Norway

Norway Tour

Norway occupies the western half of the Scandinavian peninsula in northern Europe, and is surrounded to the north, west and south by water. It shares most of its eastern border with SWEDEN and almost one third of the country is north of the Arctic Circle. It is a country of spectacular scenery of fjords, cliffs, rugged uplands and forested valleys. Two-thirds of the country is over 600 m (1969 ft), it has some of the deepest fjords in the world and has a huge number of glacial lakes. The climate is temperate as a result of the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. Summers are mild and although the winters are long and cold, the water off the west coast remain ice-free. The country’s longest river is the Glomma. Some southern lakes are affected by acid rain which concerns the country’s environmentalists. Agriculture is chiefly concerned with dairying and fodder crops. Fishing is an important industry and the large reserves of forest, which cover just over a quarter of the country, provide timber for export. Industry is now dominated by petrochemicals based on the reserves of Norwegian oil in the North Sea. There are almost 60 airports in the country and transport by water is still of importance.