Norway

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Norway, one of the "three fingers" of Scandinavia, is just larger than New Mexico, covering 125,181 square miles. It is located in Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, with a coastline stretching 21,925 km. The population of Norway is 4.3 million and growing, predominantly of Nordic (Scandinavian) descent, with a small minority (20,000) of native Sámis (Laplanders) living mostly in the North. Many aspects of business and management in Norway are very similar to those of America, including language and communication, power structures/politics, work ethics, food and eating habits, dress, and religious beliefs. General facts about Norway include an age structure of 0-14 years=19% (390,344 female; 444,570 male), 15-64 years=65% (1,375,493 female; 1,424,027 male), 65 years and over=16% (408,675 female; 287,842 male); a birth rate of 12.86 births/1,000 population; a death rate of 10.35 deaths/1,000 population; a net migration rate of 1.15 migrants/1,000 population; an infant mortality rate of 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births; and a life expectancy at birth of Total Population: 77.61 years, Male: 74.26 years, Female: 81.15 years. The official language of Norway has two forms. Bokmål, or "book language," is used in most written works and is spoken by more than 80 percent of the people, especially those living in urban areas. English is taught in schools beginning at age 11 and is widely spoken as a second language. Communication is very similar to that of the United States, with technology being more advanced, and things like the Internet and cellular communication being very widely used, with an average of 2 cell phones per person in Norway. The power structure of Norway is probably one of the few areas that are quite different from that of most other free countries. Norway is a constitutional monarchy, with the king having limited authority, except as head of the military and as a symbol of continuity and stability. Executive power is vested in the prime minister, who presides over the dominant party in the country's parliament (Storting). The 165 members of parliament are elected every four years. The Storting has an Upper Chamber (Lagting) and a Lower Chamber (Odelsting). The Labor, Center, and Conservative parties are the largest in parliament, but no party has a majority. All citizens may vote at age 18. Norway also has 19 provinces (fylker). Norway enjoys a strong economy and has one of the highest standards of living in the world.

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