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Top 10 facts about Norway

03.11.2021

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CONTENTS

1. Geography and population of Norway

2. Official language of Norway

3. Currency in Norway

4. Internet in Norway

5. Economic development in Norway

6. Job in Norway

7. Working days and holidays in Norway

8. Norwegian mentality

9. Advertising in Norway

10. Cryptocurrency in Norway

 

 

1. Geography and population of Norway

 

The official name is the Kingdom of Norway (Kongeriket Norge). Norway is located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in the northwestern part of Europe. The area is 323.8 thousand km2, together with the holdings - 385.2 thousand km2. The expansion of the economic zone in 1977 to 200 miles led to the fact that the area of sea areas - economic and fishing zones (2.24 million km2) is 3 times larger than the mainland.

 

The population is 4.5 million people. The state language is Norwegian. The capital is Oslo. National holiday - Constitution Day on May 17 (since 1814). Monetary unit - Norwegian krone (100 era).

 

Possessions: in the Arctic Ocean, the Svalbard archipelago, consisting of more than 1,000 islands, with a total area of62,000 km2, and Bear Island (the status is determined by the 1920 Treaty on Svalbard); in the North Atlantic Ocean - Jan Mayen Island (sovereignty has been exercised since 1929) and in the South Atlantic Ocean - Bouvet Island.

 

Member of the UN (since 1945), NATO (since 1949), the Nordic Council (since 1952), EFTA (since 1960), etc.

 

Population of Norway

 

Norway is one of the sparsely populated countries in Europe (14 people per 1 km2). The most populated is southeastern part - Estland, where the half of the population lives. The plateaus of the southern part are almost deserted. The northern part is extremely poorly populated (only 10% of the population). The population is growing by an average of 0.5% per year (over the past decade), mainly due to natural growth. Child mortality is low - 3.98 people. per 1000 newborns (2002). Life expectancy for men is 75.73 years, for women - 81.77 years.

 

Large cities: Oslo, Bergen (230 thousand), Trondheim (150 thousand), Stavanger (120 thousand), Narvik (80 thousand), Kristiansand (72 thousand), Fredrikstad (70 thousand), Drammen (55 thousand), Tromsø (60 thousand).

 

Approximately 97% of the population is Norwegians. The national minorities are the Sami (about 20 thousand people), Kvens (Norwegian Finns), Danes and Swedes.

The official language is Norwegian, which belongs to the Scandinavian group of Germanic languages. There are two officially recognized as equal norms of literary - bokmål and landsmål. Bokmål publishes 90% of all printed materials and is taught in more than 80% of schools.

 

The official religion is Lutheranism.

 

 

2. Official language of Norway

 

In Norway, the official language is Norwegian. This variant of the language belongs to the Germanic group. According to linguistic research, Norwegian has the same origin as Icelandic. A separate branch of these languages is the Faroese dialect.

 

Swedish and Danish people understand Norwegian well. But they cannot communicate with each other. Therefore, Norwegian is considered an intermediate between Swedish and Danish. Norway has a special language council. The rules of grammar and spelling are developed. But work in it is proceeding extremely slowly due to violent protests from various dialects.

 

The first Norwegian dictionary was born under the name of the nobleman Bjelkes. He wrote the book in 1634. This treatise was written for Danish politicians who were to work in Norway. The Norwegian language is a complex combination of Old Norse roots with Danish and Swedish influences. It is melodic and beautiful, laconic and precise, which well reflects the character of the Norwegians themselves. At the same time, modern Norwegian causes many disputes and disagreements, which from year to year they are trying to resolve peacefully.

 

3. Currency in Norway

 

Norwegians have incredible trepidation about the traditions of their country. One of the distinctive features of the kingdom is its own national currency, which has a rich history. Let's take a closer look at the path of formation of the Norwegian krone and its importance in the economy of modern Norway.

 

The letter code of the krone is NOK

Symbolic character - NKr

1 NOK = 0.1196 USD

1 USD = 8.3619 NOK

  

4. Internet in Norway

 

Internet users in Norway

-In January 2021, there were 5.39 million Internet users in Norway.

-The number of Internet users in Norway increased by 97 thousand (+ 1.8%) between 2020 and 2021.

-Internet use in Norway in January 2021 was 99.0%.

 

If you need an Internet connection, it is only a matter of choice, as there is a lot of competition in the Norwegian Internet market and providers offer many different service packages. Digital fixed phone lines are almost everywhere today, so analog modems are no longer sold in stores. Every fourth household has a broadband Internet connection.

 

All telecommunications companies provide Internet connectivity services, as do many other companies that are categorized as datakommunikasjon og nettverk in the Yellow Pages. There are Internet cafes in large cities, and Internet kiosks in shopping centers. Most city libraries also offer computers with an Internet connection.

 

Norway is a country with a high level of information technology development. It ranks 9th in the world in terms of the number of computers per capita (the number of computers in Norway is slightly more than half of its population).

 

In Norway, you can buy computer hardware and software from almost all of the world's leading manufacturers, both in retail stores and online. At the same time, the market is very competitive, so prices are lower than you would expect from a country with a high cost of living. As a rule, the prices for "iron" in Norway are comparable with the prices of other European countries, and often even lower. At the same time, software prices are also comparable to European ones, although sometimes they are higher.

 

The top-level domains assigned to Norway by the Internet Address Space Administration are .no for Norway, .sj for Svalbard and Jan Mayen Island, and .bv for Bouvet Island. Until 2004, only numbers (0-9) and letters of the English alphabet (a-z) could be used in domain names. However, Norwegian domain names can now contain additional letters in two Norwegian and three Sami languages.

 

5. Economic development in Norway

 

The Norwegian economy can be classified as a mixed economy, as it combines elements of the market and state ownership. The market economy accounts for 31%. The state controls important industries - oil, hydropower, aluminum production, and the provision of telecommunications services to the population. Also, the government has more than 31% of shares in private companies and owns the largest bank in Norway. At the same time, there is no monopoly of public administration in the economy. The standard of living of the population, GDP, the revenues of the country's budget are growing every year, which has a positive effect on the economic condition of Norway and the financial and investment climate.

 

The world's largest investor and largest national wealth fund, the Norwegian Pension Fund, will force all the companies in its equity portfolio to help the planet by imposing carbon caps. This decision was made by the recently winning Labor Party, writes Bloomberg.

 

The climate agenda played a big role in the September 11 parliamentary elections in the richest Scandinavian country. The emerging Labor Party made it clear that it intends to pursue a more aggressive environmental policy. It will also introduce new restrictions on the central bank's investment management. The fund should help Norway achieve a “clean zero” emissions target by 2050, said Espen climate party spokesman Bart Eide.

 

UN members enshrined this environmental goal in the 2015 Paris Agreement to prevent a catastrophic rise in Earth temperatures. Norway has long refused to connect its pension fund to the common effort to save the planet. Global climate change activists have condemned this policy, as the fund owns roughly 1.5 percent of the world's shares and has a huge impact on business. However, scientists recently warned that global temperatures are rising much faster than anticipated, and even those countries that depend on oil production have had to attend to this problem. “We want the fund to use active ownership strategies to achieve a net zero [commitment] from all the companies in its portfolio,” Eide said.

 

The Norwegian Welfare Fund continues to own stakes in major greenhouse gas firms, including ExxonMobil and Chevron. Previously, the fund independently requested permission from parliament to abandon all oil shares, but the authorities allowed only partial withdrawal of capital investments. A Labor spokesman said she did not intend to force the fund to dump all fossil fuel-related shares at once. However, all oil companies must have “robust and accountable plans” to reduce emissions.

 

6. Job in Norway

 

Norway has powerful energy reserves, a developed fishing industry and great tourism potential. Competent social policy and high quality of life allow her to maintain a leading position in the ranking of the most prosperous countries in Europe. Many Russians dream of leaving for this beautiful northern state. And not the least role in this endeavor is played by the high salary in Norway, which provides migrants with comfort and a decent life.

 

The standard of living in Norway is very high. This can be judged by its main economic indicators. Today the country is in third place in terms of GDP per capita, behind only Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. In terms of average income, it exceeds € 4,500 per month, surpassing other European countries in terms of value. And the unemployment rate is only 3.4%.

 

Few countries in the world have managed to achieve such successes. Therefore, EU leaders have repeatedly stated that Norway could become a welcome member of the union, but the Norwegians prefer to maintain sovereignty, refusing to unite with other economies.

 

Of course, not all residents of the country have a monthly income of 4.5 thousand euros. Earnings can vary significantly depending on:

Region;

• Spheres of employment;

• Qualifications and experience of the specialist;

• Working conditions.

 

The guarantee of maintaining a decent standard of living is the minimum wage, which makes it possible to provide working citizens with appropriate comfort. But also in the issue of wages, Norway differs from its European neighbors, applying a fundamentally different approach to the procedure for its formation.

 

The minimum wage is not approved at the federal level. Instead of a fixed indicator, a flexible system is used that allows labor collectives and trade unions to negotiate directly with the employer.

 

In some economic sectors, hourly minimum wages are set to protect workers employed in extractive industries with difficult working conditions.

 

In addition to hourly minimums, the norms of allowances for work are approved:

• In the evening and night shifts;

• On weekends and holidays;

• Over and above the established work schedule.

 

Average salary in Norway by occupation/ EUR per month:

  • Doctor - 8200 EUR
  • Market specialist – 5400 EUR
  • Teacher – 4600 EUR
  • Plumber – 3600 EUR
  • Policeman – 5100 EUR

 

Average salary by city in Norway/ EUR per month: 

  • Oslo - 4500 EUR
  • Stavanger - 3200 EUR
  • Drammen - 4100 EUR
  • Trondheim - 3800 EUR

 

 

7. Working days holidays in Norway

 

Working day The length of the working week in Norway is 37.5 hours: from Monday to Friday 7.5 hours a day. Lunch break - half an hour. Usually the working day starts at 8:00 and ends at 16:00.

 

Holidays and weekends in Norway:

  • January 1st - New Year (Nyttårsdag) - the first day of the year - a day off in most countries of the world. People celebrate the beginning of the year in Norway as well.
  • April 9 - Maundy Thursday (Skjærtorsdag) - the first day of the celebration of Easter. On this day, the last supper of Jesus Christ with the apostles is celebrated.
  • April 10 - Good Friday (Langfredag) is another Easter day. In this case, Christians remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross. April 12 - Easter (Påskedag) - the most important Christian holiday dedicated to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  • April 13 - Easter Monday (Andre påskedag) - the last day of the Easter celebration.
  • May 1st - Labor Day (Første mai) - International Day of Workers' Solidarity - a holiday celebrated in many countries around the world.
  • 17 May - Constitution Day (Syttende mai, Grunnlovsdagen) is the funniest holiday in Norway. It is marked by the adoption of the constitution in 1814. Thus, the country reaffirmed its independence and protected itself from joining Sweden.
  • May 21st - Ascension of the Lord (Kristi himmelfartsdag) - a holiday dedicated to the Christian faith - the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven. Celebrated forty days after Easter.
  • June 1st - White Monday (Andre pinsedag) - White Monday in some countries is celebrated for two days. In Norway, the second date is celebrated - Monday.
  • December 25 - Christmas (Første juledag) - the second most important Christian holiday dedicated to the birth of Jesus Christ.
  • December 26 - Second Day of Christmas (Andre juledag) - the last day of the Christmas holidays.

 

It is worth noting that Norwegians also celebrate other holidays, which, however, are not days off at work. Shrovetide is the last days before Lent. During this time, Norwegians love to celebrate and dress up in unusual costumes. All this is reminiscent of Halloween, but there is no habit of going from door to door and collecting sweets.

  

8. Norwegian mentality

 

Norwegians are happy, smiling people, contented with life. And this is despite the fact that they live in a country with a harsh climate. How do they do it?

 

Calm and equanimity

Norwegians are not used to expressing their anger violently. Loud quarrels are not heard on the streets. Unlike a Russian person, Scandinavians do not swear in queues, in public transport or in government offices.

Conflict situations are resolved peacefully. Even former spouses often have friendly relations.

 

Smiling and cheerfulness

People in Norway are friendly and welcoming. Sometimes you can hear how strangers greet each other, communicate with each other, like old comrades. Norwegians are smiling. They try to enjoy every sunny day.

 

Tact

In Norway, it is not customary to interfere in other people's affairs, be it the affairs of colleagues at work or neighbors. Tactful questions are not asked here. Inquiries about personal life, about wages are considered extreme disrespect and tactlessness. This is very pleasing to those who are tired of inappropriate questions that are ubiquitous in Slavic culture.

 

Sports lifestyle

Norwegians are athletic, well-coordinated, and like to spend time outdoors. They take care of their health, teaching children to an active lifestyle from childhood.

 

Love for nature

Norwegians respect the environment. Garbage is sorted and stacked neatly in containers. It is extremely difficult to find empty bottles on the street. From childhood, children are instilled with the idea of respect for the environment.

 

Unwillingness to marry

Norwegians are in no hurry down the aisle. Many couples register their marriage in adulthood, when their common children are already adults.

 

Tolerance

Many offices in Norway do not have a dress code. The director of a firm may look like the leader of a rock band. Because of tolerance, the boundaries of what is permitted are washed away.

 

A partnership between a man and a woman

In Norway, it is not customary to shower a woman with compliments, give expensive gifts, pay a bill in a restaurant. The women here are strong, independent, ready to lend their strong shoulder.

 

Relaxation at work

Norwegians love to relax. Office work is never stressful. Performance is lame, so they rarely achieve career growth.

 

Lack of style

Norwegians do not focus on their appearance. Women prefer to dress comfortably but not stylishly. Russian women pay much more attention to their appearance.

 

Norway’s population

•          Norway had a population of 5.44 million in January 2021.

•          Norway’s population increased by 43 thousand (+0.8%) between January 2020 and January 2021.

•          49.4% of Norway’s population is female, while 50.6% of its population is male [note: the United Nations does not publish data for genders other than ‘female’ and ‘male’].

•          83.1% of Norway’s population lives in urban centres, while 16.9% lives in rural areas.

  

9. Advertising in Norway

 

Social media statistics for Norway

• In January 2021, there were 4.53 million social media users in Norway.

• The number of social media users in Norway increased by 230 thousand (+ 5.3%) between 2020 and 2021.

• The number of social media users in Norway in January 2021 was 83.2% of the total population.

 

Mobile connections in Norway

• There were 5.96 million mobile connections in Norway in January 2021.

• The number of mobile connections in Norway decreased by 82 thousand (-1.4%) between January 2020 and January 2021.

• The number of mobile connections in Norway in January 2021 was equivalent to 109.5% of the total population.

 

Advertising in Norway is very peculiar. For the inhabitants of the country, the concept of happiness is intertwined with the concept of authentic, Norwegian. To interest a potential buyer, it is necessary to include a service or product in the associative array of a "national" product.

 

Online advertising in Norway is not dominant, giving you the opportunity not to be elbowed in a low-competition market. Everyone can find their niche.

 

Features of advertising in Norway

 

• It is necessary to understand the culture of the country in order to accurately calculate the impact of the content on the target group. It is not enough to copy a strategy from any other European country, because in addition to USP and product descriptions, there are idioms and specific humor.

• The official language is Norwegian, but within it there are many dialects and two legally accepted forms of the language, similar and completely different at the same time. This creates great difficulties in promotion. It is extremely difficult to localize a business within a single dialect, therefore it is optimal to use British English, which is understood by the overwhelming majority of Norwegians.

• The influence of women in society is very strong, as is the rejection of gender discrimination. The target group for most product and service offerings will include equal proportions of men and women.

• Norwegians prefer progress in everything, therefore advertising should use the most advanced channels and platforms, emphasizing the innovativeness of the product offered. It is important to understand what exactly is in trend at the moment in the country.

• Use humor with extreme caution and never make fun of your competitors.

• Norwegians are sensitive to thoughtful usability and external presentation of the material.

• You should not use big words and promises in advertising, the more precise the wording and the fewer words, the more credibility the advertising offer is.

• Another feature of Norwegian advertising is environmental friendliness. If possible, you should post more photos of nature, emphasizing the naturalness of products or the use of "green" technologies.

 

In Norway, it is forbidden to advertise alcohol and tobacco products, as well as any goods to children under 12 years old.

Promotion in Norway

Norway is not a member of the EU, but it accepts general “rules of the game”. The most popular search engine in the country is Google. Taking these nuances into account allows you to get more traffic to the web resource.

 

When promoting, you should take into account the peculiarities of Google ranking, which is sensitive to reputation, the presence of positive reviews, the semantic core and functionality of the site.

Google highly appreciates the presence of the link mass, while it is extremely difficult to get links in Norwegian due to its specifics. There are no link exchanges in Scandinavia in general, and Norway in particular.

 

You can try to provide link content in English, fixing only the anchor in Norwegian. It is better to dilute and alternate such anchors as much as possible to avoid getting under the filter. It is advisable to exchange links with the Scandinavian countries, although the use of quality English-speaking donors is also encouraged.

It is recommended to use a national domain in the .NO zone for the site. There are also top-level domains .BV and .SJ, assigned to the Bouvet, Svalbard and Jan Mayen islands. The names are not currently in use, but are reserved for use for the foreseeable future.

 

The national domain zone of Norway has the highest level of re-registrations, and the number of domains in terms of the number of Norwegians is in first place in Europe.

When looking for regional hosters, remember that Norway has large international providers operating in English.

 

10. Cryptocurrency in Norway

 

Norway - bitcoin is recognized here as an exchange asset, but not recognized as a currency, the attitude towards cryptocurrencies is neutral, since they are not prohibited, but also not subject to strict regulation. Norwegian citizens who own cryptocurrencies are required to report this to the tax authorities and disclose the amount of profits from owning digital assets

 

According to a lower court ruling in one of the pending cases, banks may have good reasons to refuse to provide payment services (by opening bank accounts in Norway, etc.) due to the high risk of using virtual currencies for money laundering.

 

On October 11, 2019, the Ministry of Finance, as part of the regulation of virtual currencies in Norway, implemented “compliance and good quality” requirements for exchange service providers between virtual and fiat currencies, as well as CWP wallets. For tax purposes, digital currencies are considered assets and are therefore subject to capital gains tax and net wealth tax.

In 2019, parliament ruled that electricity used to mine virtual currency should have a normal tax rate instead of a reduced one. The Treasury Department was awaiting clarification from the EFTA Oversight Office prior to amending the regulatory requirements for cryptoassets in Norway, as the reduced tax rate for data centers represents government assistance under the law. On May 12, 2020, the government proposed repealing this regulation in the revised fiscal budget.

 

The government of this country drew attention to digital money back in 2013, issuing a warning that cryptocurrencies can be very dangerous, and the risks for them can be enormous.

 

It cannot be said that the Norwegian government announced this every day, but nevertheless, from some speeches, it was clear how the Norwegian government plans to build its relationship with cryptocurrencies. As for ICOs, the authorities of this country also warned investors, warning them of incredible risks.

It can be said that the Norwegian government is trying to monitor digital money, but at the same time it does not at all seek to ban it as soon as possible. As for strict regulation, it is also too early to talk about it.

 

And yet, monitoring here is organized at the highest level, because every resident of Norway who owns digital money is obliged to report this to the authorities every month, honestly admitting how much money he managed to earn thanks to cryptocurrency trading.

 

Many owners of cryptocurrencies in Norway, first of all, value them for their privacy and the ability to remain incognito. To keep it this way, the Norwegian authorities decided to exempt digital money from value added tax.

 

 

 

 

 

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