Norway
Where is Norway
Norway is a country located in Northern Europe on the western and northern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, bordering the North Sea in southwest and the Skagerrak inlet to the south, the North Atlantic Ocean (Norwegian Sea) in the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. Norway has a long land border with Sweden to the east, a shorter one with Finland in the northeast and a still shorter border with Russia in the far northeast.
Norwegian Landscapes
Norway has one of the most rugged and longest coastlines in the world and is ideal for cruising. The ice age left its mark in the beautiful fjords and mountains. Norway is dotted with picturesque fishing villages around the fjords.
Special Features of Norway
The northern part of Norway is in the Arctic Circle and one of the most spectacular sights are those of the "Northern Lights" or aurora borealis. During the summer months, the sun is still visible in the sky at midnight, hence the name Land of the Midnight Sun. During the winter there is almost total darkess. In Oslo the sun rises at 03:54 and sets 22:54 at summer solstice, but is only above the horizon from 09:18 - 15:12 at winter solstice.
General Information on Norway
Norway is a sparsely populated country which makes it ideal for those wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The most populated city in Norway is Oslo, which is also the capital, which has a population of around 611,491.
The standard of living in Norway is very high and is one of the highest in the world. Oslo is one of the most expensive cities in the world and is considered a global city and ranked "Beta World City" in studies performed by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network in 2008.
The climate of the Arctic is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers. There is a large amount of variability in climate across the Arctic, but all regions experience extremes of solar radiation in both summer and winter. Some parts of the Arctic are covered by ice (sea ice, glacial ice, or snow) year-round, and nearly all parts of the Arctic experience long periods with some form of ice on the surface. Average January temperatures range from about -40 to 0 °C (-40 to +32 °F), and winter temperatures can drop below -50 °C (-58 °F) over large parts of the Arctic. Average July temperatures range from about -10 to +10 °C (14 to 50 °F), with some land areas occasionally exceeding 30 °C (86 °F) in summer.