The inspiration to Santa Claus reindeer may have come from Norway's Sami (or Lapps, the largest population of Arctic reindeer herders - some 30,000) society, the reindeer being central to their traditional nomadic lifestyles - though it has become nearly a thing of the past. Norway is partitioned by mountains, it has fjord-gashed shoreline that exceeds 21,000 kilometers and after the Vikings left in the ninth century, it has survived from the bounty of the sea. It has managed to raise the industry to new levels in fact its fishing flotilla hauls Western Europe's biggest catch.
Obviously the bulk of the revenue for Norway is from oil and gas that was first drilled in the 70's in the North Sea, and this had been used to subsidize public health and welfare programs. The country has manifested a sustainable economic growth rate compared to many European countries owing to its oil revenue as the world's third largest oil exporter.
At present Norway is luring tourist to its spectacular fjords by opening the 24.5 kilometers tunnel on the main Oslo-Bergen highway. The Laerdal tunnel, being the world's longest road tunnel in 2000 (a third longer than the St. Gotthard in Switzerland) is a tourist attraction in itself for it features immense caverns that were designed to simulate sunshine, to help refresh drivers and provide them amenities to pull over.
The almost 5million citizens gives allegiance to the
National Flag of Norway, red in color with an indigo blue Scandinavian cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag. The vertical part of the cross is designed off-center and placed nearer to the hoist side, similar in context to the Dannebrog, the Danish flag.
by:
The Flagman
