Total area: 125,181 sq mi (324,220 sq km)
Population (2009 est.): 4,660,539
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Oslo - 791,500
Other large cities: Bergen - 211,200; Stavanger - 168,600; Trondheim - 144,000
Currency: Norwegian krone
Languages: Bokmål Norwegian, Nynorsk Norwegian (both official); small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities (Sami is official in six municipalities)
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 86% (state church), Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2%
Time zone: GMT+1; DST: GMT+2 (from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October)
Electricity: AC 230V/50Hz; European plugs with two round pins are the standard
Norway is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe, situated in the western part of the Scandinavian peninsula. Norway borders Sweden, Finland and Russia to the east. To the west and south, the country is bordered by the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea and Skagerak; to the north - by the Barents Sea. A large area in the north lies beyond the Arctic Circle.
Norway is mostly mountainous with large areas dominated by the Scandinavian Mountains. The highest point is Galdhøpiggen, at 2,469 m (8,100 ft). There are also numerous glaciers, lakes, rivers and waterfalls in Norway. The most notable is the unique western coastline - rugged, broken by huge fjords and thousands of islands, stretching for 83,000 km (52,000 mi), including fjords and islands. Norway is home to the world's second deepest fjord, Sognefjorden and Europe's deepest lake - Hornindalsvatnet.
