Interesting facts about The Kingdom of Norway - Norge (Bokmål) or Noreg (Nynorsk)

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1. “Norway” means “path to the North”.
2. Norway has over 20,000 km of coastline.
3. Norway's Top Level Web Domain is .NO ( e.g. www.google.no )
4. The Laerdal road tunnel is the world’s longest road tunnel at 24.5 km (15 miles)
5. Norway along with Sweden and Denmark make up Scandinavia.
6. The Jostedalsbreen, in Norway, is the largest glacier in Northern Europe.
7. Petroleum prices are among the highest in the world, even though Norway is one of the biggest exporters of oil in the world.
8. Norway also has the world’s deepest underwater tunnel at 287 meters deep.
9. Norway is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
10. It is also the most peaceful country, according to the Global Peace Index.
11. The official Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square in London has come from Oslo for over the last fifty years.
12. The cheese slicer was invented in Norway.
13. Norway is the 6th largest country in Europe, but only ranks 28th as far as population.
14. Ever wondered why Noble peace prize are awarded in Oslo, Norway every year? It has been since 1901 because of their outstanding efforts in keeping peace. The Norwegian King Harald V is also present at the award ceremony in Oslo.
15. Gulf Stream and warm air currents caused by the Coriolis Effect leads to much milder weather than expected. Temperature along the coast of Norway is 5-8°C higher than at comparable latitudes elsewhere.
16. It is the sixth largest country in Europe, but ranks only 28th as far as population is concerned.
17. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world and according to the global Peace Index, the most peaceful too. Inspite of being one of the biggest exporters of oil in the world, gas prices are amongst the highest in Norway. Also, food prices are so high that many people choose to travel to Sweden to buy their groceries in bulk.
18. When in Norway, don’t even think about drinking and driving. Strict laws and their enforcements have been successfully kept crime at bay. For example, if caught driving under the influence, there is an automatic 30 days in jail, lose your license for a year, and pay fines up to 10% of your annual income. Binge drinking on the weekends is a well-established tradition. Just don’t drive home!
19. Norway is a beautiful place to be. It is a host to a whopping 450,000 lakes. 200 or so are about 4 square miles or more in size.
20. Remember this fact if ever you wish to visit Norway! Grandiosa pizza should be on the top of your ‘must eat’ list. It is the unofficial national food of the country. Nearly 25 million Grandiosa pizzas are eaten by small population of 5 million people.
21. The Viking festival: The festival offers activities and entertainment for all ages. Visitors are invited to participate in craft activities, join a historical sports competition or row a Viking ship. There will also be opportunities to watch a magician, learn how Viking warriors prepared for combat, listen to lectures and learn about life during the Viking Age.
22. Norway has the world’s deepest underwater tunnel at 287 meters deep.It is also the birthpace of cheese slicer and modern day skiing. The word ‘ski’ in Norwegian means for ‘piece of wood’.
23. There are a few rules which might puzzle you, for example- If you own a TV in Norway, you have to pay an annual fee of $300 USD.Food stores cannot be open on Sundays. If you need groceries then, you have to get them at the local gas station, which are allowed to sell food on Sundays.Prisons in Norway are amongst the most glamorous in the entire world. In fact, most Norwagein prisons are higher class than most hotel rooms found in the United States. Having no death penalty and no life sentences one would think that the country would have high crime rate. However, they have one of the lowest in the world. Around 72 inmates per 100,000 people!
24. Known as the Land of the Midnight Sun
25. Head of State: His Majesty, King Harald V of Norway
26. Head of Government: Prime Minister, Erna Solberg (since 2013)
27. System of Government: Constitutional monarchy, Parliamentary democracy
28. Won independence from Sweden in 1905
29. Area: 148,747 square miles (similar in sq. miles to the size of Montana)
30. Population (2014): 5,109,059
31. Capital city: Oslo [Population: 624,000 (statistics 2013)]
32. Languages: 2 official Norwegian languages: Bokmål and Nynorsk), in some districts, Sámi is also an official language Sámi (spoken by the Sámi people), 100% literacy
33. Education dates back as far as the 12th century
34. In 1827 Norway introduced public education (Folkeskole)
35. In the 1970s and 80s the Folkeskole was abolished and the Grunnskole was introduced.
36. Education is free, even higher education.
37. Ministry of Education, Research & Church Affairs prepares the national curriculum for grunnskole (primary & lower secondary education) and videregående skole (upper secondary school)
38. Compulsory education: 10 years (Grade 1-10)
39. Upper secondary school is 3 years after 10th grade and divided into general/academic studies track or vocational and apprenticeship tracks
40. Norway has seven universities, nine specialized university institutions, 22 university colleges, two national colleges of the arts and a number of private higher education institutions. Norway’s University of Oslo ranks 89th in the 2013–14 QS University World Rankings, and the University of Bergen at 151st
41. The people of Oslo, Norway donate the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree in London every year in gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during WWII. 
42. It is illegal to spay or neuter your dog in Norway except under specific circumstances regarding health, quality of life, or utility. 
43. Norway has the World’s biggest sovereign fund, where it has been saving almost all the money it gets from the sale of oil and is worth almost a trillion dollars Source: Norway: Is world’s largest sovereign wealth fund too big?
44. To encourage more men to assume a greater share of care-giving responsibilities, Norwegian law states that 14 weeks of parental leave is reserved for fathers. Norway is the first country to introduce compulsory paternity leave Source: Father’s leave still a burning issue
45. King Harald of Norway vowed to remain unmarried for life unless he could marry his true love; the daughter of a cloth merchant. They both later married with help from the Government of Norway and she became the Queen of Norway
46. Norwegian prisons are known to be the most luxurious prisons in the world. Norwegian prisons have also won a design award. Though accommodations may be ultra luxurious, the criminals on release demonstrate the lowest rate of re-offending in Europe, if not the world.
47. A valley settlement in Norway that lives in shadow for nearly half of every year has installed giant mirrors on an adjacent mountain to redirect sunlight into the town’s square, all based on a plan that was thought up 100 years ago
48. If you own a TV in Norway, you have to pay an annual fee of $300 USD.
49. Wondering how much your co-worker, boss, neighbor, friend, or cousin makes? It’d be no secret in Norway where income and wealth are public record; a practice shared by other Scandinavian countries. Making the data public demonstrates the Scandinavian tradition of jantelag, which translates roughly as nobody is better than anyone else.
50. You can only buy alcohol from stores called Vinmonopolet. There are only one or two in each city, and none in the countryside towns.
51. If caught driving under the influence, there is an automatic 30 days in jail, lose your license for a year, and pay fines up to 10% of your annual income!
52. Binge drinking on the weekends is a well-established tradition. Just don’t drive home!Instagram
53. Food stores cannot be open on Sundays. If you need groceries then, you have to get them at the local gas station, which are allowed to sell food on Sundays.
54. Food prices are so high in Norway that many people travel to Sweden to buy their groceries.
55. The Grandiosa frozen pizza is the unofficial national food dish.22 Interesting Facts About Norway
56. Norway is the birthplace of modern skiing. The word “ski” is Norwegian for “piece of wood”.
57. There are about 450,000 lakes in Norway, 200 or so that are 4 square miles or more in size.
58. There are as many Norwegian descendants living in the US as there are Norwegians living in Norway, especially the states of North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
59. If you own a TV in Norway, you have to pay an annual fee of $300 USD.
60. Norway is the world’s 7th largest exporter of oil and the 2nd largest exporter of gas.
61. More than 2.0 million barrels of oil per day (including NGL and condensate) per day. 
62. Seventh largest oil exporter and the fourteenth largest oil producer in the world. 
63. Norway has the world’s largest per capita hydropower production, and is the sixth largest hydropower producer in the world. In a year with normal precipitation, hydropower generation is around 120 TWh, corresponding to approximately 98 percent of Norway’s total power production.
64. 'Deadliest Catch' Star Sig Hansen is from Norway. He is apparently more famous than King Harald V of Norway.