Introducing Norway
Norway is a country at a crossroads, although given Norway’s natural wonders and significant wealth, it’s a situation in which most countries in the world would love to find themselves.
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Norway is, by any standards, one of the most beautiful countries on earth, but that beauty brings with it a responsibility that weighs heavily upon Norwegians. For here is a people with an enduring love for the natural world that is profoundly etched into the national character. In the past, this was expressed in the Norwegian tradition of isolated farmsteads that colonised the most secluded corners of the country’s wilderness. Increasingly, however, the irrevocable movement of Norwegians towards the cities – cities that are themselves places of great beauty, such as Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger and Tromsø – has altered the relationship between Norwegians and their natural world. But one thing remains unaltered: to paraphrase that great Norwegian son, Henrik Ibsen, those who wish to understand Norwegians, must first understand Norway’s magnificent but severe natural environment, for these are a people of the land, perhaps more so than any other Europeans.
Wilderness in Norway has become more of a leisure pursuit, an idea that Norwegians embrace, escape to and explore with great fervour. Nowhere is this more evident than in the country’s national parks – shining symbols of the nation’s desire to protect the environment as much as they are showpieces of Norway’s peerless landscapes and otherworldly natural grace. At the same time, Norwegians worry about their impact upon the environment, over the consequences of global warming for the country’s glaciers and Arctic ecosystems, and about Norway’s contributions to this decline and the decline of wilderness the world over due to their massive oil reserves and exports.
And then there are the trials of living in one of the richest countries on earth. Norwegians are burdened with a highly developed social conscience that manifests in far-reaching promises to reduce greenhouse gases, in using its astonishing oil wealth to promote ethical investment abroad and in committing itself to a foreign-aid budget that puts most countries to shame. Where things get complicated is at home, leading to anguished national debates over rising immigration, over the incremental loss of Norway’s cultural heritage and over the effects of being cosseted by what is arguably the world’s most generous and enlightened welfare system. The country is also divided over whether Norway can continue to go it alone by staying outside the EU, or whether it really should play its part in building a more prosperous and united Europe.
It’s not that you’ll find many Norwegians complaining about their lot. Nonetheless, you will encounter, again and again, a people wondering about their place in the world.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
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Norway
Our Top Picks For Norway
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1 Oslo
Vibrant capital with outstanding museums, restaurants and nightlife
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2 Heddal Stave Church
Norway’s largest stave church that seems to spring from a child’s imagination
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3 Røros
Stunning World Heritage-listed former mining village of colourful wooden houses
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4 Jotunheimen National Park
Roof of Norway with glaciers, hiking trails and one of Norway’s most beautiful drives
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5 Bergen
Norway’s most beautiful city with the magnificent harbourside Bryggen district
Fast Facts about Norway
- External debt
0
- Maternity/paternity leave on full pay for working parents
42/five weeks
- No of polar bears
around 3000
- Unemployment rate
3.5%
- Inflation
2.3%
- Population
4.7 million
- Raw/real GDP per capita
US$54,465/46,300 (2nd highest in the world)
- Ranking on 2006 UNDP Human Development Index
1
- Value of Norway’s oil-funded Government Pension Fund
US$300 billion
- Life expectancy
82.46 years (women) and 77.04 years (men)
Our favourite Norway Blogs (beta)
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Kongsberg Jazz Festival – kids and jazz
Blog: Sophie's World - 27 July 2010
Arranged annually since 1964, Kongsberg Jazz Festival always takes place during the first week of July, drawing excellent musicians from all over the world. Buddy Guy has played here, as have Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall, BB King, Jamie Cullum and many, many more. Famous local jazz artists have abounded as well, including Røyksopp [...]Kongsberg Jazz Festival – kids and jazz is a post from: Sophie's World
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The Bergen Railway - Bergen to Oslo
Blog: UnpoppedCollar - 9 July 2010
The Bergen Railway is often selected as one of the top-10 train rides in the world, and it definitely did not dissapoint (plus it came with free peanuts)! Some photos:
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We eschewed $23 US (!) Thai food at a restaurant in Bergen in...
Blog: UnpoppedCollar - 8 July 2010
We eschewed $23 US (!) Thai food at a restaurant in Bergen in favor of cheaper falafel and this view.
