5 Interesting Facts About Arctic Cathedral

Facts About Arctic Cathedral

Facts About Arctic Cathedral

  1. Arctic Cathedral also known as Tromsdalen Church, is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway.
  2. The modern concrete and metal church were built in a long church style in 1965 by the architect Jan Inge Hovig. The church seats about 600 people.
  3. The church was designed by the architect Jan Inge Hovig and is built mainly of concrete.
  4. The church acquired an organ built by Grönlunds Orgelbyggeri in 2005, with three manuals, pedal, 42 stops, and 2940 pipes. It replaced the old opus nr. 12 organ delivered by Vestlandske Orgelverksted, Hareid, which had 22 voices and 124 keys.
  5. The fantastic glass mosaic on the eastern side was added in 1972. The glass mosaic is one of artist Victor Sparre’s most prominent works.
Facts About Arctic Cathedral
Facts About Arctic Cathedral

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50 Informative Facts About Norway

Norway Facts

Facts About Norway

  1. Norway has two official names: Norge in Bokmål and Noreg in Nynorsk. The English name Norway comes from the Old English word Norþweg mentioned in 880, meaning “northern way” or “way leading to the north”, which is how the Anglo-Saxons referred to the coastline of Atlantic Norway similar to the scientific consensus about the origin of the Norwegian language name. The Anglo-Saxons of Britain also referred to the kingdom of Norway in 880 as Norðmanna land.
  2. Norway has a total area of 385,207 square kilometers.
  3. The Population of Norway is 5.368 million, as of 2020.
  4. Norway has the fourth-highest per-capita income in the world on the World Bank and IMF lists.
  5. Norway ranked first on the World Happiness Report for 2017 and currently ranks first on the OECD Better Life Index, the Index of Public Integrity, and the Democracy Index.
  6. Norway is also the world’s second-largest exporter of fish, in value. 
  7. Hydroelectric plants generate roughly 98–99% of Norway’s electric power, more than any other country in the world.
  8. Norway borders three countries: Finland, Sweden, and Russia. The longest border is shared with Sweden.
  9. Norway’s highest mountain is called Galdhoppigen and is 2,469 m/8,100 ft high.
  10. The largest lake in Norway is Lake Mjøsa.
  11. In Norway, life expectancy rates are one of the highest in the world.
  12. The biggest fjord in Norway is Sognefjord. This fjord is often referred to as the ‘King of Fjords’.
  13. Norway’s flag is red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the ends of the flag.
  14. The cheese slicer was invented in Norway in 1925 by Thor Bjørklund.
  15. The official Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square in London has come from Norway every year since 1946.
  16. Norway is the world’s largest exporter of salmon.
  17. Since 2008, same-sex marriage is allowed in Norway.
  18. “Allemannsretten” is a term that says that every man and woman in Norway has the right of public access.
  19. The Norwegians founded Dublin, Ireland, in A.D. 836.d
  20. Norway’s Hardangervidda Plateau is the biggest mountain plateau in Europe and home to the continent’s largest herd of wild reindeer.
  21. In 1990, Norway established a permanent research station, named Troll, in the Antarctic.
  22. Between 1380 and 1418, Norway and Denmark were a union. And between 1814 and 1905, Norway and Sweden formed an alliance.
  23. In January 1993, Norway’s Erling Kagge became the first man to go alone and entirely unaided to the South Pole.
  24. Norway has won more medals in the Winter Olympics than any other country, with 332 to date since the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924.
  25. Norwegian King Olav V won an Olympic gold medal in sailing in 1928 and was an active sailor all his life.
  26. The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is the world’s oldest, established as early as 1872.
  27. Norway introduced Salmon Sushi to Japan in the 80s.
  28. Norway and Svalbard islands have 1190 fjords collectively.
  29. Norwegians are avid readers. They spend more time reading than any other country in the world.
  30. The office Language of Norway is Norwegian, however, More than 86% of the Norwegians make use of the English language for communication.
  31. The country does not have any official religion.
  32. The World’s Sixth tallest Waterfall is located in Norway, Vinnufossen which is 860 m in height.
  33. The country also has the largest glacier in mainland Europe – Jostedalsbreen, at 487 square kilometers.
  34. Hornindalsvatnet in Central Norway is Norway’s and Europe’s deepest lake – 514 m.
  35. Eiksund is the deepest undersea tunnel in Norway. It is a 7776 m long subsea tunnel on the north-west coast of Norway.
  36. There are 25 national parks on Norway mainland.
  37. There are almost 300 mountain peaks that are above 2,000 meters.
  38. Roald Dahl, the English author of Norwegian descent-based his «Charlie and the Chocolate Factory» on the Freia chocolate factory in Oslo.
  39. Football has the highest participation level of any sport in Norway.
  40. The national day of Norway is officially called ‘Norwegian Constitution Day’. It is celebrated on May 17th to commemorate Norway’s constitution of 1814.
  41. Norway has obligatory military service. This lasts for 19 months and applies to men and women. It is the only European country to enforce national service on women and men.
  42. The Nobel peace prize is annually awarded in Oslo since 1901.
  43. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is currently worth around $1 trillion.
  44. In 2008, Norway knighted a Penguin – Sir Nils Olav
  45. In 1251, Henry III of England was given a polar bear by the King of Norway. He kept it in the Tower of London, on a long chain so that it could swim in the Thames.
  46. Cape Nordkinn in north Norway is the most northerly point of Continental Europe.
  47. Norway has one active volcano. It is called Beerenberg and is on the island of Jan Mayen.
  48. One of the world’s most iconic works of art, “The Scream,” was painted by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893.
  49. Norway was a founding member of the United Nations, NATO, and the European Free Trade Association. It is not a member of the European Union.
  50. Norway has the lowest reconviction rate (20%) of released prisoners in the world.
Norway Facts
Facts About Norway
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10 Informative Facts About Hamar

Facts About Hamar

Facts About Hamar

  1. The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway’s largest lake, and is the principal city of Hedmark county.
  2. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849. Vang was merged back into Hamar on 1 January 1992.
  3. Hamar is a town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken.
  4. The coat-of-arms shows a Black Grouse sitting at the top of a pine tree on a white background. It was first described in the anonymous Hamar Chronicle, written in 1553.
  5. The Hedmark Museum, located on Domkirkeodden, is an important historical landmark in Hamar, an outdoor museum with remains of the medieval church, in a protective glass housing, the episcopal fortress and a collection of old farmhouses.
  6. Hamar was the venue of three sports during the 1994 Winter Olympics, figure skating, short track, and speed skating.
  7. Hamar is twinned with: Lund, Skåne County, Sweden; Viborg, Region Midtjylland, Denmark; Dalvík, Iceland; Porvoo, Uusimaa, Finland; Fargo, North Dakota, United States; Karmiel, Northern District, Israel; Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany & Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, Palestinian territories.
  8. The modern town was rebuilt after 1848 and chartered in 1849. During the German invasion of Norway in World War II.
  9. Hamar, town, southeastern Norway. Hamar lies on the eastern shore of Lake Mjøsa.
  10. Hamar’s manufactures include heavy machinery, building materials, and leather goods.
Facts About Hamar
Facts About Hamar
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10 Informative Facts About Drammen

Facts About Drammen

Facts About Drammen

  1. Aass Brewery is the oldest surviving brewery in Norway and has won acclaim for both its beer and its well-conserved building. Founded in 1834.
  2. Drammen is currently divided into eight districts: Åssiden, Austad-Fjell, Bragernes, Gulskogen, Konnerud, Skoger, Strømsø-Danvik & Tangen-Åskollen.
  3. The municipality of Drammen was established on 1 January 1838.
  4. Drammen is twinned with: Kolding, Denmark; Lappeenranta, Finland; Burgas, Bulgaria; Stykkishólmur, Iceland & Örebro, Sweden.
  5. The Old Norse form of the city’s name was Drafn, and this was originally the name of the inner part of Drammensfjord. The fjord is, however, probably named after the river Drammenselva, and this again is derived from drǫfn f ‘wave’.
  6. Drammen is a city and municipality in the county of Buskerud, Norway.
  7. Drammen is the main city for car and fruit import in Norway.
  8. The population of Drammen is 64 776, as of 2019.
  9. The Drammen Spiral is a road tunnel that allows access to the Skansen Ridge, 180 m above the town. It opened in 1961 on the site of a former quarry.
  10. Bragernes Torg is the largest town square in Norway and one of the largest in the Nordics
Facts About Drammen
Facts About Drammen

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5 Informative Facts About Gudvangen

Facts About Gudvangen

Facts About Gudvangen

  1. Gudvangen is a village in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway.
  2. The European route E16 highway passes by the village.
  3. The Kjelfossen waterfall is located just to the southeast of the village.
  4. The name Gudvangen comes from the old farm name. The first element is ‘gud’ meaning a “heathen god”. The ‘vang’ word is still in use referring to the open space in front of a place of worship like Aurlandsvangen and Vossevangen. 
  5. In Gudvangen, there have been several places of worship since pre-Christian times.
Facts About Gudvangen
Facts About Gudvangen
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10 Informative Facts About Rondane National Park

Facts About Rondane National Park

Facts About Rondane National Park

  1. The Rondane National park was extended in 2003, and now covers an area of  372 sq miles. 
  2. Rondane is a typical high mountain area, with large plateaus and a total of ten peaks above 2,000 meters.
  3. The highest point is Rondeslottet at an altitude of 2,178 meters.
  4. Rondane was established as the first Norwegian National Park on 21 December 1962. It was first established as a nature protection area but was later named a national park.
  5. The Rondane National Park is home to one of the last refuges of the Wild Reindeer. 
  6. Rondane is the finite plural of the word rond. Several mountains in the area have the ending, and this is the finite singular of the same word. The word rond was probably originally the name of the long and narrow lake Rondvatnet and the mountains around were then named after this lake.
  7. Rondane contains a few small canyons which were created by the rapid ice melting, most prominently Jutulhogget and Vesle-Ula.
  8. The Rondane National Park is maintained by the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management.
  9. Ancient reindeer-trapping sites and burial mounds suggest that the area has been inhabited for thousands of years.
  10. The National Park has a range of Wildlife, which includes around 28 different Mammal Species and 124 bird species. 
Facts About Rondane National Park
Facts About Rondane National Park

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