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An enchanting mix of cities and villages, of fjords and breathtakingly beautiful seas, Norway is one of Europe’s few countries where you can be in a busy city in the morning and out in the countryside, without a soul around for miles, by the evening. The country’s main cities- Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and the like- are as swinging and modern as many in continental Europe, but out in the countryside, life is still as quiet as it was a century ago. Norway means many things to many people. `The Land of the Midnight Sun’, this is the country where during the summer, the sun does not go down even at night (not a phenomenon all over Norway, though- it happens only in the Lofoten Islands). This is the land of famous explorers like Amundsen and Thor Heyerdahl and the greatest of all, the legendary Vikings; of literary and artistic giants like Edvard Munch and Henrik Ibsen. And, in contrast, it’s also the land of people like the Sami Lapps, who even today still live by herding reindeer. An unusual country that has virtually everything you could want: natural beauty, adventure, beautiful medieval cities, and more.

Isn’t it strange that the sun never fully sets during the summer months in Norway? You can even witness sunlight until midnight! For this, Norway is also known as “the Land of the Midnight Sun”.

Historically Speaking

Human settlements in Norway date back to more than 100 centuries. The first settlers were hunters and gatherers who arrived at the end of the last Ice Age. Norway’s most powerful impact on history came much later- during the 9th century, when the Vikings made their mark, travelling across the length and breadth of Europe, and even venturing as far as North America. Norway was first unified under Harald Fairhair in about 900 AD, and Christianity came to the country about a century later. By the mid-eleventh century, the Vikings had ceased to exist as a formidable power, and by the 14th century, Norway was forced into a union with Denmark. It remained a part of this union for 4 centuries, and was ceded to Sweden in 1814. Norwegian nationalists tried, unsuccessfully, for nearly a century to free Norway from Swedish rule, but the country’s independence came only in 1905, when the Danish-born Prince Carl was selected as king. In both world wars, Norway remained neutral, but during World War II, Nazi occupation and widespread destruction, including the flattening of entire villages and towns, resulted in Norway’s shift towards

the Allies. Since the end of World War II, Norway has made considerable progress, particularly as far as its economy is concerned. The discovery of oil and natural gas during the ‘70s has made the country’s economy one of the strongest in the region, but concerns regarding the country’s future- especially with reference to the EU (which Norway has still not joined)- continue to be important issues.

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Habitat

Norway lies in the western half of the Peninsula of Scandinavia, flanked by Sweden, Finland and Russia to the east and by the North Sea on the west. On the south lies the Skager Strait, and to the north is the Barents Sea. The country has a heavily indented coastline, with a large number of fjords and inlets besides some 50,000 odd islands and small isles. The terrain of the country is on the whole, rugged with almost 500 sq km inside the Arctic Circle, and nearly two-thirds of the land being mountainous. The inland alpine areas are pretty harsh, with a number of vast glaciers. Despite the fact that a lot of Norway’s natural vegetation has fallen prey to urbanisation, a lot of it- nearly 27%- remains intact, although acid rain has started to effect most forests. Among the main plant and tree species are conifers, and to the north, lichens, mosses and lower plants. The fauna which still survives includes rodents such as lemmings, reindeer, wolves, and birds. The coastal waters around Norway abound in a widely varied marine life, including whales and seals.