Norway: useful information


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Useful information about Norway, including all the things you need to know before leaving for a trip or vacation in this state of Northern Europe.


Norway in a nutshell

  • Capital: Oslo
  • Area in square kilometers: 323,878
  • Population: 4,630,000 (first half 2001)
  • Protestant religion

Where is it

norway flag Norway is a state of Northern Europe located in the north-western part of Scandinavia with the capital Oslo. It faces the Arctic Ocean and the Barents Sea to the north, the Atlantic Ocean (Norwegian Sea) to the west, the North Sea (Skagerrak) to the south, and borders Sweden, Finland and Russia to the east.

The properties of Norway include the Svalbard archipelago, the volcanic island of Jan Mayen, Bouvet island and Pietro island.


Norway is crossed by the Arctic circle, bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the south by the Skagerrak (North Sea), to the west by the Norwegian Sea, to the east with Sweden, to the north east with Russia and Finland .

Territory

Norway is divided into the five natural regions of Vestlandet, Ostlandet, Trondelag, Nord Norge and Sorlandet or the southern region.

The territory is mainly mountainous with some plains along the southern coast, the coasts are high and jagged with the presence of fjords.


The coasts face numerous islands, grouped in the two archipelagos of Lofoten and Vesteralen. The Svalbard islands are located in the Barents Sea.

Northern Norway is the region crossed by fjords, also known as the land of the midnight sun.

The most important Norwegian river is the Glàma which flows into the Oslo fjord while the lakes are numerous but small.


In the northern part of Norway, above the Arctic circle, the natural phenomena of the midnight sun (in summer) and the northern lights (in winter) can be observed, also in this territory is the most northern place of all of Europe, the famous North Cape.

Norway offers the visitor beautiful and suggestive landscapes.

Recommended readings
  • Lofoten (Norway): what to see in the islands
  • Norway: what to see in the state of the fjords
  • Midnight sun: where you can see it
  • North Cape (Norway): what to see
  • Oslo (Norway): what to see in the capital

Hydrography

Rivers are rich in water and rather short and steep. The longest river is the Glomma, which flows into the Oslo fjord.

Among the numerous waterfalls, the highest are: Kjelfossen and Sondre Mardalsfoss.

The largest lake is the Mjosa.

Climate

Norway's climate is relatively mild thanks to the influence of the Gulf Stream. Precipitation is abundant on the coast, while inland it decreases.

The latitude in which this country is located (it is crossed by the Arctic circle) involves very long summer days, with many hours of sunshine, and very short winter days, with a few hours of sunshine.

Temperatures are on average below zero in winter while in summer they never exceed 20 degrees.

The climate of Norway, when compared to other countries located at the same latitude, is pleasant.


Spring (from May to mid-June) is the most spectacular period of the year, with the awakening of nature after the long winter, the weather can be very variable, from the cold it is possible to quickly switch to the heat and vice versa.

Summer (from late June to early August) is the hottest period and the days are long.

During the month of September the temperatures gradually begin to drop until, during the winter, at very low temperatures in the innermost and eastern areas of the country, while on the coast the winters are less cold.

Population

It is made up almost exclusively of Norwegians, the population density is low and many areas are uninhabited.

The northernmost part of the country is inhabited by a minority of Sami, who have their own culture and language.

Time zone

In Norway, the time is the same as the Italian one throughout the year.


Spoken language

The official language is Norwegian which actually hides the existence of two spoken languages ​​belonging to the Germanic group: the riksmal or bokmal (state language) and the landsmal or nynorsk (new Norwegian, village language). Bokmal (the most common language) derives from the insertion of Norwegian morphological and lexical elements into the Danish language, which took over the ancient Norwegian in the 14th century.

The landsmal was born, instead, by the work of I. Aasen, from the synthesis of the Norwegian dialects of the West. However, English is widespread.

Economy

As with most western countries, the tertiary sector of the Norwegian economy has consolidated over the years, occupying a good part of the population.

Industry can rely on abundant hydroelectric sources which are used for the production of metals, minerals, chemical and petrochemical products as well as paper and cellulose deriving from the rich forest heritage of this country.

Timber (raw materials and semi-finished products), fish, minerals and especially oil are the products that have made exports grow.

In fact, Norway is the first European producer of oil and natural gas thanks to the rich deposits found in the North Sea.

Norway is one of the richest countries in Western Europe, having a very high purchasing power due to its low population.

When to go

The summer months are the best for visiting Norway, and it is possible to witness the midnight sun (especially in the northern part of the country).

In winter the days are dark and cold. In the northern part, the phenomena of the northern lights occur (the night sky brightens, as appropriate, with a light that varies in color, time and space).

Necessary documents

To enter Norway, Italian citizens need an identity card valid for expatriation or a passport.

Phone

- From Italy to call Norway you must dial 0047 followed by the prefix without the 0 and the desired number.

- To call from Norway to Italy: 0039 followed by the area code and number.


Electricity

The electric current is 220 volts.

Currency

The official currency of Norway is the Norwegian krone.

Credit cards and ATMs are widespread.

How to get

plane
SAS Norge airlines of the SAS group, Norwegian Air, Ryanair offer direct flights between Italy and Norway.

Car
You can reach Norway via Switzerland or Austria, crossing Germany and by sea directly to Norway, or through Denmark and Sweden, using maritime connections or crossing the bridge connecting Copenhagen and Malmo (Sweden).

Train
Via Hamburg-Copenhagen you can reach Oslo by train. Up to northern Germany there is a service that allows you to transport your car on the train.

WOW Facts From Norway - Yourway2Norway (February 2024)


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