Officially called the Kingdom of Norway, Norway is a Scandinavian nation with beautiful mountains, deep coastal fjords, and glaciers.
This country is located on the Scandinavian peninsula’s western side. However, it houses half of its people in the far south region.
Not only is it a wonderful country, but it is also a great place to visit for a myriad of reasons. One of these reasons is the Northern Lights. It is a natural phenomenon that many people don’t know much about, but it sure is a beautiful sight to see.
The interior of Norway is sparsely habituated as it has an extreme climate and challenging terrain.
When you’re in Norway, eating seafood is a must as fishing and seafaring have been a tradition since the Viking era.
Norway became an independent nation in 1905. From then on, instead of just trading fish and lumber, the country emerged as a maritime transporter of the world’s goods.
The country also specialized in shipbuilding. By the 1990s, Norway became one of the world’s leading petroleum exporters.
Besides, Norway also boasts abundant waterpower, peaceful labor relations, and offshore oil. As a result, Norway has one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Geography
Sweden, Russia, and Finland border Norway to the east. The Barents Sea bounds the country to the north, the Skagerrak to the south, the North Sea, and the Norwegian Sea to the west.
Norway’s relief includes thick sandstone, limestone, and conglomerate deposits called sparagmite.
During the Cambrian to Silurian geologic period, most of Norway’s land was below sea level. The folding processes of the Earth gave rise to the continuation of the Caledonian orogenic belt.
Today, the country has an average elevation of 1,600 feet.
Climate
Norway has a warmer climate even though it has the same degrees of latitude as Alaska, thanks to the Norwegian Current.
These currents carry 4-5 million tons of tropical water per second to its surrounding seas, which help keep the fjords from freezing.
The southerly air currents also play a vital role in keeping the country warm, especially in winter.
The western region of the country has a marine climate. Here, the summers are cool, and winters are mild. The mean annual rainfall is 2,250 mm.
Eastern Norway has an inland climate with warm summers and cold winters. Unfortunately, it gets a mean rainfall of only 760 mm.
Nature and Wildlife
The country houses about 2,000 plant species. Mountain plants are endemic to Norway.
The glacial valley has thick forests of spruce and pine. The country also has a wide variety of deciduous trees such as birch, ash, aspen, and rowan. The birch zone extends from 3,000-3,900 feet above sea level.
The Swedish border and the Glama river of Norway house the most extensive forests.
You can find wild berries, blueberries, cranberries, and yellow cloudberries are found in all regions of Norway.
In terms of wild animals, you can find reindeer, lemmings, elks, wolverines, foxes, otters, red deer, and other Arctic animals throughout the country. Some areas also house bears, lynx, and wolves.
The waters of Norway also houses a variety of fish species, especially trout and salmon.
A large variety of birds migrate to Southern Africa during the winter. Partridges and grouse species are abundant in the mountains and forests.
