Norway is also one of the first richest country in the world, with a GDP per capita placed just before the US and behind Luxembourg (CIA factsbook), and one of the most expensive country in the world.

GDP (2005): NOK 1 906 billion (EUR 243,3 billion)

GDP (per capita, 2006): $42,364.00 (2nd)

Currency: Norwegian kroner (NOK) 1 krone = 100 øre

As of Feb. 27th 2007

100.00 NOK = 16.3177 USD

100.00 USD = 612.830 NOK

Tipping, Taxes & Etiquette

Service charges and tips are included in restaurant bills and taxi fares and no additional gratuity is expected, but there's no problem if you wish to reward exceptional service with by rounding a bill up. There are no set rules to abide by. Most customers leave small change at bars and 5-10% at restaurants. Wait staff are often paid meager wages on the assumption that tips will boost their salaries, so think twice about leaving a bare table at meal's end. Taxi drivers also expect a small tip. Other service-personnel almost never gets a tip.

Shopping

Most towns and villages have a shop where typical Norwegian handicrafts are on sale. Silversmiths and potteries are numerous and worth visiting. Traditional items include furs, printed textiles, woven articles, knitwear, woodcarving, silver, enamel, pewter, glass and porcelain. Tax-free cheques can be obtained from any of the 2500 shops carrying the sticker ‘Tax free for tourists’. These shops save visitors 11 to 18 per cent of the price paid by residents. VAT (12 to 14% of net price) refunds are paid in cash at airports, ferries, cruise ships, and border crossings. Shopping hours generally run Mon-Wed and Fri 0900-1700/1800, Thurs 0900-2000, Sat 0900-1300/1500.

Recent history

The minority center-right coalition (Christian Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals), which took office after the last election in 2001, was led by Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, and lost the general election on 12 September 2005.

A new majority center-left "red-green" coalition made up of the Labor Party, Center Party and Socialist Left was formed on 17 October, led by Labor Party leader Jens Stoltenberg. Norway is a constitutional Monarchy with a unicameral 165-seat Parliament, the Storting, elected by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies for a four-year term. The Prime Minister is the supreme executive authority. The Monarch, currently King Harald V, is Head of State.

Language

Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk). Sami is spoken by the Sami (Inuit) population in the north. English is widely spoken.

Religion

Approximately 86 per cent Evangelical Lutherans; plus other Christian denominations. State Church: Church of Norway (Evangelical Lutheran).

Average life expectancy (2005)

Female: 82.5 years, male: 77.7 years

Electricity

220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are of the European round two-pin type.

Telephone

IDD is available. Country code: 47.

Mobile telephone/communication

Roaming agreements deal with many international mobile phone companies. Mobile phones cannot be bought easily and are quite inexpensive.

A prepaid Norway SIM card with an international cell phone is the most convenient and economical solution for staying in touch while you travel in Norway. All incoming calls while you travel in Norway are free, regardless of where they originate. A Norway SIM card provides service across Norway through domestic roaming. Pay the local rate for local calls and use a cellular phone in Norway like you do at home. And unlike home, your Norway SIM card and cell phone service is prepaid so there is no need for a contract.

Please Note that a Norway SIM Card will require a SIM-unlocked GSM 900 / 1800 compatible international cell phone. That is a tri-band... If you do not have your own international cell phone, you may buy one in Norway (US GSM providers – T Mobil and Cingular operate at 1900 Mhz) for that purpose. Check with your provider. You may buy a SIM card for about $25.00 in Norway or you can get on line at Travellerspoint.

The least expensive way are the Norwegian phone cards

There are also public phones located on almost all islands or,

you can let Thierry handle your e-mail (no my voice mail) or

you can use internet cafés and Skype if you have a username. If not get one before you go and open a small account as $5.00 goes a long way with Skype - as we will found some internet access on the islands or wait Rio to give your most important phone calls.

we would recommend a mix of all solutions above. Thierry's rate – counted in liters of rum - for special communication favors is rather high.

Internet

There are many Internet cafes throughout Norway and the Internet can also be accessed via public libraries.

Post

Hotel receptions, shops and kiosks selling postcards will sell stamps. Airmail within Europe takes two to four days.

Bank/Post office hours

These vary from place to place but are generally from Mon-Fri 0830-1600, Sat 0800-1300.

Media

Norway's public broadcaster, NRK, has had competition from private local and national stations since the heady days of monopoly. Press freedom is guaranteed by the constitution and public radio and TV broadcast without interference from the Government.

Press

Norwegians are among the world's keenest newspaper readers. The number of publications is impressive, given the country's small population. Most of the press is privately-owned and openly partisan. The national newspapers published in Oslo are Aftenposten, Dagbladet and Verdens Gang. There are no English-language newspapers although English newspapers are readily available (one day after publication in the UK).

Time: Norway Mainland: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Royal Norwegian Embassy in the USA

2720 34th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA

Tel: (202) 333 6000.

Website: www.norway.org

US embassy in Norway: Henrik Ibsens gate 48, 0244 Oslo, Norway - Tel (47) 22 44 85 50

Climate

Despite its northerly location, the climate in Norway is temperate, thanks to the warming effects of the Gulf Stream flowing along its coast. The interior highlands have an Arctic type of climate in winter with snow, strong winds and severe frosts, but during fine summer spells the temperatures can rise above 86°F (30°C) with long hours of sunshine. By contrast, the coastal areas have comparatively mild winter conditions. Gales, rain and cloud are likely along the west coast, particularly in winter, and the rainfall is frequent and heavy. The lowland area around Oslo is the driest and warmest part of the country in summer.

Visa and Health

All visitors to Norway must have sufficient funds, or return or onward tickets, and any documents necessary for further travel. The borderless region known as the Schengen area includes the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. All these countries issue a standard Schengen visa that allows the holder, in principal, to travel freely within the borders of all.

Americans: United States passport holders must have a passport valid for at least period of intended stay. No visa is required for stays of up to three months in any six-month period.

Health/Emergency

Travelers should seek local advice before eating certain types of fish from the lakes and fjords and mussels from along the coast. The standard of healthcare is high. A reciprocal agreement exists between Europe and Norway under which European nationals are covered for emergency treatment while visiting Norway as long as they hold a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Full medical and health facilities, top level hospitals every where.

For American citizens, check if you are covered with your insurance or credit card if you in Norway. If you are take your insurance card with you or any claim form that you may need.

If you are not covered, you may purchase medical insurance for Norway covering up to $500,000.00 of medical emergency expenses, luggage and trip cancellation insurance, medical, dental and pharmacy for a little more than $56.00 for 2 weeks at worldnomads. It’s well worth it.

No inoculations are necessary when arriving from the U.S. But consult with your health care provider before traveling. To prevent "Montezuma's Revenge," avoid tap water at the beginning of your trip, including raw fruits and vegetables washed with tap water. Your stomach may still become upset due to the change in diet. Bring anti-diarrhea medicine just in case.

For the latest overseas travel health information, call the Center for Disease Control's traveler's hotline at 404-332-4559. Or visit their web site at www.cdc.gov

Safety
Norway is a safe country in which to travel, however travelers should still take sensible precautions to avoid petty-theft.

About the Lofoten

Bring your foul weather gear, ski gloves, woolly hat and plenty of thermals,” has warned Herman the owner of the boats that we are going to charter. Although we will be there almost in summer, it seems a sound advice because we are heading well within the Arctic Circle, at more than 68°N.

We would be closer to the North Pole than Iceland and Alaska and several hundred miles north of the southern tip of Greenland. As a Norwegian Cruising Guide puts it: ‘There is a feeling of being on the edge of the world: at the frontier.’

I have been warned that strange things happen north of the Arctic Circle. Getting used to the land of the midnight sun is one of them. Another is that quite often a high pressure system establish itself as a buffer to lows tracking east further south. Therefore we might find ourselves under sunny cloudless skies and light winds in full day light for the entirety of this voyage. At times it feels like the Mediterranean in the Lofoten according to Herman in summer months.

Another possibility is mixed rain and winds from 10 to 35 KTS with an average temperature of 60-55 F in the shade.

Another interesting fact I gleaned from the pilot (Norwegian Cruising Guide, Armitage and Brackenbury, Adlard Coles Nautical) is that if you connected Norway’s mainland coastline, which runs from Sweden to Russia, with those of all its offshore islands it would stretch around the African continent four and three-quarter times.

I guess this is only one of the reasons why according Yachting World the Lofoten islands is one of the world’s most dramatic cruising grounds.

Wildlife, birds and whales

The "season" for Orca is generally from October to December, but we might encounter some of them. Sperm whales are also quick common, as are seals, otters and other marine mammals. We will go on site on one of their feeding grounds to try to watch this fantastic spectacle.

Lofoten has an abundant selection of birds. We will encounter birds from the forest, moors, highlands, sea and ocean, and many species which migrate past Lofoten every spring and autumn. The white-tailed eagle flourishes in Lofoten, and the area has one of the world's largest stocks. Most sea bird species are found in this region: razorbill, guillemot, cormorant, kittiwake and the characteristic puffin, just to mention a few. Especially the farthest islands of Værøy and Røst are renowned for their bird colonies and bird rocks. Hundreds of thousands of puffins and other sea birds can be heard and seen there, joining in a colorful orchestra.

Some of the highlights of the Lofoten Islands.

They are almost too many to count: Sildpollen, a nearly circular bowl of rock soaring skyward a thousand feet and more on every side; Gullvika, a landlocked pool with ringbolts in the rock and a mountain stream filled with mussel beds; Henningsvaer, a traditional fishing village with racks of cod split and drying in the long summer twilight; Aesoy, a nearly perfect gunkhole nestled between deserted islands; Reine, a village lost under the loom of craggy, snow-covered peaks, overshadowed by its own spectacular scenery.