Norway
Norway is a country in northern Europe bordering with Sweden, Finland and Russia to the east. It's a very long country, extending for over 1700km from the southwest to the northeast. Norway has an area of 385000 km² and a mostly mountainous terrain, with many very long and deep natural bays, the fjords. Despite its northern geographical position Norway has a relatively mild climate, mainly due to the gulf stream.Norway has a population of 5.4 million inhabitants, most of whom live in the south of the country. It has been settled since prehistoric times. During the Viking period between the 8th and 10th centuries Norway was a source of Vikings. Christianity spread in Norway after the 10th century.
In the 14th century Norway reached the peak of its power, after which the population decreased due to the Black Death. After the 15th century Norway lost its independence for almost 600 years, becoming part of Scandinavian kingdoms headed by Denmark or Sweden. Since 1905 Norway is an independent kingdom.
Norway is a wealthy country with a very high standard of living. Its wealth mainly comes from oil and gas following the discovery of large deposits along the Norwegian coast in the 1960s and 1970s. In a sense, the Norwegian economy is overdependent on the oil industry.
The cost of living is high in Norway, one of the reasons being the fact that Norway is an egalitarian society without a low wage sector. As a result, the wages of even simple services are relatively high. For instance, eating in a restaurant or staying in a hotel in Norway is considerably more expensive than in other European countries.
The capital of Norway is Oslo and is located in the south of the country.
From a tourist perspective Norway is a beautiful and amazing country. It has an extremely long coastline, with countless islands and very scenic fjords.
The contrast of very steep slopes and long and deep bays is very special and in Europe available only in Norway. Touristic highlights are the artic region in northern Norway and the fjord area in central and southern Norway.
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113 photos of the Nort Cape area in northern Norway, the northernmost point in Europe
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26 photos of Alta, the largest town in the Troms og Finnmark region in northern Norway
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31 photos of the Troms region in northern Norway
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97 photos of Tromsø, the largest Norwegian city north of the Arctic Circle
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108 photos of Senja, a large island in northern Norway with impressive scenery
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61 photos of the Vesterålen islands, an archipelago of islands in northern Norway
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149 photos of the Lofoten islands, an archipelago in northern Norway and a major tourist destination
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157 photos of Oslo, the capital of Oslo
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10 photos of Bodø, a small city in northern Norway, giving access to the Lofoten islands via the ferry to Moskenes
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72 photos of Svartisen, a large glacier in central Norway
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16 photos of rural Norway, in the south of the Helgeland district
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135 photos of Trondheim, a major city in the centre of Norway with a rich history
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27 photos of the coast between Trondheim and Ålesund in the Møre og Romsdal county
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82 photos of Ålesund, a city along the Norwegian coast with a beautiful Jugendstil core
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23 photos of the Trollstigen scenic mountain road near Åndalsnes
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32 photos of Geirangerfjord, a scenic fjord in southern Norway
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15 photos of the Ottadalen valley and the stave church in Lom
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22 photos of the area around the Jostedalsbreen glacier, north of the Sognefjord
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45 photos of the Jotunheimen national park in southern Norway
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54 photos of the Lærdal vallery with Borgund and the Stegastein viewpoint
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77 photos of Bergen, a Hanseatic city on the coast of southwestern Norway
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25 photos of the area around the Hardangervidda, a high plateau in the mountains of southern Norway
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