Name:  Kongeriket Norge (Bokmål)
       Kongeriket Noreg (Nynorsk)

Telephone country code:   47

Area:  323,878 km² / 125,065 sq mi.

Overseas territories:  Svalbard     62 700,0 km²
                       Jan Mayen       380,0 km²
                       Bouvet Island    58,5 km²
                       Peter I Island  249,2 km²

Land boundaries:  Sweden, Finland, Russia

Terrain:  mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys;
          small, scattered plains;
          coastline deeply indented by fjords;
          arctic tundra in north

Largest glaciers:  Jostedalsbreen, 486 km²
                   Svartisen, 369 km²
                   Folgefonni 212 km²

Highest point:  Glittertinden, 2,472 m (8,110 ft)

Natural resources:  crude oil, copper, natural gas, pyrites,
                    nickel, iron ore, zinc, lead,
                    fish, timber, hydropower

Population:  4,413,800 (1997)

Population density:  13.6 persons per km² (35 per sq mi).
                     (lowest in Finnmark: 1.7 persons per km²)

Distribution:  71% urban, 29% rural. (1990)

Average annual growth:  3.5% (1997)

Life expectancy:  women 81 years; men 75 years (1994)

Infant mortality:  5.2 per 1,000 live births. (1994)

Average fertility:  1.87 (1995)

Average age at marriage:  women 32.6; men 29.5 (1994)

Divorces per marriage:  53% (1994)

Capital:  Oslo (population: 500,000) (1997)

Other major towns (1995):  Bergen (223,000),
                           Trondheim (144,000),
                           Stavanger (104,000)
                           Fredrikstad (65,700)
                           Kristiansand (62,300)
                           Tromsø (56,600)

Flag:  a blue Nordic cross outlined in white on a red background.

Type:  Constitutional monarchy

Head of state:  King Harald V

National anthem:  Ja, vi elsker dette landet

Royal anthem:  Kongesangen

Languages:  Norwegian (two written forms: Bokmål and Nynorsk).
            Small Finnish- and Sámi-speaking minorities.
            The North Sámi language has official status in
            the northern parts of the country.

Currency:  krone (Norwegian crown, NOK).
           for the current exchange rate,
           see the URL <http://www.dna.lth.se/cgi-bin/kurt/rates>


Climate:  temperate along coast, warmed by the Gulf stream;
          colder interior. Rainy year-round on west coast.
          Average temp. in Oslo:
          -7°C -  2°C in Jan.,
          13°C - 22°C in July.
          Current and historic data on temperature/precipitation/humidity
          from 50 stations all over the country are available at:
          <http://norpre.nlh.no/weather/>

Religion:  Evangelic-Lutheran (88%) (official state-religion)

Exports:  petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, fish,
          aluminium, ships, pulp and paper.