Communists: 15,500 est.; 5,500 Norwegian Communist Party (NKP); 10,000
Workers Communist Party Marxist-Leninist (AKP-ML, pro-Chinese)
Member of: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EFTA, ESA, FAO,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IEA (associate member),
IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU,
IWC—International Whaling Commission, IWC—International
Wheat Council, NATO, Nordic Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Kjeld VIBE; Chancery at 2720 34th Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-6000; there are Norwegian Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Miami and New Orleans; US—Ambassador Loret Miller RUPPE; Embassy at Drammensveien 18, Oslo 2 (mailing address is APO New York 09085); telephone [47] (2) 44-85-50
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)
- Economy Overview: Norway is a prosperous capitalist nation with the resources to finance extensive welfare measures. Since 1975 exploitation of large crude oil and natural gas reserves has helped achieve an average annual growth of roughly 4%, the third-highest among OECD countries. Growth slackened in 1987-88 because of the sharp drop in world oil prices and a slowdown in consumer spending, but picked up again in 1989. Future economic issues involve the aging of the population, the increased economic integration of Europe, and the balance between private and public influence in economic decisions.
GDP: $75.8 billion, per capita $17,900; real growth rate 5.7% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 3.9% (1989 est., excluding people in job-training programs)
Budget: revenues $40.6 billion; expenditures $41.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
Exports: $22.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—petroleum and petroleum products 25%, natural gas 11%, fish 7%, aluminum 6%, ships 3.5%, pulp and paper; partners—UK 26%, EFTA 16.3%, less developed countries 14%, Sweden 12%, FRG 12%, US 6%, Denmark 5% (1988)