Scandinavian countries are considered one of the most prosperous in the world. Their level of development and social security can be envied by many states on the planet. Therefore, in this article we will talk about a country called Norway, whose name in Old Norse means "road to the north." The state is located in the western region of Scandinavia, and has also absorbed many neighboring small islands and the Svalbard archipelago. We will also find out what is the area of Norway and the population.
Geographic features
The territory of the state stretches in a narrow strip along the coast in the north-west of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The widest part of the country is only 420 kilometers. Also, the Norwegians own all the rocks, islands located in its territorial waters. The territory of Norway is 3850186 sq. km. km. At the same time, the water surface occupies only 5%.
Neighbours
In the east and south-east, Norway neighbors Sweden (the length of the border is 1630 km), Russia (the section of the countries crossing is 196 km) and Finland (736 km). In the south, Norway is washed by the North Sea, in the northwest by the Norwegian Sea, and in the northeast byBarents.
Locals
Area, population of Norway – insignificant values. Only 5,245,041 people live in the country as of 2015. According to this indicator, the state is one of the smallest. As for the population density, it is equal to 16 people per square kilometer. At the same time, the distribution of people is very uneven. Almost half of the citizens live near the Oslofjord and Trondheimsfjord, on a rather narrow coastal strip. Another 20% of the population lives in the southern part of the country.
78% of people live in cities, of which one-fifth is located near the capital. It is important to note that the area of Norway provides for the name urban area of such a settlement, where more than two hundred people live permanently. In addition, houses must be no more than 50 meters apart.
In terms of gender and age, the country is very able-bodied, since the majority of people are aged between 16 and 67 years. 90% of the population are Norwegians, and the largest national minority is considered to be from Arab countries, of which there are hundreds of thousands of people. There are also Saami (about 40 thousand people), Kvens, Swedes, Gypsies, Russians and others.
Regions
The area of Norway is divided into 19 counties, which in turn are combined into five large-scale regions:
Northern Norway (Nur-Norge):
- Nordland;
- Troms;
- Finnmark.
Central Norway (Trendelag):
- Nur-Trondelag;
- Ser-Trondelag.
Western Norway (Vestland):
- Rugaland;
- Hordaland;
- Sogn-og-Fyurane;
- Møre-o-Romsdal.
Eastern Norway (Estland):
- Opplann;
- Hedmark;
- Telemark;
- Westfall;
- Buskerud;
- Eastfall;
- Akershus;
- Oslo.
Southern Norway (Sørland):
- West-Agder;
- Aust-Agder.
In turn, counties are divided into communes, of which there are 432 in the state.
Economic life
Norway, with an area of 385,186 square kilometers excluding Svalbard and Jan Mayen, is one of the largest oil and gas producers in Europe. Most of the energy required by the country comes from hydropower, which in turn enables it to export the lion's share of oil products. Compared to other European powers, Norway has very low inflation and unemployment rates (both at 3%).
Also, the northern country is rich in fairly significant deposits of copper, zinc, titanium, nickel, silver, granite, marble, iron, has an impressive forest area. In addition, Norway is the largest producer of magnesium and aluminum in the Old World.
Norsk Hydro is also the leading European supplier of s altpeter, urea and fertilizers.
In fact, the entire area of Norway is involved ineconomic sector. Mechanical engineering is also quite well developed in the state, which specializes in the production of machines for the oil and gas industry. Shipbuilding plays a significant role, since Norway is a maritime power with a powerful fishing fleet.
Speaking of agriculture, one cannot fail to note the fact that its share in the country's economy has largely decreased significantly due to the development of the industrial sector. It is also worth understanding that the development of farmland in Norway is very difficult due to the harsh climate. Therefore, even the allocation of significant government subsidies does not help to fully reanimate agriculture, in which livestock is in the first position, providing 80% of all the output of rural workers of the state. In this regard, Norway is forced to buy a variety of grain crops and many other products from other countries, with which it is not able to fully provide itself.
