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Background: Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav TRYGGVASON in 994. Conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although Norway remained neutral in World War I, it suffered heavy losses to its shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940-45). 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.
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Common Name: Norway
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Local Official Name: Norge
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Abbreviated Name: Kingdom of Norway
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Official Name: Kongeriket Norge
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Official Script Name: Norway
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Local Common Name: Norway
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Former Name: Norway
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: King HARALD V
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Government Type: constitutional monarchy
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Independence: 1905 June 7 Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved; 1905 October 26 Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union`
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Constitution: 1814 May 17, modified in 1884
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National Holiday: Constitution Day, 17 May
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International Organization Participation: AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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Administrative Divisions: 19 counties (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
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Dependent Areas: Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
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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
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Suffrage: 18 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: 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 October 2005)
cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of parliament
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the parliament
Legislative Branch:
modified unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 12 September 2005 (next to be held September 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 32.7%, Progress Party 22.1%, Conservative Party 14.1%, Socialist Left Party 8.8%, Christian People's Party 6.8%, Center Party 6.5%, Liberal Party 5.9%, Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%, other 1.9%; seats by party - Labor Party 61, Progress Party 38, Conservative Party 23, Socialist Left Party 15, Christian People's Party 11, Center Party 11, Liberal Party 10
note: for certain purposes, the parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting
Judicial Branch:
Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the monarch)
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Party Leaders: Center Party [Aslaug Marie HAGA]; Christian People's Party [Dagfinn HOYBRATEN]; Coastal Party [Roy WAAGE]; Conservative Party [Erna SOLBERG]; Labor Party [Jens STOLTENBERG]; Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM]; Progress Party [Siv JENSEN]; Red Electoral Alliance [Torstein DAHLE]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN]
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International Disputes: Norway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land and its continental shelf); despite recent discussions, Russia and Norway continue to dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone
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Illicit Drugs: NA
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Location of Norway: Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden
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Continent: Europe
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Land Area Total: 323,802 sq km
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Region: Scandanavian |
Land Area Land: 307,442 sq km
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Capitol City: Oslo
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Land Area Water: 16,360 sq km
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Current: +1
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Latitude: 062 00 N
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Border Boundary Land: 2,542 km
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Longitude: 010 00 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 25,148 km
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Arable Land: 2.70 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 0.00 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 2,469 m
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Location: Galdhopiggen
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Norwegian Sea
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Largest City in Norway: Oslo
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Oslo Largest City Population: 959,000
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Threatened Species: 30
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Environmental Issues: water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Irrigated Land: 1,270
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Bordering Countries: Finland 727 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 196 km
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Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower
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Geographical Terrain: glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north
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Comparative Area of Norway: slightly larger than New Mexico
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Norway's Geography: 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 the world
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Norway.
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General Climate: temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast
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Natural Hazards: rockslides, avalanches
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Economic 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). 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, with oil and gas accounting for one-third of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia export more oil than Norway. Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, it contributes sizably to the EU budget. The government has moved ahead with privatization. Although Norwegian oil production peaked in 2000, natural gas production is still rising. Norwegians realize that once their gas production peaks they will eventually face declining oil and gas revenues; accordingly, Norway has been saving its oil-and-gas-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund, which is invested abroad and now is valued at more than $250 billion. After lackluster growth of 1% in 2002 and 0.5% in 2003, GDP growth picked up to 3.3% in 2004 and to 3.7% in 2005.
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GDP: $196,400,000,000 USD
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Currency: Norwegian krone
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GDP per Capita: $42,800 USD
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Currency Code: NOK
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GDP Growth Rate: 4.00 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% NOK
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408 (2004), 7.0802 (2003), 7.9838 (2002), 8.9917 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 2.10 %
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GDP of Industry: 41.50 %
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GDP of Services: 56.40 % |
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Inflation Rate: 1.60 % |
Population in Poverty: 0.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 4.60 %
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Tourism: 4,481,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 4.10 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $176,100,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 21.80 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $131,300,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 105,600,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 5,600,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 106,100,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 13,500,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 0.49%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 99.31%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.20%
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Oil Production: 3,220,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 73,400,000,000 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 257,200 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 4,140,000,000 cu m
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Oil Exports: 3,466,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 50,500,000,000 cu m
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Oil Imports: 88,870 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 9,859,000,000 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 2,118,000,000,000 cu m
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External Debt: $281,000,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $0 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $1,400,000,000 USD
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Agricultural Products: barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish
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Primary Industries: petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing
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Industrial Growth Rate: -0.50 %
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Import Amount in USD: $58,120,000,000 USD - machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs
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Import Partners: Sweden 14.6%, Germany 13.6%, Denmark 7.3%, UK 6.8%, China 5.5%, US 5%, France 4%
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Export Amount in USD: $111,200,000,000 USD - petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish
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Export Partners: UK 25.5%, Germany 12.6%, Netherlands 9.9%, France 9.1%, US 6.7%, Sweden 6.5%
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GINI Index: 25.80%
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Labor Force Number of People: 2,400,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: services 74%, industry 22%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 4%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 656 |
Number of People with Radios: 4,030,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 360 |
Number of People with Televisions: 2,030,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 2,129,000 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 4,755,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 1,342,667 |
Internet Users: 3,140,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .no |
Newspapers: 569 |
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Two Letter Country Code: NO |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 47 |
Electricity Voltage: 230 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: modern in all respects; one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in Europe
domestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover, the prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular mobile systems instead of fixed wire systems
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)
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Highways: 71,832 km |
Railways: 4,077 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 9,607 km |
Waterways: 1,577 km
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Airports: 67 |
Heliports: 1
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Motor Vehicles: 507 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 41,700,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 15.40 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 724 ships (1000 GRT or over) 14,472,103 GRT/20,245,353 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 67, cargo 153, chemical tanker 150, container 2, liquefied gas 79, passenger/cargo 121, petroleum tanker 75, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 19, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 47
foreign-owned: 168 (China 3, Cyprus 2, Denmark 32, Estonia 1, Finland 4, Greece 1, Hong Kong 55, Iceland 4, Italy 4, Japan 1, Lithuania 1, Monaco 4, Netherlands 3, Poland 2, Saudi Arabia 3, Sweden 28, UAE 1, UK 6, US 13)
registered in other countries: 861 (Antigua and Barbuda 11, Australia 1, Bahamas 259, Barbados 29, Belize 2, Bermuda 5, Brazil 2, Cambodia 1, Canada 1, Cayman Islands 2, China 1, Comoros 1, Cook Islands 1, Cyprus 16, Denmark 3, Dominica 1, Ecuador 1, Estonia 2, Faroe Islands 4, Finland 1, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 12, Gibraltar 18, Hong Kong 26, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 27, Liberia 38, Libya 1, Malta 49, Marshall Islands 65, Mexico 1, Netherlands 7, Netherlands Antilles 5, Nigeria 1, Panama 66, Philippines 3, Portugal 4, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16, Singapore 90, Spain 7, Sweden 7, Thailand 30, Tonga 1, UK 36, US 2, unknown 2)
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Ports and Harbors: Borg Havn, Bergen, Mo i Rana, Molde, Mongstad, Narvik, Oslo, Sture
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Population: 4,610,820 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 11.46 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 14.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 9.40 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 0.38% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 1.78 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 455,122 |
Population Female 0-14: 434,009 |
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Population Male 15-64: 1,542,439 |
Population Female 15-64: 1,496,745 |
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Population Male 65+: 288,509 |
Population Female 65+: 393,996 |
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Population 0-14: 19.30% |
Literacy Rate: 100.00% |
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Population 15-64: 65.90% |
Literacy rate of Males: 100.00% |
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Population 65+: 14.80% |
Literacy rate of Females: 100.00% |
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Population that is Male: 49.00
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Population that is Female: 51.00% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 79.54 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 3.70 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 76.91 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 82.31 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.10%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 2,100
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: 1.73
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Nationality: NORWEGIAN
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Ethnic Groups: Norwegian, Sami 20,000
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Primary Language: Norwegian
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Other Languages: Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities
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Primary Religion: Evangelical Lutheran
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Other Religions: Church of Norway 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1%
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Branches: Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige Norske Sjoeforsvaret, RNoN; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard (Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret, RNoAF), Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV)
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years
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Manpower Available: 1,997,326 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 1,628,374 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 57,202 People per year
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Expenditures: $0 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 1.90
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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