Norway - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Norway, it was derives from the Old Norse words "nordr" and "vegr" meaning "northern way" and refers to the long coastline of western Norway. The Government system in this country is the parliamentary constitutional monarchy type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 12 counties (fylker, singular - fylke); Agder, Innlandet, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Oslo, Rogaland, Romsdal, Troms og Finnmark, Trondelag, Vestfold og Telemark, Vestland, Viken (2024)
National symbols
Lion; national colors: red, white, blue.
The flag
The National flag of Norway has red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag); the colors recall Norway's past political unions with Denmark (red and white) and Sweden (blue).
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The National Anthem
| Title | "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" (Yes, We Love This Country) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | lyrics/music: Bjornstjerne BJORNSON/Rikard NORDRAAK |
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note: adopted 1864; in addition to the national anthem, "Kongesangen" (Song of the King), which uses the tune of "God Save the King," serves as the royal anthem
More about the government of Norway
| Date of Independence | 7 June 1905 (union with Sweden declared dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union); notable earlier dates: ca. 872 (traditional unification of petty Norwegian kingdoms by HARALD Fairhair); 1397 (Kalmar Union of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden); 1524 (Denmark-Norway); 17 May 1814 (Norwegian constitution adopted); 4 November 1814 (Sweden-Norway union confirmed) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Constitution Day, 17 May (1814) |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of civil, common, and customary law; Supreme Court can advise on legislative acts |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Drafted spring 1814, adopted 16 May 1814, signed by Constituent Assembly 17 May 1814 |
| Amendments | Proposals submitted by members of Parliament or by the government within the first three years of Parliament's four-year term; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of a two-thirds quorum in the next elected Parliament; amended over 400 times, last in 2023 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Norway |
| Dual citizenship recognized | no |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 7 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Jonas Gahr STORE (since 14 October 2021) |
| Cabinet | Council of State appointed by the monarch, approved by Parliament |
| Elections/appointments | the monarchy is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the parliament |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) |
| Elections | Last held on 13 September 2021 (next to be held by September 2025) |
| Election results | Percent of vote by party - Ap 26.3%, H 20.5%, SP 13.6%, FrP 11.7%, SV 7.6%, R 4.7%, V 4.6%, MDG 3.9%, KrF 3.8%, PF 0.2%, other 3.1%; seats by party - Ap 48, H 36, SP 28, FrP 21, SV 13, R 8, V 8, , KrF 3, MDG 3, PF 1; composition - men 94, women 75, percentage women 44.4% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (consists of the chief justice and 18 associate justices) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Justices appointed by the monarch (King in Council) upon the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Board; justices can serve until mandatory retirement at age 70 |
| Subordinate courts | Courts of Appeal or Lagmennsrett; regional and district courts; Conciliation Boards; ordinary and special courts; note - in addition to professionally trained judges, elected lay judges sit on the bench with professional judges in the Courts of Appeal and district courts |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Anniken Scharning HUITFELDT (since 18 September 2024) |
| Chancery | 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 333-6000 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 469-3990 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.norway.no/en/usa/ |
| Consulate(s) general | New York, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Sharon HUDSON-DEAN (since February 2024) |
| Embassy | Morgedalsvegen 36, 0378 Oslo |
| Mailing address | 5460 Oslo Place, Washington DC 20521-5460 |
| Telephone | [47] 21-30-85-40 |
| FAX | [47] 22-56-27-51 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://no.usembassy.gov/ |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 8 (7 cultural, 1 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Bryggen (c); Urnes Stave Church (c); Røros Mining Town and the Circumference (c); Rock Art of Alta (c); Vegaøyan – The Vega Archipelago (c); Struve Geodetic Arc (c); West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord (n); Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Norway
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Norway
Want to know more about Norway? Check all different factbooks for Norway below.
