Travel to Norway

Norway is more called as a Scandinavian country due to its position in the northern most part of Europe. It is one of the most beautiful of all the Scandinavian countries. Following are the facts and précis of its background, you need to know before you makeup your mind of going there.

Norway’s official name is the kingdom of Norway and the country covers the mainland area and the associated islands. The overall area of this country is somewhere around 150,000 square miles. In other words, it can be said that the area of Norway is slightly more than the area of New Mexico State of America. The capital of this country is Oslo and this is also the biggest city in entire Norway with population of more than 520,000. Some of the other big cities of Norway are Bergen, Trondheim with population of around 150,000 and Stavanger with population of 110,000.

The topography of Norway is not that much friendly and can be called very intense. It contains some very high plateaus, steep fjords, mountains and some very fertile valleys. The climate is also full of varieties and it can be very pleasant around the coastal areas and surprisingly cooler in the inner part of the country. Because of its northern most position on the globe, it experiences long days during summer season and long nights during winter season. During summer, you can witness sunlight until the midnight and therefore, Norway is also known as the land of midnight sun.

As far as the people of Norway are concerned, they are very friendly. People living there are known as Norwegians. As per the latest population count, which was held in 2006, the population of Norway was 4,593,000. The population is not increasing very fast as the annual growth rate is only .41 percent. A surprising fact is that there is only one person for every 15 square miles of land. Most of the people living in Norway are the blend of people from all the Scandinavian countries. The main majority is the mix of Nordic, Alpine and Baltic people who have intermixed with each other for centuries now. People of Norway do not believe in migrating to some other place hence, the immigration rate is very low. It was registered that there were only 300,000 immigrants in 2006.

From the religion point of view, Norwegians are very particular and finicky. More than 87 percent of total of Norwegian people believe in Christianity as their religion and have very firm faith on the church of Norway. The church of Norway is under the Lutheran concept of preaching. Although, Christianity is the widely spread religion but you can also find some Pentecostal Christians, Roman Catholics and Muslims in very small percentages.

Norwegians basically speak two languages i.e. Bokmal Norwegian and Nynorsk. However Norwegian is widely spoken and is the chief language which is taught in the school system. But still, some Sámi and Finish speaking communities can also be found here but not much in number. The literacy of Norway is very close to 100 percent. Also, the life expectancy is very high as the Norwegian male can live up to 76 years and females there can live up to 81 years.

The Kingdom of Norway is a country in the western area of the Scandinavian Peninsula; it is bordered by Russia, Finland and Sweden. The country is well known for its coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean and its awesome fjords. The Kingdom of Norway also includes Artic territories Jan Mayen and Svalbard; these are two islands in the Artic Ocean.

The coastline is broken by fjords and many islands; to the West and the South, the country is bordered by the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, Skagerak and the Barents Sea, on the Northern coasts. The country is dominated by high terrains and mountains; the country is really beautiful due to its large variety of natural features, caused by spectacular glaciers. Deep grooves cut into the coast flooded by the sea following the end of the ice age, the fjords, are a spectacular Norwegian attraction.

The Gulf Stream has a benefic influence on Norway weather; there are warmer temperatures, especially along the coast than expected at northern latitudes. The mainland has four seasons; the winter is cold and less humid than the coast. The northern part has a sub artic climate; Svalbard as an arctic climate. Some people call Norway The Land of Midnight Sun because in the summer the sun may never descend beneath the horizon.

The Norwegian language has two forms: Nynorsk ad Bokmal. 90% of the Norwegian people speak Bokmal. Nynorsk and Bokmal are Germanic; Sami language is Finno-Ugric. Norwegian literature is very old, very rich and its value is huge. Henrik Ibsen who wrote a famous play, Dolls House is famous all over the world.

Norwegian cities are classified as urban and rural; each municipality has a number. Oslo is the capital and was founded in 1000. 90% of people of Norway are part of the state Church of Norway. Religious services, such as baptism, confirmation, marriage and burial, have strong cultural standing in Norway. Somalian, Arab, Turkish and Pakistani communities belong to Islam. The ancestral Norway inhabitants, the Vikings, followed pantheist / polytheist religions many centuries ago.

Norway attracts tourists by virtue of its spectacular landscapes that extend from the Artic Circle. Ski resorts, fjord intended coastline, mountains, woods and lakes are really attractive and picturesque. Oslo with its castles, cathedrals, churches, museums, the awesome landscape and original architecture, is Norways beautiful capital. Norway has a great cultural heritage, the result of its sparse population, climate and relative isolation from Europe. Norway has rich castles and palaces, long fjords, beautiful lakes and huge woods. The architecture is original, unique, based on the Norway ethnological heritage.

The Viking museum in Northern Norway, at Lofotr, the Viking ship Museum in Oslo, are presenting the Vikings way of life; the Norwegian Resistance Museum in Oslo and the Museum of reconstruction in Hammerfest are presenting objects and events related to World War II. The National Gallery in Oslo, the Munch Museum and the Henie Onstad Art Centre are a beautiful expression of the growing cultural public interest in Norway.