Norway is a ruggedly beautiful country of mountains, fjords and glaciers. It offers incredible wilderness hiking, year-round skiing, and some of the world's most scenic ferry, bus and train rides. The 'Land of the Midnight Sun' has delightfully long summer days, pleasantly low-key cities, unspoiled fishing villages and rich historic sites that include Viking ships and medieval stave churches.

Norway's varied geography surprises many visitors who imagine the country as a frozen monolith. On the contrary, the temperate south includes rolling farmlands, enchanted forests and sunny beaches as well as the dramatic Western Fjords. North of the Arctic Circle, the population thins, the horizons grow wider and the temperature dips. Here the terrain ranges from soaring coastal peaks to vast boreal forests and barren treeless peninsulas. Adventurous travelers can journey even further north to the Svalbard archipelago, where seals, walruses and polar bears sun themselves on ice floes. It's no wonder that Norway prizes its stunning natural wonders and retains a robust frontier character unusual in Europe.

Area: 385,155 sq km
Population: 4,513,000
Capital city: Oslo (pop 508,730)
People: 97% Nordic, Alpine and Baltic, with a Sami minority
Language: Bokmal, Nynorsk and Sami
Religion: Christian (86.3% Evangelical Lutheran)
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Prime Minister: Kjell Magne Bondevik
King: Harald V

GDP: US$120.5 billion
GDP per head: US$30,100
Annual growth: 3.5%
Inflation: 3.1%
Major industries: Oil, natural gas, computers, high technology, fishing, fish farming, forestry, shipping, shipbuilding and paper production
Major trading partners: EU (esp. UK, Germany & Sweden)
Member of EU: no