From Norse warriors to Vidkun Quisling, Norway’s history has enough twists and turns to fill a Viking epic. Early Norse civilization bore cultural fruit in the shape of Viking epics such as Beowulf, while the ferocity of Viking warriors is still remembered coastal areas of the UK and Iceland today. The age of the Vikings came to an end with the advent of Christianity and the death of King Harald Hardrada in the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 but their legacy lives on, with the Viking period remaining one of the best-known in Norwegian history.
The years between 1200 and 1905 saw Norway lose its sovereignty, first to Denmark and then to Sweden, after it was handed to Stockholm in 1816 -Denmark was forced to concede it as a result of being on the losing side in the Napoleonic wars. After much wrangling, Norway finally gained independence in 1905 after a referendum recognised by Sweden. But its newly won autonomy wasn’t to last and the Germans invaded in 1940, installing a puppet government led by Vidkun Quisling whose name was to become a by-word for traitor. Norway regained its independence as a constitutional monarchy after the Nazis were defeated in 1945.
The most divisive issue in contemporary Norwegian politics has been the country's relationship with the rest of Europe. Norwegians are fiercely protective of their independence and concerns about the effect of European Union membership on the country's major industries have meant that the electorate has consistently voted in national referendums (1994 and 1998) to stay outside the EU. Norway did join the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), the bloc representing most of the European nations which are not members of the EU.
Further afield, the Norwegians have established a considerable reputation for handling delicate conflict negotiations. The best known of these initiatives was the role which they played in hosting and mediating the negotiations leading up to the 1994 Israeli-Palestinian peace accord one of the major foreign policy coups of recent times.
Its post-war governments have alternated between conservative and Labour-led coalitions with the most recent elections producing a majority ‘red-green’ coalition headed up by Labour leader, Jens Stoltenberg. Usually a peaceful and stable country, July 2011 saw twin attacks on Stoltenberg’s offices in Oslo and the Labour party youth camp at Utøya Island, resulting in Norway’s largest loss of life since WWII.
According to 2010 figures, 79.2% of Norwegians belong to the Church of Norway – an Evangelical-Lutheran denomination. Another 4% belong to other Christian denominations such as Catholicism and 10% have no religious beliefs at all. Of the remaining 9%, the largest group are Muslims, followed by Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism, all of which account for less than 1% of the population.
Social conventions:Normal courtesies should be observed and follow similar lines to those of other European countries, with a few regional exceptions, for example, guests refraining from drinking until the host has toasted their health. Hosts and hostesses often expect an invited guest to offer small gifts on arrival for a meal. Punctuality is expected if invited out for dinner. Lunch, generally a light open sandwich snack known as a matpakke, takes place between 11.30am and 12pm, while dinner is very early - around 5pm. Punctuality is expected if invited out for dinner.
Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk)is the official language but Northern Sami, Lule Sami, Kven and Southern Sami are also recognised. English is widely spoken throughout Norway as are Swedish and Danish.
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