Portal:Norway

The Norway Portal
Norge Portal

Norway (Bokmål: Norge, Nynorsk: Noreg), formally the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of Norway. Bouvet Island, located in the Subantarctic, is a dependency; Norway also claims the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land. The capital and largest city in Norway is Oslo.

Norway has a total area of 385,207 square kilometres (148,729 sq mi) and had a population of 5,488,984 in January 2023. The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden. It is bordered by Finland and Russia to the northeast and the Skagerrak strait to the south. Norway has an extensive coastline facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. Harald V of the House of Glücksburg is the current King. Jonas Gahr Støre has been Prime Minister since 2021. As a unitary state with a constitutional monarchy, Norway divides state power between the parliament, the cabinet, and the supreme court, as determined by the 1814 constitution. The unified kingdom of Norway was established in 872 as a merger of petty kingdoms and has existed continuously for 1150–1151 years. From 1537 to 1814, Norway was part of Denmark–Norway, and, from 1814 to 1905, it was in a personal union with Sweden. Norway was neutral during the First World War, and in the Second World War until April 1940 when it was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany until the end of the war.

Norway maintains the Nordic welfare model with universal health care and a comprehensive social security system, and its values are rooted in egalitarian ideals. The Norwegian state has large ownership positions in key industrial sectors, having extensive reserves of petroleum, natural gas, minerals, lumber, seafood, and fresh water. The petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). On a per-capita basis, Norway is the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas outside of the Middle East. The country has the fourth-highest per-capita income in the world on the World Bank and IMF lists. It has the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, with a value of US$1.3 trillion. (Full article...)

Featured article –

This is a Featured article, which represents some of the best content on English Wikipedia.

---

• 
  "Don't Say You Love Me" is the debut single of M2M, a Norwegian pop duo consisting of singers Marion Raven and Marit Larsen. The song first appeared on Radio Disney before its official US radio and single release in October 1999. It was released on the soundtrack to the film Pokémon: The First Movie in November 1999 and appears in the film's closing credits. The song was featured on M2M's debut album, Shades of Purple (2000), and also appeared on their compilation album The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M (2003).
  
  The song received positive reviews. Chuck Taylor from Billboard said it was "absolutely enchanting" and would appeal to both young and mature listeners. It reached number 2 in Norway, number 4 in both Australia and New Zealand, number 16 in the UK and number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was certified gold in the US and Australia and remained M2M's biggest hit. M2M performed the song on episodes of the television series One World, Top of the Pops and Disney Channel in Concert. Two similar music videos were released for the song, with one showing clips from Pokémon: The First Movie. (Full article...)
• 
  The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games (Norwegian: De 6. olympiske vinterleker; Nynorsk: Dei 6. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, was a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 1952 in Oslo, the capital of Norway.
  
  Discussions about Oslo hosting the Winter Olympic Games began as early as 1935; the city was keen to host the 1948 Winter Olympics, but that was made impossible by World War II. Instead, Oslo won the right to host the 1952 Games in a contest that included Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy and Lake Placid in the United States. All of the Olympic venues were in Oslo's metropolitan area, except for the alpine skiing events, which were held at Norefjell, 113 km (70 mi) from the capital. A new hotel was built for the press and dignitaries, along with three dormitories to house athletes and coaches, creating the first modern athlete's village. Oslo bore the financial burden of hosting the Games in return for the revenue they generated. The 1952 Winter Olympics was the first of the two consecutive Olympics to be held in Northern Europe, preceding the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Bosse as Indra's daughter at the 1907 première of A Dream Play (1902) by August Strindberg

  
  Harriet Sofie Bosse (19 February 1878 – 2 November 1961) was a Swedish–Norwegian actress. A celebrity in her day, Bosse is now most commonly remembered as the third wife of the playwright August Strindberg. Bosse began her career in a minor company run by her forceful older sister Alma Fahlstrøm in Kristiania (now Oslo, the capital of Norway). Having secured an engagement at the Royal Dramatic Theatre ("Dramaten"), the main drama venue of Sweden's capital Stockholm, Bosse caught the attention of Strindberg with her intelligent acting and exotic "oriental" appearance.
  
  After a whirlwind courtship, which unfolds in detail in Strindberg's letters and diary, Strindberg and Bosse were married in 1901, when he was 52 and she 23. Strindberg wrote a number of major roles for Bosse during their short and stormy relationship, especially in 1900–01, a period of great creativity and productivity for him. Like his previous two marriages, the relationship failed as a result of Strindberg's jealousy, which some biographers have characterized as paranoid. The spectrum of Strindberg's feelings about Bosse, ranging from worship to rage, is reflected in the roles he wrote for her to play, or as portraits of her. Despite her real-life role as muse to Strindberg, she remained an independent artist. (Full article...)
• 

  

  
  Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (/ˈkwɪzlɪŋ/, Norwegian: [ˈvɪ̂dkʉn ˈkvɪ̂slɪŋ] ^ⓘ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Nazi collaborator who nominally headed the government of Norway during the country's occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II.
  
  He first came to international prominence as a close collaborator of the explorer Fridtjof Nansen, and through organising humanitarian relief during the Russian famine of 1921 in Povolzhye. He was posted as a Norwegian diplomat to the Soviet Union and for some time also managed British diplomatic affairs there. He returned to Norway in 1929 and served as minister of defence in the governments of Peder Kolstad (1931–32) and Jens Hundseid (1932–33) in representing the Farmers' Party. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Amundsen, Hanssen, Hassel, and Wisting at Polheim at the South Pole

  
  The first ever expedition to reach the Geographic South Pole was led by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. He and four others arrived at the pole on 14 December 1911, five weeks ahead of a British party led by Robert Falcon Scott as part of the Terra Nova Expedition. Amundsen and his team returned safely to their base, and later heard that Scott and his four companions had died on their return journey.
  
  Amundsen's initial plans had focused on the Arctic and the conquest of the North Pole by means of an extended drift in an icebound ship. He obtained the use of Fridtjof Nansen's polar exploration ship Fram, and undertook extensive fundraising. Preparations for this expedition were disrupted when, in 1909, the rival American explorers Frederick Cook and Robert Peary each claimed to have reached the North Pole. Amundsen then changed his plan and began to prepare for a conquest of the South Pole; uncertain of the extent to which the public and his backers would support him, he kept this revised objective secret. When he set out in June 1910, he led even his crew to believe they were embarking on an Arctic drift, and revealed their true Antarctic destination only when Fram was leaving their last port of call, Madeira. (Full article...)
• 

  

  
  The Norse-American medal was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1925, pursuant to an act of the United States Congress. It was issued for the 100th anniversary of the voyage of the ship Restauration, bringing early Norwegian immigrants to the United States.
  
  U.S. Representative from Minnesota Ole Juulson Kvale, a Norse-American, wanted a commemorative for the centennial celebrations of the Restauration journey. Rebuffed by the Treasury Department when he sought the issuance of a special coin, he instead settled for a medal. Sculpted by Buffalo nickel designer James Earle Fraser, the medals recognize those immigrants' Viking heritage, depicting a warrior of that culture on the obverse and his vessel on the reverse. The medals also recall the early Viking explorations of North America. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Z33 under attack by Allied aircraft on 9 February 1945

  
  On 9 February 1945, a force of Allied Bristol Beaufighter aircraft suffered many losses during an attack on the German destroyer Z33 and its escorting vessels; the operation was called Black Friday by the survivors. The German ships were sheltering in a strong defensive position in Førde Fjord, Norway, forcing the Allied aircraft to attack through massed anti-aircraft fire (FlaK).
  
  The Beaufighters and their escort of Mustang Mk III fighters from 65 Squadron RAF were intercepted by twelve Focke-Wulf Fw 190s of Jagdgeschwader 5 (Fighter Wing 5) of the Luftwaffe. The Allies damaged at least two of the German ships for the loss of seven Beaufighters shot down by FlaK. Two Beaufighters and a Mustang were shot down by the Fw 190s and four or five of the German aircraft were shot down by the Allied aircraft, including that of the ace Rudi Linz. (Full article...)
• 

  

  Fram leaves Bergen on 2 July 1893, bound for the Arctic Ocean

  
  Nansen's Fram expedition of 1893–1896 was an attempt by the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen to reach the geographical North Pole by harnessing the natural east–west current of the Arctic Ocean. In the face of much discouragement from other polar explorers, Nansen took his ship Fram to the New Siberian Islands in the eastern Arctic Ocean, froze her into the pack ice, and waited for the drift to carry her towards the pole. Impatient with the slow speed and erratic character of the drift, after 18 months Nansen and a chosen companion, Hjalmar Johansen, left the ship with a team of Samoyed dogs and sledges and made for the pole. They did not reach it, but they achieved a record Farthest North latitude of 86°13.6′N before a long retreat over ice and water to reach safety in Franz Josef Land. Meanwhile, Fram continued to drift westward, finally emerging in the North Atlantic Ocean.
  
  The idea for the expedition had arisen after items from the American vessel Jeannette, which had sunk off the north coast of Siberia in 1881, were discovered three years later off the south-west coast of Greenland. The wreckage had obviously been carried across the polar ocean, perhaps across the pole itself. Based on this and other debris recovered from the Greenland coast, the meteorologist Henrik Mohn developed a theory of transpolar drift, which led Nansen to believe that a specially designed ship could be frozen in the pack ice and follow the same track as Jeannette wreckage, thus reaching the vicinity of the pole. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  A Fleet Air Arm crewman chalks a message on the 1,600-pound bomb carried by a Fairey Barracuda of HMS Furious

  A Fleet Air Arm crewman chalks a message on the 1,600-pound bomb carried by a Fairey Barracuda of HMS Furious

  
  Operation Tungsten was a Second World War Royal Navy air raid that targeted the German battleship Tirpitz. The operation sought to damage or destroy Tirpitz at her base in Kaafjord in the far north of Norway before she could become fully operational again following a period of repairs.
  
  The British decision to strike Kaafjord was motivated by fears that the battleship, upon re-entering service, would attack strategically important convoys carrying supplies to the Soviet Union. Removing the threat posed by Tirpitz would also allow the Allies to redeploy the capital ships which had to be held in the North Sea to counter her. After four months of training and preparations, the British Home Fleet sailed on 30 March 1944 and aircraft launched from five aircraft carriers struck Kaafjord on 3 April. The raid achieved surprise, and the British aircraft met little opposition. Fifteen bombs hit the battleship, and strafing by fighter aircraft inflicted heavy casualties on her gun crews. Four British aircraft and nine airmen were lost during the operation. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Hull at RAF Wick in Scotland in early 1940

  
  Caesar Barrand Hull, DFC (26 February 1914 – 7 September 1940) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) flying ace during the Second World War, noted especially for his part in the fighting for Narvik during the Norwegian Campaign in 1940, and for being one of "The Few"—the Allied pilots of the Battle of Britain, in which he was shot down and killed. From a farming family, Hull's early years were spent in Southern Rhodesia, South Africa and Swaziland. He boxed for South Africa at the 1934 Empire Games. After being turned down by the South African Air Force because he did not speak Afrikaans, he joined the RAF and, on becoming a pilot officer in August 1936, mustered into No. 43 Squadron at RAF Tangmere in Sussex.
  
  A skilful pilot, Hull dedicated much of his pre-war service to aerobatics, flying Hawker Audaxes, Furies and Hurricanes. He reacted to the outbreak of war with enthusiasm and achieved No. 43 Squadron's first victory of the conflict in late January 1940. Reassigned to Norway in May 1940 to command a flight of Gloster Gladiator biplanes belonging to No. 263 Squadron, he downed four German aircraft in an hour over the Bodø area south-west of Narvik on 26 May, a feat that earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was shot down the next day, and invalided back to England. Hull returned to action at the end of August, when he was made commander of No. 43 Squadron with the rank of squadron leader. A week later, he died in a dogfight over south London. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Corsair fighters and Barracuda bombers ranged on the flight deck of HMS Formidable during operations off Norway in July 1944

  Corsair fighters and Barracuda bombers ranged on the flight deck of HMS Formidable during operations off Norway in July 1944

  
  Operation Mascot was an unsuccessful British carrier air raid conducted against the German battleship Tirpitz at her anchorage in Kaafjord, Norway, on 17 July 1944. The attack was one of a series of strikes against the battleship launched from aircraft carriers between April and August 1944, and was initiated after Allied intelligence determined that the damage inflicted during the Operation Tungsten raid on 3 April had been repaired.
  
  A force of 44 British dive bombers and 40 fighters took off from three aircraft carriers in the early hours of 17 July. German radar stations detected these aircraft while they were en route to Kaafjord, and Tirpitz was protected by a smoke screen by the time the strike force arrived. Few of the British airmen were able to spot the battleship, and their attacks did not inflict any significant damage. German losses were limited to a patrol craft, and three British aircraft were destroyed or damaged beyond repair by Kaafjord's defenders. A group of German submarines attempted to intercept the carrier force as it returned to base, without success. Two U-boats were sunk near the carriers by British patrol aircraft and several others were damaged. (Full article...)
• 

  

  S. A. Andrée and Knut Frænkel with the balloon on the pack ice, photographed by the third expedition member, Nils Strindberg. The exposed film for this photograph and others from the failed 1897 expedition was recovered in 1930.

  
  Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition of 1897 was a failed Swedish effort to reach the North Pole, resulting in the deaths of all three expedition members, S. A. Andrée, Knut Frænkel, and Nils Strindberg. Andrée, the first Swedish balloonist, proposed a voyage by hydrogen balloon from Svalbard to either Russia or Canada, which was to pass, with luck, straight over the North Pole on the way. The scheme was received with patriotic enthusiasm in Sweden, a northern nation that had fallen behind in the race for the North Pole.
  
  Andrée ignored many early signs of the dangers associated with his balloon plan. Being able to steer the balloon to some extent was essential for a safe journey, but there was much evidence that the drag-rope steering technique he had invented was ineffective. Worse, the polar balloon Örnen (Eagle) was delivered directly to Svalbard from its manufacturer in Paris without being tested. When measurements showed it to be leaking more than expected, Andrée failed to acknowledge the risk. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Nansen in 1890

  
  Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (Norwegian: [ˈfrɪ̂tːjɔf ˈnɑ̀nsn̩]; 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and co-founded the Fatherland League.
  
  He led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, traversing the island on cross-country skis. He won international fame after reaching a record northern latitude of 86°14′ during his Fram expedition of 1893–1896. Although he retired from exploration after his return to Norway, his techniques of polar travel and his innovations in equipment and clothing influenced a generation of subsequent Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. (Full article...)
• 

  

  
  The black-throated loon (Gavia arctica), also known as the Arctic loon and the black-throated diver, is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere, primarily breeding in freshwater lakes in northern Europe and Asia. It winters along sheltered, ice-free coasts of the north-east Atlantic Ocean and the eastern and western Pacific Ocean. This loon was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 and has two subspecies. It was previously considered to be the same species as the Pacific loon, of which it is traditionally considered to be a sister species, although this is debated. In a study that used mitochondrial and nuclear intron DNA, the black-throated loon was found to be sister to a clade consisting of the Pacific loon and two sister species, the common loon and the yellow-billed loon.
  
  The black-throated loon measures about 70 cm (28 in) in length and can weigh anywhere from 1.3 to 3.4 kilograms (2.9 to 7.5 lb). In breeding plumage, the adult of the nominate subspecies has mostly black upperparts, with the exception of some of the mantle and scapulars, which have white squares. The head and hindneck are grey, and the sides white and striped black. Most of the throat is also black, giving this bird the name "black-throated loon". The colour of the throat patch can be used to distinguish the two subspecies; the throat patch of the other subspecies, G. a. viridigularis, is green. The underparts are mostly white, including the bottom of the throat. The flanks are also white, a feature which can be used to separate this bird from the Pacific loon. When it is not breeding, the black patch on the throat is absent, replaced with white; most of the black lines on the throat are also missing, except those on the bottom sides, and the upperparts are unpatterned with the exception of a few white spots on the upperwing. The juvenile is similar to the non-breeding adult, except more brown overall. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Portrait by John de Critz, 1605

  
  Anne of Denmark (Danish: Anna; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until her death in 1619.
  
  The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Anne married James at age 14. They had three children who survived infancy: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, who predeceased his parents; Princess Elizabeth, who became Queen of Bohemia; and James's future successor, Charles I. Anne demonstrated an independent streak and a willingness to use factional Scottish politics in her conflicts with James over the custody of Prince Henry and his treatment of her friend Beatrix Ruthven. Anne appears to have loved James at first, but the couple gradually drifted and eventually lived apart, though mutual respect and a degree of affection survived. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  A British Lancaster bomber over Kaafjord during Operation Paravane

  A British Lancaster bomber over Kaafjord during Operation Paravane

  
  Operation Paravane was a British air raid of World War II that inflicted heavy damage on the German battleship Tirpitz, at anchor in Kaafjord in the far north of German-occupied Norway. The attack was conducted on 15 September 1944 by 21 Royal Air Force heavy bombers, which flew from an airfield in the north of the Soviet Union. The battleship was struck by one bomb, and further damaged by several near misses. This damage rendered Tirpitz unfit for combat, and she could not be repaired as it was no longer possible for the Germans to sail her to a major port.
  
  The attack on 15 September followed a series of raids conducted against Tirpitz with limited success by Royal Navy carrier aircraft between April and August 1944, seeking to sink or disable the battleship at her anchorage, so that she no longer posed a threat to Allied convoys travelling to and from the Soviet Union. The first of these raids was successful, but the other attacks failed due to shortcomings with the Fleet Air Arm's strike aircraft and the formidable German defences. As a result, the task of attacking the battleship was transferred to the RAF's Bomber Command. Avro Lancaster bombers from the Command's two elite squadrons flew to their staging airfield in the Soviet Union on the night of 11/12 September, and attacked on 15 September using heavy bombs and air-dropped mines. All of the British aircraft returned to base, though one of the Lancasters later crashed during its flight back to the United Kingdom. (Full article...)
• 

  

  Title page from the first edition of Letters (1796)

  
  Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (1796) is a personal travel narrative by the eighteenth-century British feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft. The twenty-five letters cover a wide range of topics, from sociological reflections on Scandinavia and its peoples to philosophical questions regarding identity. Published by Wollstonecraft's career-long publisher, Joseph Johnson, it was the last work issued during her lifetime.
  
  Wollstonecraft undertook her tour of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark in order to retrieve a stolen treasure ship for her lover, Gilbert Imlay. Believing that the journey would restore their strained relationship, she eagerly set off. However, over the course of the three months she spent in Scandinavia, she realized that Imlay had no intention of renewing the relationship. The letters, which constitute the text, drawn from her journal and from missives she sent to Imlay, reflect her anger and melancholy over his repeated betrayals. Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark is therefore both a travel narrative and an autobiographical memoir. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Female near Kaktovik, Barter Island, Alaska, United States

  
  The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear and land carnivore, with adult males weighing 300–800 kg (660–1,760 lb). The species is sexually dimorphic, as adult females are much smaller. The polar bear is white- or yellowish-furred with black skin and a thick layer of fat. It is more slender than the brown bear, with a narrower skull, longer neck and lower shoulder hump. Its teeth are sharper and more adapted to cutting meat. The paws are large and allow the bear to walk on ice and paddle in the water.
  
  Polar bears are both terrestrial and pagophilic (ice-living) and are considered to be marine mammals due to their dependence on marine ecosystems. They prefer the annual sea ice but live on land when the ice melts in the summer. They are mostly carnivorous and specialized for preying on seals, particularly ringed seals. Such prey is typically taken by ambush; the bear may stalk its prey on the ice or in the water, but also will stay at a breathing hole or ice edge to wait for prey to swim by. The bear primarily feeds on the seal's energy-rich blubber. Other prey include walruses, beluga whales and some terrestrial animals. Polar bears are usually solitary but can be found in groups when on land. During the breeding season, male bears guard females and defend them from rivals. Mothers give birth to cubs in maternity dens during the winter. Young stay with their mother for up to two and a half years. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Barracuda bombers and Corsair fighters being armed on the flight deck of HMS Formidable during Operation Goodwood

  
  Operation Goodwood was a series of British carrier air raids conducted against the German battleship Tirpitz at her anchorage in Kaafjord in occupied Norway during late August 1944. It was the last of several attacks made by the Home Fleet during 1944 which sought to damage or sink Tirpitz and thereby eliminate the threat it posed to Allied shipping. Previous raids on Kaafjord conducted by Fleet Air Arm aircraft had involved only one air attack; in Operation Goodwood several attacks were made in a single week. The Royal Navy hoped that these raids would wear down the formidable German defences.
  
  The British fleet departed its base on 18 August and launched the first raid against Kaafjord on the morning of 22 August. The attack failed, and a small raid that evening inflicted little damage. Attacks were conducted on 24 and 29 August and were also failures. Tirpitz had been hit by two bombs during the raid on 24 August, but neither caused significant damage. British losses during Operation Goodwood were 17 aircraft to all causes, a frigate sunk by a submarine, and an escort carrier badly damaged. German forces suffered the loss of 12 aircraft and damage to 7 ships. (Full article...)
• 

  

  Amundsen's Norwegian party stand at the South Pole, 17 December 1911. They had reached 90°S two days earlier.

  
  
  Farthest South refers to the most southerly latitude reached by explorers before the first successful expedition to the South Pole in 1911.
  
  Significant steps on the road to the pole were the discovery of lands south of Cape Horn in 1619, Captain James Cook's crossing of the Antarctic Circle in 1773, and the earliest confirmed sightings of the Antarctic mainland in 1820. From the late 19th century onward, the quest for Farthest South latitudes became a race to reach the pole, which culminated in Roald Amundsen's success in December 1911. (Full article...)
• 

  

  
  The orca (Orcinus orca), or killer whale, is a toothed whale that is the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. It is the only extant species in the genus Orcinus. Orcas are recognizable by their black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, orcas are found in diverse marine environments, from Arctic to Antarctic regions to tropical seas.
  
  Orcas are apex predators with a diverse diet. Individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. This includes a variety of fish, sharks, rays, and marine mammals such as seals, other species of dolphin, and whales. They are highly social; some populations are composed of highly stable matrilineal family groups (pods). Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviors, often specific to a particular group and passed along from generation to generation are considered to be manifestations of animal culture. (Full article...)
• 

  

  
  Carsten Egeberg Borchgrevink (1 December 1864 – 21 April 1934) was a Norwegian polar explorer and a pioneer of Antarctic travel. He inspired Sir Robert Falcon Scott, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Roald Amundsen, and others associated with the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
  
  Borchgrevink was born and raised in Christiania (now Oslo) as the son of a Norwegian lawyer and an English-born immigrant mother. He began his exploring career in 1894 by joining a Norwegian whaling expedition, during which he became one of the first people to set foot on the Antarctic mainland. This achievement helped him to obtain backing for his Southern Cross expedition, which became the first to overwinter on the Antarctic mainland, and the first to visit the Great Ice Barrier since the expedition of Sir James Clark Ross nearly sixty years earlier. (Full article...)
• 
  In September 1967, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands brought the Greek case to the European Commission of Human Rights, alleging violations of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) by the Greek junta, which had taken power earlier that year. In 1969, the Commission found serious violations, including torture; the junta reacted by withdrawing from the Council of Europe. The case received significant press coverage and was "one of the most famous cases in the Convention's history", according to legal scholar Ed Bates.
  
  On 21 April 1967, right-wing army officers staged a military coup that ousted the Greek government and used mass arrests, purges and censorship to suppress their opposition. These tactics soon became the target of criticism in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, but Greece claimed they were necessary as a response to alleged Communist subversion and justified under Article 15 of the ECHR. In September 1967, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands filed identical cases against Greece alleging violations of most of the articles in the ECHR that protect individual rights. The case was declared admissible in January 1968; a second case filed by Denmark, Norway and Sweden for additional violations, especially of Article 3 forbidding torture, was declared admissible in May of that year. (Full article...)

{{/box-footer|

Selected article –

Air Norway Fairchild Metro

Air Norway AS is a virtual, regional airline with its head office in the town of Brekstad, the administrative centre of the municipality of Ørland, in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It operates seven round trips a week from its hub at Ørland Airport to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, and a single, weekly round trip from Oslo to Aalborg Airport, Denmark, using a wet leased Fairchild Metro aircraft from North Flying. The airline was established in 2003. Following the bankruptcy of Coast Air in January 2008, the airline stepped in and was serving Fagernes Airport, Leirin with two daily flights to Oslo, and one daily flight to Trondheim, but these were terminated in 2009. (Full article...)

More selected articles

Selected picture –

Vista of Lillehammer from the west

Lillehammer

Credit: Maksim

Lillehammer is a town and municipality in the county of Oppland, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics.

In this month

• Odd Nansen (6 December 1901 – 27 June 1973) was a Norwegian architect, author, and humanitarian, credited with his humanitarian efforts on behalf of Jews in the early years of World War II and for being a founder of UNICEF.
• The pre-Christian Jul (pronounced: Yule) has survived as the Christmas holiday of Norway. The main event for Norwegians is on Julaften (Christmas Eve) on 24 December, the evening when the main feast is served and gifts are exchanged.

More anniversaries

General images –

The following are images from various Norway-related articles on Wikipedia.

• 

  Brudeferden i Hardanger (from Culture of Norway)

• 

  Scenes from the Norwegian Campaign in 1940 (from History of Norway)

• 

  Rock carvings at Alta (from History of Norway)

• 

  Harvesting oats at Fossum in Jølster during the 1880s (from History of Norway)

• 

  Reconstruction of a longhouse at Lofoten (from History of Norway)

• 

  Trondheim in 1965 (from History of Norway)

• 

  Alta Power Station, built despite massive protests (from History of Norway)

• 

  Norwegian Hardanger fiddle (from Culture of Norway)

• 

  Edvard Munch's The Scream (1893) (from Culture of Norway)

• 

  Battle of Alvøen between the frigate HMS Tartar and Norwegian gunboats near Bergen in 1808 (from History of Norway)

• 

  Henrik Ibsen, c. 1890 (from Culture of Norway)

• 

  Historical quarter of Bryggen in Bergen (from Culture of Norway)

• 

  Map of Denmark–Norway (from History of Norway)

• 

  Homann's map of the Scandinavian Peninsula and Fennoscandia with their surrounding territories: northern Germany, northern Poland, the Baltic region, Livonia, Belarus, and parts of Northwest Russia. Johann Baptist Homann (1664–1724) was a German geographer and cartographer; map dated around 1730. (from History of Norway)

• 

  Traditional Norwegian St. Hansbål (midsummer) bonfire in Laksevåg, Bergen (from Culture of Norway)

• 

  Roald Amundsen, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel and Oscar Wisting (l–r) at Polheim, the tent erected at the South Pole on 16 December 1911 as the first expedition (from History of Norway)

• 

  Map of Sweden–Norway (from History of Norway)

• 

  The Kalmar Union, c. 1400 (from History of Norway)

• 

  The Constituent Assembly which approved the Constitution of Norway (from History of Norway)

• 

  Statfjord oil platform (from History of Norway)

• 

  Petty kingdoms of Norway ca. 872 (from History of Norway)

• 

  Smørbrød, Norwegian open sandwiches (from Culture of Norway)

• 

  Røros, a major copper mining town, in 1869 (from History of Norway)

• 

  Industry along Akerselva in Oslo in 1912 (from History of Norway)

• 

  The Kingdom of Norway about 1265, at its greatest extent (from History of Norway)

• 

  Bridal Journey in Hardanger (1848) by Adolph Tidemand and Hans Gude, an example of romantic nationalism (from History of Norway)

• 

  Bryggen in Bergen, once the centre of trade in Norway under the Hanseatic League trade network, now preserved as a World Heritage Site (from History of Norway)

• 

  Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik met with U.S. President George W. Bush at the Oval Office in White House, on 27 May 2003. (from History of Norway)

• 

  The Røros Line through Holtålen in 1877 (from History of Norway)

Good article –

This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

---

• 
  Kaja Bordevich Ballo (1988 – March 28, 2008) was a Norwegian university student who took her own life in Nice, France, on March 28, 2008, shortly after taking an Oxford Capacity Analysis (OCA), a personality test administered by the Church of Scientology, earlier the same day. Family and friends state that Ballo was happy prior to taking the OCA, and that her mood dramatically shifted after receiving the results; she jumped from the fourth floor of her dorm room hours later. In addition to a suicide note, Ballo's family found the OCA among her belongings. French police investigated connections between Scientology and Ballo's death, and interviewed two leaders of the Church of Scientology in France; prosecutors stated in December 2008 that they were unable to establish a causative link.
  
  A Scientology representative in France asserted that the OCA was not created by the Church, and that it was not related to the suicide. Scientology's information chief in Norway, Matthias Fosse, stated that the OCA was not dangerous and that the organization did not bear any responsibility for the tragedy. Ballo's father, Norwegian MP Olav Gunnar Ballo (SV), retained a lawyer to investigate his daughter's death, and her family considered filing a lawsuit against Scientology. 500 people attended Ballo's funeral on April 11, 2008, at Grefsen Church in Oslo. (Full article...)
• 

  

  
  Carl Berners plass is an underground rapid transit station located on the Grorud Line of the Oslo Metro, and a tram stop on the Sinsen Line of the Oslo Tramway. The square also has a bus stop for lines 20, 21, 31 and 33. Located at Helsfyr in Oslo, Norway, the area has a mixture of apartment buildings and small businesses. The station is the first metro station on the Grorud Line after it branches off from the shared Common Tunnel. North of the station, the Ring Line branches off from the Grorud Line. The station is served by line 5 of the metro and Line 17 of the tramway, with four hourly departures during regular hours. The tram operates every 10 minutes during regular hours.
  
  The square was taken into use as a tram stop on 1 February 1923. The station took the name after the square, which is again named for the 19th and early 20th-century politician Carl Berner. From 6 February 1949, Line 20 of the Oslo trolleybus started serving the square. From 2 January 1955, the Rodeløkka Line of the tramway was rerouted to run via Carl Berners plass, although it was closed again on 1961. The underground metro station opened on 16 October 1966, and the trolleybus service was replaced by diesel buses in 1968. From 20 August 2006, the metro station also started serving the Ring Line (Line 5). (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  UEFA

  
  Aspmyra Stadion is a football stadium in Bodø, Norway. Home of Bodø/Glimt and Grand Bodø, it holds a seated capacity for 8,270 spectators. The venue has four stands: a modern all-seater with roof, 100 club seats and 15 luxury boxes to the south, unroofed all-seater stands to the east and west and two stands to the north. An older raised grandstand with roofing at the back and a new (built 2022) all-seater unroofed stand in front. Before this new stand was built the area in front of the old stand was a standing area that could hold approximately 2000 people, but did not fulfill UEFA safety regulations for international matches. The venue has floodlights and artificial turf with under-soil heating. Immediately south of the venue lies Aspmyra kunstgressbane, a training pitch with artificial turf. Aspmyra Stadion has hosted one Norway national football team match, against Iceland in 2002.
  
  The venue opened in 1966 as a municipal multi-purpose stadium which included a running track. Glimt reached the top-flight in 1977, and played Cup Winners' Cup matches in the late 1970s at Aspmyra. The venue had a slight upgrade in 1980, which also saw the laying of all-weather running track and the construction of the training pitch. In 1992, the pitch was resowed, forcing Glimt to play a season in Nordlandshallen, which since has been used twice for Norwegian top division matches. Aspmyra Stadion was sold to Glimt in 1997, followed by the construction of the south and east stands. This involved removing the running track and building commercial and residential properties around the venue. Artificial turf was laid in 2006. After the club received illegal public subsidies in 2008 and had to upgrade the venue, it was in 2011 sold back to the municipality. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  SS Suevic

  
  SS Suevic was a steamship built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast for the White Star Line. Suevic was the fifth and last of the Jubilee-class ocean liners, built specifically to service the Liverpool-Cape Town-Sydney route, along with her sister ship Runic. In 1907 she was wrecked off the south coast of England, but in the largest rescue of its kind, all passengers and crew were saved. The ship herself was deliberately broken in two, and a new bow was attached to the salvaged stern portion. Later serving as a Norwegian whaling factory ship carrying the name Skytteren, she was scuttled off the Swedish coast in 1942 to prevent her capture by ships of Nazi Germany. (Full article...)
• 

  

  
  Station Group Banak (Norwegian: Stasjonsgruppe Banak), formerly Banak Air Station (Banak flystasjon), is a military airbase located at Banak, just north of Lakselv in Porsanger in Troms og Finnmark, Norway. Operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF), it serves a detachment of the 330 Squadron, which operates two Westland Sea King helicopters used for search and rescue operations in Finnmark, Svalbard and surrounding Arctic sea areas (the northern Norwegian Sea, the Barents Sea and the Arctic Sea). Of the station's two helicopters, one is on standby at any given time. The station group is co-located with the civilian Lakselv Airport, Banak and is administratively under the 132nd Air Wing and Bodø Main Air Station. Banak is RNoAF's most northerly base and has fifty employees.
  
  The airfield was first built with triangular runways in 1938. It was taken over by the Luftwaffe in 1940, who expanded it and laid down two wooden runways. Banak was taken over by the RNoAF in 1945, but abandoned in 1952. Plans for re-opening emerged in 1955, but uncertainty regarding its value in a war caused a prolonged debate about financing. The air station was largely funded by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and was opened on 4 May 1963, along with a civilian terminal. During the Cold War, Norway did not allow allies peacetime use of the airfield. The runway was extended in 1968 and the 330 Squadron was established in 1973. (Full article...)
• 

  

  Route taken by the ice block expedition

  
  The ice block expedition of 1959 (Norwegian: isblokkekspedisjonen) was a publicity stunt carried out by the Norwegian insulation material producer Glassvatt. Responding to a challenge from the radio station Radio Luxembourg, Glassvatt decided to equip a truck to bring a three-ton block of ice from Mo i Rana by the Arctic Circle, to Libreville by the Equator. There was no form of refrigeration applied, and the expedition was intended to display the efficiency of the insulating glass wool used. The truck also brought 300 kg of medicines to the hospital of Albert Schweitzer in Lambaréné.
  
  The expedition then was followed by a worldwide press corps, and crowds of spectators gathered in various European cities along the route. Crossing the Sahara, where the truck repeatedly got stuck in the sand, proved both a dangerous and laborious task. Once the truck had made it through the desert, however, and reached its final destination, it was revealed that the ice block had lost only about 11% of its original weight. When the expedition reached its goal it generated much media attention for the company. It was called "the world's greatest publicity stunt". To mark the 50th anniversary of the event in 2009, the company made the original documentary of the expedition available online. They also released a new interview with the expedition's leader Sivert Klevan, who was 84 years old at the time of the interview. (Full article...)
• 

  

  
  The Nobel Prizes (/noʊˈbɛl/ noh-BEL; Swedish: Nobelpriset [nʊˈbɛ̂lːˌpriːsɛt]; Norwegian: Nobelprisen Norwegian: [nʊˈbɛ̀lːˌpriːsn̩] ^ⓘ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist most famously known for the invention of dynamite. He died in 1896. In his will, he bequeathed all of his "remaining realisable assets" to be used to establish five prizes which became known as "Nobel Prizes". Nobel Prizes were first awarded in 1901.
  
  Nobel Prizes are awarded in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace (Nobel characterised the Peace Prize as "to the person who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses"). In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank) funded the establishment of the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, to also be administered by the Nobel Foundation. Nobel Prizes are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards available in their respective fields. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Dølahorse eating grass

  
  The Dole Gudbrandsdal, Dølahest, or Dole is a draft- and harness-type horse from Norway. The Dole Trotter is alternately considered a subtype of the Dole Gudbrandsdal and a separate breed; it is also considered a part of the coldblood trotter type. The Dole Gudbrandsdal is a small draft horse, known for its pulling power and agility, while the Dole Trotter is a smaller, faster horse used for harness racing; the two types are commonly interbred. Both types are strictly critiqued before entry into the studbook, which has over time resulted in an improvement in the breed type. The Dole is originally from the Gudbrandsdal Valley, and is probably descended in part from the Friesian horse. Over time, the breed has had Thoroughbred, Arabian, and other breeds added in, especially during the creation of the Dole Trotter in the 19th century. The first studbook was created in 1941, and the current breed association was formed in 1947. Although originally used mainly as a pack horse, today, the heavier Dole type is used mainly for agricultural purposes. The Dole Gudbrandsdal been crossed with other breeds to develop horses for harness racing and riding. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Container train hauled by a CD66 locomotive
  from CargoNet in Malvik

  
  The Meråker Line (Norwegian: Meråkerbanen [ˈmeːroːkərˌbɑːnən]) is a 72-kilometer (45 mi) railway line which runs through the district and valley of Stjørdalen in Trøndelag county, Norway. The line branches off from the Nordland Line at Hell Station and runs eastwards to the Norway–Sweden border, with Storlien Station acting as the border station. From there, the line continues as the Central Line. Traditionally, the Meråker Line was regarded as the whole line from Trondheim Central Station to the border, a distance of 102 kilometers (63 mi). There are two daily passenger train services operated by SJ Norge and a limited number of freight trains hauling lumber and wood chippings.
  
  Proposals for a railway were first made in 1870. Routes via Verdal and Røros were soon discarded, and the Meråker Line was approved on 5 June 1873. The first revenue services ran in 1879, and the line was officially opened on 22 July 1882. The line boosted the local economy, allowing for same-day transport of produce to Trondheim. The line has been upgraded several times to increase the axle load. During World War II, the line was the scene of both the Hommelvik train collision and the Meråker train derailment. Steam trains were in use until 1971, following the introduction of diesel locomotives in 1961. From 1900 to 2005, Meraker Smelteverk was a significant customer, using the line to haul carbide, and later microsilica, from their mill at Kopperå to the port at Muruvik. The Norwegian National Rail Administration plans to have the line electrified and have centralized traffic control installed by 2023. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Di 6 in service with Nord-Ostsee-Bahn of Germany

  
  NSB Di 6, later designated ME 26 and DE 2700, is a class of twelve diesel-electric locomotives built by Siemens for the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). The prime mover provides a power output of 2,650 kilowatts (3,550 hp), a starting traction effort of 400 kilonewtons (90,000 lb_f) and a maximum speed of 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph). They have a Co′Co′ wheel arrangement. The bidirectional locomotives were designed for use with both passenger and freight trains.
  
  The units were ordered by NSB in 1992 as replacements for the aging Di 3, and were particularly intended for use on the Nordland Line and to a lesser extent on the Røros Line. Construction was done by Maschinenbau Kiel (MaK) in Kiel, Germany, which was then part of Siemens Schienenfahrzeugtechnik. The class is largely based on the MaK-built DB Class 240, with each unit costing 32 million Norwegian krone (NOK). The first units were delivered in March 1996, one year after schedule, but were plagued with faults. By 1999, the entire order was terminated and the locomotives returned to Germany. They were taken over by locomotive lessor Dispolok and were used by various Germany railway companies. Ownership was taken over by Vossloh in 2003, after which most of the class were leased to German passenger train operator Nord-Ostsee-Bahn. In 2008, three units returned to Norway and are used by Cargolink for freight trains. (Full article...)
• 

  

  Astri Aasen in 1932

  
  Astri Aasen (3 September 1875 – 10 October 1935) was a Norwegian painter. She spent most of her life in the city of Trondheim, and in the early 20th century, was taught to paint by Harriet Backer in Oslo. She created a series of portraits of those who attended the first Sámi assembly in 1917. The portraits were acquired by the Sámediggi (Sámi parliament) in the late 20th century, where they remain as of 2021. Following her death, a scholarship for young artists was created by her family. (Full article...)
• 

  

  SL95 tram and MX3000 Metro train meet at Forskningsparken

  
  The history of the Oslo Tramway and Oslo Metro in Oslo (Kristiania until 1925), Norway, starts in 1875, when Kristiania Sporveisselskab (KSS) opened two horsecar lines through the city centre. In 1894, Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei (KES) built the first electric street tramways, which ran west from the city centre. Within six years, all tramways were electric. The city council established Kristiania Kommunale Sporveie (KKS) in 1899, which built three lines before it was sold to KSS six years later. Both KSS and KES were taken over by the municipality in 1924, becoming Oslo Sporveier. The company gradually expanded the city tram network, which reached its peak length in 1939.
  
  The Holmenkollen Line was the first light rail line, which opened in 1898 and ran west of the city. Later light rail lines in the west were the Røa Line (opened in 1912), the Lilleaker Line (1919), the Sognsvann Line (1934) and the Kolsås Line (1942). From 1928, they ran to the city centre via the Common Tunnel. East of the city, the Ekeberg Line opened in 1917, followed by the Østensjø Line (opened in 1926) and the Lambertseter Line (1957). The light rail lines were built by three private companies, Holmenkolbanen, Ekebergbanen and Bærumsbanen. By 1975, all had been bought by Oslo Sporveier. (Full article...)
• 
  Tryvandshøiden (also Tryvannshøgda, Tryvann and Øvreseter) was a planned station on the Holmenkollen Line in Oslo, Norway. It was planned by the company Tryvandsbanen in the early 1910s and partly constructed in 1916 at the end of a single-tracked line from Frognerseteren. A red signalman's house named "Norden" was the station's only facility. Passenger trains never served the station, and the tracks from Frognerseteren to Tryvandshøiden were removed in 1939. The signalman's house was not demolished. In 1993, 2004 and 2008, proposals were made to re-open the station so that it would be more convenient for Oslo residents to use the Tryvann Ski Resort. However, these proposals were all rejected by the operator Oslo Sporveier on the grounds that the extension would be too expensive. (Full article...)
• 

  

  Skiers from Ull in 1908.

  
  
  Skiklubben Ull was a Norwegian Nordic skiing club based in Oslo. Founded in 1883, Skiklubben Ull attracted several skilled sportsmen who between 1883 and 1891 won six Ladies' Cups and one King's Cup in national skiing events. The sporting facilities belonging the club were located in Vestre Aker, with the ski jumping hill Ullbakken near Frognerseteren being opened in 1884. The prestigious Husebyrennet was staged there once. Members of SK Ull were later instrumental in moving this prestigious contest to the hill Holmenkollbakken.
  
  Club members also held important positions in the general administration of skiing in Norway. The first Ull chairman Johan Bechholm was also the first secretary of the Association for the Promotion of Skiing; Karl Roll became the first chairman of the Norwegian Ski Federation, Hjalmar Krag became chairman in the Confederation of Sports and Fritz R. Huitfeldt was a pioneer in several respects. (Full article...)
• 

  

  
  Widerøe Flight 839, also known as the Værøy Accident (Norwegian: Værøy-ulykken), was a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter that crashed shortly after take-off from Værøy Airport in Norway. The incident occurred on 12 April 1990 at 14:44, killing all five people on board. The cause of the accident were strong winds that exceeded the structure's tolerance, causing the tail rudder and tailplane to crack so the plane became uncontrollable. Impact occurred 63 seconds after take-off and 8 seconds after the crack. The aircraft crashed into the water, and a search was conducted for several days to find the wreck.
  
  Uneven and strong winds had given the airport low regularity, and prior to take-off, wind speeds of 57 knots (29 m/s; 106 km/h) had been recorded. The accident caused the airport to be permanently closed, and replaced by Værøy Heliport. The incident was investigated by the Accident Investigation Board Norway, which published its conclusions in 1991. Three years later, a new investigation was conducted, after an engineer had stated that the cause of the accident could instead have been fatigue. The second investigation came to the same conclusion as the first and all involved parties have since supported the causes made in the initial report. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Marit Larsen (left) and Marion Raven (right)

  
  M2M were a Norwegian pop duo comprising Marit Larsen and Marion Raven. Larsen and Raven had been friends since the age of five, and formed a music duo when they were eight. They released a children's album in 1996 when Larsen was 12 and Raven was 11, under the name "Marit & Marion". The album was nominated for a Spellemannprisen award and the band changed their name to M2M after signing a record deal with Atlantic Records in 1998. M2M were frequently praised for writing most of their songs and performing their own instruments, something which was considered to set them aside from the majority of teen pop music artists.
  
  Their debut single, "Don't Say You Love Me" (1999), was both a critical and commercial success, and remained their biggest hit. Their debut album, Shades of Purple (2000), was critically acclaimed and sold over 1.5 million units worldwide. Despite critical acclaim, their second album, The Big Room (2001), did not perform as well commercially, and the duo broke up in 2002, with each pursuing a solo career. A greatest hits album, The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M (2003), was released after they disbanded. M2M sold over 2 million albums. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  The northern entrance during the late phase of construction, before overhead wire was installed

  
  The Jarlsberg Tunnel (Norwegian: Jarlsbergtunnelen) is a 1,750-meter (1.09 mi) long double track railway tunnel which runs through Frodeåsen in Tønsberg, Norway. Located on the Vestfold Line, the tunnel was built as part of the 7.8-kilometer (4.8 mi) double-track high-speed segment from Barkåker to Tønsberg. It is located just north of Tønsberg Station and runs between Frodegata and Tomsbakken. Most of the tunnel is blasted, although 223 meters (732 ft) is in a concrete culvert. Planning of the tunnel started in the late 1990s. Several railway interest groups advised against building the isolated segment of upgraded track without a complete plan for upgrading the entire line. Construction started in April 2009 and the new section and the tunnel opened on 7 November 2011. It was the fourth segment of the Vestfold Line to be upgraded. (Full article...)
• 

  

  
  Værøy Airport (Norwegian: Værøy lufthavn; IATA: VRY, ICAO: ENVY) was a regional airport located just southwest of the village of Nordland on the island of Værøya in Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Operated between 1986 and 1990, it had an 800-by-30-meter (2,625 by 98 ft) asphalt runway aligned 07–25. The airport was owned and operated by the Værøy Municipality. It was served by Widerøe, who operated de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft to the town of Bodø and the nearby island of Røstlandet. After a fatal accident in 1990, the airport was shut down.
  
  Widerøe commenced seaplane operates to Værøy from 1965; five years later the first helicopter services were introduced. Planning of an airport started in the late 1960s, but unfavorable weather conditions prolonged finding a suitable location. The decision to build the airport was taken in 1984, construction began the following year and the airport opened on 1 June 1986. The fatal Widerøe Flight 839 accident took place on 12 April 1990, in which heavy wind caused structural failure of a Twin Otter. The airport has been closed since; helicopter services commenced in 1993 and Værøy Heliport opened in 1997. (Full article...)
• 
  Innherredsferja AS ("The Innherred Ferry") was a Norwegian ferry operator in the Trondheimsfjord in Nord-Trøndelag county. It operated the Levanger–Hokstad Ferry between the town of Levanger and the island of Ytterøya, and the Vangshylla–Kjerringvik Ferry between Inderøy and Mosvik. The company operated seven ferries through its history, and had up to three operating at any time, including one in reserve. Innherredsferja was based in Levanger.
  
  The company was founded in 1957, and started a service between Venneshamn, Kjerringvik, Vangshylla, Hokstad, and Levanger. The initial owners of the company were a mixture of municipalities, the county, and private individuals and companies. In 1964, the company's operations were split into two services, each with a single crossing. Following the opening of the Skarnsund Bridge in 1991, the Vangshylla–Kjerringvik Ferry was terminated. In 2005, the company was taken over by Fosen Trafikklag, after the state decided that the route would be subject to public service obligation. The company lost the bid to Nor-Ferjer, and operation ceased at the end of 2006. (Full article...)
• 
  Norsk Air was a Norwegian airline based at Sandefjord Airport, Torp. At its height from the mid-1980s and onwards it operated scheduled flights to Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Copenhagen, and for shorter periods also other Norwegian and international destinations. The airline had 156 employees and 150,000 annual passengers in 1989. The company was established as a sole proprietorship by Øyvind Skaunfelt as Vestfoldfly in 1961, after purchasing Thor Solberg's aviation school at Tønsberg Airport, Jarlsberg. In addition to an aviation college, the company operated various charter services using mostly Cessna aircraft. The company split into a flying school and an airline in 1972, with the latter taking the name Norsk Flytjeneste. Three 50-passenger Douglas DC-6 were subsequently bought and were among other places flown with aid charters to Bangladesh. Both the DC-6 and later charter flights with business jets proved unprofitable and were quickly terminated.
  
  The company turned to regular charter services to Bergen and Stavanger in the 1980s, and from 1984 served the routes with scheduled flights, using seven-passenger Beechcraft 200 King Air. In 1985 the company was converted to a limited company and bought by Kosmos. It subsequently acquired four 30-passenger Embraer EMB 120 Brasilias—as the second European airline. It introduced several new routes, including international flights to Denmark and the United Kingdom, and took the name Norsk Air. The company bought Norving's Skien Airport, Geiteryggen division in 1987 and started operations from a second base. Kosmos failed in 1988 and Norsk Air was eventually given for free to Widerøe in 1990. Skien operations were discontinued the following year and the airline changed name to Widerøe Norsk Air. It remained a subsidiary until being amalgamated in 1996. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Ødegaard with Arsenal in 2022

  
  Martin Ødegaard (born 17 December 1998) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains both Premier League club Arsenal and the Norway national team. Considered one of the best midfielders in the world, he is known for his technique, dribbling ability, vision and range of passing.
  
  Ødegaard began his senior club career at age 15 in 2014, playing for Strømsgodset; he set the Tippeligaen record for its youngest goalscorer, and in 2015, signed for Real Madrid in a transfer worth an initial €4 million (Kr. 35 million), where he set the club record for its youngest player. After enduring sporadic playing time, Ødegaard joined Eredivisie clubs Heerenveen and Vitesse, and La Liga club Real Sociedad, on successive loans between 2017 and 2019; Ødegaard won the Copa del Rey with Real Sociedad in 2019. Following another loan, he signed for Arsenal in 2021 in a transfer worth an initial £30 million (€35 million). After a successful first full season with Arsenal, he was announced as the club's captain in 2022. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Sigyn Viking, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 seen in 2013, 19 years after the hijacking

  
  Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 347 was a scheduled domestic flight which, on 3 November 1994, was hijacked shortly after take-off. The flight, from Bardufoss Airport via Bodø Airport to Oslo Airport, Fornebu in Norway, was operated by a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 belonging to Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). The hijacker was Haris Keč, a Bosnian living in Norway, who made demands that Norwegian authorities help to stop the humanitarian suffering in his home country caused by the Bosnian War. No one was injured in the incident.
  
  Keč hijacked the aircraft with 122 passengers and a crew of six in mid-air after leaving Bardufoss. The aircraft landed as scheduled at Bodø, where all women, children and seniors were let off, along with two of the cabin crew. The aircraft then departed Bodø with 77 passengers and a crew of four. It was diverted to Gardermoen, where Keč made his demands. He surrendered at about 21:00, seven hours after take-off from Bardufoss, after some of his demands had been met. He was sentenced to four years prison for the incident. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Grünerhallen in March 2010

  
  Dælenenga idrettspark is a sports facility located at Grünerløkka in Oslo, Norway. It consists of an artificial turf football pitch, a club house and an indoor ice rink—Grünerhallen. The facilities are owned by the Municipality of Oslo and used and operated by Grüner IL, the local sports club.
  
  The venue opened in 1916 and was originally used for football, athletics and speed skating. The club house was completed in 1928 and has since been used for martial arts. From 1929, a velodrome course was installed, which remained in use until 1940. During the 1930s, the venue was the main Oslo stadium for the Workers' Sports Federation (AIF). A speedway course was installed in 1947 and remained in use until 1968. The venue featured eight ice hockey matches and two bandy matches during the 1952 Winter Olympics. Artificial ice was laid in 1985 and the skating hall opened in 1995, two years before the artificial turf was laid. (Full article...)
• 

  

  
  Iore, often stylized IORE, is a class of 34 electric locomotives built by Adtranz and its successor Bombardier Transportation for the Swedish mining company LKAB's railway division Malmtrafik. The class is a variation of Adtranz's Octeon modular product platform, thus related to Bombardier's later TRAXX platform. The locomotives are considered to be one of the most powerful locomotives and haul iron ore freight trains on the Iron Ore Line and Ofoten Line in Sweden and Norway, respectively. The 8,600-tonne (8,500-long-ton; 9,500-short-ton) 68-car trains are hauled by two single-ended Co′Co′ locomotives, each with a power output of 5,400 kW (7,200 hp). Each operates with 600 kilonewtons (130,000 pounds-force) tractive effort and has a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). Delivery of the first series of 18 locomotives was made from 2000 to 2004, and they replaced some of the aging Dm3 and El 15 units. In 2007, eight more vehicles (4 double units) were ordered, with production to be completed by 2011, by which time, another four double units were ordered. These units were scheduled to be delivered from 2013 to 2014. (Full article...)
• 
  
  

  

  Class 71 train exiting the Oslo Tunnel at Oslo Central Station

  
  The Oslo Tunnel (Norwegian: Oslotunnelen) is a 3,632-metre (2.257 mi), double-track, railway tunnel which runs between Olav Kyrres plass and Oslo Central Station (Oslo S) in Oslo, Norway. The tunnel constitutes the easternmost section of the Drammen Line and runs below the central business district of Oslo. It features the four-track Nationaltheatret Station, Norway's second-busiest railway station, where the Oslo Tunnels lies directly beneath the Common Tunnel of the Oslo Metro. At Frogner, the Elisenberg Station was built, but has never been used. The tunnel is the busiest section of railway line in Norway and serves all west-bound trains from Oslo, including many services of the Oslo Commuter Rail and the Airport Express Train.
  
  Traditionally, Oslo had two stations, the larger Oslo East Station (or Oslo Ø, located at the spot of the current Oslo S) and Oslo West Station (Oslo V), which served the Drammen Line. This caused a physical barrier between the two parts of the railway network, only connected by the Oslo Port Line which ran partly in city streets. Formal planning of a central station and a tunnel connecting the Drammen Line to Oslo Ø started in 1938, and the final plans were approved in 1968. The Oslo Tunnel opened on 1 June 1980, and made it possible to close Oslo V in 1989. Nationaltheatret saw a major upgrade in 1999, when it was expanded to four tracks, and from 2008 to 2010, the tunnel saw a major technical upgrade. There are plans to build a second tunnel to increase train capacity west of Oslo. (Full article...)

Selected biography –

Florence Jaffray Harriman (July 21, 1870 – August 31, 1967) was an American socialite, suffragist, social reformer, organizer, and later, a courageous diplomat. In 1937, Harriman was appointed as the United States' Minister to Norway. (Her precise title was "Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary" for Norway.) In 1940, Germany invaded Norway with little warning, causing Minister Harriman and the rest of the American legation in Norway to join certain members of the Norwegian royal family and other refugees seeking protection hundreds of kilometers away in Sweden. Harriman is credited with arranging for the safety of other Americans and several members of the Norwegian royal family – Crown Princess Märtha and her children Ragnhild, Astrid and Harald. She returned to the Nordic countries to complete the evacuation of current and future U.S. citizens through Finland on the United States Army transport USAT American Legion in August 1940. Her service in Norway, and the harrowing escape, became the subject of her next book, Mission to the North, published in 1941. In her ninety-second year, U.S. President John F. Kennedy honored her by awarding her the first "Citation of Merit for Distinguished Service." (Full article...)

Did you know –

• ...that 19th-century politician Søren Jaabæk (pictured) is the longest-serving member of parliament in the history of Norway?
• ...that Guri Hjeltnes, though a professor of journalism, has mainly concentrated on Norwegian World War II history during her academic career?
• ...that Henrik Anker Bjerregaard wrote Norway's first national anthem?

Selected quote –

Categories

Category puzzle

Select [►] to view subcategories

Norway

Norway-related lists

Buildings and structures in Norway

Culture of Norway

Economy of Norway

Education in Norway

Environment of Norway

Geography of Norway

Government of Norway

Health in Norway

History of Norway

Organisations based in Norway

Norwegian people

Politics of Norway

Society of Norway

Images of Norway

Norway stubs

Selected panorama

Oslo, Norway

Oslo is the capital and largest city of Norway. It is also a municipality and a county of its own. It is the third-largest Scandinavian city, after Stockholm and Copenhagen, and it forms the third-largest urban area in the region, after Copenhagen and Stockholm. (Full article...)

Main topics

Norway

Counties: • Agder • Innlandet • Møre og Romsdal • Nordland • Oslo • Rogaland • Troms og Finnmark • Trøndelag • Vestfold og Telemark • Vestland • Viken (county)

Culture: Bunad • Constitution Day • Cuisine • Farm culture • Jul • Literature • Music • Cinema

History: Ancient Norwegian property laws • Nordic Stone Age • Nordic Bronze Age • Komsa • Fosna-Hensbacka culture • Funnelbeaker culture • Hamburg culture • Nøstvet and Lihult cultures • Maglemosian culture • Viking Age • Harald I of Norway • Olav IV of Norway • Haakon I of Norway • Olaf I of Norway • Olaf II of Norway • Battle of Stiklestad • Canute the Great • Magnus I of Norway • Harald III of Norway • Battle of Stamford Bridge • Magnus III of Norway • Sigurd I of Norway • Magnus V of Norway • Sverre of Norway • Haakon IV of Norway • Magnus VI of Norway • Eric II of Norway • Kalmar Union • Denmark–Norway • Union between Sweden and Norway • Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905 • Haakon VII of Norway • Olav V of Norway • Harald V of Norway • Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany • Norwegian Campaign • Norwegian resistance movement • Legal purge in Norway after World War II • Foreign relations of Norway • Military of Norway • Norway and the European Union

Language: Å • Æ • Ø • Bokmål • Det Norske Akademi for Sprog og Litteratur • Differences between Norwegian Bokmål and Standard Danish • Høgnorsk • Nordic Council • Nordic Language Convention • Noregs Mållag • Norsk Ordbok • North Germanic languages • Norwegian alphabet • Norwegian dialects • Norwegian Language Council • Norwegian language conflict • Norwegian phonology • Nynorsk • Old Norse • Riksmålsforbundet • Russenorsk

Politics: Constitution • Counties (Fylker) • Elections • European Union relations • Foreign relations • Government • Monarchy • Municipalities (Kommuner) • Political parties • Prime Minister • Romantic nationalism • Sámi Parliament • Storting

Featured and Good content