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Norway

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Norway (Norwegian: Norge), formally the Kingdom of Norway,[lower-alpha 1] is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of Norway.[note 5] Bouvet Island, located in the Subantarctic, is a dependency; Norway also claims the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land. The capital and largest city in Norway is Oslo.

Quick facts: Kingdom of Norway Other official names .mw-pa...
Kingdom of Norway
Other official names
Anthem: Ja, vi elsker dette landet
(English: "Yes, we love this country")
Royal anthem: Kongesangen
(English: "King's Song")
Europe-Norway_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg
Europe-Norway.svg
Location of the Kingdom of Norway (green)

in Europe (green and dark grey)

Capital
and largest city
Oslo
59°56′N 10°41′E
Official languages
Recognised national languages
Ethnic groups
Religion
(2021)[8][9]
  • 74.9% Christianity
  • 21.2% no religion
  • 3.1% Islam
  • 0.8% other
Demonym(s)Norwegian
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
 Monarch
Harald V
Jonas Gahr Støre
Masud Gharahkhani
Toril Marie Øie
LegislatureStorting
History
872
 Old Kingdom of Norway (Peak extent)
1263
1397
1524
25 February 1814
17 May 1814
4 November 1814
7 June 1905
Area
 Total
385,207 km2 (148,729 sq mi)[12] (61stb)
 Water (%)
5.32 (2015)[13]
Population
 2023 estimate
Neutral increase 5,488,984[14] (118th)
 Density
14.3/km2 (37.0/sq mi) (213th)
GDP (PPP)2022 estimate
 Total
Increase $425 billion [15] (52nd)
 Per capita
Increase $78,128 [15] (6th)
GDP (nominal)2022 estimate
 Total
Increase $504 billion[15] (30th)
 Per capita
Increase $92,646 [15] (3rd)
Gini (2020)Positive decrease 25.3[16]
low
HDI (2021)Increase 0.961[17]
very high · 2nd
CurrencyNorwegian krone (NOK)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 Summer (DST)
UTC+2 (CEST)
Date formatdd.mm.yyyy
Driving sideright
Calling code+47
ISO 3166 codeNO
Internet TLD.nod
  1. The country has no official motto, but the oath from the 1814 Norwegian Constituent Assembly can be regarded as the closest unofficial equivalent:
    Enige og tro inntil Dovre faller (Bokmål)
    Einige og tru inntil Dovre fell (Nynorsk)
    "United and loyal until Dovre falls"
  2. Includes the mainland, Svalbard and Jan Mayen.[12] (Without the integral territories, it is the 67th largest country at 323,802[18] square kilometres)
  3. 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).[citation needed]
  4. Two more TLDs have been assigned, but are not used: .sj for Svalbard and Jan Mayen; .bv for Bouvet Island.
Close

Norway has a total area of 385,207 square kilometres (148,729 sq mi)[12] and had a population of 5,488,984 in January 2023.[14] The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden. It is bordered by Finland and Russia to the northeast and the Skagerrak strait to the south. Norway has an extensive coastline facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. Harald V of the House of Glücksburg is the current King. Jonas Gahr Støre has been Prime Minister since 2021. As a unitary state with a constitutional monarchy, Norway divides state power between the parliament, the cabinet, and the supreme court, as determined by the 1814 constitution. The kingdom was established in 872 as a merger of petty kingdoms and has existed continuously for 1150–151 years. From 1537 to 1814, Norway was part of Denmark–Norway, and, from 1814 to 1905, it was in a personal union with Sweden. Norway was neutral during the First World War, and in the Second World War until April 1940 when it was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany until the end of the war.

Norway has both administrative and political subdivisions on two levels: counties and municipalities. The Sámi people have a certain amount of self-determination and influence over traditional territories through the Sámi Parliament and the Finnmark Act. Norway maintains close ties with the European Union and the United States. Norway is a founding member of the United Nations, NATO, the European Free Trade Association, the Council of Europe, the Antarctic Treaty, and the Nordic Council; a member of the European Economic Area, the WTO, and the OECD; and a part of the Schengen Area. The Norwegian languages share mutual intelligibility with Danish and Swedish.

Norway maintains the Nordic welfare model with universal health care and a comprehensive social security system, and its values are rooted in egalitarian ideals.[20] The Norwegian state has large ownership positions in key industrial sectors, having extensive reserves of petroleum, natural gas, minerals, lumber, seafood, and fresh water. The petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).[21] On a per-capita basis, Norway is the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas outside of the Middle East.[22][23] The country has the fourth-highest per-capita income in the world on the World Bank and IMF lists.[24] It has the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, with a value of US$1.3 trillion.[25][26]