Norway

Map of Norway

Country	Kingdom of Norway
Capital	Oslo
Independence	7 June 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union)
National holiday	Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)
Population	4,722,701 (July 2013 est.)
Sex ratio	1.05 male(s)/female  0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female  15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female  25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female  55-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female  65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female  total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
Nationality	Norwegian(s)
Religions	Church of Norway (Evangelical Lutheran - official) 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1% (2004)
Languages	Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy	age 15 and over can read and write  total population: 100%  male: 100%  female: 100%
Location	Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden
Geographic coordinates	62 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references	Europe
Area	total: 323,802 sq km land: 304,282 sq km water: 19,520 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries	total: 2,542 km border countries: Finland 727 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 196 km
Coastline	25,148 km (includes mainland 2,650 km, as well as long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 22,498 km; length of island coastlines 58,133 km)
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 10 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate	temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast
Terrain	glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m
Natural resources	petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower
Land use	arable land: 2.7% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.3% (2005)
Irrigated land	1,180 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	381.4 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 2.4 cu km/yr (23%/67%/10%) per capita: 519 cu m/yr (1996)
Natural hazards	rockslides, avalanches volcanism: Beerenberg (elev. 2,227 m) on Jan Mayen Island in the Norwegian Sea is the country's only active volcano
Environment - current issues	water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions
Environment - international agreements	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much-indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of the most rugged and longest coastlines in the world