25 Things You Didn't Know About Norway

Norway is officially known as the Kingdom of Norway, is the name of a Nordic country located in Northern Europe, the mainland area of which is the northern and westernmost part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is a distant Arctic Island Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also belongs to Norway. Norway is also known for its role as Land of the Midnight Sun. It is known for its stunning fjords, stunning skies and lakes. Norway is also known for its dialects, Vikings and folklore, being environmentally friendly, as well as oil production. Additionally, many residents of Norway are famous ski enthusiasts and frozen pizza enthusiasts, along with Tesla drivers!

 1. The longest road tunnel in the world is located in Norway. At a staggering fifteen miles (24.5 km) in length The Laerdal Tunnel is the world longest. It will cost 1 billion Norwegian in kroners to construct (that's approximately USD 110 millions). The tunnel links the tiny communities in Laerdal as well as Aurland. Its style is appreciated throughout the world due to its elements to ease the stress on drivers' minds. Every 6km is a cave that separates segments of the road. The lighting is different throughout the caves and tunnels to provide a break from routine and give an interesting view. 2. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo. The Norwegian capital has been the proud host to host the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony every year ( (with just a few exceptions) since the year 1901. Another Nobel prize for Chemistry, Literature, Physics and Physiology or Medicine are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. It's because of Alfred Nobel's wishes.

Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemical engineer who left his wealth to fund the award at the time of his death. It's not clear the reason he picked Norway as the winner of his Peace Prize. 3. The most remote island in the world is a Norwegian territory. The island has been administered by Norway since 1929, Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean is Planet Earth's remotest island. It lies about 1,700km to the north of the coast of Antarctica and 2600km of Antarctica's South African coast. The nearest inhabited area to the nearest inhabited land is British overseas territory Tristan da Cunha, more than 22,000 km away. Tristan is also a very isolated area, without an airport. 4. Norway has a border on land with Russia. The border between Norway and Russia is in fact about 120 miles in length. The Storskog crossroads on the E105 highway is the northernmost border road crossing that exists in Europe. In September of 2017 a new tunnel as well as bridge was inaugurated at the Norway side of the border. This has reduced the travel time of those who cross the border. 5. Kirkenes is more to the east than the rest of Finland. With only 9.2 miles (15 km) close to the Russian boundary, Kirkenes is one of Norway's most intriguing locations from a societal perspective. Since it's so close to the border, there's significant Russian influence.

There are street signs in two languages and plenty of stores advertising special deals and discounts primarily targeting Russian customers. Because of the many tourists who visit this town English can be considered a third-language in this small town. 6. Norway introduced salmon-based sushi to Japan. Although sushi is a Japanese invention, they didn't include salmon until the suggestion of a Norwegian delegation in the 1980's. Despite the vast distance between the nations, Japan seemed a natural choice with Norwegian seafood. Japan's fish stocks suffered due to overfishing, but consumer demand was extremely high. The agreements signed in the past have helped boost Norwegian exports of seafood. The food scene in Japan, Norwegian salmon sushi is among the most loved foods, particularly among young people. “Are you enjoying this video?

If yes, please hit the like button now.” 7. The wealth and income of all residents are on the public records. Every person living in Norway has three numbers derived from their annual tax returns that are published: their annual earnings taxes paid on their income and their total wealth. Before 2013, this information was open and searchable by anyone. This has changed since then the user can track who has checked their own information. 8. One of the first U.N. Secretary General was Norwegian. In reality, Norway was a founding member of the United Nations back in 1945 in 1945, when 850 delegates from 50 nations gathered at San Francisco. The delegates debated the plans developed by representatives of China and representatives from China, Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States from August to October of the previous year.

The determined and pragmatic Trygve Lie was serving in the post of Norwegian Foreign Minister in the Second World War years of exile in London and then took on the position of Secretary-General in the postwar period between 1946 and 1952. 9. Modern and old-fashioned skiing was developed in Norway. This is not a surprise, given that it is the Norwegian love of skiing and their accomplishments at the international level. Sondre Norheim is believed to be the father of modern skiing. In the 19th century's final years, He began using rigid ski bindings to ensure it was possible to swing and jump without fear of falling. The new design of his skis called his Telemark ski - was the catalyst for modern-day skis that we all recognize and appreciate. 10. Norway is a star at the Winter Olympics. Not surprising given the information that has been mentioned, Norway is the world's most successful country at the Winter Olympic Games. In spite of having less than 5 million people living there, Norway has won more medals than any other nation during Olympic history. 11. Europe's largest wild reindeer herd is here. The herd roams Hardangervidda Europe's largest mountain plateau. The National Park includes vast plateaus and lush valleys, high mountain ranges, glaciers that are far away, breathtaking fjords and waterfalls.

The number of wild reindeer during winter is estimated to be around 25,000 including as high as 7,000 live on Hardangervidda. For many centuries, wild reindeer were able to roam free across Norway but because of hunting in large numbers and grazing, they were forced to the mountains of the south-central region of Norway at the end of the 19th century. 12. Norway has one volcano! Don't be worried as it's not anywhere far from Norway's largest cities and will not affect Norway's entire mainland should it decide to explode. The reason is that Norway's only active volcano is located on Jan Mayen, an island in Jan Mayen in the Norwegian Sea. It's located in between Norway and Greenland located north of Iceland It is also considered as a part of Svalbard to be administratively important by the government. 13. Norway isn't called Norway! It's not even in Norwegian. Norway is the title used to describe the country that is part of the English language. In Norwegian the country is known as Norge. In the less popular nynorsk version of Norwegian the form is Noreg. In fact, the full name of the country is actually the Kingdom of Norway. In Norwegian it is known as Kongeriket Norge or Kongeriket Noreg in Nynorsk.

14. Norway has introduced the world to an instrument to slice cheese. A cheese slicer was created around 1925 by Thor Bjorklund and has become an integral part in all Scandinavian kitchens, as well as many other kitchens around the world. 15. Oslo is Norway's largest and most multicultural city. Of the 648,000 residents of Oslo the city, 190,000 of them were either born into immigrants, or immigrants themselves. This is nearly 30 percent of the city's total population, which is a bit more than 15% in the United States all over. The biggest ethnic minority of Oslo is Pakistani and is followed by those who came from Sweden, Somalia, and Poland. 16. Norway isn't a country that's powered by oil. Sure Norway's gas and oil industry has fueled the industry, but the economy does not supply the homes of the nation. About 98% of Norway's electricity usage is derived from hydroelectric power sources. 17. Norway provides London with an annual Christmas tree. It's also not just any tree. To express gratitude for their assistance in World War II, the city Oslo sends Britain an ornament each Christmas.

The high Norwegian spruce that is part of Norway's Oslo Forest is located prominently on Trafalgar Square. The tree, which has been decorated in a traditional Norwegian style and lit with white lights, serves as an ideal backdrop for the carol singing celebrations which take place in the square during the period of Christmas. 18. Norway was neutral in the First World War. Following the First World War broke out, Norway declared its neutrality. However, Norway still made trade agreements with Great Britain and in 1917 allowed them to charge Norwegian shipping vessels. Norway's impartiality was up until April 1940, which was two months before the Second World War, when the Germans attacked. 19. There are 400,000 Lakes in Norway. This is among my most cherished Norwegian facts! It's because you are thinking about the sheer amount of water. A lake in this group, Hornindalsvatnet, is the deepest lake of Europe. The depth is 1,512 feet to be precise.

20. Norway is renowned for its Fjords. In actuality, fjord is actually a Norwegian word. There are 1,190 Fjords in Norway with the highest density anywhere in the world. Each of which is stunning. It also has the second-deepest and longest fjord, the stunning Sognefjord which measures approximately 127 miles long, and has a depth of 4,291 feet. It's also known by the name of "King of the Fjords," naturally. 21. The Sun Never Sets in Norway. In Norwegian summers it doesn't. It's not all of Norway however, anywhere that is north of the Arctic Circle - which is quite a bit of Norway. The sun never sets in the summertime. Most of the nation has about 20 hours of light. Prepare yourself with your blinds with blackouts. 22. Norway is the home of a number of Big Animals. In the seas around there is a chance to be able to see basking sharks, as well as the enormous huge sperm whales eating squids. On the land, however, there are huge Polar bears, as well as brown bears and massive Elks.

This is a country that is truly wilderness. 23. They are the Sami People Are the Indigenous People of Norway. They are the first inhabitants of Norway There is evidence going back over 10000 years to Sami people who lived in Norway. They speak the language of their country (around 1/3 percent of Norwegian population speaks it) and their own capital city, Karasjok and a separate legislature, and a large number of them continue to live off their land, as reindeer farmers. 24. It's illegal to market to children in Norway. Well, they are children who are less than twelve years of age. Did you remember the action figure commercials and other stuff you saw that you would wake up to watching cartoons on the weekend? But they don't have all these in Norway. Good news for capitalism, great news for innocence in childhood. 25. Police Brutality Doesn't Exist. While in other countries, police can be quite happy with their triggers, Norway doesn't seem like that kind of place. Actually, the last time someone was killed or shot by Norwegian police was in 2006. In 2007, there were no shots fired by police officers at all. Only ten police officers have died in Norway from WWII.