Kingdom of Norway

Norway is a country in the north of Europe. It is the western part of the Scandinavian peninsula. The mainland of Norway is surrounded by a coast on the west side and borders Russia, Finland,and Sweden to the east. The coast touches the Oslofjord,Skagerrak, and the North Sea.

The Kingdom of Norway has been independent since 1905. Its head of state is now King Harald V. The national day is May 17, which celebrates Norway's constitution of 1814. The parliament is called Stortinget and its members are elected by the people every 4 years.

About 5 million people live in Norway. The capital, is the city of Oslo. It is also the largest city, with a population of over 942,000. Other major cities are Bergen with 251,000 people and Trondheim with 172,000; both have been the Norwegian capital in earlier years.