The sunniest region in Norway is Grimstad. It is also where playwright Henrik Ibsen lived. Among Ibsen’s most famous works are ‘Peer Gynt,’ ‘A Doll’s House,’ and ‘Ghosts’.
Norway has an aquarium with the greatest saltwater fish collection in all of Europe. It is in Troldhaugen which is the composer Edvard Grieg’s home as well. Grieg composed music for Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, among others.
Sognefjorden also holds the record for the deepest fjord in the world. It runs a depth of 1308 meters. It is one of the 1,190 fjords in Norway-Svalbard islands.
Norway has the biggest mountain plateau in all of Europe. Aside from that, the Hardangervidda Plateau also shelters the largest wild reindeer herd in the whole continent.
Norway built Troll, a research station in Jutulsessen, Antarctica in 1990.All year-round, the station serves as the base for the continuous monitoring of the atmosphere, environmental toxins, meteorology, radiation, and seismology. Every summer, Troll also caters to base-starting point operations for biological, geological, and glaciological fieldwork.
The most remote island on the planet is in Norwegian territory. Although uninhabited, Bouvet Island has been under Norway’s administrative control since 1929.
Norway appointed Bouvet Island and adjoining territorial waters as a nature reserve in 1971.Starting in 1977, the country also managed an automated meteorological station and operated studies on the hunting strategies and population of the penguins and seals on the island.
Norway boasts of the highest waterfalls in Europe.Falling from a height of 860 meters, Vinnufossen is also the 6th tallest falls in the whole world.
Norway claims the deepest lake not just in the country, but in the continent as well. Located in Central Norway, Hornindalsvatnet has a 53-meters above sea level surface and a 461-meter depth below sea level.
Norway is home to the biggest glacier in mainland Europe. Jostedalsbreen stands at 487 square kilometers.
Norway has the deepest undersea tunnel in the world. The Eiksund Tunnel reaches 287 meters or 942 feet below sea level. Located on the northwest coast of the country, the subsea tunnel has a length of 7776 meters.
In Norway’s Svalbard, bears outnumber the people residing in the region. Its location is smack in between the North Pole and mainland Norway.
Two Norwegian regions do not get natural sunlight for about 6 months. Resting deep within the valleys are Rjukan and Viganella. The mountains around them block the sun rays that the locals had to use giant mirrors that reflect the rays down on their villages.
Norway ranks 8th among the countries having the longest coastlines on earth. It stretches up to 25,148 kilometers. To compare, Canada has the longest at 202,080 kilometers while Antarctica at 10th place is at 17,968 kilometers.
Hell is in Norway. This interestingly named small town is home to over a thousand residents. Hell has its own train station and is just within walking distance from the international airport in Trondheim.
Norwegians indulge in a 4-week holiday every summer season. During these times, the locals enjoy their free time by having rest and hunting fish.
The best time to visit Norway is from December to April. Still, daylight varies in the country throughout the year.
Northern Norway never sees the sun during winter. It means that they have polar nights for the season, giving the country the name ‘Land of the Midnight Sun. Likewise, the same region does not experience any sunsets in summer.
The first people in Norway arrived after 7,000 BC. It was around the time when the last ice age ended and thus made the region habitable. Norway’s first inhabitants lived by fishing and hunting deer, elks, seals, whales.
Farming only came in Norway past 3,000 BC. Back then, farmers used stone tools and weapons until they started utilizing bronze after 1,500 BC. It was around 200 A.D. when they began using runes, a form of writing.
Norwegian Vikings were notorious raiders back in the 9th century. They set upon England, France, Ireland, and Scotland. Even Muslim-inhabited Spain was not safe then. In addition to being raiders, the Norwegians were also settlers. They occupied in west-Scotland isles called the Hebrides as well as in Orkney and Shetland islands. Other nations the Vikings took as homes were the Isle of Man amid England and Ireland.
In the 9th century, Norway broke down into several kingdoms.Unlike the other Scandinavian nations, Norway took longer to reunite its divided states. It was only by the end of the 9th century when Harold Fairhair ‘King of Norway’ got a hold of the west coast. Eric Bloodaxe followed his rule and then came Haakon I who failed in his attempt to convert the country into Christianity.
The first effective king to rule Norway was Olaf Haraldson.From his rule in 995-1000, he brought Christianity in the coastal region. By 1015-1030, Olaf successfully carried his influence all the way to the inland areas.
St. Olaf became the Patron Saint of Norway. Sadly, an alliance of landowners and farmers killed King Olaf at the first major land battle in Norway, at Stiklestad. St. Olaf was canonized in 1035 AD while his remains lie in olden Nidaros, modern-day Trondheim.
In 1928, King Olaf V won a gold medal in sailing in the 1928 Olympics. He was even an active sailor his entire life.
King Olaf was a devoted commuter. He would always use public transport and even pay the ticket regardless of his position. These actions are in encouragement for his people to minimize pollution by using public transport instead of individual private vehicles.
In 1884, the Norwegians impeached their government. They convicted those in position until the king himself was forced to subdue. Since then, Norway has become a parliamentary democracy. Locals except those under poor relief were given voting rights in 1898.
Norway was under Swedish rule until October 1905. After their withdrawal, the country’s head of state became a question that was answered by a November 12-13, 1905 referendum. The Norwegians’ vote for monarchy made Prince Carl of Denmark King Haakon VII.
Norway opted for neutrality in World War I. However, unrestricted German submarine warfare sank half of the Norwegian fleet, killing around 2,000 of their sailors.
Norway was also neutral in World War II. This time, the dealbreaker was the German invasion in April 1940, starting the inert country’s occupation for the duration of the war.
Being neutral did not save Norway from the destructive bomb attacks. These World War II strikes destroyed Kirkenes, a Norwegian mining borough, more than any other region in Europe. It only comes second after Malta.
Despite its location, Norway is not an official member of the European Union. They declared their choice in the November 1994 referendum.
The Viking age marked Norway’s great impact on Western civilization. Usually, this period dates back to when the Nordic pirates plundered England’s Lindisfarne Monastery in 793 AD.
Norway was among the founding countries of the United Nations back in 1945. What’s more, is that a Norwegian served as the first Secretary-General of the union. Trygve Lie was a Norwegian Foreign Minister.
The first Norwegian emigration to the United States was in July 1825. Aboard the restoration ship is 52 crew and passengers. From Bergen Harbor in Norway, they reached New York in October 1825, eventually settling on the Lake Ontario shores.
Norway and Denmark were once a union from 1380 to 1418. Not long after, Sweden replaced Denmark in the alliance with Norway from 1814 to 1905.
The flag of Norway is color red featuring a blue cross with a white outline extending to the flag’s ends. The hoist side holds the vertical part of the flag similar to the Dannebrog or the Danish flag. Meanwhile, the colors symbolize Norway’s preceding unions.
Norwegian society used to be classified into 3 levels. The bottom goes to the slaves who receive the toughest, most abhorrent work. On the second level are the freemen whose wealth status depends on the land they own. Lastly, the top-level goes to the nobles.
Norway’s government is a constitutional hereditary monarchy. It consists of a Prime Minister, and the Council of State or ‘Statsråd’ which the monarch nominally chooses with Storting approval. The Storting or ‘Stortinget’ is the legislature of the country.
One of Norway’s two official languages is mainly a book language. Bokmål or Riksmål is an adaptation of the traditional Dano-Norwegian tongue. It was still a legacy of the Danish dominance days.
The other language is more of an Old Norse dialect basis. The Landsmål or Nynorsk developed alongside the boom of Norwegian nationalism back in the 19th century. Still, Norwegians use Bokmål more generally.
The annual Nobel Prizes are awarded in Oslo every December 10 This date specially commemorates the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish founder of the awards. Storting-appointed, the Norwegian Peace Prize Selection Committee is in charge of selecting a Peace Prize winner annually.
‘Allemannsretten’ is an important saying in Norway. It means that everyone, man or woman, has the right to public access.
Norway was the first country on the planet to turn off FM radio. The country made the digital switch in 2017. Still, this transition only concerns national radio channels as local stations remain in the FM broadcasting.
Norway was the first country to bestow paternity leave.The parental benefit started in 1993. For the total benefit period in the case of a birth, the 100% coverage insures 49 weeks, while the 80% coverage insures 59 weeks.
Norwegian women were granted the right to vote in 1907. Although it was only for local elections at first, they could eventually vote in the national elections starting 1913.
Around 1% of the total Norwegian population is Sami. This ancient ethnic race has a distinctive language and culture, and half of its global population dwells in Norway. Only about 7% of them engage in herding reindeer.
A Norwegian man named Erik Rotheim invented the prototype of the modern-day aerosol spray can. He earned the patent for his can-and-aerosol system invention in his country back in October 1926.
One of the famous Norwegians is Evard Grieg, a composer. His inspiration was mainly Old Norwegian folk melodies, composing masterpieces like ‘Peer Gynt’ and ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King.’ What’s more, is that Grieg’s debut concert made history as the first to feature works of only Norwegian composers.
Norway holds the most number of Winter Olympic medals. Starting in the first Games back in 1924, the country earned its edge among others with 332 medals to boast.
The Pathfinder or ‘Veiviseren’ earned a 1987 Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. The Nils Gaup film featured Middle-Ages Sami folklore and even had it performed in the Sami language.
The Pathfinder or ‘Veiviseren’ earned a 1987 Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. The Nils Gaup film featured Middle-Ages Sami folklore and even had it performed in the Sami language.
The Pathfinder or ‘Veiviseren’ earned a 1987 Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. The Nils Gaup film featured Middle-Ages Sami folklore and even had it performed in the Sami language.
The Pathfinder or ‘Veiviseren’ earned a 1987 Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. The Nils Gaup film featured Middle-Ages Sami folklore and even had it performed in the Sami language.