Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Hoyesterett), justices appointed
by the king
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
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
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kjeld VIBE
chancery: 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000
FAX: [1] (202) 337-0870
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York,
and San Francisco
consulate(s): Miami
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 FAX: [47] 22 44 33 63
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 ———-
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.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $106.2 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 4.5% (1995 est.)