Norway

Norway is a country in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is bordered by Sweden, Finland, and Russia. To the west and south, Norway is bordered by the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea, and Skagerak. The Barents Sea washes on Norway's northern coasts. Norway also has 50,000 islands. The country's extensive coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean is home to its famous fjords. The rugged coastline, broken by massive fjords and thousands of islands, stretches over 2,500 km and over 83,000 km including the fjords and islands. Because of the gulfstream, the climate in Norway is noticeably warmer than what would otherwise be expected at such a high latitude. Almost half the length of Norway is north of the polar circle. In winter, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing and snowboarding are very popular. In summer, hiking and biking are obvious ways to enjoy the enormous mountain areas. For the adventurous, kayaking, white water rafting, paragliding, cave or glacier exploration are possible.