More about Norway

junio 02, 2018

More about Norway

CULTURE OF NORWAY

Norway, with its population of just over 5 million, is one of the three Scandinavian countries. It is ranked as one of the best countries to live in and has one of the lowest crime rates in the world

In recent years, Norway has repeatedly been ranked as ‘the best country to live in’ by the United Nations Human Development Report. This annual ranking is based largely on average levels of education and income, combined with life expectancy, but also factors such as human rights and cultural freedom. Norway is also rated high for its literacy rate, educational levels and material wealth. In addition, Norway has one of the best welfare systems in the world, making sure that people who are unemployed or unable to work are given support so that they can lead dignified lives. Norway also has one of the lowest crime rates in the world

Language

Norway is home to two official languages – Norwegian and Sami. Norwegian is by far the language spoken by most people.

Like Swedish, Danish and Icelandic, Norwegian is a Germanic language derived from Old Norse.There are, however, two ways of writing Norwegian – bokmål and nynorsk. This division of Norwegian has a historical explanation: Bokmål is based on written Danish, which was the official language of Norway for more than four hundred years (1380–1814). Nynorsk was created in the 1850s, and is a compilation and combination of mostly Western Norwegian regional dialects. If you have a good command of Norwegian you're not only able to communicate with Norwegians, but also with people in Sweden and Denmark. The languages of the three Scandinavian countries are similar and in most cases you can speak in Norwegian to Danes and Swedes, and also read text written in Swedish and Danish.

Nature, Weather and Climate

The spectacular nature of Norway is diverse, with forest-covered hills in the southeast and sublime fjords and glaciers in the west and the North. Your Study in Norway experience will thus never be a dull one.

In Northern Norway there is midnight sun in summer; summer is literally one long day and evening that never turns into night. In winter, the sun never rises above the horizon, though the sky is sometimes lit by northern lights.

Norwegians hold nature in high esteem. They love their nature, and are proud of it. Outdoor life is a fundamental part of Norwegian culture: they spend time in the mountains in spring, summer, autumn and winter. In summer they like to hike from cabin to cabin, and in winter we go skiing. Cabin life is, however, not restricted to the mountains; Norwegians also have cabins inland and along the fjords and coastline.

Sports and Activities

A Norwegian proverb claims that ’Norwegians are born with skis on their feet’. And Norway is undoubtedly a winter sports nation, with skiing in general and cross-country in particular as the most beloved sport.

Every winter hundreds of thousands of Norwegian are stuck in front of the telly, watching the Norwegian cross-country team make a clean sweep in the World Cup – if they are not out skiing themselves.

Don't leave Norway without trying…

Lefse

Norwegians love this sweetened variety of the traditional soft flatbread with a cup of coffee. It is slathered with a blend of butter, sugar and cinnamon, then meticulously folded or rolled and cut into portions so that it's easy to carry

Svele

Originating on the west coast, this batter-based cake has gained popularity throughout the country in the last 40 years. Unlike the American pancakes they resemble, svele is usually an afternoon treat with coffee, eaten warm from the pan

Klippfisk

Spanish fishermen came up with this way of preserving fish for the long journey back from the North Sea. Salted, dried and pressed cod is well known as the star of the Iberian dish bacalao and you can come across fine examples of that in Norway, too, particularly in the northern parts of the west coast

Salmon

Salmon seems to be ever-present in Norway, whether it’s presented smoked or cured with dill as gravlaks. This wonderfully buttery, fatty fish goes well with the chilly Norwegian weather, which is part of why it’s so ubiquitous in this part of the world.