Kongeriket Norge

Note: Amid declining popularity of the Norwegian Labor party and increasing calls for Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s resignation, a new cabinet was formed in advance of parliamentary elections in September 2013 (see Cabinet, below). A noteworthy addition to the Cabinet was Hadia Tajik, the new minister of culture, who is both the youngest and the first Muslim to serve in the Norwegian Cabinet.

Political Status: Constitutional monarchy established in 1905; under multiparty parliamentary system.

Area: 149,282 sq. mi. (386,641 sq. km), including Svalbard and Jan Mayen (see Related Territories).

Population: 5,183,085 (2012E—UN); 4,707,270 (2012E—U.S. Census).

Major Urban Centers (2005E): OSLO (528,000), Bergen (240,000), Trondheim (156,000), Stavanger (113,000).

Official Language: Norwegian.

Monetary Unit: Krone (official rate November 5, 2012: 5.72 kroner = $1US).

Sovereign: King HARALD V; succeeded to the ...