Republic of Norway

Term paper Republic of Norway

Composer: Franc Koppel

Elva 2003 (sisukord)

Map and flag of Norway………………………………………………………………3 Geography……………………………………………………………………..………4 People…………………………………………………………………………...……..6 Government……………………………………………………………………………8 Economy……………………………………………………………………………...10

2 Map of Norway

National flag

3 Geography

Location: Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden Geographic 62 00 N, 10 00 E coordinates: Map references: Europe Area: total: 324,220 sq km land: 307,860 sq km water: 16,360 sq km Area - slightly larger than New Mexico comparative: Land total: 2,544 km boundaries: border countries: Finland 729 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 196 km Coastline: 21,925 km (includes mainland 3,419 km, large islands 2,413 km, long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 16,093 km) Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 10 NM territorial sea: 4 NM continental shelf: 200 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM Climate: temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast Terrain: glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north Elevation lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m extremes: highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m Natural petroleum, copper, natural gas, pyrites, nickel, iron ore, resources: zinc, lead, fish, timber, hydropower Land use: arable land: 2.94% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.06% (1998 est.) Irrigated land: 1,270 sq km (1998 est.) Natural hazards: rockslides, avalanches

4 Environment - water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely current issues: affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions Environment - party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air international agreements: Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution- Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution- Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Geography - about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its note: much indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in world

People

Population: 4,525,116 (July 2002 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20% (male 464,789; female 439,117) 15-64 years: 65% (male 1,491,720; female 1,451,450)

5 65 years and over: 15% (male 281,551; female 396,489) (2002 est.) Population 0.47% (2002 est.) growth rate: Birth rate: 12.39 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) Death rate: 9.78 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) Net migration 2.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) rate: Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.) Infant mortality 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) rate: Life expectancy total population: 78.94 years at birth: female: 82.07 years (2002 est.) male: 76.01 years Total fertility 1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.) rate: HIV/AIDS - adult NA% (1999 est.) prevalence rate: HIV/AIDS - 1,600 (1999 est.) people living with HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS - 8 (1999) deaths: Nationality: noun: Norwegian(s) adjective: Norwegian Ethnic groups: Norwegian, Sami 20,000 Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 86% (state church), other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, other 1%, none and unknown 10% (1997) Languages: Norwegian (official) note: small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: NA% female: NA%

6 Government

Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway conventional short form: Norway local short form: Norge local long form: Kongeriket Norge Government type: constitutional monarchy Capital: Oslo Administrative divisions: 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 Dependent areas: Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard Independence: 7 June 1905 Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved; 26 October 1905 Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union National holiday: Constitution Day, 17 May (1814); note - on 14 January 1814 Denmark ceded Norway to Sweden; resisting Swedish domination, Norwegians adopted a new constitution four months later; on 14 August 1814 Norway was proclaimed independent but in union with Sweden; on 7 June 1905 Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved Constitution: 17 May 1814, modified in 1884 Legal system: 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 Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch

7 (born 20 July 1973) head of government: Prime Minister Kjell Magne BONDEVIK (since 19 October 2001) cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the largest party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the Parliament Legislative branch: modified unicameral Parliament or Storting (165 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four- year terms) elections: last held 10 September 2001 (next to be held NA September 2005) note: for certain purposes, the Parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 24.3%, Conservative Party 21.2%, Progress Party 14.6%, Socialist Left Party 12.5%, Christian People's Party 12.4%, Center Party 5.6%, Liberal Party 3.9%, Coastal Party 1.7%, other 3.8%; seats by party - Labor Party 43, Conservative Party 38, Progress Party 26, Socialist Left Party 23, Christian People's Party 22, Center Party 10, Liberal Party 2, Coastal Party 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the monarch) Political parties and leaders: Center Party [Odd Roger ENOKSEN]; Christian People's Party [Valgerd Svarstad HAUGLAND]; Coastal Party [Steinar BASTESEN]; Conservative Party [Jan PETERSEN]; Labor Party [Thorbjorn JAGLAND]; Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM]; Progress Party [Carl I. HAGEN]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN]

8 Economy

Economy - overview: The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector (through large-scale state enterprises). The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil production and international oil prices; in 1999, oil and gas accounted for 35% of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia export more oil than Norway. Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994. Growth picked up in 2000 to 2.7%, compared with the meager 0.8% of 1999, but fell back to 1.3% in 2001. The government moved ahead with privatization in 2000, even proposing the sale of up to one-third of the 100% state-owned oil company Statoil. With arguably the highest quality of life worldwide, Norwegians still worry about that time in the next two decades when the oil and gas begin to run out. Accordingly, Norway has been saving its oil-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund, which is invested abroad and now is valued at more than $43 billion. GDP: purchasing power parity - $138.7 billion (2001 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 1.3% (2001 est.) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $30,800 (2001 est.) GDP - composition by agriculture: 2% sector: industry: 31% services: 67% (2000) Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or lowest 10%: 4.1% consumption by highest 10%: 21.8% (1995) percentage share: Distribution of family income - 25.8 (1995) Gini index: Inflation rate (consumer 3.1% (2001 est.) prices): Labor force: 2.4 million (2000 est.) Labor force - by occupation: services 74%, industry 22%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 4% (1995) Unemployment

9 rate: 3.6% (2001 est.) Budget: revenues: $71.7 billion expenditures: $57.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) Industries: petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing Industrial production -1% (2001 est.) growth rate: Electricity - production: 141.162 billion kWh (2000) Electricity - production by fossil fuel: 0.49% source: hydro: 99.31% other: 0.2% (2000) nuclear: 0% Electricity - consumption: 112.495 billion kWh (2000) Electricity - exports: 20.259 billion kWh (2000) Electricity - imports: 1.474 billion kWh (2000) Agriculture - products: barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish Exports: $58 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.) Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish Exports - partners: EU 76.8% (Netherlands 11.4%, Germany 10.3%, France 10.0%, Sweden 8.4%), US 7.6% (2000) Imports: $33.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs Imports - partners: EU 62.5% (Sweden 14.7%, Germany 11.9%, UK 8.1%, Denmark 6.4%), US 8.2%, Japan 5.2% (2000) Debt - external: $0 (Norway is a net external creditor) Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.4 billion (1998) Currency: Norwegian krone (NOK) Currency code: NOK Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 8.9684 (January 2002), 8.9917

10 (2001), 8.8018 (2000), 7.7992 (1999), 7.5451 (1998), 7.0734 (1997) Fiscal year: calendar year http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/europe/norway_pol96.jpg http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/no.html