Secret places in the Kingdom of Norway

Imagine you where on an calm island alone, climbing to the top of high magnificent mountains with snow capped peaks, sailing around in mystical fjords, bathing naked in beautiful lakes, floating down the wildest rivers, singing, dancing and having a picnic in green meadows, walking around on timeless glaciers, walking through ghost forests, taking a shower in breathtaking waterfalls, and crawling around in nature made caves. It don`t have to be fantasy. Just go to Norway, the world`s northern country! The life is real!

Norway is overflowing with incredible nature. The nature spirits are really alive here! More than anything else, it is nature that makes Norway such a special place to visit, especially if you are thrill seeking. It's the world's northern country where most nature is untouched and wild. Norway is the country where nature is a majestic gift to mankind.

Norway - where fairytale turn in to reality!
During thousands of years Norway has been shaped to fill the wildest dreams for adventures. As described perfectly by the website Visit Norway (www.visitnorway.com): You will discover a country, which is enchantingly unique. Natural. Imagine a country where light and darkness intertwine. Where seasons melt together in colours and crystals. Imagine a country where the thawing snow gives way to blossom. Where sea and mountain unite. Where nature is a precious gift to mankind. Discover a country where nature creates art. Where you are invited to a life-fulfilling experience of diversity.

The waterfalls are among Norway's finest attractions. They fall into fjords and rivers in an unrestrained, cascading veil of water and spray.

Photos. Experiencing the waterfalls.

Norway covers a total area of 323 878 sq km beautiful nature. It is bordered by the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea in the west, Russia, Finland and Sweden in the east, and the Skagerrak (an arm of the North Sea) in the south. Most of the country consists of mountains and plateaus. Forests are found almost as far north as Nordkapp (the North Cape).

Photo. In the Norwegian misty forest you get a special feeling.

It reminds about the forest in movie "Lord of the Rings" based on Tolkien`s book.

It`s impossible not to be to be fascinated by the Norwegian misty forest. Some parts of the Norwegian forest can wake associations with the forest in the movie Lords of the Rings. In this movie there is an incredible scene about trees, especially in the magic of Lothlorien and the personalities of Fangorn forest. The trees were made in human figures. One of the characters is Treebeard, which is both talking and moving. Sometimes the Norwegain trees both move and make strange sounds too.

Photo. A breathtaking view in Norway`s untouched nature.

The nature spirits are really alive here!

More than anything else, it is nature that makes Norway such a special place to visit.

Norway's temperate climate is the result of the warming Gulf Stream. Summers are remarkably mild for the latitude, while winters are long and very cold, often with plenty of snow. Rainfall is very heavy in the west. As the Norwegians sing in the national anthem: "Furrowed and weather-worn". If it weren't for the Gulf Stream, no one but polar bears would thrive this far north.

Photos. See the glacier on the left photo. On the right photo the sun light creates an unique atmosphere filled with beauty and inspiring contrasts.

Thanks to the Gulf Stream and the Midnight Sun, it is possible to live in this otherwise uninhabitable land of extremes. Especially during the dark winter months. It is the four seasons with all the changes they bring that establish the basis for all Norwegian life.

Photo. The untouched and wild nature in Norway gives strong inspiration!

The feeling you get can`t be described...

Hopefully will Norway`s secret places be hidden forever. It`s like walking around in a fantasy world.

Stein Morten Lund, 28 May 2004

Additional information

Facts about Norway:

Status: Kingdom

Area: 323 878 sq km (125 050 sq miles)

Population: 4 423 300

Capital: Oslo 502 867

Other major cities: Bergen 227 297, Trondheim 147 150, Stavanger 108 086, Kristiansand 71 481, Fredrikstad 67 423, Tromsø 58 121, Drammen 54 354

Language: Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk), Lappish

Religion: 92 % Evangelical Lutheran Christian

Currency: Norwegian krone (NOK)

Organizations Council of Europe: EEA, EFTA, NATO, OECD, UN

Norway consists of the western and northern section of the Scandinavian peninsula, as well as the arctic island archipelago Svalbard plus Jan Mayen. To the east of Norway lies Sweden, Finland and Russia. To the west, the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. To the north is the Barents Sea, to the south, the North Sea. Including Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Norwegian territory covers 386,958 square kilometres.

The mainland is long. It`s streching 1752 km from the southern to the northernmost tip. The coastline itself is 2650 km long, if you were to include the length of all the fingers of the fjords it would be 10 times longer. The northern region of Norway is narrow, a mere 6.3 km at its narrowest.

The country widens south of Trondheimsfjord and is 430 km at its widest. It is at this widest point that eastern and western Norway are divided by the mountain range called Langfjellene. Half of the country's total area lies above the timberline. 25% of the country is covered by forest, leaving only 3% arable land.

Norway is a constitutional monarchy. Its population is 4,524,000 (2002), giving a population density of 11.7 per km². The capital city of Oslo has 512 000 inhabitants.

Source: www.visitnorway.com

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