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Communications

Airports [time series]

104 total, 103 usable; 64 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 16 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

76 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

79,540 km total; 18,600 km concrete, bituminous, stone block; 19,980 km bituminous treated; 40,960 km gravel, crushed stone, and earth

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

1,577 km along west coast; 1.5-2.4 m draft vessels maximum

Merchant marine [time series]

867 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,270,845 GRT/41,199,182 DWT; includes 11 passenger, 23 short-sea passenger, 121 cargo, 3 passenger-cargo, 24 refrigerated cargo, 14 container, 50 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 18 vehicle carrier, 1 railcar carrier, 186 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 98 chemical tanker, 69 liquefied gas, 1 specialized tanker, 35 combination ore/oil, 204 bulk, 9 combination bulk; note--the government has created a captive register, the Norwegian International Ship Register (NIS), as a subset of the Norwegian register; ships on the NIS enjoy many benefits of flags of convenience and do not have to be crewed by Norwegians; the majority of ships (777) under the Norwegian flag are now registered with the NIS

Pipelines [time series]

refined products, 53 km

Ports [time series]

Oslo, Bergen, Fredrikstad, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Trondheim

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

4,223 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; Norwegian State Railways (NSB) operates 4,219 km (2,450 km electrified and 96 km double track); 4 km other

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

high-quality domestic and international telephone, telegraph, and telex services; 3,102,000 telephones; stations--8 AM, 46 (1,400 relays) FM, 55 (2,100 relays) TV; 4 coaxial submarine cables; communications satellite earth stations operating in the EUTELSAT, INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean), MARISAT, and domestic systems

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home Guard

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$3.3 billion, 3.3% of GDP (1990)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 1,124,201; 942,158 fit for military service; 31,813 reach military age (20) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 2.8% of GNP and 6.4% of labor force; among world's top 10 fishing nations; livestock output exceeds value of crops; over half of food needs imported; fish catch of 1.76 million metric tons in 1989

Budget [time series]

revenues $47.9 billion; expenditures $48.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Norwegian krone (plural--kroner); 1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 ore

Economic aid [time series]

donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $4.4 billion

Electricity [time series]

26,735,000 kW capacity; 121,685 million kWh produced, 28,950 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1--5.9060 (January 1991), 6.2597 (1990), 6.9045 (1989), 6.5170 (1988), 6.7375 (1987), 7.3947 (1986), 8.5972 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$33.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--petroleum and petroleum products 25%, natural gas 11%, fish 7%, aluminum 6%, ships 3.5%, pulp and paper; partners--EC 64.9%, Nordic countries 19.5%, developing countries 6.9%, US 6.2%, Japan 1.7% (1990)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$15 billion (December 1990)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$74.2 billion, per capita $17,400; real growth rate 3.1% (1990)

Imports [time series]

$26.8 billion (c.i.f., 1990); commodities--machinery, fuels and lubricants, transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, clothing, ships; partners--EC 46.3%, Nordic countries 25.7%, developing countries 14.3%, US 8.1%, Japan 4.7% (1990)

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 3.6% (1990)

Industries [time series]

petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

4.1% (1990)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Norway is a prosperous capitalist nation with the resources to finance extensive welfare measures. Since 1975 exploitation of large crude oil and natural gas reserves has helped maintain high growth; for the past five years growth has averaged 4.1%, the fourth-highest among OECD countries. Growth slackened in 1987-88 partially because of the sharp drop in world oil prices, but picked up again in 1989. The Brundtland government plans to push hard on environmental issues, as well as cutting unemployment, improving child care, upgrading major industries, and negotiating an EC - European Free Trade Association (EFTA) agreement on an Economic European Area.

Unemployment rate [time series]

5.2% (1990, excluding people in job-training programs)

Geography

Climate [time series]

temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior; rainy year-round on west coast

Coastline [time series]

21,925 km (3,419 km mainland; 2,413 km large islands; 16,093 km long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations) Contiguous zone: 10 nm; Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 4 nm

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than New Mexico

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

maritime boundary dispute with USSR; territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land); Denmark has challenged Norway's maritime claims beween Greenland and Jan Mayen

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

air and water pollution; acid rain

Land boundaries [time series]

2,544 km total; Finland 729 km, Sweden 1,619 km, USSR 196 km

Land use [time series]

arable land 3%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 27%; other 70%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Natural resources [time series]

crude oil, copper, natural gas, pyrites, nickel, iron ore, zinc, lead, fish, timber, hydropower

Note [time series]

strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in world; Norway and Turkey only NATO members having a land boundary with the USSR

Terrain [time series]

glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

Area (Total area) [time series]

324,220 km2; land area: 307,860 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

19 provinces (fylker, singular--fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold

Capital [time series]

Oslo

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

15,500 est.; 5,500 Norwegian Communist Party (NKP); 10,000 Workers Communist Party Marxist-Leninist (AKP-ML, pro-Chinese)

Constitution [time series]

17 May 1814, modified in 1884

Dependent areas [time series]

Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Kjeld VIBE; Chancery at 2720 34th Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-6000; there are Norwegian Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Miami and New Orleans; US--Ambassador Loret Miller RUPPE; Embassy at Drammensveien 18, 0244 Oslo 2 (mailing address is APO New York 09085); telephone [47] (2) 44-85-50

Executive branch [time series]

monarch, prime minister, State Council (cabinet)

Flag [time series]

red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Independence [time series]

26 October 1905 (from Sweden)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court (Hoiesterett) Chief of State--King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS (born 20 July 1973); Head of Government--Prime Minister Gro Harlem BRUNDTLAND (since 3 November 1990) Labor, Gro Harlem BRUNDTLAND; Conservative, Kaci Kullmann FIVE; Center Party, Anne Enger LAHNSTEIN; Christian People's, Kjell Magne BONDEVIK; Socialist Left, Eric SOLHEIM; Norwegian Communist, Kare Andre NILSEN; Progress, Carl I. HAGEN; Liberal, Arne FJORTOFT; Finnmark List, leader NA

Legal system [time series]

mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral Parliament (Stortinget) with an Upper Chamber (Lagting) and a Lower Chamber (Odelsting)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Kingdom of Norway

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

AfDB, AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, OECD, PCA, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

National holiday [time series]

Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 Storting--last held on 11 September 1989 (next to be held 6 September 1993); results--Labor 34.3%, Conservative 22.2%, Progress 13.0%, Socialist Left 10.1%, Christian People's 8.5%, Center Party 6.6%, Finnmark List 0.3%, other 5%; seats--(165 total) Labor 63, Conservative 37, Progress 22, Socialist Left 17, Christian People's 14, Center Party 11, Finnmark List 1

Government type (Type) [time series]

constitutional monarchy

People

Birth rate [time series]

14 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

11 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic) and racial-cultural minority of 20,000 Lapps

Infant mortality rate [time series]

7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

2,167,000 (September 1990); services 34.7%, commerce 18%, mining and manufacturing 16.6%, banking and financial services 7.5%, transportation and communications 7.2%, construction 7.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6.4% (1989)

Languages (Language) [time series]

Norwegian (official); small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

74 years male, 81 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1976 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Norwegian(s); adjective--Norwegian

Net migration rate [time series]

2 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

66% of labor force (1985)

Population [time series]

4,273,442 (July 1991), growth rate 0.5% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

Evangelical Lutheran (state church) 87.8%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3.8%, none 3.2%, unknown 5.2% (1980)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.8 children born/woman (1991)