TravellerHints! Norway is, together with Sweden and Denmark, one of the countries belonging to Scandinavia. It is a sovereign state/ monarchy occupying the western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula in the Northern Europe. Together with the Jan Mayen Island and Svalbard archipelago, Norway occupies a total area of more than 385 square kilometres.
There is also several dependent territories. Norway borders with above mentioned Sweden (eastern part of Scandinavian Peninsula), Finland and Russia and across the Skagerrak Strait with Denmark.
The Kingdom of Norway has the population of around 5 million people speaks for one of the most sparsely populated countries worldwide. The official language is Norwegian (a North Germanic language very similar to Swedish).
Norwegian capital city is Oslo. It is also the largest and most populous city where vast majority of economical and governmental institutions and organisations are situated.
Thanks to the surrounding fjord meaning the access to the sea, it is also country’s important centre for international trade, shipping and maritime industry.
Norway is known to be very wealthy country and developed with one of the highest incomes per capital in the world. Besides, Norway also ranks among the top countries with high living standards and human developments. It is a member of the Schengen Area), NATO, WTO, OECD and United Nations, however, it is not a member of the European Union though.
History of Norway is, indeed, tangled with the neighbouring countries and especially with fellow Scandinavians.
One of the most famous eras is indisputably the Viking Age (8th till 10th century) with the expansive colonisation and exploration of various parts of the world, especially in the north.
Then the Kalmar Union further developed the relations between Scandinavian countries today, followed by single Unions with Sweden and Denmark strengthened the similarities and bounds. Even during both World Wars, Norway remained a neutral county.
Even though cities together with history and culture in Norway are extremely interesting, it is still far from being the top what makes Norway an experience of a lifetime. That is the nature.
The extensive stretch of rugged coastline is a pure masterpiece. The coastline is formed by fjords and multiple lakes and thousands of islands, creating a spectacular natural show and a out-of-a-movie like feeling you simply cannot find anywhere else.
Vast majority of the country is also covered by wild and completely unspoilt nature and forests with mountains of glacier origin and glacier lakes. Altogether, the Norwegian landscape is so incredibly pure and beautiful that many travellers claim it the world’s top (together with New Zealand) and Norway belong to the highest ranked adventure tourism destinations. The icing on the cake is the spectacular light show on the sky – the Northern Lights which show on the night sky during winter months.
