tic; one of most rugged and
longest coastlines in world; Norway and Turkey only NATO members
having a land boundary with Russia

People
------

Population: 4,383,807 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (male 434,848; female 411,668)
15-64 years: 65% (male 1,446,746; female 1,396,150)
65 years and over: 16% (male 288,789; female 405,606) (July 1996
est.)

Population growth rate: 0.48% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 11.96 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 10.68 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.53 years
male: 74.63 years
female: 80.61 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.63 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Norwegian(s)
adjective: Norwegian

Ethnic divisions: Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic), Lapps (Sami)
20,000

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 87.8% (state church), other
Protestant and Roman Catholic 3.8%, none 3.2%, unknown 5.2% (1980)

Languages: Norwegian (official)
note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1976 est.)
total population: 99%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government
----------

Name of country:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway
conventional short form: Norway
local long form: Kongeriket Norge
local short form: Norge

Data code: NO

Type of government: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Oslo

Administrative divisions: 19 provinces (fylker, singular - fylke);
Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More
og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold,
Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms,
Vest-Agder, Vestfold

Dependent areas: Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

Independence: 26 October 1905 (from Sweden)

National holiday: Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Constitution: 17 May 1814, modified in 1884

Legal system: mixture of customary law, civil law system, and
common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to
legislature when asked; accepts co