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Offical name
Kingdom of Norway
Capital
Oslo
Government type
constitutional monarchy
Language
Norwegian
Area
323,802 sq km
Population
4,610,820 (2006 est.)
Currency
Norwegian krone (NOK)
Religion
Roman Catholic, Protestant
Time zone
GMT/UTC +1 ()
Country dialing code
47
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Norway is a Northern European country known as the ‘Country of the White Night,’ or the ‘Country of Vikings.’ In its Capital, Oslo, there is a museum displaying the ships of Vikings, and a theme park called the ‘Viking Land.’ Norway is also known as the ‘Country of Peace,’ participating in UN’s peacekeeping activities in various ways. Different from the other fields of the Nobel Prize, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace is selected solely by the Nobel Committee appointed by the Norwegian Assembly. The awarding ceremony is held in Oslo every year. Norway produced many famous writers. Some of these writers include Henrik Ibsen, a playwright who wrote ‘The House of Dolls’ and Alf Proysen, a fairy tale writer who wrote ‘Mrs. Pepperpot’ series. Three winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature, including Bjornstjerne Bjornson (1903), Knut Hamsun (1920) and Sigrid Undset (1928), also come from Norway. Among the painters of Norway, Munch is the most famous. His masterpieces are displayed in the Munch-Museet and the National Arts Museum. As one of the richest countries in the world, the GNP of Norway ranks second in the world following Luxemburg (Source: IMF, 2005). Moreover, Norway ranks third in exporting petroleum following Saudi Arabia and Russia. Petroleum is one of the most important sources of income for the Norwegian economy.
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