Norway – the richest country in the world

Although, in fact, the nation’s wealth is not determined only by the figures of GDP, so it is understandable why in the rating Legatum Prosperity Index 2010 on the first positions, are not the rich countries with major economic powers in the world: in fact, at first place is Norway, the second – Denmark, and third Finland.

The index calculates not only the wealth, the number of gross domestic product in the state, but also the standards of living of its citizens, freedom and business opportunities, the high-grade of schooling, furthermore  the level of freedom and health. So it's not just an arithmetic calculation to determine which the wealth and who earns more money, but the system takes into consideration a diversity of indicators that give a picture of a more complex (and more realistic) country in the global issue.

Kingdom of Norway is formed from the western and northern parts of Scandinavia and in the territories to the north, as Jan Mayen, Svalbard Islands, and the territories of the Southern Hemisphere: Bouvet Island, Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land. The sixth largest in Europe by land, Norway is sparsely peopled and only reaches the twenty-eighth position in Europe in terms of inhabitation. The longitude of the main coast of Norway, including fjords and bays is more than twenty thousand km.

Norway is almost entirely mountainous; the banks are high and rocky, and withstand continuous archipelago (including the Lofoten and Vesteralen).

Fjords are the most memorable scene in the Norwegian landscape. The main among of them is Sognefjord, crashing into the Scandinavian Alps for 220 km; mountains are not very high, between 2000 and 2500 m.

Plain apply only to the south-east and in the broad valleys; they were formed by glaciers, which cover about 5,000 square kilometers of the country; the same fjords are nothing more than the ancient glacial valley flooded by the sea.

Norwegian rivers are short and impulsive, interrupted by frequent falls, and therefore well suited for the production of electricity; the most important river is Glama (580 km). There are also many lakes of glacial origin, with a few extensions and elongated.

Norway's population belongs almost entirely to the German and Scandinavian roots and northern ethnic minorities also live Lapps (20.000) and Finns (12000).

There are two official languages: riksmal similar to Danish and Nynorsk, neo Norwegian, which tends to join the two languages.

The average population density is very low, because of the difficult environmental conditions; settlements are concentrated along the shore and in the south. Norwegian society is very progressive and has an effective social structures and the excellent organization of health care; among other things, the per capita income is among the highest in Europe, and the unemployment rate is very low. Just minor + Norwegian territories are effective for agriculture and forestry, but here is abundant of indigenous stocks, including oil, natural gas, and various kinds of minerals, fish, timber and hydropower.  It is also associated with its proximity to major markets of Western Europe, easy access to energy resources, to the extensive industrialization, political stability and a high level of education.

From a standpoint of history, the smaller kingdoms of Norway were united into a single kingdom in 885 BC Christianity was introduced about 1000 year. After 1319, Norwey lost its self-sufficiency in 1380 and became part of the union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Denmark ceded Norway to Sweden consequently of peace treaty of Kiel. The Norwegians, however, wanting to be independent, have developed and adopted a constitution, which is still in force. Sweden had left for Norway the right to have its own constitution in exchange for the staying under a Swedish king. Union with Sweden officially was terminated in 1905, although Norway most of that time acted as an independent state.