POSITION
Norway stretches from north to south along the western edge of the Scandinavian peninsula and is the northernmost country in Europe. To the west it is bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, which here takes the name of the Norwegian Sea. To the north it overlooks the Arctic Ocean. To the east it borders Sweden, Finland and Russia. To the south it is bathed by the Skagerrak, a section of the North Sea between Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Norway has an area of 385 199 km2. Its territory is almost completely mountainous except in the southern part; it is crossed from north-east to south-west by the Scandinavian Alps: their length is over 1600 km, the highest peak is the Galdhøpiggen (2469 m).
A large area, over 5000 km2, is covered with glaciers.
The lakes, all of glacial origin, are very numerous but small. The rivers, which flow into the southern part and flow into the Skagerrak, are not very long: the longest is the Glomma with 600 km. The continental coasts extend for more than 25,000 km, are very indented, deeply engraved by numerous fjords (creeks produced in the past by glacial erosion); the longest is the Sognefjorden, which is more than 200 km long.
Norway includes the Svalbard Islands with an area of 61,000 km2 in the Arctic Ocean, the Lofoten Islands in the Norwegian Sea and many other smaller islands.
CLIMATE
Norway, despite being the northernmost country in Europe, has a particularly mild climate: this is due to the influence of the warm Gulf Stream along the Norwegian coast, making sure the sea waters never freeze. Rainfall in the eastern part of the country are scarce, as the Scandinavian Alps prevent the passage of wet air from the Atlantic. On the western side of the Scandinavian Alps, however, precipitation are heavy.
