Norway is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula and bordering on land by Sweden, Finland and Russia. In the north and west are the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean and on the south side by the Skagerrak. Bouvet Island and Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land are dependent territories of Norway, but are not considered part of the Kingdom. The total area of Norway is 148,746 square miles. From north to south measuring Norway crow flies nearly 1116 miles, the breadth of the country in some places only 49,6 miles. Norway is divided into 19 provinces, headed by a governor. The provinces or counties are further divided into municipalities.
Norway is a unitary constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. The King of Norway is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. The current king, Harald V of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg is the first in many years who has actually been born in the country.
Rock carvings have been found on several sites around Alta, in the county of Finnmark in northern Norway. They are part of an archaeological site, contains around 3000 individual carvings it has become an open-air museum. In December 1985, this location was put on the UNESCO list of World Heritage. It is the only prehistoric World Heritage Site in Norway. The engravings from 4200 BC, are the earliest in the area.
Building in wood is a tradition in Norway. There’s still a great attraction of this material for designers and builders, the finest modern buildings are still made of wood. A major contribution of Norway to the architectural history are the early medieval stave churches, which are still to be found. Like the Stave Church at Urnes, which is now on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The world famous symbolist/expressionist painter, Edvard Munch, known for The Scream ,which is said to represent the anxiety of modern man, is a Norwegian. Since the 1990′s Norwegian Black Metal music popular at home and abroad. Renowned bands like Mayhem, Burzum, Emperor, Darkthrone and Immortal, made worldwide career.
In the Norwegian kitchen you can see the influences of the sea, there are many salmon, trout, herring and cod in combination with cheese, milk and dark bread used.
The rugged coastal fjords and mountains, the pristine nature of the inner parts of the country’s main tourist attractions of the country, along with the beautiful cities. The west coast of southern Norway and the coast of northern Norway are among the most impressive coastlines in the world. Because of the location of Norway there are large seasonal variations in daylight, which makes the Norwegian fjords extra special. National Geographic, she pointed to a major tourist attraction in the world. The sun never drops below the horizon in areas north of the Arctic Circle, in the period from May to June, so it is called “Land of the Midnight Sun”.
In the rest of the country there is daylight 20 hours a day.. But from November to January, the sun is not above the horizon in the north, and there are few daylight hours in the rest of the country . Numerous prehistoric glaciers and fjords are found in Norway. Sognefjord is the longest fjord 127 miles and the deepest lake in Europe is Hornindalsvatnet. Frozen ground all year can be found in the higher mountain areas and in the interior of Finnmark county, the Dovrefjell where you can ski even in summer.
In Norway, you can use the ferry on the waterways, there are many bridges and tunnels, and several mountain passes.. in winter months, some of these mountain passes closed or closing during winter storms. Norway is connected with the European continent by the Oresund Bridge and the Great Belt Bridge. There is now an constant highway connecting Sweden and Denmark. The Norwegian rail network is also connected to the Swedish network. The cities on the coastline between Bergen and Kirkenes are connected with the Hurtigruten cruise ferry.
For a stay less than 3 months citizens of European Union, USA, Canadian , Australian and Japanese do not need a visa in Norway. If you need a visa you can contact the Norwegian Embassies in your country.
