Norway

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

21 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 5, FM at least 650, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

4.03 million (1997)

Telephone system

high-quality domestic and international telephone, telegraph, and telex services domestic: domestic satellite system international: 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden)

Telephones - main lines in use

2,325,010 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1,676,763 (1997)

Television broadcast stations

209 (1997)

Televisions

2.03 million (1997)

Agriculture - products

barley, other grains, potatoes; beef, milk; fish

Budget

revenues: $69.7 billion expenditures: $60.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Currency

1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere

Debt - external

$0 (Norway is a net external creditor)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $1.4 billion (1998)

Economy - overview

The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector (through large-scale state enterprises), and extensively subsidizes agriculture, fishing, and areas with sparse resources. The extensive welfare system helps propel public sector expenditures to more than 50% of GDP. A major shipping nation, with a high dependence on international trade, Norway is basically an exporter of raw materials and semiprocessed goods. The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil production and international oil prices. Only Saudi Arabia exports more oil than Norway. Norway imports more than half its food needs. Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994. Growth was a meager 0.8% in 1999 because of weak private consumption and anemic investment activity in the oil and other sectors. Growth should pick up in 2000, perhaps to 2.7%. Despite their high per capita income and generous welfare benefits, Norwegians worry about that time in the next two decades when the oil and gas begin to run out.

Electricity - consumption

111.001 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

4.4 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

8 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

115.485 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 0.58% hydro: 99.16% nuclear: 0% other: 0.26% (1998)

Exchange rates

Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1 - 8.0129 (January 2000), 7.7992 (1999), 7.5451 (1998), 7.0734 (1997), 6.4498 (1996), 6.3352 (1995)

Exports

$47.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities

petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish

Exports - partners

EU 77% (UK 17%, Germany 12%, Netherlands 10%, Sweden 10%, France 8%), US 7% (1998)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $111.3 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 2.2% industry: 26.3% services: 71.5% (1998)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $25,100 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

0.8% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 21.2% (1991)

Imports

$38.6 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners

EU 69% (Sweden 15%, Germany 14%, UK 10%, Denmark 7%), US 7%, Japan 4% (1998)

Industrial production growth rate

0.7% (1999 est.)

Industries

petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.8% (1999 est.)

Labor force

2.7 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

services 74%, industry 22%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 4% (1995)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

2.9% (1999 est.)

Area

total: 324,220 sq km land: 307,860 sq km water: 16,360 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than New Mexico

Climate

temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior; rainy year-round on west coast

Coastline

21,925 km (includes mainland 3,419 km, large islands 2,413 km, long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 16,093 km)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Galdhopiggeh 2,469 m

Environment - current issues

water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geographic coordinates

62 00 N, 10 00 E

Geography - note

about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in world; Norway is the only NATO member having a land boundary with Russia

Irrigated land

970 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 2,515 km border countries: Finland 729 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 167 km

Land use

arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 27% other: 70% (1993 est.)

Location

Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 10 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 4 nm

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

petroleum, copper, natural gas, pyrites, nickel, iron ore, zinc, lead, fish, timber, hydropower

Terrain

glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

Administrative divisions

19 provinces (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold

Capital

Oslo

Constitution

17 May 1814, modified in 1884

Country name

conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway conventional short form: Norway local long form: Kongeriket Norge local short form: Norge

Data code

NO

Dependent areas

Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador David B. HERMELIN embassy: Drammensveien 18, 0244 Oslo mailing address: PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707 telephone: [47] (22) 44 85 50 FAX: [47] (22) 43 07 77

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Tom Erik VRAALSEN chancery: 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000 FAX: [1] (202) 337-0870 consulate(s) general: Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco

Executive branch

chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch (born 20 July 1973) head of government: Prime Minister Jens STOLTENBERG (since 17 March 2000) cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of the Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the Parliament

Flag description

red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Government type

constitutional monarchy

Independence

7 June 1905 Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved; 26 October 1905 Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union

International organization participation

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Hoyesterett, justices appointed by the monarch

Legal system

mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

modified unicameral Parliament or Storting which, for certain purposes, divides itself into two chambers (165 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 15 September 1997 (next to be held NA September 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 35%, Center Party 7.9%, Conservative Party 14.3%, Christian People's Party 13.7%, Socialist Left Party 6%, Progress Party 15.3%, Liberal Party 4.4%, other parties 1.6%; seats by party - Labor Party 65, Center Party 11, Conservative Party 23, Christian People's Party 25, Socialist Left Party 9, Progress Party 25, Liberal Party 6, other parties 1 note: for certain purposes, the Parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting

National holiday

Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Political parties and leaders

Center Party [Johan J. JAKOBSEN]; Christian People's Party [Valgerd HAUGLAND]; Conservative Party [Jan PETERSEN]; Labor Party [Thorbjorn JAGLAND]; Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM]; Norwegian Communist Party [Kare Andre NILSEN]; Progress Party [Carl I. HAGEN]; Red Electoral Alliance [Erling FOLKVORD]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Despite its neutrality, Norway was not able to avoid occupation by Germany in World War II. In 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. The current focus is on containing spending on the extensive welfare system and planning for the time when petroleum reserves are depleted. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU.

Military branches

Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy (includes Coast Artillery and Coast Guard), Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$3.113 billion (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.1% (FY98)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,103,256 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 915,949 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

20 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 27,417 (2000 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 20% (male 459,608; female 434,809) 15-64 years: 65% (male 1,472,974; female 1,430,526) 65 years and over: 15% (male 283,741; female 399,504) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

12.79 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

9.89 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

Norwegian (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic), Lapps (Sami) 20,000

Infant mortality rate

3.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Norwegian (official) note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.65 years male: 75.73 years female: 81.77 years (2000 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Norwegian(s) adjective: Norwegian

Net migration rate

2.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

4,481,162 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

0.5% (2000 est.)

Religions

Evangelical Lutheran 86% (state church), other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, other 1%, none and unknown 10% (1997)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.81 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land) [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]

Airports

103 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 67 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 29 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 36 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 31 (1999 est.)

Heliports

1 (1999 est.)

Highways

total: 90,741 km paved: 67,602 km (including 128 km of expressways) unpaved: 23,139 km (1998 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 788 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 21,460,260 GRT/34,178,125 DWT ships by type: bulk 100, cargo 142, chemical tanker 111, combination bulk 9, combination ore/oil 35, container 18, liquified gas 86, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 11, petroleum tanker 157, refrigerated cargo 11, roll-on/roll-off 48, short-sea passenger 22, vehicle carrier 37 (1999 est.) note: the government has created an internal register, the Norwegian International Ship register (NIS), as a subset of the Norwegian register; ships on the NIS enjoy many benefits of flags of convenience and do not have to be crewed by Norwegians (1998 est.)

Pipelines

refined petroleum products 53 km

Ports and harbors

Bergen, Drammen, Floro, Hammerfest, Harstad, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Larvik, Narvik, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Stavanger, Tromso, Trondheim

Railways

total: 4,012 km standard gauge: 4,012 km 1.435-m gauge (2,530 km electrified; 96 km double track) (1998)

Waterways

1,577 km along west coast; navigable by 2.4 m draft vessels maximum