Encyclopedia
Insert non-formatted text hereNorway is a
Nordic country on the western portion of the
Scandinavian Peninsula, bordering
Sweden,
Finland and
Russia. Norway has a very elongated shape; the country's extensive coastline along the
North Atlantic Ocean is home to its famous
fjords. The
Kingdom of Norway also includes the
Arctic island territories of
Svalbard and Jan Mayen. The Norwegian sovereignty on Svalbard is based on the Svalbard Treaty, but this does not apply to Jan Mayen.
Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean and a claim for
Peter I Island in the South
Pacific Ocean are also external dependencies, but these are not part of the Kingdom. Norway also claims
Queen Maud Land in
Antarctica where it has established the
Troll permanent research station.
History
- Main article: History of Norway
Archeological finds indicate that there were people in Norway about 12,000 years ago. They probably came from more southern regions, that is northern
Germany, and travelled further north along the Norwegian coastline.
In the
9th century, Norway consisted of a number of petty kingdoms. According to tradition,
Harald Fairhair gathered the small kingdoms into one in 872 with the
battle of Hafrsfjord. He became the first king of a united Norway.
The
Viking age was one of unification and expansion. The Norwegians established settlements on
Iceland, the
Faroe Islands,
Greenland and parts of the British Isles, and attempted to settle at
L'Anse aux Meadows in
Newfoundland,
Canada . Norwegians founded the modern-day
Irish cities of
Limerick and
Waterford and established trading communities near the
Celtic settlements of
Cork and
Dublin which later became Ireland's two most important cities.
In 1349, the
Black Death wiped out between 40% and 50% of the Norwegian population, causing a decline in both society and economics. During this decline, the Fairhair dynasty died out in 1387. Royal politics at the time resulted in several personal unions between the Nordic countries, eventually bringing the thrones of Norway,
Denmark, and
Sweden under the control of Queen
Margrethe when the country entered into the
Kalmar Union with Denmark and Sweden. Sweden declared its independence in 1523, but Norway remained under the Danish crown until 1814. During the
national romanticism of the
19th century, this period has sometimes been referred to as the "400-Year Night", since all of the kingdom's royal, intellectual, and administrative power was centred in
Copenhagen, Denmark. However it must be said that the common people of Norway had more freedom than the Danish people because the rural communities of Norway were organised differently than those of Denmark. Other factors also contributed to Norway's decline in this period. With the introduction of Protestantism in 1537, Norway lost the steady stream of pilgrims to the relics of
St. Olav at the
Nidaros shrine, and with them, much of the contact with cultural and economic life in the rest of
Europe. Additionally, Norway saw its land area decrease in the
17th century with the loss of the provinces
Båhuslen,
Jemtland, and
Herjedalen to Sweden, as a result of the wars between
Denmark-Norway and Sweden.
After Denmark-Norway was attacked by
England, it entered into an alliance with
Napoleon, and in 1814 found itself on the losing side in the
Napoleonic Wars and in dire economic conditions. The Dano-Norwegian
Oldenburg king was forced to cede Norway to the king of
Sweden. Norway took this opportunity to declare independence, adopted a constitution based on
American and French models, and elected the Danish crown prince
Christian Fredrik as king on May 17 1814. However, Sweden militarily forced Norway into a personal union with Sweden, establishing
Charles XIII of Sweden as king of Norway . Under this arrangement, Norway kept its liberal constitution and independent institutions, except for the foreign service. See also
Norway in 1814.
This period also saw the rise of the
Norwegian romantic nationalism cultural movement, as Norwegians sought to define and express a distinct national character. The movement covered all branches of culture, including literature , painting , music , and even language policy, where attempts to define a native written language for Norway led to today's two official written forms for
Norwegian; Bokmål and Nynorsk.
Peter Christian Hersleb Kjerschow Michelsen , a Norwegian shipping magnate and statesman, was Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907. Michelsen is most known for his central role in the peaceful separation of Norway from Sweden on June 7 1905, and was one of Norway's most influential politicians of his day. Norway's growing dissatisfaction with the union with Sweden during the late 19th century, combined with National Romanticism and the awakening sense of nationality contributed to the dissolution of the union. The Norwegian government offered the throne of Norway to the Danish Prince Carl. After a referendum confirming the monarchy, the Parliament unanimously elected him king. He took the name of
Haakon VII, after the medieval kings of independent Norway. In 1913, Norwegian women gained
suffrage.
Norway was a neutral country during
World War I. Norway also attempted to claim neutrality during
World War II, but was invaded by German forces on April 9, 1940 . The Allies also had plans to invade Norway, in order to take advantage of her strategically important Atlantic coast, but were thwarted by the German operation. Norway put up a stiff fight against the German occupation and armed resistance in Norway went on for two months. The battle of Vinjesvingen eventually became the last stronghold of Norwegian resistance in southern Norway in May, while the armed forces in the north surrendered in early June. King Haakon and the Norwegian government continued the fight from exile in
Rotherhithe,
London. On the day of the invasion, the collaborative leader of the small National-Socialist party
Nasjonal Samling —
Vidkun Quisling — tried to seize power, but was forced by the German occupiers to step aside. Real power was wielded by the leader of the German occupation authority,
Reichskommissar Josef Terboven. Quisling, as
minister president, later formed a government under German control. During the five years of
Nazi occupation, Norwegians built a strong resistance movement which fought the German occupation forces with both armed resistance and civil disobedience. Notable was also the effort of the Norwegian Merchant Navy. At the time of the invasion Norway had the third largest, fastest and the most effective Merchant Navy in the world. It was lead by the Norwegian shipping company Nortraship under the allied force throughout the war and took part in every war operation from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the Normandy landings.
In 1944, the Germans evacuated the provinces of
Finnmark and northern
Troms, using a
scorched earth tactic to create a vast area of
No-man's land in response to the
Red Army attacking their positions in eastern Finnmark. The Soviets attacked eastern Finnmark to create a buffer zone after pushing the German forces out of the arctic
Kola peninsula. The Russians peacefully returned the area to Norwegian control after the war. The German forces in Norway surrendered on May 8 1945.
The
occupation during World War II disturbed the Norwegians' confidence in neutrality, and they turned instead to collective security. Norway was one of the signatories of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949 and was a founding member of the
United Nations, providing its first
Secretary General;
Trygve Lie. Norway has twice voted against joining the
European Union , but is associated with the EU via the
European Economic Area. However, Norway is a member of the much smaller
European Free Trade Association .
Politics
Norway is a
constitutional monarchy with a
parliamentary system of government.
The Royal House is a branch of the princely family of Glücksburg, originally from
Schleswig-Holstein in
Germany. As it stands, however, the functions of the King,
Harald V, are mainly ceremonial, but he has influence as the symbol of national unity. Although the
constitution of 1814 grants important executive powers to the King, these are almost always exercised by the
Council of State in the name of the King . The reserve powers vested in the Monarch by the
constitution are significant and an important security part of the role of the
Monarchy, and were last used during
World War II. The Council of State consists of a Prime Minister and his council, formally appointed by the King.
Parliamentarism has evolved since 1884 and entails that the cabinet must not have the parliament against it, and that the appointment by the King is a formality.
The Norwegian
parliament,
Stortinget, currently has 169 members . The members are elected from the 19
counties for 4-year terms according to a system of proportional representation. The Storting divides itself into two chambers, the
Odelsting and the
Lagting when voting on legislation. Laws are proposed by the government through a Member of the Council of State or by a member of the Odelsting and decided on by the Odelsting and Lagting, in case of repeated disagreement by the joint Storting. However, in modern time the Lagting rarely disagrees and mainly just
rubber-stamps the Odelsting's decision. Before the present Storting is a proposed constitutional amendment which would repeal the division.
Impeachment cases are very rare and may be brought against Members of the Council of State, or of the Supreme Court or of the Storting, for criminal offences which they may have committed in their official capacity. Indictments are raised by the Odelsting and judged by the Lagting and the Supreme Court justices as part of the High Court of the Realm. Apart from this, the Storting functions as a
unicameral parliament.
The regular courts include the Supreme Court or
Høyesterett , courts of appeal, city and district courts, and conciliation councils. Judges attached to regular courts are appointed by the
King in council after nomination by the Ministry of Justice. The special High Court of the Realm, which consists of the Supreme Court plus the Lagting, hears
impeachment cases.
In order to form a government, more than half of the Council of State are required to belong to the
Church of Norway.
Geography
- Main article: Geography of Norway
The landscape is generally rugged and mountainous, with several major
glaciers occupying central mountain plateau. Its coastline of over 83,000 kilometres is punctuated by steep-sloped inlets known as
fjords, as well as a multitude of
islands and
islets. The northern part of the country is also known as the
Land of the Midnight Sun because of its location north of the
Arctic Circle, where for part of each summer the sun does not set, and in winter much of its land remains dark for long periods. In summertime in the southern part of Norway, the sun is only away for a few hours.
Norway is bounded by seas of the North
Atlantic Ocean: the
North Sea to the southwest and its large inlet the
Skagerrak to the south, and the
Norwegian Sea to the west. In the northeast is the
Barents Sea, part of the
Arctic Ocean. To the east, in order from south to north, it shares a long border with
Sweden, a shorter one with
Finland, and a still shorter one with
Russia. Norway's highest point is the
Galdhøpiggen at 2,469 metres
The Norwegian
climate is fairly temperate, especially along the coast under the influence of the
Gulf Stream. The inland climate can be more severe and to the north more subarctic conditions are found, especially in
Finnmark.
Climate data for some cities in different regions of the country; base period 1961-1990 :
| Location | Elevation | Temp/Jan | Temp/July | Temp/year | Precip/year |
|---|
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|
| Blindern | 94 m | 308 ft | -4.3°C | 24.2°F | 16.4°C | 61.5°F | 5.7°C | 42.2°F | 763 mm | 30.0 in |
| Florida | 12 m | 39.4 ft | 1.3°C | 34.4°F | 14.3°C | 57.7°F | 7.6°C | 45.7°F | 2,250 mm | 88.6 in |
| Værnes | 12 m | 39.4 ft |
°C>25.9°F | 13.7°C | 56.7°F | 5.0°C | 41.0°F | 892 mm | 35.1 in | | Langnes | 8 m | 26.2 ft |
°C>25.2°F | 11.8°C | 53.2°F | 2.9°C | 37.0°F | 1,000 mm | 39.4 in |
Data from Norges Meteorologiske Institutt .
Note: Temperatures have tended to be higher in recent years .
Culture
- Main article: Culture of Norway
Norway is the home of several famous playwrights and novelists, among others
Baron Ludvig Holdberg,
Henrik Ibsen,
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and more recently,
Jon Fosse, and
Georg Johannesen, The playwright/novelists
Knut Hamsun and
Sigrid Undset, have both won the
Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1920 and 1928 respectively. Norway is the homeland of
expressionist painter
Edvard Munch and the sculptor
Gustav Vigeland and
romanticist composer
Edvard Grieg. Many Norwegians have explored the farthest corners of the world, i.e.
Roald Amundsen,
Fridtjof Nansen, and
Thor Heyerdahl.
Composers
Edvard Grieg,
Ole Bull,
Christian Sinding and Arne Nordheim are recognised contributors to the Music of Norway. Among the contributors to pop music are
A-ha,
Röyksopp,
Motorpsycho and
Turbonegro. Norway is known for its large contributions to music, particularly in the
black metal scene. Where such bands as
Darkthrone, Enslaved,
Burzum, Satyricon, Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Immortal, and
Emperor have all made a name for themselves.
Norwegians celebrate their national day on May 17, the
Norwegian Constitution Day. Many people wear
bunad and a majority of the nation watch or participate in the town parades taking place all over the country, a tradition founded by the poet
Henrik Wergeland. The day was originally a celebration of national independence by the middle and upper class, while the working class celebrated 1 May. However, during the social democratic rule after
World War II it became a major public feast, celebrated by all social classes. Attempts to make the day more political - especially in the 70's - have not had much effect.
See also: Norwegian Theatres, .Languages
- Main article: Norwegian language
The Norwegian language has two official written forms: bokmål and nynorsk. Additionally riksmål used to be used during the time that Norway was under Denmark, today most is written in bokmål, e.g. in press and literature.
Non-Norwegian languages like Saami and Kven are also used in northernmost Norway by ethnic minorities.
Religion
- Main article: Religion in Norway
Religion in Norway is overwhelmingly Protestant . Mostly because of a strong tradition of baptism, 89% of the population belong to the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway which is the
established religion. The Norwegians, like all of the peoples of Scandinavia, were pagans believing in
Norse mythology; the Sámi having a
shamanistic religion. Because of the efforts of Christian missionaries, Norway was Christianised in a gradual process starting at approximately 1000 AD and which was finished by 1150 AD. Prior to the
Reformation, Norwegians were part of the
Catholic Church with the conversion to Protestantism occurring in 1536.
Islam is now the second largest religion because of recent migration trends, although the census shows that there are more people with no religious beliefs.
Human rights in Norway
Freedom of expression is enshrined in paragraph 100,
Freedom of religion in paragraph 2 of the
Constitution of Norway 
