Glaciers. Vikings. Walrus. Norway is like some ancient saga come to life. Norway is a ruggedly beautiful country of mountains, fjords and glaciers. The 'Land of the Midnight Sun' has delightfully long summer days, pleasantly low-key cities, unspoiled fishing villages and rich historic sites that include Viking ships and medieval stave churches.
Norway occupies the western part of the Scandinavian peninsula and shares borders with Sweden, Finland and Russia. Shaped like the rind on the bacon rasher of Scandinavia, Norway has a long coastline pierced by fjords and a mountainous interior that is blanketed by some of Europe's largest glaciers. Over 500 sq km (193 sq mi) of Norway lies north of the Arctic Circle, but the country's western coast usually remains ice free year-round thanks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.
Capital: Oslo (pop 508,730)
King: Harald V
Prime Minister: Jens Stoltenberg
Government: constitutional monarchy
Time zone: GMT +1
Area: 324220
Population: 4546123
People: 97% Nordic, Alpine & Baltic, with a Sami minority
Languages: Norway has two official languages, Bokmal and Nynorsk Christian (86.3% Evangelical Lutheran)
Currency: Norwegian Krone (kr)
Major industries: Oil, natural gas, computers, high technology, fishing, fish farming, forestry, shipping, shipbuilding, paper production
Major Trading Partners: EU (esp. UK, Germany & Sweden)
Daylight Saving: From March to October
Country Dialing Code: 47
International airlines link Oslo with most major European cities. Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim also have international airports. Trains run daily from Oslo to Copenhagen in Denmark and to Helsingborg and Stockholm in Sweden. There are also trains to Stockholm from Trondheim and Narvik. Numerous highways and secondary roads link Norway with Finland and Sweden. A bus service and direct flights link Kirkenes in northern Norway with Murmansk in Russia. There are also ferries to/from Denmark, Sweden, the UK, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.
Norway's main domestic airlines - SAS, Braathens and Wider ø e Norsk Air - fly to nearly 50 airports scattered across the country. Distances are great in Norway, which means air travel should be considered even by budget travellers. Norway also has an extensive bus network, with routes connecting every main city as well as more remote areas. The national rail system is good, though somewhat limited, with main lines running from Oslo to Stavanger, Bergen, Andalsnes and Bod. Major car-rental companies have offices at airports and city centres but rates are expensive. Given its great distances, hilly terrain and narrow roads, Norway is not ideally suited for cycling. The one bonus for cyclists is that traffic is very light. A far-reaching system of ferries and express boats link Norway's offshore islands, coastal towns and fjord districts. For more than a century, the coastal steamer Hurtigruten has been the lifeline linking the tiny fishing communities scattered along the northern coast. A ship heads north from Bergen every night calling at 33 ports on the six-day journey to Kirkenes. Local transport in the cities and towns is generally efficient and served mainly by public buses. Oslo also has an underground rail system, trams and ferries.
The country is at its best from May to September, and at its worst between November and March when average temperatures are below freezing. The typically rainy climate of mainland Norway is surprisingly mild for its latitude - thanks to the Gulf Stream, all coastal ports remain ice-free throughout the year. Average July temperatures are 16° C (61° F) in the Oslo area and 11° C (52° F) in the north, though temperature extremes are always possible. In January, the average maximum temperature is 1° C (34° F) in the south and -3° C (27° F) in the north. However, it can get much colder, especially in areas away from the coast. In midsummer the north sees no night and even southern Norway has daylight from 04:00 to 23:00. On the other hand, most days in winter are at best comparable to twilight.
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