People and mentality
Norway is actually quite a large country. However, most of it is filled up with mountains and fjords, and is pretty uninhabitable. There are only just over 4 million people. Norwegians are not EU members, and most people in the world have never heard of Norway, let alone know where it is.
A traditionally strong protestant ethic explains some really odd phenomena.
For instance: every Sunday, Norwegians pack their backpacks and put on their hiking boots or skis, depending on the season. They troop out into the forests and nature areas, where they meet hundreds of other Norwegians who've had the same idea. They walk/ski for hours, coaxing their children along in -20 Celsius. When they are REALLY knackered, they walk/ski another hour, and then they sit down (on their skis, in the snow) and share out the reward for having worked hard (this is where the protestant ethic comes in): a piece of chocolate for each family member, and an orange. (The orange is now frozen.)They have also brought a thermos with coffee, and one with hot chocolate for the children (also now cold). When they have finished, they go home. Representatives of other nationalities often think this is strange (they have a point). But if they are not outside on a Sunday, they feel guilty.
When you meet a Norwegian, he/she will soon ask you whether you know any of their world famous celebrities. Ah, like Ole Gunnar Solskaer, Munch, and A-ha, you think, proud that you have these down. Well, no. The Norwegian will present you with 'celebrities' that have never even been heard of in Sweden.....and then he/she will be a little peeved at your puzzled look. Again, this is just an expression of the Norwegian desire to be internationally renowned and important.
Norwegians have a reputation for being cold, unapproachable and unfriendly. In many ways this is fully deserved, as they are clearly not good enough at chilling out and enjoying themselves (without a few beers, that is).
It is really not a Norwegian habit to speak to strangers at the bus stop or at the table next to you in a restaurant. If you start a conversation you might notice that they might seem a little reluctant at first.
One explanation is that Norwegians really do want to talk to strangers, but that very few actually dare to do so and are therefore actually very happy when someone else takes the initiative.
Once you have made friends you have really, really made friends.
Religion
The Norwegian Constitution establishes the Evangelical Lutheran Church as the nation's official church, but other religions have complete freedom of worship. About 88 per cent of the people are Evangelical Lutherans.
Language
The Norwegian language has two forms - Bokmal and Nynorsk. They are gradually being combined into a single form called Samnorsk. Bokmal and Nynorsk are similar enough for someone who speaks the either form to understand a person who speaks the other. Both belong to the Scandinavian group of Germanic languages. Still every region has its own dialect. In this sense Bergen City is the most different. The local inhabitants consider themselves to be the citizens of other country. They say: ‘I am not from Norway, I am from Bergen’.
Local school boards may select either as the chief form in a school, but all children learn to read both, Bokmal and Nynorsk.
The Sami also use their own language, which is much like Finnish.
Cool Facts about Norway
A Norwegian Viking, Leif Ericson discovered America in about A.D. 1 000 (almost 500 years before Columbus A.D. 1492), the Norwegian Roald Amundsen was the first man on the South Pole (year 1911), Norway has the fourth largest shipping fleet in the world (after Greece, Japan and USA) and one of the largest fishing industry (after Japan), Norway generates most hydroelectric power per person in the world, Norwegians are the second richest people in the world (only Swiss people are richer). Norway has the second highest amount of subscribers of mobile telephones in the world, 45% (only Finland lies higher with 48%), Norwegians invented the famous paperclip and the skis. The coast inlets, called fiords, make the coastline one of the most jagged and dramatic in the world.
Norwegian food
Joy knew no bounds when the wife of the U.S. President announced her intention to visit Norway. "I hope she will forget what she had, but remember the place and the friendliness," the proprietor said, when Hillary selected a pasta tagliatelli.
Well, what's wrong with pasta? Nothing, nothing at all. It's just not Norwegian. Nor is pizza, though Norwegians are Europe's top consumers of frozen pizza. What does it take for food to be called Norwegian? Even the potato, thought of as almost as Norwegian as brown goats' cheese, originally arrived from abroad.
Asked which dish they think of first as Norwegian, 65 per cent of us reply meatcakes, while 36 per cent think of lamb and cabbage stew and 23 per cent reply cod.
Way of Life
About three-fourths of Norway's people live in urban areas. But Norway is less urban than Denmark and Sweden, where more than four-fifths of the populations live in cities. Oslo, Norway's capital and largest city, has nearly 500,000 people.
Norway’s high standard of living and its social welfare system have kept the cities free of slums and substandard housing. Most Norwegians and immigrant live in modern flats in or near the principal urban areas. Wealthier Norwegians often own single-family homes built of wood. Many people paint the outside of their house with attractive colours. A number of Norwegians also own small cottages along the coast or in the mountains, which they visit on weekends.
Although Norway's cities have bus and train traffic services, traffic congestion is a problem for urban dwellers. Norway has little industrial pollution because of its extensive use of hydroelectric power and natural gas in industry. Unemployment is extremely low by international standards.
About a fourth of Norway's people live in rural areas. The rural population is concentrated in southeastern Norway, which has gently rolling hills, suitable for farming, and along the western coast. Many people who live in rural area fish for a living. Some spend weeks or even months away from home on fishing ships in the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Many rural homes are old, wooden farmhouses that been modernized. Almost all of them have electric refrigerators, and other appliances.
Norway's numerous fiords, rivers, and mountains prevent rural Norwegians from traveling easily. Snow and ice make many roads impassable during much of the year. For these reasons, rural people rely heavily on boats and the country’s electrified railway system for transportation.
