Norway is, by any standards, one of

the most beautiful countries on

earth, but that beauty brings with

it a responsibility that weighs heavily upon

Norwegians. For here is a people with an

enduring love for the natural world that is

profoundly etched into the national char-

acter. In the past, this was expressed in the

Norwegian tradition of isolated farmsteads

that colonised the most secluded cor-

ners of the country’s wilderness. Increas-

ingly, however, the irrevo cable move-

ment of Norwegians towards the cities

– cities that are themselves places of great

beauty, such as Bergen, Trondheim, Stavan-

ger and Tromsø – has altered the relation-

ship between Norwegians and their natural

world. But one thing remains unaltered:

to paraphrase that great Norwegian son,

Henrik Ibsen, those who wish to under-

stand Norwegians, must first understand

Norway’s magnificent but severe natural

environment, for these are a people of the

land, perhaps more so than any other Eu-

ropeans.

Norway is a country at a crossroads, although given

Norway’s natural wonders and significant wealth, it’s a situation in which most countries in the world would love to find themselves.’

‘

Wilderness in Norway has

become more of a lei-

sure pursuit, an idea that

Norwegians embrace, escape to and

explore with great fervour. Nowhere is

this more evident than in the country’s

national parks – shining symbols of the

nation’s desire to protect the environ-

ment as much as they are showpieces

of Norway’s peerless landscapes and

otherworldly natural grace. At the same

time, Norwegians worry about their

impact upon the environment, over the

consequences of global warming for

the country’s glaciers and Arctic eco-

systems, and about Norway’s contribu-

tions to this decline and the decline of

wilderness the world over due to their

massive oil reserves and exports.

‘Norway’s peerless landscapes and

otherworldly natural

‘Alta in the country’s far north receives less rain than the

Sahara!’

Although Norway

covers the same

latitude range

as Alaska (and much fur-

ther north when you in-

clude Svalbard), most of

the country enjoys a sur-

prisingly temperate cli-

mate. For this you can

thank the Gulf Stream,

which flows north along

the coast. Average maxi-

mum temperatures for

July hover around 16°C in

the south (although they

can be double that) and

around 13°C in the north.

In January, the average

maximum temperature is

1°C and -3°C respectively.

Bergen, on the southwest

coast, is the wettest city,

with 2250mm of annual

precipitation, while Ron-

dane and Gudbrands-

dal, protected by coastal

mountain ranges from the

moisture-laden prevailing

southwesterly winds, are

among the driest districts

of Norway, with less than

500mm of precipitation

annually. Alta in the coun-

try’s far north receives less

rain than the Sahara!

Extreme temperatures are

possible even in the Arc-

tic region. In July 1998,

even Narvik rose above

30°C and Svalbard posi-

tively soared to over 20°C

a month later. At the other

end of the scale, winter

temperatures can plum-

met (in January 1999, the

temperature in Kirkenes

dropped to a chilly -56°C)

and snow up to 10m deep

can accumulate in the

mountains; a mere 2m to

3m is more usual in the

lower areas.

‘Norway may have become the epitome of a modern, peaceful country, but its

history is soaked in blood.’

Oil

gas

and

ext

raction

Manuf

avtu

ring

Other

Road

traffic

Motor

equipm

ent

Pollution and Emissions.

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