Day 10 - Fun facts!

Hi everyone! Sorry for today's blog which is pretty rushed....it's actually copy and paste. I am actually going to a brass band concert in about hour because it's an hour drive away. So i apologize, but you will learn some new things hopefully with this information from (http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-norway-1486.html).

I will post pictures and hopefully videos up tomorrow about the concert! Hadet!

* The official name of Norway is 'Kingdom of Norway'.
* Norway follows the system of Constitutional monarchy and Parliamentary democracy.
* Norway is situated in Northern Europe.
* Norway comprises of western and northern parts of the Scandinavian peninsula and the northern territories of Jan Mayen and the Svalbard archipelago, along with Bouvet Island, Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land in the southern hemisphere.
* The official language of Norway is Norwegian (Bokmal and Nynorsk). However, in some districts, Sámi is also an official language.
* Norway has an official Protestant State Church, based on the Evangelical-Lutheran religion.
* Norway is the sixth largest country of Europe, in terms of land mass. However, in terms of population, it ranks only 28th.
* Norway is one of the members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.
* The coastline of Norway, including fjords and bays, stretches over 20,000 kilometers.
* As per historical accounts, the small kingdoms of Norway were united into a single state around 885 AD, by Harald the Fairhaired, a Viking King.
* It is believed that the name Norway means “Path to the North”.
* The highest mountain in Norway is Galdhopiggen (2,469 m). The largest lake in the country is Mjosa.
* The Jostedalsbreen, in Norway, is the largest glacier in Northern Europe.
* Pagan Gods, like Odin and Thor, were worshipped in Norway before it converted to Christianity, in 995.
* Plague (Black Death) killed over a third of the population of Norway in the mid-14th century.
* Hundreds of thousands of Norwegians migrated to USA in the 19th century.
* The Christmas tree, which stands in Trafalgar Square in London, has been presented by ‘City of Oslo’ to the UK, for over fifty years.
* The per capita income of Norway ranks among the highest in the world.
* Norwegian Constitution was signed on 17th May, 1814. The day is celebrated as a national holiday in the country.
* As per Encyclopedia Britannica, Norwegians read more than any other population in the world.
* Norway is counted amongst the wealthiest countries of the world.
* Norway was rated the most peaceful country in the world, in a survey conducted by Global Peace Index in 2007.