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Tourist Guide and Information about Norway

 

 

 

 

Norway (Kongeriket Norge) is a constitutional monarchy, it's not part of the European Union, it occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, bordering the North Sea in southwest and the Skagerrak inlet to the south, the North Atlantic Ocean (Norwegian Sea) in the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast, Norway bordered by Sweden to the east, Finland in the northeast, and Russia in the far northeast. The Kingdom of Norway also includes the Arctic island territories of Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean and Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land in Antarctica are also external dependencies. Norway is divided into nineteen first-level administrative regions called " fylker", Oslo is the state capital, main cities are also: Bergen, Kristiansand, Alesund, Trondheim, Stavanger, Narvik, e Tromsø.

Norway has one of the longest and most rugged coastlines in the world, much of the country is dominated by mountainous or high terrain, with a great variety of natural features caused by prehistoric glaciers. The most noticeable of these are the fjords: Deep grooves cut into the land flooded by the sea following the end of the Ice Age, the longest is Sognefjorden.  In the south-west side part of the country are reached the highest altitudes (2000-2500 metres); between the highest tops, are the Glittertind (2,470 m), Snøhetta (2,286 m), Rondane (2,183 m). Norway also contains many glaciers and waterfalls. Today the glaciers cover a surface of approximately 5.000 sqkm, of which beyond 800 sqkm are made by the Jostedalsbreen, the biggest glacier of continental Europe. The coasts are faced from several islands grouped in the two arcipelagoes of the Lofoten and the Vesterålen. 

  

Climate: Thanks to the warming effects of the Gulf Stream, Norway has a very mild climate compared to other countries at a similar latitude. The climate in Norway differs from that of the rest of Scandinavia, the tall mountain ranges dividing mainland Norway provide protection from precipitation to large areas of inland eastern Norway. Some of the areas east of the mountains have an annual rainfall of less than 300 mm. Most of the precipitation from the sea falls along the west coast of Norway, with some areas recording a maximum rainfall of 3000 mm annually. The coldest months of the year are January and February. The warmest time in the inland areas is mid-July, July and August sometimes reach as high as 25°C - 30°C. The best period in order to visit Norway is from May to September.

Tourist attractions: Norway is a picturesque country with many natural beauties, Norway for the tourist it's generally spectacular fjords and islands; between the most famous fjords are: the Hardangerfjord, the Sognefjord, the Nærøyfjord, the Nordfjord, the Lysefjord, the Geirangerfjord. Other important features are the islands that face the Norwegian coasts like the Lofoten and the Vesterålen; the midnight Sun; the glaciers as the Jostedalsbreen, the biggest glacier of continental Europe; the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), that can sometimes be admired during winter (the best period is between October to March). 

Unesco has inscribed 7 Norway sites in the World Heritage List: Bryggen (1979), Rock Art of Alta (1985), Røros Mining Town (1980),Struve Geodetic Arc (2005), Urnes Stave Church (1979), Vegaøyan -- The Vega Archipelago (2004), West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord (2005). Between the properties submitted on the Tentative List are: The Laponian Area - Tysfjord, the fjord of Hellemobotn and Rago (2002), The Lofoten islands (2002), Svalbard Archipelago (2007), Islands of Jan Mayen and Bouvet as parts of a serial transnational nomination of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge system (2007).

Travel Documents: Norway takes part in the Schengen co-operation and hence nationals from countries within the Schengen area do not have to show their passport when entering Norway. However you must show an official document that satisfactorily establishes your identity. For all other nationals a valid passport is necessary. For some nationals a visa is required as well.

Health: The standard of health in Norway is high. It is advisable to have an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in case of a medical emergency. 

Shopping hours: In general, shops in Norway are open between 10 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday, and from 10 am to 3 pm on Saturdays. Food stores are normally open between 9 am and 8/9 pm. Most towns have late shopping on Thursdays when the shops stay open until 7 pm. Opening hours at larger shopping centres are usually from 10 am until 8 pm on weekdays and 6 pm on Saturdays. Shops are closed on Sundays.

Electricity: 220 volts AC (50 Hz) is the Norwegian standard. If you are traveling with electrical or electronic devices be sure to bring a two-pin continental adapter with you.

Cuisine: The traditional Norwegian dish is the smoked salmon, it  exists traditionally in many varieties, and is often served with scrambled eggs, dill, sandwiches or mustard sauce. Close to smoked salmon is gravlaks, (literally "dug salmon"), which is salt-and-sugar-cured salmon seasoned with dill and other herbs and spices. A more peculiar Norwegian fish dish is Rakfisk, which consists of fermented trout. A large number of fish dishes are popular today, based a large variety of species, such as salmon, cod, herring, sardine products and mackerel. Seafood is used fresh, smoked, salted or pickled. Variations on creamed seafood soups are common along the coastline. Lamb's meat and mutton is very popular, mainly used in fårikål (mutton stew with cabbage). Pinnekjøtt, cured and sometimes smoked mutton ribs, steamed for several hours. Smalahove, a smoked lamb's head. Preserved meat and sausages are usually accompanied by sour cream dishes and flat bread or wheat/potato wraps; the fenalår, a slow-cured lamb's leg, and morr, usually a smoked cured sausage.  Cheese: Jarlsberg cheese, the sweet geitost or brown/red cheese, the gammelost, an over-matured, highly pungent brown cheese. Distilled beverages include akevitt, a yellow-tinged liquor spiced with caraway seeds. NORWEGIAN CUISINE RECIPES.

Typical products: Popular things to buy whilst on holiday include knitted sweaters, gloves and mittens, pewter, silverware, porcelain, hand-painted wooden articles, goat and reindeer skins, furs, glassware, ceramics and speciality food.

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Airports and Flights: There are about 50 airports and landing strips in Norway, Oslo Airport is located at Gardermoen, 47 km north of Oslo, it is the largest airport in Norway. Worldwide: Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). Low-fare in Europe: Norwegian, Sterling or Ryanair KLM and Lufthansa. From UK, Sweden and Denmark there's Widerøe. Airlines operating in Norway are SAS Norway, Widerøe and Norwegian. 

Area: 323,878 sqkm

Population: 4,600,000. Mainly Norwegians, small minorities in the north are Sami, Finnish and Kven.

State Capital: Oslo

Language: The Norwegian language has two official written forms, Bokmål and Nynorsk. The main foreign languages in Norway are English, German, Swedish, Danish and French.

Religion: Lutheran about 83 % (State Religion). Other Christian denominations total about 4.5% of the population. Among non-Christian religions, Islam is the largest, representing about 1.5% of the population.

Currency: Kroner (NOK).

Time: The time zone for Norway is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) +1 hour.

MIDNIGHT SUN:

Place From To
North Cape 13 May 29 July
Hammerfest 16 May 26 July
Vardø 17 May 25 July
Tromsø 20 May 22 July
Harstad 24 May 18 July
Svolvær 28 May 14 July
Bodø 3 June 8 July

 

 

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