Kingdom of Norway Kongeriket Noreg
Svalbard Nordkapp Arctic circle
Stavanger
Norway
Constitutional Monarchy Monarch: Harald VII Capital: Oslo Population: 4.8 million
Oslo
Physical geography of Norway • Norway consists of the mainland, parts of Antarctica, Svalbard and several hundred overseas territories in the Arctic Zone • Kingdom of Norway: 400 000 square kilometres • Norwegian Domain: 8 million square kilometres • More than 50 000 islands around the mainland • 70% of the country consists of mountains • 10% consists of water
Queen Maud Land
Roald Amundsen and Eirik Haraldsen from the Royal Norwegian expedition to the South Pole in 1912
• Big differences in elevation • Densely populated and fertile pockets of flat land • There are very big distances, and travelling takes more time because of the landscape
Biomes • In general humid sub-arctic – Mountains – Glaciers – Grasslands – Mountain forests – Boreal forest – Water/fjords
Use of land in Norway
Climate • Norway is an arctic country relying on the gulf stream • Average temperature: 4 °C • Long winters, short summers • High amount of precipitation • Coastal climate – Continental climate
Energy and electricity • Norway is the biggest producer of hydroelectricity in Europe • Norway is the second biggest producer of renewable energy in general in Europe • 99% hydroelectricity • Biological waste treatment, tidal power, wave power, thermal energy • Norway produce twice the amount of electricity as its population consumes
Consumption and production of electricity Billions of kWh
Petroleum
Global extraction of crude oil by country in percentage
Environmental issues • Acid rain; 90% originates from external sources; Russia, Germany and Poland • Radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl accident in 1986 • Over fishery; Spain, Portugal, Greece and Russia • Increasing amount of mercury in the fjords • Global warming