view&frmNewsId=611&section=&type=&SGLSESSID=tqiice0pmjdclt7l4q0s3s1o27|title=Norwegian Parliament extends electric car initiatives until 2018|author=European Association for Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (AVERE)|publisher=AVERE|date=2012-09-03|accessdate=2013-04-10}}</ref><ref name=NorwaySales2011>{{cite web|url=http://gronnbil.no/nyheter/eventyrlig-elbilsalg-i-2011-article218-239.html|title=Eventyrlig elbilsalg i 2011|trans_title = Adventurous electric vehicle sales in 2011|author=Ole Henrik Hannisdahl|publisher=Grønn bil|date=2012-01-09|accessdate=2012-01-14|language=Norwegian}} ''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.''</ref> In March 2014, Norway became the first country where over 1 in every 100 passenger cars on the roads is a plug-in electric.<ref name=NorwayEVSales032014>{{cite web|url=http://www.gronnbil.no/nyheter/elbilsalget-i-mars-slo-alle-rekorder-article380-239.html|title=Elbilsalget i mars slo alle rekorder|language=Norwegian|trans_title =Electric vehicle sales in March broke all records|author=Staff|publisher=Grønn bil|date=2014-04-02|accessdate=2014-04-03}}</ref> The plug-in electric segment ] of new car sales is also the highest in the world.<ref name=Top6Global2013>{{cite web|url=http://www.hybridcars.com/top-6-plug-in-car-adopting-countries/|title=Top 6 Plug-In Vehicle Adopting Countries|author=Jeff Cobb|publisher=HybridCars.com|date=2014-01-16|accessdate=2015-01-28}}</ref>

Of the 97 airports in Norway,<ref name="factbook"/> 52 are public,<ref name=avinorpassengers>{{cite web |url=http://www.avinor.no/tridionimages/2007%20Passasjerer_tcm181-51564.xls |title=2007 Passasjerer |author=Avinor |year=2008 |accessdate=15 July 2008|language=Norwegian}}</ref> and 46 are operated by the state-owned ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avinor.no/en/avinor/aboutavinor |title=About Avinor |author=Avinor |accessdate=15 July 2008 |authorlink=Avinor}}</ref> ] have more than one million passengers annually.<ref name=avinorpassengers/> 41,089,675 passengers passed through Norwegian airports in 2007, of which 13,397,458 were international.<ref name=avinorpassengers/>

The central gateway to Norway by air is ].<ref name=avinorpassengers/> Located about {{convert|35|km|mi}} northeast of Oslo, it is ] for the two major Norwegian ]s: ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sas.no/no/Misc/Service_Links_Container/Rutekart/ |title=Rutekart |author=Scandinavian Airlines System |accessdate=15 July 2008 |authorlink=Scandinavian Airlines}}</ref> and ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ip.norwegian.no/ip/RouteMapAction.aspx?app_language=en-GB |title=Route Map |author=Norwegian Air Shuttle |accessdate=15 July 2008|authorlink=Norwegian Air Shuttle}}{{dead link|date=February 2014}}</ref> and for regional aircraft from Western Norway.<ref name=wideroemap>{{cite web |url=http://www.wideroe.no/modules/module_123/proxy.asp?D=2&C=642&I=4274&language=NO |title=Våre destinasjoner |author=Widerøe |accessdate=15 July 2008 |authorlink=Widerøe}}{{dead link|date=July 2011}}</ref>
There are departures to most European countries and some intercontinental destinations.<ref>{{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 |accessdate=15 July 2008 |authorlink=Oslo Airport, Gardermoen}}</ref><ref>{{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 |accessdate=15 July 2008 |authorlink=Oslo Airport, Gardermoen}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Norway}}
]
{{Historical populations
|footnote = '''Source''': .<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssb.no/emner/02/02/folkendrhist/tabeller/tab/00.html |title=Tabell 0 Hele landet. Folkemengde 1. januar og endringer i året. 1951 |language=Norwegian |publisher=] |accessdate=27 January 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/02/03/folkfram_en/arkiv/tab-2010-06-15-01-en.html |title=Population 1 January. Registered 2010. Projected 2011–2060 in fourteen variants. 1 000 |publisher=] |accessdate=27 January 2010}}{{dead link|date=August 2013}}</ref>
|shading = off
|1500|140000
|1665|440000
|1735|616109
|1801|883603
|1855|1490047
|1900|2240032
|1950|3278546
|2000|4478497
|2010|4858199
|2013|5096300
|2060?|7032687
}}

Norway's population was 5,096,300 people in October 2013. ] are an ethnic North ] people. Since the late 20th century, Norway has attracted numerous immigrants from southern and central Europe, the Mideast, Africa and Asia. All of these groups speak many different languages and come from different cultures and religions.

As of 2013, an official study shows that 86%<ref name="ssb.no">{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref> of the total population have at least one parent who was born in Norway. More than 710,000 individuals (14%)<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|author=Questions about immigrant-related statistics |url=http://www.ssb.no/en/innvandring-og-innvandrere/nokkeltall |title=Key figures Immigration and immigrants - SSB |publisher=Ssb.no |date=20 June 2013 |accessdate=15 February 2014}}</ref> are immigrants and their descendants; there are 117,000 children of immigrants, born in Norway.

Of these 710,000 immigrants and their descendants:
* 323,000 (39%)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> have a ] background (Australia, ], elsewhere in Europe)
* 505,000 (61%)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> have a non-Western background (], ], ], ], ]).

In 2013, the Norwegian government said that 14% of the Norwegian population were immigrants or children of two immigrant parents. About 6% of the immigrant population come from EU, North America and Australia, and about 8.1% come from Asia, Africa and Latin America.<ref name=ssb13> Statistics Norway {{no icon}} retrieved 26 April 2013</ref>

In 2012, of the total 660,000 with immigrant background, 407,262 had Norwegian citizenship (62.2 percent).<ref name=SN2>{{dead link|date=October 2013}}. ]. 26 April 2012. Accessed 27 April 2012. 7 August 2011.</ref>

Immigrants have settled in all ] municipalities.
The cities or municipalities with the highest share of immigrants in 2012 were ] (31 percent) and ] (20 percent).<ref name=innvbef> ], retrieved 30 December 2013</ref> The share in Stavanger was 16%.<ref name=innvbef/> According to ], Oslo is the "fastest growing city in Europe because of increased immigration".<ref>Hare, Sophie. , ]. 22 July 2011. Accessed 22 July 2011.</ref> In recent years, ] has accounted for most of Norway's population growth. In 2011 16% of newborn children were of immigrant background.

The ] are ] 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 ]. Another national minority are the ], 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 Sami and the Kven, encouraging them to adopt the majority language, culture and religion.<ref>Eivind Bråstad Jensen. 1991. Fra fornorskningspolitikk mot kulturelt mangfold. Nordkalott-Forlaget.</ref> Because of this "] process", many families of Sami or Kven ancestry now identify as ethnic Norwegian.<ref>I. Bjørklund, T. Brantenberg, H. Eidheim, J.A. Kalstad and D. Storm. 2002. ''Australian Indigenous Law Reporter ''(AILR) 1 7(1)</ref>

=== Migration ===
] has the largest concentration of ethnic Norwegians outside Norway, at 470,000.<ref name="ACS"> Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area - ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2006-2008</ref>]]

==== Emigration ====
{{main|Norwegian American}}
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 U.S. Census Bureau, almost 4.7 million persons identified as ]s,<ref>{{cite web|author=American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-ds_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-_caller=geoselect&-format= |title=Census 2006 ACS Ancestry estimates |publisher=Factfinder.census.gov |accessdate=30 May 2010}}{{dead link|date=August 2013}}</ref> which was larger than the population of ethnic Norwegians in Norway itself. In the 2011 Canadian census, 452,705 Canadian citizens identified as having ].<ref name="Norwegian Canadians">{{cite web |url=http://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 |author=] |title=2011 National Household Survey: Data tables |accessdate=11 February 2014}}</ref>

==== Immigration ====
{{Main|Immigration to Norway}}
{{As of|2013|01|01|alt=On 1 January 2013}}, the number of immigrants or children of two immigrants residing in Norway was 710,465, or 14.1% of the total population,<ref name=ssb13/> up from 183,000 in 1992. Yearly immigration has increased rapidly since 2005. While yearly net immigration in 2001–5 was on average 13,613, it increased to 37,541 between 2006 and 2010, and in 2011 net immigration reached 47,032.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/emner/02/02/20/innvutv/tab-2012-05-11-05.html |title=Netto innvandring, etter land. 1966–2011 |publisher=] |language = Norwegian |accessdate=2 September 2012}}{{dead link|date=August 2013}}</ref> This is mostly because of increased immigration by residents of the EU, in particular from Poland.<ref>{{Cite news | first = Isac | last = Ladegaard | url = http://sciencenordic.com/polish-workers-get-stuck-stereotype | title = Polish workers get stuck in stereotype | newspaper = Science Nordic | date = 7 May 2012}}</ref>

In 2012, the immigrant community (which includes immigrants and Norwegian-born children of immigrant parents) grew by 55,300, a record high.<ref name=ssb13/> Net immigration from abroad reached 47,300 (300 higher than in 2011), while immigration accounted for 72% of Norway's population growth.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/statistikker/folkendrkv |title=Population and quarterly changes, Q4 2012 |publisher=] |date= 21 February 2013 |accessdate=24 March 2013}}</ref> 17% of newborn children were born to immigrant parents.<ref name=ssb13/> Children of Pakistani, Somali and ] parents made up the largest groups of all Norwegians born to immigrant parents.<ref name="census">{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/en/innvbef/ |title= Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, 1 January 2012 |publisher=] |date=26 April 2012 | accessdate = 24 March 2013}}</ref>

] are the largest non-European minority group in Norway. Most of their 32,700 members live in and around Oslo. The ] and ] immigrant populations have increased significantly in recent years. After the enlargement of the EU in 2004, a wave of immigrants has arrived from Central and Northern Europe, particularly ], ] and ]. The fastest growing immigrant groups in 2011 in absolute numbers were from ], ] and ].<ref name="Ssb.no">{{cite web |url= http://www.ssb.no/a/english/kortnavn/innvbef_en/tab-2012-04-26-01-en.html |title=Population 1 January 2011 and 2012 and changes in 2011, by immigration category and country background |publisher=] |year=2012 |accessdate=24 March 2013}}</ref> The policies of immigration and integration have been the subject of much debate in Norway, as the nation has tried to deal with people of many languages and cultures, without giving up its own values.

Largest immigrant groups (1st and 2nd generation):<ref name="autogenerated4">{{cite web |url= https://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/statistikker/innvbef/aar/2013-04-25 |title=Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, 1 January 2013 |date=25 April 2013 | publisher =] |accessdate=28 May 2013}} See Table 3 "Population by immigrant category and country background", sum of columns "Immigrants" and "Norwegian-born to immigrant parents".</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! National background
! Population
|-
| ]
| 91,179
|-
| ]
| 38,414
|-
| ]
| 35,912
|-
| ]
| 35,546
|-
| ]
| 34,447
|-
| ]
| 30,144
|}

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Norway}}

] in ]]]
], ], the largest ] in Norway]]
] on the outskirts of Oslo, the largest ] in Scandinavia]]
Most Norwegians are registered at baptism as members of the ] which until the constitutional amendment of 21 May 2012 was the official state church. The constitution still requires that the reigning monarch must be Lutheran and that the country's values are based on its Christian and humanist heritage. Many remain in the church to participate in the community and practices such as ], ], marriage and burial rites which have strong cultural standing in Norway. About 77% of Norwegians were members of the Church of Norway on 1 January 2012. In 2011, about 66% of all newborns were baptised and about 65% of all 15-year-old persons were ] in the church.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/kirke_kostra/ |title=Flere til gudstjeneste |language=Norwegian |publisher=] |accessdate=7 December 2012}}</ref> But, only 20% of Norwegians say that religion occupies an important place in their life (according to a ] in 2009), the fourth-lowest such percentage in the world (only those of ], ] and ] are lower).{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}

In the early 1990s, studies estimated that between 4.7% and 5.3% of Norwegians attended church on a weekly basis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:xFytiwM0GLMJ:www.dawnnorge.no/dawnnorge/vedlegg/dawn_eng_22.08.2003_00.40.49.doc+%22The+Norwegian+DAWN+Report+1995%22&cd=1&hl=ro&ct=clnk&gl=ro |title=The People In The Church |publisher=webcache.googleusercontent.com |accessdate=8 July 2009}}{{dead link|date=August 2013}}</ref> This figure has dropped to about 2% – the lowest such percentage in Europe – according to data from 2009 and 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/kirke_kostra_en/ |title=KOSTRA (Municipality-State-Reporting): Church |publisher=] |accessdate=29 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{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=] |date=28 June 2010 |accessdate=7 March 2011}}</ref>

In 2010, 10% of the population was religiously unaffiliated, while another 9% (431 000 people), were members of religious communities outside the Church of Norway.<ref name="Norway1">{{cite web|url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/ |title=More members in religious and philosophical communities |publisher=] |accessdate=8 March 2009}}</ref> Other ] denominations total about 4.9%<ref name="Norway1"/> of the population, the largest of which is the ], with 83,000 members, according to 2009 government statistics.<ref name="Norwayreligion2">{{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=] |accessdate=21 August 2010}}</ref> An article in the newspaper ''Aftenposten'' in October 2012 noted there were about 115,234 registered ] in Norway. The reporter estimated that the total number of people with Catholic background may be 170,000–200,000 or higher.<ref>Andreas Sletteholm: , ''Aftenposten'', 3 December 2012</ref>

Others include ] (39,600),<ref name="Norwayreligion2"/> the ] (19,600),<ref name="Norwayreligion2"/> ] (11,000),<ref name="Norwayreligion2"/> ] (9,900),<ref name="Norwayreligion2"/> ] (9,900),<ref name="Norwayreligion2"/> ] (6,800),<ref name="Norwayreligion2"/> ] (5,100),<ref name="Norwayreligion2"/> ], and others. The Swedish, Finnish and Icelandic Lutheran congregations in Norway have about 27,500 members in total.<ref name="Norwayreligion2"/> Other religions comprise less than 1% each, including 4,000 members in ], and 12,000 ].<ref name="Norwayreligion2"/>

Among non-Christian religions, ] is the largest, with a population of 106,735.<ref name=autogenerated5>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssb.no/trosamf_en/ |title=Church of Norway and other religious and philosophical communities |publisher=] |accessdate=9 December 2011}}</ref> It is practised mainly by ], ], ], ] and ] immigrants, as well as ]. Dominated by ], other significant minorities include ] and ].{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

Other religions comprise less than 1% each, including 819 adherents of ].<ref name="Norwayreligion">{{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=] |accessdate=21 August 2010}}</ref> ]n immigrants introduced ] to Norway, which in 2011 has slightly more than 5,900 adherents, or 1% of non-Lutheran Norwegians.<ref name="Norwayreligion"/> ] has approximately 3,000 adherents, with most living in Oslo, which has two ]s. Sikhs first came to Norway in the early 1970s. The troubles in Punjab after ] and riots committed against Sikhs in India after the ] led to an increase in Sikh refugees moving to Norway. Drammen also has a sizeable population of Sikhs; the largest gurdwara in north Europe was built in ]. There are eleven ] organisations, grouped under the ] organisation, with slightly over 14,000 members,<ref name="Norwayreligion"/> which make up 0.2% of the population. The ] religion has slightly more than 1,000 adherents.<ref name="Norwayreligion"/> Around 1.7% (84,500) of Norwegians belong to the secular ].

From 2006 to 2011, the fastest-growing religious faith in Norway was ], which grew in membership by 80%; however, its share of the total population remains small, at 0.2%. It is associated with the huge immigration from ] and ] and to a lesser extent from ] and ]an and ]ern countries. Other fast-growing religions were the ] (78.7%), ] (59.6%), ] (48.1%), and ] (46.7%).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/07/02/10/trosamf_en/arkiv/ |title=Religious communities and life stance communities |publisher=] |accessdate=9 December 2011}}</ref>

As in other ]n countries, the ancient Norse followed a form of native ] known as ]. By the end of the 11th century, when Norway had been ], 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 other parts of everyday language. Modern interest in the old ways has led to a revival of pagan religious practices in the form of ''].'' 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 as a religious organisation.

The Sami minority retained their ] well into the 18th century, when most converted to Christianity under the influence of Dano-Norwegian ]. Some retained their ancient religion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sami |title=Sami |publisher=New World Encyclopedia |date= |accessdate=22 September 2012}}</ref> Today there is a renewed appreciation for the Sami traditional way of life, which has led to a revival of '']'' (Sami Shamanism).<ref>{{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 |accessdate=12 October 2013}}</ref> Some Norwegian and Sami celebrities are reported to visit ] for guidance.<ref>{{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 |date= |accessdate=22 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{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 |date= |accessdate=22 September 2012}}</ref>

According to the Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 32% of Norwegian citizens responded that "they believe there is a god".<ref name=EUROBAROMETER>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_225_report_en.pdf |title=Eurobarometer on Social Values, Science and technology 2005 |page=11 |format=PDF |accessdate=5 May 2007}}</ref> A study conducted three years previously by Gustafsson and Pettersson (2002), similarly found that 72% of Norwegians did not believe in a 'personal God.'<ref>Gustafsson, Goran and Thorleif Pettersson. ''Folkkyrk och religios pluraism ?den nordiska religiosa modellen'', Stockholm, Sweden: Verbum Forlag</ref>

=== Largest cities of Norway ===
{{Largest cities of Norway}}

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Norway}}
] in ]]]
] is offered by a range of seven ], five specialised colleges, 25 ]s as well as a range of private colleges. Education follows the ] involving ] (3 years), ] (2 years) and ] (3 years) degrees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bologna-berlin2003.de/pdf/Norway1.pdf |title=Norway – Implementation of the elements of the Bologna Process |format=PDF |accessdate=30 May 2010}}</ref> Acceptance is offered after finishing ] with general study competence.

Public education is virtually free, regardless of nationality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.studyinnorway.no/sn/Tuition-Scholarships/Tuition-fees |title=Tuition fees |publisher=Studyinnorway.no |date=27 August 2008 |accessdate=23 July 2011}}</ref> The academic year has two ]s, from August to December and from January to June. The ultimate responsibility for the education lies with the ].

=== Languages ===
{{Main|Languages of Norway}}
{{See also|Norwegian language|Sami languages}}
]
The ] Norwegian language has two official written forms, '']'' and '']''. Both of them are recognised as official languages, and both are used in public administration, schools, churches, and media. Bokmål is the written language used by a large majority of about 80–85%. An alternative to Bokmål, Riksmål, is slightly more similar to Danish. Around 95% of the population speak Norwegian as their first or native language, although many speak ]s that may differ significantly from the written languages. All Norwegian dialects are mutually intelligible, although listeners with limited exposure to dialects other than their own may struggle to understand certain phrases and pronunciations in some other dialects.

Several ] Sami languages are spoken and written throughout the country, especially in the north, by some members of the Sami people. (Estimates suggest that about one third of the Norwegian Sami speak a Sami language.<ref>{{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 |date= |accessdate=26 March 2013}}</ref>) 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 Sami languages.<ref></ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/kd/dok/nouer/1995/nou-1995-18/35/2/6.html | publisher = Kunnskapsdepartementet | title= NOU 1995: 18 &ndash; Ny lovgivning om opplæring}}</ref> The ] minority historically spoke the Uralic ] (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. According to the ], "The typical modern Kven is a Norwegian-speaking Norwegian who knows his genealogy."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kvenskinstitutt.no/kvener/ |title=Kvener – Kainun institutti – Kvensk institutt |publisher=Kvenskinstitutt.no |date= |accessdate=26 March 2013}}</ref> As Norway has ratified the ] (ECRML) the Kven language together with Romani and Scandoromani language has become officially recognized minority languages.<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 | publisher=Kulturdepartementet | title=St.meld. nr. 35 (2007-2008) &ndash; Mål og meining}}</ref>

Some supporters have also advocated making ] an official language of the country.<ref>{{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=2008-06-27 |publisher= Kultur- og kirkedepartementet }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nrk.no/kultur-og-underholdning/1.6116963 |title=Tegnspråk blir offisielt språk |publisher=NRK |date=2008-06-26 }}</ref>

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Norwegian language was subject to ]. This led to the development of Nynorsk in the 19th century and to the formation of alternative spelling standards in the 20th century.

Norwegian is similar to the other languages in Scandinavia: ] and ]. All three languages are to a degree, mutually intelligible and can be, and commonly are, employed in communication among inhabitants of the Scandinavian countries. As a result of the co-operation within the ], inhabitants of all Nordic countries, including ] and ], have the right to communicate with Norwegian authorities in their own language.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

Students who are children of immigrant parents are encouraged to learn the Norwegian language. The Norwegian government offers language instructional courses for immigrants wishing to obtain Norwegian citizenship. With increasing concern about assimilating immigrants, since 1 September 2008, the government has required that an applicant for Norwegian citizenship give evidence of proficiency in either Norwegian or in one of the Sami languages, or give proof of having attended classes in Norwegian for 300 hours, or meet the language requirements for university studies in Norway (that is, by being proficient in one of the Scandinavian languages).

The primary foreign language taught in Norwegian schools is ], considered an international language since the post-WWII era. The majority of the population is fairly fluent in English, especially those born after World War II. ], ] and ] are also commonly taught as second or, more often, third languages. ], ], ], ], and rarely ] 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 ]s until the 1990s, and university students have a general right to use these languages when submitting their theses.

== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of Norway}}
] in Bergen is on the ]]]
The Norwegian ] continues to play a role in contemporary Norwegian culture. In the 18th century, it inspired a strong ] movement, which is still visible in the ] and ]. In the 19th century, Norwegian culture blossomed 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webcitation.org/5kwb6gaky |title="Norway's Culture", '&#39;Encarta'&#39; |publisher=Webcitation.org |date= |accessdate=15 February 2014}}</ref>
]'', are widely used on special occasions.]]

Norway has been a progressive country, which has adopted legislation and policies to support women's rights, minority rights, and ]. As early as 1884, 171 of the leading figures, among them five Prime Ministers for the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party, co-founded the ].<ref>Aslaug Moksnes. ''Likestilling eller særstilling? Norsk kvinnesaksforening 1884–1913'' (p. 35), ], 1984, ISBN 82-05-15356-6</ref> They successfully campaigned for women's ], ], the ] 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 ]. Civil society organisations also continue to play an important role, and the women's rights organisations are today organised in the ] umbrella organisation.

In 1990 Norway was the first country to recognise the ] on ] recommended by the UN. In regard to LGBT rights, Norway was the first country in the world to enact an anti-discrimination law protecting the rights of gays and lesbians. In 1993 Norway became the second country to legalise ] partnerships for same-sex couples, and on 1 January 2009 ] to grant full ] to same-sex couples.

In 1990 the Norwegian constitution was amended to grant ] 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. The Norwegian constitution Article 6 states that "For those born before the year 1990 it shall...be the case that a male shall take precedence over a female."<ref>{{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 |accessdate=23 July 2011}}</ref>

As a promoter of human rights, Norway has held the annual ] conference, a gathering described by '']'' as "on its way to becoming a human-rights equivalent of the Davos economic forum."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/node/16219707?story_id=16219707 |title=Human rights: A crowded field |publisher=The Economist |date=27 May 2010 |accessdate=23 July 2011}}</ref>

] happened significantly later in Norway than in most of Europe and is not yet complete. In 2012, the Norwegian parliament voted to grant the ] greater autonomy,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://digitaljournal.com/article/324906 |publisher=Digital Journal |title=Norway abolishes state-sponsored Church of Norway |last1=Fraser |first1=Sean |date=15 May 2012 |accessdate=20 June 2013 }}</ref> a decision which was confirmed in a constitutional amendment on 21 May 2012. Until 2012 parliamentary officials were required to be members of the Lutheran Church and at least half of all ] had to be a member of the Christian State Church. As the Church of Norway is the state church, its clergy are state employees, and the central and regional church administrations are part of the state administration. The members of the Royal family are required to be members of the Lutheran church.

=== Cinema ===
{{Main|Cinema of Norway}}
The Norwegian cinema has received more international recognition since the late 20th century. The documentary film '']'' (1950) of the expedition won an American Oscar ]. In 1959, ]'s ''Nine Lives'' was nominated, but failed to win. Another notable film is '']'' (English: ''Pinchcliffe Grand Prix''), an animated feature film directed by ]. The film was released in 1975 and is based on characters from Norwegian cartoonist ]. It is the most widely seen Norwegian film of all time.

]'s '']'' (1987), the story of the ], was nominated for an Oscar. ]'s '']'' was nominated for an Oscar in 1997.

Since the 1990s, the film industry has thrived with up to 20 feature films each year. Particular successes were '']'', based on a novel by a Nobel Prize winner; '']'' and '']''. ] was among the more successful new directors, together with ], who is remembered for '']''.<ref>{{dead link|date=October 2013}}, Norway Official Website, Retrieved 8 February 2010.</ref>

In late 2008, the film '']'' opened at Norwegian theatres. The film was a World War II drama, telling the story of ], a ] hero who led many successful sabotage operations against the German occupation. The film became the highest-grossing Norwegian film ever. Other notable successful Norwegian films include '']'', '']'' and '']''.

The country has also been used as filming location for several Hollywood and other international productions, including '']'' (1980), for which the producers used ] ] as a filming location for scenes of the ice planet Hoth. It included a memorable battle in the snow. The films '']'', '']'', '']'' and ''],'' as well as the TV series '']'' and '']'' also had scenes set in Norway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norwegianfilm.com/index.php?ID=FilmsShotInNorway |title=Norwegian Film Commission |publisher=Norwegianfilm.com |date= |accessdate=22 September 2012}}</ref>

=== Music ===
{{Main|Music of Norway}}
], composer and pianist]]

The classical ] of the ] ]s ], ] and ] is internationally known as is the modern music of ]. ] has been an influence in world music since the late 20th century.

Norway's classical performers include ], one of the world's more famous pianists; ], an outstanding cellist; and the great Wagnerian soprano ].

Since the 1990s, Norway's biggest cultural export has been ]. This lo-fi, dark and raw form of ] exploded in Norway during the 1990s, developed by such bands as ], ], ], ], ] and ], as well as later bands such as ]. This development has since become an important part of ].
], the "Hardanger fiddle", a Norwegian instrument]]
Controversial events associated with the black metal movement in the early 1990s included several ] and two prominent ].

The jazz scene in Norway is thriving. ], ], ], ], and ] are internationally recognised while ], ], ] and ] are becoming world-class artists of the younger generation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.studyinnorway.no/sn/Living-in-Norway/Culture |title=Culture|publisher=Studyinnorway.no |date=26 March 2007 |accessdate=23 July 2011}}</ref>

Norway has a strong ] tradition which remains popular to this day.<ref>{{dead link|date=October 2013}}. The official site of Norway</ref> Among the most prominent folk musicians are ] ], ] and ], and the vocalists ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org.uk/culture/contemporaryart/ |title=Contemporary art from Norway the official site |publisher=Norway.org.uk |accessdate=23 July 2011}}</ref>

Other internationally recognised bands are ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ylvis.com/about/ | title=Ylvis | accessdate=26 December 2014}}</ref> A-ha initially rose to global fame during the mid-1980s. In the 1990s and 2000s the group maintained its popularity domestically, and has remained successful outside Norway, especially in Germany, Switzerland, France and Brazil.

In recent years, various Norwegian songwriters and production teams have contributed to the music of other international artists. Most notably the Norwegian production team ] has produced songs for ], ], ], ] and ] among others. ] has written and produced songs for Beyoncé, Lionel Richie, ], ], ] and ]. ] has written songs for Rihanna and ]

Norway enjoys many music festivals throughout the year, all over the country. Norway is the host of one of the world's biggest ] festivals with music, ] – a festival held annually in ]. Oslo is the host of many festivals, such as ] and ]. Oslo used to have a summer parade similar to the German ]. In 1992 the city of Oslo wanted to adopt the French music festival ''Fête de la Musique''. ] established the festival. Even in its first year, "Musikkens Dag" gathered thousands of people and artists in the streets of Oslo. "Musikkens Dag" is now renamed ''Musikkfest Oslo''.

=== Literature ===
{{Main|Norwegian literature}}
{{See also|List of Norwegian writers}}
], author]]
The history of Norwegian literature starts with the ] ] and ] of the 9th and 10th centuries, with poets such as ] and ]. The arrival of Christianity around the year 1000 brought Norway into contact with European mediaeval learning, ] 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 '']'', '']'' and '']''.

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 ] and ]. In his play ''],'' Ibsen characterised this period as "Twice two hundred years of darkness/brooded o'er the race of monkeys." The first line of this couplet is frequently quoted. 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 ]. Secondly, seized by the spirit of revolution following the ] and ] revolutions, the Norwegians created their first ] in 1814. Strong authors were inspired who became recognised first in Scandinavia, and then worldwide; among them were ], ], ] and ].

By the late 19th century, in the ] of Norwegian literature, the so-called "Great Four" emerged: ], ], ], and ]. Bjørnson's "peasant novels", such as ''En glad gutt'' (A Happy Boy) and ''Synnøve Solbakken'', are typical of the ] of their day. Kielland's novels and short stories are mostly naturalistic. Although an important contributor to early romantic nationalism, (especially '']''), ] is better known for his pioneering realistic dramas such as '']'' and ''].'' They caused an uproar because of his candid portrayals of the middle classes, complete with infidelity, unhappy marriages, and corrupt businessmen.

In the 20th century, three Norwegian novelists were awarded the ]: ] in 1903, ] for the book '']'' ("Growth of the Soil") in 1920, and ] (known for '']'') in 1928. Writers such as the following also made important contributions: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].

=== Research ===
Internationally recognised Norwegian scientists include the mathematicians ], ] and ], physical chemist ], physicist ], chemists ], ], and ].

In the 20th century, Norwegian academics have been pioneering in many ], including ], ] and ]. Prominent academics include ], a philosopher and founder of ]; ], the founder of ]; ] and ], criminologists; ], a social anthropologist; ], ] and ], sociologists; ], a pioneer of women's law; ], a political scientist; and economists ], ], and ].

In 2014, the two Norwegian scientists ] and ] won the Nobel Prize of Medicine along with ]. They won the prize for their groundbreaking work identifying the cells that make up a positioning system in the human brain, our "in-built GPS".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2014/ | title=The Nobel Prize in Physiologi or Medicine 2014 |publisher=The Official Website of the Nobel Prize |accessdate=2 November 2014}}</ref>

=== Architecture ===
{{Main|Architecture of Norway}}
] has been listed by ] as a ]]]
With expansive forests, Norway has 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.norway.org/aboutnorway/culture/architecture/norwegian/ |title=The evolution of Norwegian architecture |publisher=The official site of Norway |accessdate=20 June 2013}}{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref>

With Norway's conversion to Christianity some 1,000 years ago churches were constructed. Stonework architecture was introduced from Europe for the most important structures, beginning with the construction of ] in ]. In the early ], wooden ]es were constructed throughout Norway. Many of them have survived and represent Norway's most unique contribution to architectural history. A fine example is ], which is now on ]'s ]. Another notable example of wooden architecture are buildings at the ] in Bergen, consisting of a row of narrow wooden structures along the quayside.
] has narrow streets and wooden houses of the period.]]
In the 17th century, under the Danish monarchy, cities and villages such as ] and ] were established. The city had a church built in the Baroque style. Traditional wooden buildings were constructed in Røros which have survived changes since then.

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

At the beginning of the 20th century the city of ] was rebuilt in the ] style, influenced by styles of ]. 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 ] in ], designed by ] and ]. Its debating chamber is an abstract timber version of a ''lavvo,'' the traditional tent used by the nomadic ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leslieburgher.co.uk/portfolio/Other/norway.htm |title=Norwegian Architecture |author= Leslie Burgher |publisher=Leslie Burgher website |accessdate=30 May 2010}}</ref>

=== Art ===
{{Main|Norwegian art}}
] og ], 1848]]
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 even more impressive landscapes. Johan Christian Dahl (1788–1857), originally from the Dresden school, eventually returned to paint the landscapes of western Norway, defining Norwegian painting for the first time."<ref name="HFG">{{cite book | author= Frode Haverkamp (trans. Joan Fuglesang) | title = Hans Fredrik Gude: From National Romanticism to Realism in Landscape | language = Norwegian}}</ref>

Norway's newly found independence from Denmark encouraged painters to develop their Norwegian identity, especially with landscape painting by artists such as ], a female painter who studied under ]; ], 1845–1932, another pioneer among female artists, influenced by ]. ], an impressionist, was influenced by the art scene in Paris as was ], a realist painter, famous for his paintings of prostitutes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artcyclopedia.com/nationalities/Norwegian.html |title=Norwegian Artists |publisher=Artcyclopedia.com |accessdate=23 July 2011}}</ref>

Of particular note is ], a symbolist/expressionist painter who became world famous for ] which is said to represent the anxiety of modern man.

Other artists of note include ], a neo-romantic painter remembered for his paintings of ], and ], a figurative painter who maintains that his work is not art but ].

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|Norwegian cuisine}}

] show the influence of long seafaring and farming traditions with ] (fresh and cured), ] (pickled or marinated), ], ]fish and other seafood balanced by cheeses, dairy products and breads (predominantly dark/darker).

] is a Norwegian potato flatbread, usually topped with large amounts of butter and sugar, most common around Christmas. Some traditional Norwegian dishes include ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Norway.html |title=Culture of Norway – history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family |publisher=Everyculture.com |date=4 September 2010 |accessdate=23 July 2011}}</ref>

=== Sports ===
{{see also|Football in Norway}}
] is the most successful Winter Olympian of all time, with 13 medals]]
Norway first participated at the ] in 1900, and has sent athletes to compete in every Games since then, except for the sparsely attended ] and the ] in ] when they participated in the ].

Norway has hosted the Games on two occasions:
*] in ]
*] in ]

] is the most popular sport in Norway in terms of active membership (by television viewership football comes third, behind ] and ]<ref></ref>).

] is gaining popularity in Norway. ] is the current world champion. There are about 10 ] and 29 ] in Norway.

{{-}}

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px" perrow="4" caption="Nature and environment">
File:Preikestolen-Norway.view-from-aboveright.jpg|The preacher's stone, ] or ]
File:Geirangerfjord Wasserfaelle II.jpg|], The Seven sisters waterfall
File:Borgundstavkirke.jpg|]
File:Briksdalsbreen glacier.jpg|] glacier

</gallery>
<gallery widths="450px" heights="200px" perrow="8">
File:UlvikfjordMountainsPanorama.jpg|Ulvikfjords Mountains in ]
File:Djupfjorden, 2010 09.jpg|Djupfjorden on ], toward the northwest in autumn, Lofoten, Nordland
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{portal|Norway|Arctic|Europe}}
*]
*]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Norway}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Wikinews|Portal:Norway|Norway}}
{{NIE Poster|year=1905}}
* , Norway's official portal
*{{DMOZ|Regional/Europe/Norway}}
*
*
*{{CIA World Factbook link|no|Norway}}
* entry at '']''
* from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* from the ]
* , official foreign portal of the ]
*{{Wikiatlas|Norway}}
*{{osmrelation-inline|1059668}}
*
* , official travel guide to Norway.
* – a digital library that provides scientific information on the Nordic and Baltic countries as well as the Baltic region as a whole.
* {{YouTube|M1h_wIvwhzI|National Anthem of Norway}}
* from ]
*
{{Norway topics}}
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{{Council of Europe}}
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{{Geographic Location
| Centre = {{flag|Norway}}
| North = ]
| Northeast = ]
| East = {{flag|Russia}}<br>{{flag|Finland}}<br>{{flag|Sweden}}
| Southeast = {{flag|Sweden}}
| South = ]<br>]<br>{{flag|Denmark}}
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{{Coord|61|N|8|E|type:country_region:NO|display=title}}

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