Norway Country & Tourist Information

Location
Northern Europe, Scandinavia.

Area
323,759 sq km (125,004 sq miles).

Population
4.6 million (UN estimate, 2005).

Population Density
15 per sq km.

Capital
Oslo.
Population: 533,000 (2005).

Government
Constitutional monarchy. Declared independence from Sweden in 1905. 
Recent history: The minority center-right coalition (Christian Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals), which took office after the last election in 2001, was led by Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, and lost the general election in September 2005.
A new majority center-left ’red-green’ coalition made up of the Labor Party, Center Party and Socialist Left was formed in October 2005, led by Labor Party leader Jens Stoltenberg. Norway is a constitutional Monarchy with a unicameral 165-seat Parliament, the Storting, elected by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies for a four-year term. The Prime Minister is the supreme executive authority. The Monarch, currently King Harald V, is Head of State.

Language
Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk). Sami is spoken by the Sami population in the north. English is widely spoken.

Religion
Approximately 86 per cent Evangelical Lutherans; plus other Christian denominations.

Time
Norway Mainland: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October). Jan Mayen Islands, Svalbard: GMT + 1.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are of the European round two-pin type.

Head of Government
Prime Minister Kjell Jens Stoltenberg since September 2005.

Head of State
King Harald V since 1991.

Telephone
IDD is available. Country code: 47.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with many international mobile phone companies. Mobile phones cannot be hired. Coverage is mostly good, but may be patchy in rural areas.

Internet
There are many Internet cafes throughout Norway and the Internet can also be accessed via public libraries.

Media
Norway’s public broadcaster, NRK, has had competition from private local and national stations since the heady days of monoply. Press freedom is guaranteed by the constitution and public radio and TV broadcast without interference from the Government.

Post
Hotel receptions, shops and kiosks selling postcards will sell stamps. Airmail within Europe takes two to four days.

Post office hours: These vary from place to place but are generally Mon-Fri 0830-1600 and Sat 0800-1300.

Press
• Norwegians are among the world’s keenest newspaper readers.
• The number of publications is impressive, given the country’s small population.
• Most of the press is privately owned and openly partisan.
• The national newspapers published in Oslo are Aftenposten, Dagbladet and Verdens Gang.
• There are no English-language newspapers although English newspapers are readily available (one day after publication in the UK).

Radio
• Radio NRK is a public broadcaster, operating three national stations and local services.
• P4 is national and commercial, as is Kanal 24.
• Radio 1 is commercial but is essentially a music-based radio station.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
5 Apr Holy Thursday.
6 Apr Good Friday.
9 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May May Day.
17 May Ascension.
17 May Constitution Day.
28 May Whit Monday. 
25-26 Dec Christmas.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day. 
20 Mar Holy Thursday. 
21 Mar Good Friday.
24 Mar Easter Monday.
1 May May Day. 
1 May Ascension.
17 May Constitution Day. 
12 May Whit Monday. 
25-26 Dec Christmas.


Contact Information:

Royal Norwegian Embassy in the UK
25 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8QD, UK
Tel: (020) 7591 5500.
Website: www.norway.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1600 (general enquiries); 1000-1200 (visa section), 1400-1530 (visa telephone enquiries).

Innovation Norway in the UK
Charles House, 5 Lower Regent Street, London SW1 4LR, UK
Tel: (020) 7389 8800.
Website: www.visitnorway.com

Royal Norwegian Embassy in the USA
2720 34th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 333 6000.
Website: www.norway.org

Innovation Norway in the USA
655 Third Avenue, Suite 1810, New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel: (212) 885 9700.
Website: www.visitnorway.com


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