Norway

Quick Facts

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Capital

Oslo

Population

4,546,000

Government

Constitutional Monarchy

Religions

Christianity (Protestant)

Languages

Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk), Saami

Calling Code

+47

Nationality

Norwegian

Local name

Norge

Introduction

Some sculptures in Oslo

© All Rights Reserved Exposure

Land of extraordinary beauty, Norway's undisputed attraction is its fantastic scenery. Rugged mountains, fjords and glaciers give Norway a rough feel, one which is delightful to travellers accustomed to the slick cities of other European destinations. Even Norway's capital, Oslo, reflects this: uninterested in the busy bustle of modern life, the city takes pleasure in numerous parks, monuments and museums, maintaining a strikingly subdued attitude.

In its northern reaches, Norway stretches into the Arctic Circle. It's a cold place, but brilliantly varied and interesting. Polar bears, seals and walruses can be seen in their natural environment, atop ice floes; naturally treeless areas create a haunting and mysterious sense of desolation; and majestic peaks jut above the coast.

Brief History

Geography

Norway is a long narrow country with fjords cutting deep into the mountains. The further north you travels the less trees and the more ice you will encounter. Norway shares international borders with Sweden, Finland and Russia.

Regions

Norway consists of five major regions, split as followed into counties:

• Nord-Norge (in the north) - Finnmark, Nordland, Troms
• Trøndelag (in the middle) - Nord-Trøndelag, Sør-Trøndelag
• Vestlandet (lower west) - Hordaland, Møre og Romsdal, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane
• Sørlandet (in the south) - Aust-Agder, Vest-Agder
• Østlandet (lower east) - Akershus, Buskerud, Hedmark, Oppland, Oslo (only city to also be a county), Telemark, Vestfold, Østfold

Cities

Oslo

Oslo is the capital of Norway and the most populated city in Norway with more than half a million inhabitants. Located at the head of Oslo fjord in the south-east of Norway, the city is the main center of finance, trade and shipping. There are many museums and other attractions in the city for travellers to enjoy. Contrary to popular belief, temperatures in Oslo are generally mild (-10 °C to +30 °C) year round, with good conditions to enjoy downhill skiing in the winter and swimming in the fjords, both accessible by tram ride from the center of Oslo.

Other Cities

• Bergen (in Hordaland) is Norway's second largest city and has over a quarter of a million people. It is located in southwestern Norway and another important port.
• Trondheim (in Sør-Trøndelag), lying at the mouth of the Nidelva River is Norway's third largest city with around 150 000 inhabitants.
• Other cities in Norway include Stavanger (in Rogaland), Tromsø (in Troms), Fredrikstad (in Østfold), Drammen (in Buskerud), Fjærland (in Sogn og Fjordane) and Kristiansand (in Vest-Agder).

Sights

Activities

Mountain climbing

There are a number of mountain faces throughout Norway, many in Møre og Romsdal, that are enjoyed by mountain climbers. Trollveggen is probably the most known and is Europe's highest vertical face, so not to be attempted by anyone other than advanced climbers looking for an extreme experience. The Norwegian Trekking Association offers a number of courses for beginners and can also point you in the right direction for information on popular climbs, regardless of your level.

Glacier walking

A trip to the blue glacier ice, lead by a local guide past sharp ice towers and deep crevices, is a unique outdoor experience and a long lasting tradition in Norway. Glaciers are extraordinarily beautiful but they can also be deceptive, hiding crevices of 100 metres depth below thin snow crusts, so you should never venture onto a glacier without a qualified local guide.

Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier on the mainland Europe, but Svartisen, Flogefonna, Hardangerjøklen and Nigardsbreen are also popular destinations for glacier walkers, ice climbers and skiers alike. Trips can be both for those with a normal level of fitness or more trained, adventurous souls.

Skiing

It should come as no surprise that Norwegians like to ski. Not only is the sport named after the Norwegian town of Ski but downhill (slalom) skis were first invented in the town of Morgedal in the region of Telemark. On Friday afternoons in the winter, traffic out of major cities comes to a virtual halt as families and small groups make their way to their winter 'hytte' (cabins) or a ski resort. Popular areas for downhill skiing in Norway include Geilo, Hemsedal and Trysil. The city of Oslo also has a few downhill slopes which you can reach by tram from the city center.

Events and Festivals

Norway is renowned for it's festival filled summers. The combination of long days and plenty of large open spaces seem to make Norway the ideal festival destination.

Norway's largest festival is Quart^[1], which is held at Odderøya, a short walk from the center of Kristiansand, on the southern coast of Norway. With no shortage of internationally renowned artists appearing, the 2007 line-up includes The Who, Beastie Boys and 50 Cent among others.

One of the biggest festivals in recent years has been Øyafestivalen^[2], which is held in Oslo's Middelalderparken (Medieval Park) in Gamlebyen, the oldest part of Oslo. It's about ten minutes walk from Oslo Central Station.

Frognerbadet outdoor pool in Frogner Park in Oslo is home of one of Norway's oldest rock festivals, Norwegian Wood^[3]. In cooperation with NRK, the event also houses an Underwood stage for new, promising bands.

Kongsberg Jazzfestival^[4] is a well known jazz festival including both Norwegian and international artists. The festival always has a distinguished range of artists within free jazz and new directions within improvised music.

Moldejazz^[5] is one of Europe's oldest, largest and most important jazz festivals. It is held in Molde, a town situated by the Romadalsfjord on the northwest coast of Norway (about an hours flight from Oslo, Trondheim or Bergen. Each year the festival presents a commissioned work and has an Artist in Residence.

Weather

As most people expect, Norway can get very cold in the winter. Norway is a vast country however and one cannot compare the temperatures from the far North of the country, within the Arctic circle, with the temperatures in major cities like Bergen and Oslo. Summers in Norway are a lot more pleasant than most believe and there are a lot of boating and water sport activities. The water is quite pleasant for swimming and there is ample opportunity to do so with a coastline, including the fjords and greater islands, of around 12 000 miles (approximately 19 000 km).

Getting There

By Plane

SAS Braathens was the name of the national airline of Norway but since 2007 its official name is SAS Scandinavian Airlines Norge and has its base at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen (OSL), 50 kilometers north of the capital. Destinations with the Norwegian branche of SAS are Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Crete, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Reykjavík, Rome, Stockholm-Arlanda, Venice, and Zürich, among others. Norwegian Air Shuttle is a low cost airline flying from here to several dozens of cities throughout Europe as well. Most European airlines fly to Oslo directly and Pakistan Airlines flies to and from three destinations in Pakistan, being one of a few non European airlines.
Bergen Airport, Flesland (BGO) and Stavanger Airport, Sola (SVG) are a few other international airlines serving several destinations mainly in West en North Europe and charters to the south of the continent.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Plane

Norwegian Air Shuttle and SAS Braathens serve most of the cities in Norway. Cities include Kristiansund, Kristiansand, Bergen, Oslo, Alta, Alesund, Stavanger, Trondheim, Narvik and Kirkenes among several others.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

The Hurtigruten travels the entrie coastline between Bergen and Kirkenes and makes for a leisurely way of travelling combined with seeing the places where the ship anchors.

Red Tape

A Schengen Visa is required to enter Norway. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.

Money

The currency of Norway is the Norwegian kroner (NOK). Here are some rough exchange rates against popular currencies, but please check with a currency conversion site like Oanda for exact rates.

• 1 USD = 6 NOK
• 1 EUR = 8 NOK
• 1 GBP = 12 NOK
• 1 AUD = 5 NOK

June 2007

ATM's are readily available and generally allow international withdrawals without any problems. Debit and ATM/PIN cards are readily used in Norway, with most Norwegians preferring these over the carrying of cash. If you are travelling to Norway, there is really no need to take out travellers cheques before arriving, unless this is a strong personal preference. You will find fees for exchanging the travellers cheques quite high in addition to what you might have paid at your bank for buying them.

Most travellers tend to find Norway expensive to travel in, with food and drink prices, especially alcoholic, often being high.

Work

Study

Language

The main language in Norway is Norwegian (norsk). Although officially there are two types of Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk), most Norwegians would simply say they speak Norwegian unless pressed for an answer to the specific variety. Less than 15% of the Norwegian spoken is Nynorsk, although the Norwegian governmental agencies are required to support both languages, written and spoken. It's a somewhat strange phenomena as Nynorsk resembles the traditional Norwegian dialects more than Bokmål (which is based on Danish) does. Most Norwegians also speak dialect or will use it interlaced with Bokmål.

Saami is also an official language of Norway, but use of it is rare outside of Saami communities. English on the other hand, although not an official language, is understood and spoken by most Norwegians. Scandinavian languages like Swedish and Danish are usually understood by Norwegians, who will then typically reply in Norwegian.

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

Safety

Norway is a safe country to travel in with a very low crime rate. Take the same precautions as you would in most European countries and maintain common sense.

The major safety concern for travellers is generally for those who are venturing off the beaten track and rafting, kayaking, hiking or skiing on their own or in groups without a guide. There are a number of fatalities each year, involving both Norwegians and tourists, that are simply due to the ruggedness of the country and ill prepared trips or accidents. In the summer of 2007 several foreign travellers died as a result of accidents which were easily avoidable by paying attention to warning signs or local advice and tour guides, and sadly this seems to be a yearly occurrence. Always let someone know where you will be and for how long you think you'll be and where possible, participate in activities with others instead of by yourself.

Keep Connected

Internet

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