Norway is known for its unique culture, beautiful landscapes, interesting people and rich history. Norway also went from being one of the poorest countries to one of the richest countries in 1959 due to its large quantities of oil. Norway is located in Scandinavia and is north of Denmark and west of Sweden and has 323,802 square kilometers of territory with 25,148 km of coastline. The capital is Oslo, located on the southern coast of the country. The national languages ​​are Norwegian Bokmal and Norwegian Nynorsk, although English is widely spoken (CIA World Factbook, 2014). Of all the Scandinavian countries, Norway is the most mountainous and has one of the coldest environments. Two thirds of Norway's territory is covered by very high mountains and is generally very rainy. In the north, Norway has mainly glaciers and large areas of tundra. The coastline is indented with fjords (bay-like areas of water) and more than 50,000 islands surround the coast. The climate is temperate on the coast, but it is much colder in the interior. Norway has numerous oil and natural gas deposits in the northern tundra regions. Some of their other natural resources are iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber and hydropower (CIA World Factbook, 2014). Norway has a very strong economy due to its large oil deposits in the northern areas. Due to the harsh temperatures and very mountainous areas, Norway does not have much agriculture. They grow barley, wheat and potatoes and raise livestock for pork, beef, veal and milk. However, Norway has a very large fishing industry due to the many islands surrounding it. What Norway lacks in agriculture it makes up for in manufacturing and industry. The main...... middle of paper ...... these islands and their culture are very different from those of the other 50,000 islands. A particular island is called Svalbard. Svalbard is the closest island to the Arctic Circle, so it is home to many glaciers and polar bears. There are actually more polar bears than people up there! There are also many mountains in the interior of Norway. These mountains are great places for skiing, long hikes, and even viewing the Northern Lights. Many small villages are nestled in the mountains and along the coasts. These villages allow tourists to buy small souvenirs and get a glimpse of the rural culture very predominant in Norway. From the early Vikings to modern Norwegians who fought for independence, Norway's struggles and triumphs have shaped the culture and people into the fair, kind, and just people they are today (Lonely Planet, 2014).