About Norway
Norway is a country of staggering natural beauty, defined by its dramatic coastline of deep fjords, towering mountains, and midnight sun. Located on the western edge of the Scandinavian peninsula, it stretches far into the Arctic Circle. The fjords, such as Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, carved by ancient glaciers, are considered some of the planet's most spectacular landscapes, attracting cruise ships and hikers from close and far.
Oslo, the rapidly growing capital, sits at the head of a fjord and blends cutting-edge architecture like the Opera House with green spaces and museums dedicated to Viking ships and polar explorers. Beyond the cities, Norway is wild and rugged. The Lofoten Islands offer jagged peaks and fishing villages, while the northern city of Tromsø is a gateway to the Arctic and the Aurora Borealis. The country is immensely wealthy due to its oil and gas reserves, which populate its massive sovereign wealth fund.
Norwegians are avid outdoors people, famously born with "skis on their feet." The society is egalitarian and places a huge value on work-life balance and nature conservation. From the wooden stave churches of the middle ages to the modern philosophy of 'kos' (coziness), Norway offers a sanctuary of peace, wilderness, and high-altitude adventure.
Norway remains outside the European Union despite two national referendums held on the matter (in 1972 and again in 1994, both narrowly rejected), preferring instead to participate in the internal market via the European Economic Area agreement. The country's sovereign wealth fund, formally the Government Pension Fund Global, owns roughly 1.5 per cent of every publicly listed company on the planet and had grown to 1.6 trillion US dollars by 2024—making each Norwegian citizen a theoretical multi-millionaire on paper. The Kingdom of Norway also administers the sub-Antarctic islands of Bouvet and Peter I, plus a formal claim to Queen Maud Land in Antarctica covering roughly one-fifth of the continent. Its constitution, adopted at Eidsvoll on 17 May 1814, is the second-oldest still in force anywhere in the world, second only to the United States.