NorgeStart
Know Norway
Norway is 5.6 million people spread along 1,750 kilometres — the distance from Oslo to Rome. That geography explains most of what is otherwise puzzling about the country: why regions differ so much, why transport is expensive, and why so much of public life is organised around distance.
NorgeStart is an independent private service. It is not a government agency and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by any Norwegian public authority. NorgeStart brings information from many official Norwegian sources together in one place, and we work to keep it up to date. Even so, rules, rates and amounts can change at any time, and we cannot guarantee that a page here always matches the authority's latest wording. Always confirm with the responsible authority before you act. We give general information, not professional advice on legal, tax, immigration or medical matters, and we take no responsibility for differences between this page and the official source, or for decisions taken on the basis of it.
The country in 60 seconds
- 5.6 million people on a country stretching 1 750 km — the same distance as Oslo→Rome. Capital Oslo (~730k), then Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Drammen, Tromsø.
- Constitutional monarchy (King Harald V), parliament = Stortinget; NOT an EU member, but inside EEA & Schengen — hence EU citizens' easy access.
- Two written Norwegian forms (bokmål ~87%, nynorsk), countless dialects — everyone understands everyone, and Sámi is official in the north.
- Oil+gas fund ("Oljefondet") is the world's largest sovereign fund — the reason behind the safety nets you're now part of.
Places everyone talks about
- Oslo: Karl Johans gate, the Opera roof-walk, Vigeland park, new Munch & National museums, Aker Brygge docks, Holmenkollen ski jump.
- Bergen: Bryggen wharf (UNESCO), Fløyen funicular, fish market — gateway to the fjords.
- Fjord icons: Geirangerfjord, Nærøyfjord, Flåm railway, Lofoten islands, Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), Trolltunga, Atlantic Ocean Road.
- North: Tromsø (northern lights Sep–Mar), Nordkapp, Svalbard (polar bears outnumber people).
- 17 May in any town = parades, bunads (national costumes), ice cream — the day to be outside.
Names you'll hear
- Classics: Edvard Munch (The Scream), Henrik Ibsen, Edvard Grieg, explorers Amundsen & Nansen, Sigrid Undset & Knut Hamsun (Nobel literature).
- Today: Erling Haaland & Martin Ødegaard (football), Magnus Carlsen (chess), Karsten Warholm & Jakob Ingebrigtsen (athletics), Casper Ruud (tennis).
- Culture: a-ha ("Take On Me"), Kygo, Alan Walker, Jo Nesbø crime novels, SKAM (the TV series that taught the world Norwegian slang).
Moving to Norway or just arrived? NorgeStart explains Norwegian bureaucracy, work, taxes, housing, healthcare and daily life in plain language — with an AI assistant that explains important documents and gives clear, source-based answers.