Norway Overview

Located next to Sweden and sharing a northern border with Finland, Norway is a country famed for its stunning natural beauty which sees rugged snow covered mountains and deep glacier-carved fjords. Known as the 'Land of the Midnight Sun', Norway enjoys long summer days providing countless opportunities for outdoor lovers to immerse themselves in the country’s magnificent Scandinavian beauty. A rich cultural heritage provides fascinating stories from the classic Viking age and other equally interesting times.

English is widely spoken in Norway, so UK visitors will find no problems with being understood. As the country’s capital city, Oslo is the most obvious place for visitors to head and offers no shortage of tourist resources. Attractions are plentiful and include museums, historical sites and a ski resort. A large selection of accommodations plus a solid transportation infrastructure makes the city extremely visitor-friendly.

Norway is not renowned for being home to internationally famous hotel chains and the country’s most reputable establishments are invariably strictly Norwegian on account of its relatively closed economy. In Bergen you will find Clarion Hotel Admiral while in Oslo, you will find the Grand Hotel Oslo both of which are known for having high standards and excellent service. Bergen, Trondheim and Tromso are among the country’s other popular visitor cities and each has its own selection of attractions and accommodation options. 

From Norway, you can make a visit to both Sweden and Finland with borders rarely presenting any problems provided visitors have valid passports.

With Norway being situated so far north, most people assume that a very cold climate would be predominant throughout the year. This is not the case however as the bulk of country does in fact experience a temperate climate on account of the influence of the Gulf Stream against its coastal area. Winter climate in the coastal areas is comparatively mild although gales and frequent rainfall are also characteristic. The interior highland areas differ somewhat, experiencing arctic conditions characterised by snow, severe frost and gale force winds during the same season.

During the summer (June to September), you can expect maximum daily temperatures of around 20°C with Oslo perhaps receiving the best of the warm weather. Rainfall at this time is high with 3 to 3.5 inches in the Oslo area and significantly higher figures (6 to 9 inches) in coastal areas. Deciding when to visit Norway, depends very much on what you dislike the most; cold or rain. Come in the summertime and you get the benefit of warmish weather but plenty of rain while a winter visit provides drier but significantly colder conditions with subzero temperatures not unusual in some parts of the country.

Norway’s early history dates back to the arrival of settlers after 7,000 BC when for the first time since the ice age, the country experienced temperatures that made it habitable. Early Norwegian inhabitants survived by a combination of fishing and the hunting of deer, elk, whales and seal. Things changed however after 3,000 BC with the introduction of farming and the discovery of stone and later bronze, as materials for tool and weapons.

The Vikings were the next significant race to call Norway home, however their conquering spirit saw them leave their own land in search of new ones and in the 9^th century, Scotland, England, Ireland and France all became the subjects of fierce Viking raids. The 9^th century also saw division in the country with land being broken down into several different kingdoms. Rulers such as Harald Fairhair, Eric Bloodaxe and Haakon I, all tried to extend the range of their power and influence across the country but without success. Olaf Haraldson (1015-1030) was the king to effectively take control of the entire country, converting all of its inland areas to Christianity in the process. During the 11^th century, the entire country became Christian. At this time Norway was divided into three ascending classes; these being slaves at the bottom, freeman in the middle and noblemen at the top.

Peace and stability remained in the country until the death of Sigurd the Crusader after which a long series of civil wars ensued. Calm was once again restored with the crowning of Haakon IV (1217-1263). During Haakon’s reign, the country prospered spreading its control to parts of Greenland and Iceland. The reign of his successor Magnus the Lawmender was also a positive period during which the Hebrides and the Isle of Man were sold to Scotland. With the 14^th century came unison between Norway and Sweden as King Eric, ruler of the former also became King of Sweden. The combined kingdoms remained so until 1355. Following its recovery from the devastating effects of the Black Death, Norway began to prosper again in the latter part of the 14^th century as it became joined to both Sweden and Denmark under the reign of Margaret I. In 1523, Sweden broke free of the unison but Norway and Denmark remained together until 1814.

In the period from the 16^th to the 19^th centuries, the country developed significantly through events such as the reformation, the arrival of trade and commerce and the establishment of the Norwegian merchant navy. In spite of development however, the vast majority of the country’s 728,000 residents were farmers and fisherman. In 1813 Sweden invaded Norway and after fierce battles, Norway was surrendered to the Swedish aggressors. Conflict continued between the Swedish occupiers and native Norwegians and eventually an unusual status quo was established in which Norway was ruled by the Swedish king but permitted a significant amount of autonomy. Swedish control was eventually shaken completely in 1884 when the Norwegians forced their government and later their King to admit defeat. Following these events, a parliamentary democracy was established in the country.

At the end of the 19^th century, more conflict with Sweden followed which eventually led to a Norwegian referendum and subsequently an agreement establishing Norway’s independence. World War I saw only minor participation for Norway while World War II brought occupation by Nazi Germany, a state it was forced to suffer until the end of the conflict. Following the war years, Norway recovered quickly and the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s were prosperous years for the country. Today Norway is a wealthy and developed country that offers a high standard of living to its residents.