n: 17 May 1814, modified in 1884

Dependent areas: Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

Legal system: mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law
traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday: Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, State Council (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Storting or Stortinget)
with an Upper Chamber (Lagting) and a Lower Chamber (Odelsting)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Hoiesterett)

Leaders:
Chief of State--King OLAV V (since 21 September 1957); Heir Apparent
Crown Prince HARALD (born 21 February 1937);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Jan P. SYSE (since 16 October
1989)

Political parties and leaders: Labor, Gro Harlem Brundtland;
Conservative, Jan P. Syse; Center, Johan J. Jakobsen; Christian
People's, Kjell Magne Bondevik; Socialist Left, Eric Solheim; Norwegian
Communist, Hans I. Kleven; Progress, Carl I. Hagen; Liberal, Arne
Fjortoft; Finnmark List, leader NA

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections:
Parliament--last held on 11 September 1989 (next to be held
6 September 1993);
results--Labor 34.3%, Conservative 22.2%, Progress 13.0%, Socialist Left
10.1%, Christian People's 8.5%, Center 6.6%, Finnmark List 0.3%, others
5%;
seats--(165 total) Labor 63, Conservative 37, Progress 22, Socialist
Left 17, Christian People's 14, Center 11, Finnmark List 1

Communists: 15,500 est.; 5,500 Norwegian Communist Party (NKP); 10,000
Workers Communist Party Marxist-Leninist (AKP-ML, pro-Chinese)

Member of: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EFTA, ESA, FAO,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IEA (associate member),
IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU,
IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International
Wheat Council, NATO, Nordic Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WSG

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Kjeld VIBE; Chancery at
2720 34th Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-6000;
there are Norwegian Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles,
Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Miami and New
Orleans;
US--Ambassador Loret Miller RUPPE; Embassy at Drammensveien 18,
Oslo 2 (mailing address is APO New York 09085); telephone p47o
(2) 44-85-50

Flag: red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to t