Note:
about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much indented
coastline
*Norway, People
Population:
4,297,436 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.41% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
13.75 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
10.54 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
77.16 years
male:
73.79 years
female:
80.73 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.86 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Norwegian(s)
adjective:
Norwegian
Ethnic divisions:
Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic), Lapps 20,000
Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran 87.8% (state church), other Protestant and Roman
Catholic 3.8%, none 3.2%, unknown 5.2% (1980)
Languages:
Norwegian (official)
note:
small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1976)
total population:
99%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
Labor force:
2.004 million (1992)
by occupation:
services 39.1%, commerce 17.6%, mining, oil, and manufacturing 16.0%,
banking and financial services 7.6%, transportation and communications 7.8%,
construction 6.1%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5.5% (1989)
*Norway, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Norway
conventional short form:
Norway
local long form:
Kongeriket Norge
local short form:
Norge
Digraph:
NO
Type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
Oslo
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
Dependent areas:
Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
Independence:
26 October 1905 (from Sweden)
Constitution:
17 May 1814, modified in 1884
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
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)
Political parties and leaders:
Labor Party, Gro Harlem BRUNDTLAND; Conservative Party, Kaci Kullmann FIVE;
Center Party, Anne ENGER LAHNSTEIN; Christian People's Party, Kjell Magne
BONDEVIK; Socialist Left, Eric SOLHEIM; Norwegian Communist, Ingre IVERSEN;
Progress Party, Carl I. HAGEN; Liberal, Odd Einar DORUM; Finnmark List,
leader NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Elections:
Storting:
last held on 11 September 1989 (next to be held 6 September 1993); results -
Labor 34.3%, Conservative 22.2%, Progress 13.0%, Socialist Left 10.1%,
Christian People's 8.5%, Center Party 6.6%, Finnmark List 0.3%, other 5%;
seats - (165 total) Labor 63, Conservative 37, Progress 22, Socialist Left
17, Christian People's 14, Center Party 11, Finnmark List 1
Executive branch:
monarch, prime minister, State Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (Storting) with an Upper Chamber (Lagting) and a Lower
Chamber (Odelsting)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Hoyesterett)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON
MAGNUS (born 20 July 1973)
*Norway, Government
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Gro Harlem BRUNDTLAND (since 3 November 1990)
Member of:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD,
ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, PCA, UN,
UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNOSOM,
UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Kjeld VIBE
chancery:
2720 34th Street NW, Washington DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 333-6000
FAX:
(202) 337-0870
consulates general:
Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco
consulate:
Miami
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
(vacant)
embassy:
Drammensveien 18, 0244 Oslo 2
mailing address:
PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707
telephone:
[47] (2) 44-85-50
FAX: [47] (2) 43-07-77
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)
*Norway, Economy
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 slightly more than 50% of the GDP and
results in one of the highest average tax burdens in the world (54%). 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 to keep its economy afloat. Although one of the
government's main priorities is to reduce this dependency, this situation is
not likely to improve for years to come. The government also hopes to reduce
unemployment and strengthen and diversify the economy through tax reform and
a series of expansionary budgets. The budget deficit is expected to hit a
record 8% of GDP because of welfare spending and bail-outs of the banking
system. Unemployment continues at record levels of over 10% - including
those in job programs - because of the weakness of the economy outside the
oil sector. Overall economic growth is expected to be around 2% in 1993
while inflation is likely to rise slightly to 4%. Oslo, a member of the
European Free Trade Area, has applied for EC membership and continues to
deregulate and harmonize with EC regulations to prepare for the European
Economic Area (EEA) - which creates an EC/EFTA market with free movement of
capital, goods, services, and labor - to take effect in late 1993 and its EC
bid.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $76.1 billion (1992)
National product real growth rate:
2.9% (1992)
National product per capita:
$17,700 (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.3% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
5.9% (excluding people in job-training programs) (1992)
Budget:
revenues $50.6 billion; expenditures $57.0 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1992)
Exports:
$35.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products 37.8%, metals and products 10.7%, natural
gas 7.3%, fish 6.6%, chemicals 6.3%, ships 5.4%
partners:
EC 67%, Nordic countries 18.2%, developing countries 7.9%, US 5.1%, Japan
1.6% (1992)
Imports:
$26.8 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
machinery, fuels and lubricants, transportation equipment, chemicals,
foodstuffs, clothing, ships
partners:
EC 48.7%, Nordic countries 26.8%, developing countries 9.3%, US 8.6%, Japan
6.3% (1992)
External debt:
$6.5 billion (1992 est.)
*Norway, Economy