Last updated on July 20th, 2021
54. Beerenberg – 7,470 feet, is the only active volcano in the country. It last erupted in 1985. It is also the world’s northernmost volcano above sea level.
55. More Norwegians live in Minnesota than in any other U.S. state.
56. Norway has more than 50,000 islands.
About the economy and trade
57. Norway is a member of OECD, NATO (since 1949), WTO, Nordic Council and some more organizations. However, Norway is not a member of the European Union.
58. Norway has extensive reserves of natural gas, oil, hydropower, lumber, seafood, minerals, fresh water etc. After China, Norway is the world’s second-largest exporter of seafood, but it leads the world in the production of seafood.
59. Petroleum sector accounts for 37% of the country’s exports. The value of exports and imports taken together equals 69 percent of GDP. The United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Sweden are the top export destinations of Norway. In 2016, it was the 30th largest export economy in the world.
60. Norway has a butter crisis since 2011. The cost of 250 gms of butter in the country is around $50.
61. The country also has one of the highest gasoline prices in the world at $1.89 a liter.
62. Norway is the world’s largest producer of Salmon.
63. The first well was drilled in Norway in the summer of 1966, but it was dry. In late 1960, offshore oil and gas were discovered in Norway. Production from the field started on 15 June 1971.
64. The country also has the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund valued at almost $1 trillion as of September 2017.
65. If you would like to know about the income of any person or company in Norway, you could easily find this out by looking at their tax return. Because everyone’s tax returns are easily available to inspection to anyone in the country. In Norway, the top personal income tax rate is 47.8 percent, and the corporate tax rate has been cut to 25 percent.
66. Taxis are cheaper than personal cars for the same distance driven. This is done to encourage the use of public transport.
67. Taxes are abundant in Norway, they have TV tax, fuel tax, plastic bottle tax, sugar tax, etc.
68. Homeownership rates in Norway are among the highest in the world.
69. It is also the fifth largest oil exporter and the third largest gas exporter.
70. Norway has the fourth highest per capita income in the world.
71. Svalbard has more bears than the people living in the region. It lies between mainland Norway and the North Pole.
About science, arts, inventions
72. Roald Amundsen is the first person to reach the South Pole in the Antarctic on 14th December 1911.
73. In 2017, Norway became the first country in the world to turn off FM radio and switch to digital. However, the transition affects only national radio channels. Most local stations continue to broadcast in FM.
74. It is inspiring to learn the fact that half of all the new cars sold in Norway are hybrid or electric. This fact again emphasizes the attention of the country towards making use of clean and renewable sources of energy.
75. Norwegian passports display Aurora Borealis under UV lights. Here are some other cool passports that you may want to check.
76. 98-99% of the country’s electricity comes from hydroelectric power.
77. The cheese slicer was also invented in Norway in 1925 by Thor Bjørklund. Irritated with the problems of cutting nice slices of the cheese with a regular knife, he invented the slicer.
78. The Aerosol spray can was invented by a Norwegian – Eric Rotheim in 1920. He was from Oslo.
79. Sondre Norheim (10 June 1825 – 9 March 1897) is a famous ski designer from Norway. And Sondre Norheim is known as the father of Telemark skiing.
80. Since 1947, Norway is sending the Trafalgar Christmas tree to the UK.
81. Roros is the coldest place in Norway with a minus 50 Celsius temperature.
About government and law
82. Norway is also one of the few countries in the world to have established the ministry of environment.
83. Displaying advertisement to children 12 years old or younger is illegal in the country. The same rule also applies in Sweden.
84. Between 1978 and 1989 skateboards were banned in the country.
85. Since World War II, only 10 police officers have been killed in Norway. This statistic indicates how safe the country is. And on the other hand, not a single person has been killed by the Norwegian police since 2006. However, in the U.S. the police kill at least 1,000 people every year. In 2007, Norwegian police fired no shots whatsoever.
86. Norway abolished life imprisonment in 1971. Now the longest term in jail they have is of 21 years.
87. In 1993, Norway became the first country to grant paternity leave. The total benefit period for parental benefit in the case of a birth is 49 weeks at 100 percent coverage, and 59 weeks at 80 percent coverage.
88. The country has low crime and murder rate.
89. Norway has been ranked as the best functioning democracy in the world.
90. May 17th is celebrated as children’s day in the country.
91. The unemployment rate in Norway of low, it is near about 2%.
92. Norwegian children do not begin schooling until they are age 6.
About food and cuisine
93. The country is also famous for its Grandiosa Frozen Pizza. It is the most sold pizza brand in Norway. According to some estimate, twenty-four million units of Grandiosa are produced each year in Norway.
94. The country has strict regulations on Alcohol. They do not sell alcohol everywhere but have designated shops that sell the liquor.
95. Norwegians eat a lot of Tacos.
96. Wine in the country is only sold through some special shops that are called “Vinmonopolet” – wine monopoly shops.96. The consequence of drunken driving is a jail term of 30 days.
97. Coffee plays a significant role in the Norwegian culture. Coffee and cakes are likes by a majority of the people.
98. Ferris is a mineral water which is produced in Larvik.
99. After Finland, Norwegians drink more coffee per person than any other country.
Miscellaneous facts about Norway
100. The Nobel peace prize is annually awarded in Oslo since 1901.
101. The country has one of the lowest crime rates in the world and it was voted as the best country to live in by the UN.
102. Internet access is made available to prisoners in their cells.
103. Whenever a book is published in Norway, the government buys 1000 copies of it and it distributes it to the libraries in the country so that people may have access to it without having to pay.
104. There is a town called “Hell” in Norway.
105. In 2008, Norway donated $1 Billion to help save the Amazon rainforest.
106. A high-security prison in Norway has flatscreen TVs.
107. Elk is the national animal of Norway. It is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, in the world.
108. Easter and Christmas are among the major holidays in the country.
Norway – country at a glance
| Independence | June 07, 1905 |
|---|---|
| Capital City | Oslo (59°56′N 10°41′E) |
| Largest City | Oslo (59°56′N 10°41′E) |
| Area | total: 323,802 sq km land: 304,282 sq km water: 19,520 sq km |
| Population | 5,553,840 (2022 est.) |
| Official Language | Norwegian |
| Borders | Sweden, Finland, Russia, Denmark |
| Currency | Norwegian krone (NOK) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Demonym | Norwegian |
| Religion | Church of Norway |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.55 Years (2022) Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life. |
| 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 |
| Mean elevation | 460 m |
| Lowest point | Norwegian Sea 0 m |
| Highest point | Galdhopiggen 2,469 m |
| National anthem | "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" (Yes, We Love This Country) |
| Government type | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Monarch | Harald V Glücksburg |
| Prime Minister | Jonas Gahr Støre |
| National colors | red, white, blue |
| National symbol | lion |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower |
| Agricultural land | 2.7% |
| Birth rate | 12 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Death rate | 7.96 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Sex ratio | 1.02 male(s)/female (2022 est.) |
| Industries | petroleum and gas, shipping, fishing, aquaculture, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles |
| Exports | $117.06 billion (2020 est.) crude petroleum, natural gas, fish, refined petroleum, aluminum (2019) |
| Imports | $119.08 billion (2020 est.) cars, refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, natural gas, crude petroleum (2019) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | $63,600 (2020 est.) |
| Time Zone | CET (UTC+1) Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) |
| Internet country code | .no |
| Drives on the | Right |
| Calling Code | +47 |
| Table last updated | July 30, 2022 |