Norway
Norway is a country located in western Scandinavia and shares its eastern border with Sweden, its north-eastern border with Finland, and has a myriad of fjords on its western side.
As evident by the indescribably complicated land features formed by the fjords, Norway is a nation with strong natural colours. Apart from the fjords, Norway's landscapes all differ depending on their location, and offer a wide variety of fascinating areas like hiking trails, Stave Churches constructed during the age of the Vikings, and restaurants that boast fresh seafood.
Up north, you will find a unique selection of towns like Nordkapp, the northernmost cape, or the beautiful Lofoten, called the photogenic lands, and Tromsø, a town of the northernmost university.
General Information
History
The unification of Norway was accomplished by King Harold Fair Hair (reigned from about 900 to 940). Norway experienced new heights of prosperity in the 13 th century, but in 1319 the country came under the rule of Sweden when Haakon V (reigned from 1299 to 1319) died without a male heir and his daughter had married into the Swedish royal family.
In 1397, the Kalmar Union was formed and Norway, along with Denmark and Sweden, formed a United Kingdom. However, the kingdom was virtually under the rule of Denmark. Although independence movements were initiated, they were soon suppressed by Denmark. Norway, along with Denmark, allied itself with France during the Napoleonic Wars but suffered a crushing defeat. Owing to this loss, Denmark had to cede Norway to Sweden. From this point, the Norwegian independence movement gained momentum.
In 1814 it established its own constitution, but as a result, was forced into a union with Sweden.However, the 1830 July Revolution in France rekindled the Norwegian spirit of liberalism and nationalism. The simultaneous development of Norway's economy and industry gave the country the potential of becoming a major nation. This increased the aggressiveness of independence movements and Norway finally succeeded in separating from Sweden in 1905.
After gaining its independence, Norway recognized Prince Carl from Denmark as their king and established limited monarchy. Although Norway maintained neutrality during the First World War as did Denmark, it was occupied by Germany during the Second World War.
Norway is famous for its aggressive resistance movements while under the occupation of Germany. After the war, Norway became a member of NATO. On the other hand, it has been reluctant to join the EC and is currently still not a member of the EU.
Geography
With a gross area of 387, 000km2, some of Norway's major geographical features include deep fjords, substantial mountains, protruding rocks of coastline and the smooth expanse of farmland. Located on western coast of Scandinavia, Norway is open to the Norwegian Sea on its west and the North Sea on its south. Bearing a north to south latitude that practically matches the length from Oslo, its capital, to Rome in Italy, Norway is the longest country in Europe.
Population
Norway has approximately 4.6 million inhabitants and the capital is called Oslo (0.8 million
Language
The national language is Norwegian, however most people speak English.
Religion
88% of the population is Lutheran evangelical Christian, which is the state religion.
Government
Constitutional monarchy. The head of state is King Harald V. A proportional representation system is adopted for the election and the head of the main political party is elected prime minister.
Industry
With a long history as a maritime state, its fishery industry is the most active. In addition, oil-related industries are also developing after the discovery of the North Sea oil fields in the 1960s.
Travel Information
Passport & Visa
Thanks to the Schengen Convention signed by its 15 member nations, a visa is unnecessary if visiting Norway for sightseeing purposes for 90 days or less within a period of six months. A passport is required to enter the country and total duration of stay or a succession of several stays may not exceed 90 days per six months. Although no procedures are necessary when crossing borders within Scandinavia, ensure to carry your passport wherever you go.
Currency
Norway's currency unit is the Norwegian krone. Although it is internationally labelled as NOK, it is displayed as kr on price tags and other price indications within the country. Norway also has an auxiliary unit, Øre, in which 1kr = 100Øre. There are five types of banknotes in Norway - 50kr, 100kr, 200kr, 500kr, and 1000kr - and five types of coins - 50Øre, 1kr, 5kr, 10kr, and 20kr.
Foreign Exchange
Traveller’s checks and cash can easily be exchanged at banks and airport exchange counters. Certain exchange counters in towns are open everyday.
General banking hours
Monday to Friday: 8.15am – 3.30pm (5pm on Thursdays)
Saturdays and Sundays: Closed
Postal Service hours
Monday to Friday: 8am – 5pm
Saturdays: 9am – 1pm (some offices are closed)
Sundays: Closed
Phone Services
The country code to Norway is + 47
In many cases you will be charged service charges in addition to call charges if you make phone calls from hotel rooms, therefore it is advised to use public telephones located in lobbies and other areas. Many telephones accept payment by credit card. You can also purchase telephone cards at convenient stores and kiosks.
Emergency Numbers
Emergency calls can be made from pay phones free of charge.
Police 112
Fire Department 110
Ambulance 113
Oslo emergency care centre (open 24 hours a day)
p: 22-11-80-80
Duty-Free Allowances
Cameras, video cameras, and radios that are considered necessary for travel can be taken in tax-free, however they must be taken back upon departure. There are no restrictions on medical products as long as they are for use during the trip. The minimum age requirement for taking in alcohol is 20 and 18 for cigarettes.
Alcohol
Up to 1 litre of spirits, 1 litre of wine, and 2 litres of beer, or 2 litres of wine and 2 litres of beer can be taken in tax-free.
Cigarettes
Either 200 paper-wrapped cigarettes or 250 grams of cut tobacco and 200 papers are accepted.
Currency allowance
An amount equivalent to 25, 000 Norwegian krones is allowed.
Duty-Free Shopping
In cases where a tourist shop is in a member store of the Global Refund, he or she will be exempted from the added-value tax imposed on the product. The procedure is simple and consists of presenting your passport when purchasing the product and having a global refund check issued and the receipt attached. The purchased product cannot be opened.
Since Norway is not a member of the EU, in cases of departing from Oslo Airport, convert your money at the cash refund within the transit hall. If you are to travel to other Scandinavian countries after Norway, you will need to carry out conversion procedures at customs of your final departing location, however it is necessary to have a customs stamp without fail.
Since an added-value tax of 25% is imposed on goods and 11% is imposed on food, if a tourist is to purchase 315kr worth of goods or more, or 285kr worth of food or more, or products whose tax rate is 25% or more in a global refund member store, he or she will be refunded a maximum of 11%-19% of the purchased value.
Products & Souvenirs
Norway features many fishery-related products and craft products inspired by the rich blessing of the country's natural environment.
Norwegian sweaters: Traditional hand-knit sweaters with patterns of snow flakes and reindeer.
Troll dolls: Fairies of the forest that are said to bring happiness and good fortune.
"Aquavit", a distilled alcoholic beverage made from potatoes. Smoked salmon, codfish, reindeer jerky, and whale meat. Silver accessories are also great Norwegian souvenirs
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