Norway

B

Principal Cities

Oslo is the principal port and industrial centre as well as the national capital. It is also the largest city, with a population of 536,209 (2005 estimate). About 25 per cent of Norway’s population lives in the vicinity of Oslo. Bergen, the cultural centre of western Norway and the second-largest city, has a population of 241,440 (2005 estimate). Other important cities are the commercial centre of Trondheim, population 157,813 (2005 estimate), and the port of Stavanger, population 114,936 (2005 estimate).

C

Religion

About 89 per cent of the population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway, though many are non-practising members. The Church is supported by the State, and the clergy is nominated by the king. Complete religious freedom is guaranteed, however, and other Churches, mostly Pentecostal and other Protestant denominations, represent about 11 per cent of the population. Religious preferences tend to be nominal.

D

Language

Two forms of the Norwegian language are officially recognized as equal. The older language, Bokmål (“book language”), is the mother tongue for the majority of the population and the more common written language in schools; Nynorsk (“New-Norse”) is more often a written than a spoken language. Three Saami languages (from the Finno-Ugric language family) are spoken, the most notable being Northern Saami. Several other languages are used including Kven Finnish, which was acknowledged as a second language in 1997 and is now taught in schools on a compulsory basis.

E

Education

Compulsory education was established in Norway by the Primary School Act of 1827. Changes made since the 1960s have reduced regional disparities and increased access for all social groups to the educational system.

Education is free and compulsory in all municipalities for children between the ages of 6 and 16. Norway has almost no illiteracy. For their primary education, children attend a six-year lower school and a three-year upper school. Three years of secondary school is then available. Norway has about 3,300 primary schools with a combined annual enrolment of 479,249 students and some 540 secondary and vocational schools with a combined enrolment of about 177,868 students.

Norway has more than 30 university-level institutions, which have a combined yearly enrolment of more than 79,500 students. The principal university is the University of Oslo (1811); others include the University of Bergen (1946), the University of Tromsø (1968), and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology at Trondheim (1968). Teacher-training schools and other higher educational institutions have a combined annual enrolment of about 90,000.

F

Culture

The Norwegian people take a strong interest in their cultural heritage. For its relatively small population, the country has produced a disproportionately large number of internationally renowned artists.

Norway has preserved a rich folk culture that retains elements from the Viking age (see Viking Art). Norwegians today have a great interest in preserving indigenous folk art and music. The collection of folk music is supported by the government. Modern Norwegian culture has evolved from the great flowering of the arts that occurred in the 19th century under the influence of national Romanticism. The dramatist Henrik Ibsen is probably the most internationally renowned, but early expressions of a truly Norwegian style were produced in the other arts by the painter Johan Christian Dahl and the composer Edvard Grieg. Other important artists include the composer Christian Sinding, the painter Edvard Munch, and the sculptor Gustav Vigeland, whose sculpture park in Oslo has attracted international attention. See also Norwegian Literature.

Oslo is the undisputed cultural centre of Norway. Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger are important regional centres. The country’s largest art museum is the National Gallery in Oslo. Natural history museums are located in Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim, and Tromsø. Many other museums display artefacts of regional and national culture; the most notable of these is the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo. The municipal library system in Norway, begun in the early 20th century, is organized after the United States model. In addition, the state maintains specialized libraries. The largest of these is the Oslo University Library (1811), with more than 3.9 million volumes; it also serves as the national library. Also important is the National Archives in Oslo.

Performing-arts organizations include the National Theatre and the national ballet and opera, all in Oslo; and the National Stage in Bergen. The Oslo Philharmonic is the principal orchestra; other permanent orchestras are based in Bergen and Trondheim. Since 1953 Bergen has held an annual international music festival.