The country of the fjords and the birthplace of the harsh Vikings — this is how people who have never been here often imagine Norway. In fact, this is an amazingly beautiful land of small cozy towns, stability, tranquility and security. Well, sometimes a very strange meal, where can we go without it.
Facts about Norway
- The name “Norway” in translation from the Old Norse language means “way north.”
- This country has been a leader among the quality of life of its inhabitants for many years.
- In Norway, more than 235 thousand square kilometers are occupied by uninhabited mountains and swamps, and only 2400 square kilometers can be used for sowing fields.
- Norway is one of the least populated European countries.
- In this country, the church was separated from the state only at the end of May 2012, which is an amazing fact for a European power. Until that moment, the king and half of the State Council were required to profess Lutheranism without fail.
- The constitution gives the Norwegian king quite extensive powers, but in reality this position has long been purely “ceremonial” in nature, as in Great Britain (interesting facts about Great Britain).
- After the end of the ice age, the lands of modern Norway were one of the most densely populated regions of the planet.
- To extract gas, the Norwegians built the largest drilling platform on the planet with a displacement of 1 million tons and a height of 465 meters in the North Sea.
- The largest titanium ore deposit in Europe was discovered in Norway. In addition, the state is the largest European producer of aluminum and magnesium.
- Norway exports about 90% of the paper produced in the country.
- It is also the world leader in per capita electricity reserves.
- The salary of an average Norwegian male is 40,800 crowns, and women — 34,800 crowns.
- Norway ranks first on the planet in terms of the number of daily newspapers published per inhabitant of the country.
- It became the first country on Earth that decided to completely abandon from analog FM broadcasting and has already begun this process.
- Norway has hosted the Winter Olympics twice.
- Norwegian Ole Einar Bjørndalen is the only athlete in history who has managed 8 times become an Olympic champion in biathlon.
- Musicians from Norway have won Eurovision three times.
- Traditional Norwegian cuisine includes several unusual dishes – for example, Norwegians are happy to eat fermented trout (rakfisk) and dried fish soaked in alkali and then soaked in water (lutefisk).
- The first settlement in Greenland as early as the 1st century AD. founded by the Norwegian navigator Eric the Red. Later, his children became the true discoverers of America, long before Columbus (interesting facts about Columbus).
- Norwegian national flower is heather.
- Norway is considered the birthplace of skiing. In Norwegian, the word “ski” means “a piece of wood”.
- This country is the world’s leading exporter of ostriches.
- In popular culture, the image of a Viking in a two-horned helmet is widespread, although in In reality, these harsh warriors most likely did without any headgear at all.
- The cheese knife was invented and patented by a Norwegian carpenter in the 1920s.