Norway is an independent state in Northern Europe, and a member of the United Nations. Its full official name is Kingdom of Norway. Its seat of government is Oslo.
It is home to roughly 5.6 million people, placing it 119th of 250 by population — between Liberia above it and Slovakia below. Among the 16 entries in Northern Europe it ranks 3rd by area and 5th by population.
It covers 323,802 km², which ranks it 70th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Malaysia and just ahead of Ivory Coast. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Vietnam.
The lie of the land
Plotted on a globe it falls at 62.0° north, 10.0° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 6,902 km from the equator, in what geographers would call high-latitude latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Russia and Canada — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It borders 3 neighbours: Finland, Sweden and Russia. The largest of them by area is Russia, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 159.7 million people.
It has both a coastline and land borders, which is the most common arrangement of all.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
How crowded Norway is, and what is spoken there
Population divided by land area gives roughly 17 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
Officially it is multilingual, listing Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Sami. Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Sami are listed for no other entry in this dataset, which makes them effectively unique to Norway.
Someone from Norway is a Norwegian.
Against Europe as a whole it is the 24th most populous of 53 entries, and it accounts for 5.1% of everyone living in Northern Europe.
Useful reference details
The currency is the Norwegian krone (kr, NOK). It is issued for Norway alone.
Its internet country code is .no. Calls from overseas start with +47. Standard country codes: no and NOR.
Oslo is the city to remember for this country.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Norway shares borders with 3 countries:
Fun facts about Norway
- Its full official name is Kingdom of Norway.
- Websites based there use the .no domain.
- Russia and Canada sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
- People from Norway are known as Norwegians.
- Within Northern Europe it is the 3rd largest of 16.
- Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Sami are listed as official languages for no other entry in this dataset.
Norway — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Norway?
- The capital of Norway is Oslo.
- What currency does Norway use?
- Norway uses the Norwegian krone, written kr (currency code NOK). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- What is the population of Norway?
- Norway has a population of about 5.6 million, which makes it the 119th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Liberia sits just above it and Slovakia just below.
- Where is Norway located?
- Norway is in Northern Europe, part of Europe. Its reference coordinates are 62.0° north and 10.0° east, roughly 6,902 km from the equator in high-latitude latitudes.
- Is Norway a country?
- Yes. Norway is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- How big is Norway?
- Norway covers 323,802 km², ranking 70th of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Vietnam.
- Which countries border Norway?
- Norway borders 3 countries: Finland, Sweden and Russia. Russia is the largest of them by area.
- What language is spoken in Norway?
- Norway lists 3 official languages: Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Sami. Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Sami do not appear as an official language anywhere else in this dataset.
