Norway
The Kingdom of Norway (Norwegian Kongeriket Norge, nynorsk Kongeriket Noreg), Norway – a country in Northern Europe, in the western part of the Scandinavian peninsula and the large number of adjacent small islands. Bordered on the east by Sweden, Finland and Russia. Washed by the Barents Sea in the north-east Norwegian Sea – in the west and the North Sea – in the southwest. The country’s name derives from the Old Norse word Norðrvegr – «way north.”
Norway are also part of the archipelago Spitsbergen (Svalbard), Jan Mayen and Bear Island in the Arctic Ocean. Dependent Territory of Norway is to Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. In addition, Norway claims to territory in Antarctica, subject to the Convention of 1961 – Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land.
October 6, 2009 Norway topped the list of most developed and affluent countries. It is approved in the annual UN report on living standards in 182 countries.
Form of government – constitutional monarchy form of government – unitary. Norway’s capital and seat of government – Oslo.
Geographical location
Norway is located between 58 ° and 73 ° [citation needed 137 days], northern latitude and 4 ° and 39 ° east longitude. Its territory stretches narrow (the widest part – less than 420 km) along the northwestern coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
From the east and south-east Norway shares borders with Sweden (over 1,630 km), Finland (760 km) and Russia (196 km). From the north-west is washed by the Norwegian Sea, north-east – the Barents Sea, while to the south – the North Sea.
Some of the islands belonging to the State, are at a great distance from the Scandinavian peninsula:
- Svalbard (Spitsbergen and adjacent islands) in the eastern Norwegian Sea;
- Jan Mayen between Greenland and Norwegian Seas;
- Bouvet Island off the coast of Antarctica;
Norway also claims the territory falling under the Antarctic Convention of 1961:
- Peter I Island off the coast of Antarctica;
- Queen Maud Land in Antarctica.
Physiography
The whole country is extremely mountainous, it forms a large plateau, consisting of gneiss, granite and other formations of the Archaean and Palaeozoic periods, in the eastern part of it is cut large valleys, and in the west and north – jutting deep into the land of marine fjords. In many places, the mountains are round in shape, and the landscape is primarily a kind of large undulating plateau on which the valleys and coves seem to be only a very minor cracks.
Of the total area occupied by the country, 39000 square meters. km lies above 1000 m above sea level, 91,000 square meters. miles – at an altitude of 500 to 1000 m. The average height above sea level of the entire space of Norway reaches about 490 m. In view of all this – the number of processed or no suitable for agricultural land is a very small part of the whole space: only 2,400 square meters. km of arable lands occupied. 235,000 square meters. km occupy the uninhabited mountains, swamps, etc., and 7,000 square meters. km – ice (glaciers).