2. Norway seems the place to live and raise a family, if you can get used to the harsh weather. On 2014, in the so-called Prosperity Index, Norway was number 1 when it came to wealth and well-being. This is better than any campaign to convince people to move to Norway. All is not perfect, for the price of gas is the highest in the world. So there are surely pros and cons. 3. The place to be if you are a Norwegian writer. According to the laws when you publish a book it is checked by the Arts Council. If you pass this quality control then this institution purchases no less than 1000 copies (even more if it's a children's book) for Norwegian libraries. And yes, the author will receive royalties for the book. And in Norway books are exempted from the dreaded value-added tax. Reading is a very popular hobby, and Norwegians read and spend more on books than any other country in the world.
4. It's good to be a kid in Norway. Every year on the 17th of May the citizens of Norway celebrate Children's Day, and have been doing that since 1864 (that's a lot of time, so it must be quite a popular holiday). So on this day not only it is customary to eat as much ice cream as you want, but there are also events for children, parades and surely some presents from parents and grandparents.
5. It was in 2017 that Norway marked a world premier when it comes to radio. It became the very first country to turn off (for good) FM radio and chose to go fully digital. Surely, for the nostalgic listener it was somewhat of a drama, but other countries have since anounced that they will do the same.
6. There are over 450,000 lakes in Norway.
7. When it comes to the weirder side of life in 2008 in Norway Nils Olav was knighted. It is Colonel-in-Chief of the King's Guard and also it's mascot. It and not she or he for Sir Nils Olav is... a penguin. Actually the third to have this position, so he is Nils Olav III. And no, it is not a joke, nor a fake piece of information.
8. During the 13th century it was customary for the King of Norway, at that time King Haakon the Ivth to give polar bears as gifts to the rulers of other kingdoms. Surely even for a king it was a surprising gesture and unique present, especially at a time when many could not have imagined that such an animal even existed.
9. It is a little known fact that the beautiful Christmas tree that you can see each year in Trafalgar Square in London comes from Oslo. And it has been a tradition for several decades, since 1947, as gratitude for the fact the the UK supported and aided Norway during the dark years of the Second World War.
10. There is a town in Norway called... Hell. Also since 1990 Norway has opened a permanent research station in the Antarctic. It's name? Troll.
Photo: absfreepic.com,
