1.
Norway
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The Antarctic Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories and thus not considered part of the Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land, until 1814, the kingdom included the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland. It also included Isle of Man until 1266, Shetland and Orkney until 1468, Norway has a total area of 385,252 square kilometres and a population of 5,258,317. The country shares a long border with Sweden. Norway is bordered by Finland and Russia to the north-east, Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. King Harald V of the Dano-German House of Glücksburg is the current King of Norway, erna Solberg became Prime Minister in 2013, replacing Jens Stoltenberg. A constitutional monarchy, Norway divides state power between the Parliament, the Cabinet and the Supreme Court, as determined by the 1814 Constitution, the kingdom is established as a merger of several petty kingdoms. By the traditional count from the year 872, the kingdom has existed continuously for 1,144 years, Norway has both administrative and political subdivisions on two levels, counties and municipalities. The Sámi people have an amount of self-determination and influence over traditional territories through the Sámi Parliament. Norway maintains close ties with the European Union and the United States, the country maintains a combination of market economy and a Nordic welfare model with universal health care and a comprehensive social security system. Norway has extensive reserves of petroleum, natural gas, minerals, lumber, seafood, the petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of the countrys gross domestic product. On a per-capita basis, Norway is the worlds largest producer of oil, the country has the fourth-highest per capita income in the world on the World Bank and IMF lists. On the CIAs GDP per capita list which includes territories and some regions, from 2001 to 2006, and then again from 2009 to 2017, Norway had the highest Human Development Index ranking in the world. It also has the highest inequality-adjusted ranking, Norway ranks first on the World Happiness Report, the OECD Better Life Index, the Index of Public Integrity and the Democracy Index. Norway has two names, Noreg in Nynorsk and Norge in Bokmål. The name Norway comes from the Old English word Norðrveg mentioned in 880, meaning way or way leading to the north. In contrasting with suðrvegar southern way for Germany, and austrvegr eastern way for the Baltic, the Anglo-Saxon of Britain also referred to the kingdom of Norway in 880 as Norðmanna land. This was the area of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway, and because of him
2.
Buskerud
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Buskerud is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark and Vestfold. The county extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardangervidda mountain range in the northwest, the county administration is located in Drammen. The county is named after the old manor Buskerud located on the west side of the Drammen River in Åmot, the first element is the genitive case of biskup, bishop, the last element is ruð n clearing, farm. The farm was one of the largest in Buskerud, and the name of the farm was probably Modum. At the time of the Reformation the farm property of the Crown at which time the farm then served as the residence of the kings bailiffs until 1668. Buskerud extends from Hurum at the Oslofjord to the Halling mountains, the county is conventionally divided into traditional districts. These are Hallingdal, Numedal, Ringerike, Lower Buskerud, which was part of Vestfold. Hallingdal consists of Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål, Numedal consists of Flesberg, Rollag and Nore og Uvdal. Ringerike consists of Hole, Krødsherad, Modum, Ringerike and Sigdal, Western Vingulmark consists of Hurum and Røyken. Lower Buskerud consists of Drammen, Hurum, Kongsberg, Lier, Nedre Eiker, Røyken, the district is merged from parts that belonged to Vestfold and Vingulmark. Buskeruds western part is a plateau with forested valleys and high, grassy pastures, its eastern part contains a lowland basin with many lakes. Tyrifjorden and Krøderen are the biggest lakes, numedalslågen, the third longest river in Norway, starting in Hordaland, runs through Buskerud unto Vestfold where it reaches the sea, while river Begna sweeps into lake Sperillen. Buskerud was separated from Akershus as an amt of its own in 1685 and it then consisted of the present districts Eiker, Hallingdal, and Ringerike. The area of the present municipalities of Flesberg, Hurum, Kongsberg, Lier, Nore og Uvdal, Rollag, the name Buskeruds amt was changed to Buskerud fylke in 1919. The municipality of Skoger was transferred from Vestfold to Buskerud in 1964, the area Ringerike may once have been a small kingdom. During the 10th century, Norways kings Olaf Tryggvason and Olaf Haraldsson grew up at Bønsnes in Ringerike, in the valley of Numedal, silver has been mined in Kongsberg from the 17th century until discontinued in 1957. Weapons industry had developed in Kongsberg from 1814, and various high tech industry companies now represent the towns major employers. At Modum there was also Blaafarveværket, a cobalt pigment production works, today, agriculture, lumber, wood-pulp mills and other related industries are the countys main economic activities, ample hydroelectric power is produced by the rivers Begna and Rands
3.
Ringerike (municipality)
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Ringerike is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the region of Ringerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hønefoss, the municipality of Ringerike was created on 1 January 1964 after the merger of the town of Hønefoss and the rural municipalities of Hole, Norderhov, Tyristrand, and Ådal. However, the area of Hole was removed from the municipality of Ringerike on 1 January 1977 to become a separate municipality once again, the historic area of Ringerike included not just the modern municipality of Ringerike but also Hole and Krødsherad, Modum and Sigdal. The Old Norse form of name was Hringaríki. The first element is the plural of hringir, the name of an old Germanic tribe. The last element is ríki n kingdom, reich, the coat of arms were granted on 16 June 1967. The arms show a ring on a red background. The colours red and gold represent royalty and are the colors of Norway. The ring is a symbol and at the same time symbolises the unity of the area. Lakes in the include, Samsjøen Øyangen Sperillen Ullerentjernet Vestre Bjonevatnet Ringerike is famous for two agriculture products, Ringerike potato and Ringerike pea. Jens Aabel first started production of Ringerike potato around 1867, the Ringerike pea has obtained PDO. The Ringerike potato has applied for the protection, and is waiting for the result from the Agriculture department. In June 2007, the potato got protected geographical indication under the name Ringerikspotet fra Ringerike, six farmers are now producing and packing this special potato at Ask in Ringerike. Most of the potatoes are sold in the Oslo area, bjørn Kjos CEO and founder of Norwegian Air Shuttle
4.
Norderhov
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Norderhov is a former municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. Norderhov municipality was established on January 1,1838, according to the 1835 census the municipality had a population of 7,234. On 22 April 1852 the city of Hønefoss was separated from Norderhov to constitute an administrative unit. In 1857 the rural district Ådal was separated from Norderhov, leaving Norderhov with a population of 6,846. In 1938 a part of Norderhov with 268 inhabitants was moved to Hønefoss, Norderhov was by far the largest municipality prior to the merger, with a population of 15,143. The municipality was named after the old farm Norderhov, since the first church was built there, the first element is the genitive case of the name Njord, the last element is hof, Old Norse for temple. Until 1865 the name was written Norderhoug, the parish of Norderhov included churches located at Norderhov, Haug, Lunder, Tyristrand, Ådal, Veme and Hønefoss. Ringerikes Museum is the museum for the municipalities of Hole. Ringerikes Museum is located in Hønefoss at the site of the rectory of Norderhov Church. The museum is noted for its collection of memorabilia relating to Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, Stiftelsen Ringerikes Museum owns and Stiftelsen Hringariki operates the museum. Norderhov church is a church which has been rebuilt and expanded into a cruciform church. It is located in Norderhov just south of Hønefoss, the church was originally built as a church of stone approx. The construction may be related to the establishment of the Diocese of Hamar in 1153, Norderhov Church has a recorded history dating to an announcement for Ringerike issued in 1298 by Duke Hakon Magnusson, who later became King Haakon V. The church is most known for it close connection with Anna Colbjørnsdatter, the church was renovated in 1771,1796 and 1809-1810. The sacristy was extended to the east and with new, larger windows and a new lower ceiling, meanwhile, the tower spire was covered with copper plates and the church was refurbished. A new chapel was erected on the side of the church in 1910-1912. The church was restored again in 1926 and 1953-1956, Norderhov church was the site of the Skirmish at Norderhov. Late on the evening of 28 March 1716, an army of King Charles XII of Sweden was confronted by Norwegian forces, the Swedish troops had taken shelter in and by the old Norderhov rectory
5.
Meadow
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A meadow is a field habitat vegetated by grass and other non-woody plants. Meadows are of importance because they are open, sunny areas that attract and support flora. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artificially created from cleared shrub or woodland and they often host a multitude of wildlife, providing areas for courtship displays, nesting, food gathering and sometimes sheltering if the vegetation is high enough. Many meadows support an array of wildflowers, which makes them of utmost importance to insects like bees and other pollinating insects. In agriculture, a meadow is grassland which is not regularly grazed by domestic livestock, especially in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the term meadow is commonly used in its original sense to mean a hay meadow, signifying grassland mown annually in the summer for making hay. Agricultural meadows are typically lowland or upland fields upon which hay or pasture grasses grow from self-sown or hand-sown seed, traditional hay meadows were once common in rural Britain, but are now in decline. Ecologist Professor John Rodwell states that over the past century, England, fewer than 15.000 hectares of lowland meadows remain in the UK and most sites are relatively small and fragmented. 25% of the UKs meadows are found in Worcestershire, with Fosters Green Meadow managed by the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust being a major site. A similar concept to the hay meadow is the pasture, which differs from the meadow in that it is grazed through the summer, rather than being allowed to grow out, the term, grassland, is used to describe both hay meadows and grass pastures. The specific agricultural practices in relation to the meadow can take on various expressions, as mentioned, this could be hay production or providing food for grazing cattle and livestock but also to give room for orchards or honey production. A transitional state can be artificially-maintained through a system, in which cultivated soil. For example, some of todays meadows originated thousands of years ago, types of perpetual meadows may include, Alpine meadows occur at high elevations above the tree line and maintained by harsh climatic conditions. Coastal meadows maintained by salt sprays, desert meadows restricted by low precipitation or lack of nutrients and humus. Prairies maintained by periods of drought or subject to wildfires. Wet meadows saturated with water much of the year. Apart from the meadows, meadows are often conceived of as artificial or cultural habitats, since they have emerged from and continually require human intervention to persist. It can be argued however, that meadows are really semi-cultural habitats, the reason is, that in many places the natural, pristine populations of free roaming large grazers are either extinct or very limited due to human activities. This reduces or removes their natural influence on the surrounding ecology, mankind has influenced the ecology and the landscape for millennia in many parts of the world, so it can sometimes be difficult to discern what is natural and what is cultural
6.
Oslo
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Oslo is the capital and the most populous city in Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality, founded in the year 1040, and established as a kaupstad or trading place in 1048 by Harald Hardrada, the city was elevated to a bishopric in 1070 and a capital under Haakon V of Norway around 1300. Personal unions with Denmark from 1397 to 1523 and again from 1536 to 1814, after being destroyed by a fire in 1624, the city was moved closer to Akershus Fortress during the reign of Christian IV of Denmark and renamed Christiania in his honour. It was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838, following a spelling reform, it was known as Kristiania from 1877 to 1925, at which time its original Norwegian name was restored. Oslo is the economic and governmental centre of Norway, the city is also a hub of Norwegian trade, banking, industry and shipping. It is an important centre for industries and maritime trade in Europe. The city is home to companies within the maritime sector, some of which are among the worlds largest shipping companies, shipbrokers. Oslo is a city of the Council of Europe and the European Commission intercultural cities programme. Oslo is considered a city and ranked Beta World City in studies carried out by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group. It was ranked one in terms of quality of life among European large cities in the European Cities of the Future 2012 report by fDi magazine. A survey conducted by ECA International in 2011 placed Oslo as the second most expensive city in the world for living expenses after Tokyo. In 2013 Oslo tied with the Australian city of Melbourne as the fourth most expensive city in the world, as of January 1,2016, the municipality of Oslo has a population of 658,390, while the population of the citys urban area was 942,084. The metropolitan area had an population of 1.71 million. The population was during the early 2000 increasing at record rates and this growth stems for the most part from international immigration and related high birth rates, but also from intra-national migration. The immigrant population in the city is growing faster than the Norwegian population. As of January 1,2016, the municipality of Oslo has a population of 658,390, the urban area extends beyond the boundaries of the municipality into the surrounding county of Akershus, the total population of this agglomeration is 942,084. To the north and east, wide forested hills rise above the city giving the location the shape of a giant amphitheatre. The urban municipality of Oslo and county of Oslo are two parts of the entity, making Oslo the only city in Norway where two administrative levels are integrated
7.
European route E16
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In Sweden it passes Malung, Falun and ends in Gävle. In Northern Ireland, it follows the A6 from Derry to Randalstown, then the M22, in Scotland it follows the M8 from Glasgow to Edinburgh. E16 meets the E01 and E18 in Belfast, the E5 in Glasgow, European routes are not signposted in the UK. There is no ferry anymore between the United Kingdom and Norway, the E16 is the main road between Norways two largest cities Oslo and Bergen, and the only mountain pass between Oslo and Bergen that is rarely closed due to snowstorms and blizzards. Outside winter, route 7 is at least as popular between Oslo and Bergen, since it is shorter, there are some other options such as the road through Hemsedal. The E16 is narrow on many places in Norway, although upgrades are being built, E16 is 630 kilometres long in Norway. E16 meets the European route E39 in Bergen and the European route E6 at Gardermoen, E16 is 360 kilometres long in Sweden. E16 connected to the European route E45 between Torsby and Malung, and European route E4 in Gävle. There is no control at the Norway-Sweden border, meaning that transports needing to be declared for customs. The road number E16 was introduced in Norway in 1992, between Bergen and Oslo and it was called E68 before that. In 2011 it was decided to extend E16 from the Oslo region eastwards through Kongsvinger, Torsby, Malung, the signposting took place autumn 2012
8.
Hordaland
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Hordaland is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population, the county government is the Hordaland County Municipality which is located in Bergen. Before 1972, the city of Bergen was its own separate county apart from Hordaland, Hordaland is the old name of the region which was revived in 1919. The first element is the genitive case of hǫrðar, the name of an old Germanic tribe. The last element is land which means land or region in the Norwegian language, until 1919 the name of the county was Søndre Bergenhus amt which meant southern Bergenhus amt. The flag of Hordaland shows two golden axes and a crown in red, the flag is a banner of the coat of arms derived from the old seal of the guild of St. Olav from Onarheim in Tysnes municipality. This seal was used by the delegates of Sunnhordland in 1344 on the document to install king Haakon V of Norway and it was thus the oldest symbol used for the region and adapted as the arms and flag in 1961. The symbols refer to the saint of the guild, Saint Olav, King of Norway. The coat-of-arms were officially granted on 1 December 1961 and they were designed by Magnus Hardeland, but the general design had been originally used in the Sunnhordland region during the 14th century. In the early 20th century, leaders of the county using the old arms as a symbol for the county once again. The arms are on a red background and consist of two golden axes that are crossed with a crown above them. Hordaland county has been around for more than one thousand years, since the 7th century, the area was made up of many petty kingdoms under the Gulating and was known as Hordafylke since around the year 900. In the early 16th century, Norway was divided into four len, the Bergenhus len was headquartered in Bergen and encompassed much of western and northern Norway. In 1662, the lens were replaced by amts, Bergenhus amt originally consisted of the present-day areas of Hordaland, Sogn og Fjordane, and Sunnmøre and the far northern Nordlandene amt was subordinate to Bergenhus. In the 1680s, Nordlandene and Sunnmøre were split from Bergenhus, in 1763, the amt was divided into northern and southern parts, Nordre Bergenhus amt and Søndre Bergenhus amt. When the amt was split, the present day municipality of Gulen was split with the southern part ending up in Søndre Bergenhus amt, in 1773, the border was re-drawn so that all of Gulen was located in the northern part. Søndre Bergenhus amt was renamed Hordaland fylke in 1919, the city of Bergen was classified as a city-county from 1831–1972. During that time in 1915, the municipality of Årstad was annexed into Bergen, in 1972, the neighboring municipalities of Arna, Fana, Laksevåg and Åsane were annexed into the city of Bergen
9.
Bergen Line
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The Bergen Line, also called the Bergen Railway, is a 371-kilometre long standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is applied for the entire route from Bergen via Drammen to Oslo, where the passenger trains go. It is the highest mainline railway line in Northern Europe, crossing the Hardangervidda plateau at 1,237 metres above sea level, the railway opened from Bergen to Voss in 1883 as the narrow gauge Voss Line. In 1909 the route was continued over the mountain to Oslo and the route converted to standard gauge. The line is single track, and was electrified in 1954-64, the Bergen Line is owned and maintained by Bane NOR, and served with passenger trains by Norwegian State Railways and freight trains by CargoNet. The Flåm Line remains as the branch line, after the closure of the Hardanger Line. The western section from Bergen to Voss is also served by the Bergen Commuter Rail, the first documented idea of building a railway between Norways two largest cities was launched by Hans Gløersen on 24 August 1871 in Bergensposten. The forest supervisor in Voss suggested building the railway via Voss, back in 1866 the same person had launched the idea of the Jæren Line. Within days of the launch of the Bergen Line the city council had assimilated support for the suggestion, in 1872 the railway director Carl Abraham Pihl and two engineers went on a survey tour to look at the suggested line. On 20 October 1871 two engineers traversed the two routes from Bergen to Voss, the one via Fana, Os and Hardangerfjord. Though covering a less populated area, the latter would be cheaper to build, a railway committee was created on 25 January 1872 with a limited mandate, which was increased again 20 December. At the same time he launched the idea of a line up Valdres to Lærdal. By 1873 agreement had been reached as to the right-of-way to Voss, on 13 January 1874 Bergen city council started issuing stock for the Voss Line, to begin with 400,000 Norwegian speciedaler was issued. In the 1873 parliamentary election the railway supporter Peter Jebsen was elected, Parliament chose to not issue new railway projects in the 1874 session, and instead make a complete plan for all railway construction in the country—to be proposed by a committee. When the report was launched on 20 March 1875, the Voss Line was not included since it could not show a higher profitability than 1%. During the 1875 session there was not a majority for the Voss Line and this was based on a claim from Johan Jørgen Schwartz, the chairman of the committee, that the investment costs were underestimated. This was countered by Nils Henrik Bruun, a constructor from Bergen, when Jebsen in addition was willing to act as personal guarantee for Bruun in case of his death, the majority in the parliament shifted. On 9 June 1875 parliament voted with 61 against 42 to build Vossebanen, Vossebanen was built with narrow gauge,1,067 mm
10.
Geilo
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Geilo is a centre in the municipality of Hol in Norway, in the valley of Hallingdal, with around 2,300 inhabitants. The Bergen Line facilitated Geilos development as the first skiing resort in the country and it is also famous for having some of the most luxurious and expensive holiday cabins in Norway. Geilo is primarily a ski town, but also offers summer activities. Geilo is in a valley with mountain ranges on each side, the center of the town lies at 800 meters above sea level, and its highest point is 1178 meters above sea level. It is 250 km from Oslo and 260 km from Bergen, Geilo train station with roughly five trains a day connects to either Bergen or Oslo. The closest airport is Geilo Airport, Dagali, while the closest airport that accepts international flights is Fagernes Airport, Geilo has three lakes, Slåttahølen, Vestlefjorden, and Ustedalsfjorden, by far the largest of the three. The ski resort is named after the old farm Gjeilo, the name is the dative plural of geil f fenced road for cattle. The ski season in Geilo is from late October until late April, Geilo has numerous small ski centres that make up one resort, which goes by the name Geilo Skiheiser. This includes slopes on the side of the valley, Havsdalen over the back side of the mountain. All the ski hires offer free helmet rental for children, which is an excellent safety measure for worried parents, Geilo Skiheiser has 39 slopes covering 33 km accessed by 20 lifts. Geilolia skisenter tends to have the green and blue runs and is where the major ski school that operates in Geilo takes place, whereas Slaatta skisenter has the blue. There is also a cross country system in Geilo, offering 220 km of tracks. There are free pamphlets available showing the cross country trails and lengths, skiing options include alpine skiing, cross country skiing, telemarking, snowboarding, dog sledging, toboggan, ski orienteering, and evening skiing most evenings. Another activity that has very popular of late is kiting with the area around Geilo being rated among the best in the world. You will also see paragliders floating down from the top of the slopes with courses run in the area occasionally, both sides offer a big air bag where all with twin-tip skis or snowboards can jump onto an enormous air bag. This is a hit with people of all ages, with children as young as 4 having a go, getting to Geilo is easy as the main rail line between Oslo and Bergen runs right through the centre of town. There are also bus routes from Oslo and Bergen as an alternative, accommodation is not overly expensive with most hotels and cabins being listed on the internet and offering special prices out of the high season times. If travelling with friends, consider renting a cabin which can sleep up to 18 people, with 4 supermarkets in Geilo, and food prices not too far removed from other European countries, it can be a surprisingly affordable and refreshing change to the standard Hotel experience
11.
Europe
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Europe is a continent that comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, yet the non-oceanic borders of Europe—a concept dating back to classical antiquity—are arbitrary. Europe covers about 10,180,000 square kilometres, or 2% of the Earths surface, politically, Europe is divided into about fifty sovereign states of which the Russian Federation is the largest and most populous, spanning 39% of the continent and comprising 15% of its population. Europe had a population of about 740 million as of 2015. Further from the sea, seasonal differences are more noticeable than close to the coast, Europe, in particular ancient Greece, was the birthplace of Western civilization. The fall of the Western Roman Empire, during the period, marked the end of ancient history. Renaissance humanism, exploration, art, and science led to the modern era, from the Age of Discovery onwards, Europe played a predominant role in global affairs. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, European powers controlled at times the Americas, most of Africa, Oceania. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Great Britain at the end of the 18th century, gave rise to economic, cultural, and social change in Western Europe. During the Cold War, Europe was divided along the Iron Curtain between NATO in the west and the Warsaw Pact in the east, until the revolutions of 1989 and fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1955, the Council of Europe was formed following a speech by Sir Winston Churchill and it includes all states except for Belarus, Kazakhstan and Vatican City. Further European integration by some states led to the formation of the European Union, the EU originated in Western Europe but has been expanding eastward since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The European Anthem is Ode to Joy and states celebrate peace, in classical Greek mythology, Europa is the name of either a Phoenician princess or of a queen of Crete. The name contains the elements εὐρύς, wide, broad and ὤψ eye, broad has been an epithet of Earth herself in the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion and the poetry devoted to it. For the second part also the divine attributes of grey-eyed Athena or ox-eyed Hera. The same naming motive according to cartographic convention appears in Greek Ανατολή, Martin Litchfield West stated that phonologically, the match between Europas name and any form of the Semitic word is very poor. Next to these there is also a Proto-Indo-European root *h1regʷos, meaning darkness. Most major world languages use words derived from Eurṓpē or Europa to refer to the continent, in some Turkic languages the originally Persian name Frangistan is used casually in referring to much of Europe, besides official names such as Avrupa or Evropa
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