1996 Edition

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)

Location

62 00 N, 10 00 E -- Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly larger than New Mexico

land area

307,860 sq km

total area

324,220 sq km

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)

Environment

current issues

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

international agreements

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

natural hazards

NA

Geographic coordinates

62 00 N, 10 00 E

Geographic 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 and Turkey only NATO members having a land boundary with Russia

International disputes

territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land); maritime boundary dispute with Russia over portion of Barents Sea

Irrigated land

950 sq km (1989)

Land boundaries

border countries

Finland 729 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 167 km

total

2,515 km

Land use

arable land

3%

forest and woodland

27%

meadows and pastures

0%

other

70%

permanent crops

0%

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 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

highest point

Glittertinden 2,472 m

lowest point

Norwegian Sea 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 19% (male 434,848; female 411,668) 15-64 years: 65% (male 1,446,746; female 1,396,150) 65 years and over: 16% (male 288,789; female 405,606) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

11.96 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

10.68 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

4.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Norwegian (official)

note

small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Life expectancy at birth

female

80.61 years (1996 est.)

male

74.63 years

total population

77.53 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1976 est.)

female

NA%

male

NA%

total population

99%

Nationality

adjective

Norwegian

noun

Norwegian(s)

Net migration rate

3.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

4,383,807 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

0.48% (1996 est.)

Religions

Evangelical Lutheran 87.8% (state church), other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3.8%, none 3.2%, unknown 5.2% (1980)

Sex ratio

all ages

0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

1.63 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Data code

NO

Dependent areas

Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Kjeld VIBE

telephone

[1] (202) 333-6000

Executive branch

cabinet

State Council was appointed by the king with the approval of the Storting

chief of state

King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991) is a hereditary monarch; Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS (born 20 July 1973)

head of government

Prime Minister Gro Harlem BRUNDTLAND (since 3 November 1990) was appointed by the king with the approval of the Storting

FAX

[1] (202) 337-0870

[47] 22 44 33 63

consulate(s)

Miami

consulate(s) general

Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco

Flag

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)

Independence

26 October 1905 (from Sweden)

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Hoyesterett), justices appointed by the king

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 (Storting) which, for certain purposes, divides itself into two chambers

Name of country

conventional long form

Kingdom of Norway

conventional short form

Norway

local long form

Kongeriket Norge

local short form

Norge

National holiday

Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Political parties and leaders

Labor Party, Thorbjorn JAGLAND; Conservative Party, Jan PETERSEN; Center Party, Anne ENGER LAHNSTEIN; Christian People's Party, Valgerd HAUGLAND; Socialist Left, Erik SOLHEIM; Norwegian Communist, Kare Andre NILSEN; Progress Party, Carl I. HAGEN; Liberal, Odd Einar DORUM; Left Party; Red Electoral Alliance, Erling FOLKVORD

Storting

elections last held 13 September 1993 (next to be held NA September 1997); results - Labor 37.1%, Center Party 18.5%, Conservatives 15.6%, Christian People's 8.4%, Socialist Left 7.9%, Progress 6%, Left Party 3.6%, Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%; seats - (165 total) Labor 67, Center Party 32, Conservatives 18, Christian People's 13, Socialist Left 13, Progress 10, Left Party 1, Red Electoral Alliance 1, unawarded 10

note

for certain purposes, the Storting divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

constitutional monarchy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador Thomas A. LOFTUS

embassy

Drammensveien 18, 0244 Oslo

mailing address

PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707

telephone

[47] 22 44 85 50

Agriculture

oats, other grains; beef, milk; livestock output exceeds value of crops; among world's top 10 fishing nations; fish catch of 1.76 million metric tons in 1989

Budget

expenditures

$53 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994 est.)

revenues

$48.6 billion

Currency

1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere

Economic aid

donor

ODA, $1.014 billion (1993)

Economic overview

Norway has a mixed economy involving 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. Norway also maintains an extensive welfare system that helps propel public sector expenditures to more than 50% of GDP and results in one of the highest average tax burdens in the world (46%). A small country with a high dependence on international trade, Norway is basically an exporter of raw materials and semiprocessed goods, with an abundance of small- and medium-sized firms, and is ranked among the major shipping nations. The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil sector. Norway imports more than half its food needs. Economic growth, only 1.6% in 1993, moved up to 5.5% in 1994 and remained strong in 1995. Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994.

Electricity

capacity

27,280,000 kW

consumption per capita

23,735 kWh (1993)

production

118 billion kWh

Exchange rates

Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1 - 6.4160 (January 1996), 6.3352 (1995), 7.0576 (1994), 7.0941 (1993), 6.2145 (1992), 6.4829 (1991)

Exports

$34.7 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities

petroleum and petroleum products 43%, metals and products 11%, foodstuffs (mostly fish) 9%, chemicals and raw materials 25%, natural gas 6.0%, ships 5.4%

partners

EU 77.8% (UK 20.8%, Germany 12.4%, France 8.12%), Sweden 9.4%, US 6.7%, Japan 1.9% (1994)

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $106.2 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

2.9%

industry

34.7%

services

62.4% (1991)

GDP per capita

$24,500 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

4.5% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for drugs shipped via the CIS and Baltic states for the European market

Imports

$27.3 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

commodities

machinery and equipment and manufactured consumer goods 54%, chemicals and other industrial inputs 39%, foodstuffs 6%

partners

EU 68.9% (Germany 13.9%, UK 10.4%, Denmark 7.4%), Sweden 15%, US 7.4%, Japan 6.0% (1994)

Industrial production growth rate

7.4% (1994)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.5% (1995 est.)

Labor force

2.13 million

by occupation

services 71%, industry 23%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6% (1993)

Unemployment rate

8% (including people in job-training programs; November 1995)

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $3.7 billion, 2.9% of GDP (1995)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

1,125,302

males fit for military service

937,309

males reach military age (20) annually

28,328 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 46, FM 493 (350 private and 143 government), shortwave 0

Radios

3.3 million (1993 est.)

Telephone system

high-quality domestic and international telephone, telegraph, and telex services

domestic

NA domestic satellite earth stations

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

2.39 million (1986 est.)

Television broadcast stations

54 (repeaters 2,100)

Televisions

1.5 million (1993 est.) Defense

Airports

total

102

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

13

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

12

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

11

with paved runways over 3 047 m

1

with paved runways under 914 m

60

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

5 (1995 est.)

Heliports

1 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

61,356 km (including 75 km of expressways)

total

88,922 km

unpaved

27,566 km (1990 est.)

Merchant marine

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 (1995 est.)

ships by type

bulk 114, cargo 98, chemical tanker 83, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 31, container 15, liquefied gas tanker 87, oil tanker 148, passenger 10, passenger-cargo 2, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 13, roll-on/roll-off cargo 49, short-sea passenger 21, vehicle carrier 30

total

712 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,278,205 GRT/32,209,679 DWT

Pipelines

refined products 53 km

Ports

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

Railways

standard gauge

4,027 km 1.435-m gauge (2422 km electrified; 96 km double track) (1995)

total

4,027 km

Waterways

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