Geography of Norway

The Norway is located at the north of the Europe, occupying the west and the north of the Scandinavia. It is bordered by the the North Sea in south-west, the strait of Skagerrak in the south, the Mer of Norway in the west and the Mer of Barents in the North-East. Norway divides a long border with the Sweden in the east, as well as smaller borders with the Finland and the Russia in the North-East.

The country presents a silhouette very lengthened, with the coasts among longest and most cut out world, strewn with some 50 ' 000 islands. The continental part covers 13 degrees of Latitude, of 58° NR to 71° (the Archipel of Svalbard being located at more 81° NR).

Norway is one of the most septentrional countries of the world, and one of most mountainous of Europe - 47% of its territory are covered by the the Scandinavian Alps. Average altitude is of 460 meters and 32% of the continent are located above the limit of the trees. The Norwegian mountains are located in the geological prolongation of the Scottish mountains and Irish as well as the Appalachian Mountains of North America. The geologists regard them as belonging to a single chain former to the continental drift.

During periods of Glaciation, the country was entirely covered with a thick layer of Glace which dug deep valleys, leaving fjords that the sea filled after the cast iron - the Sognefjord is the second deepest fjord of the world and the lake Hornindalsvatnet is deepest of Europe. The grounds are still in isostatic phase of rebound after the enormous weight exerted by the ice and rise several millimetres per year. What formed the littoral at the end of the last glaciation is currently to 221 m of altitude to Oslo, 25 m with Stavanger, 5 m with Stad, 180 m with Trondheim, 50 m with Tromsø and 75 m with Kirkenes. These grounds belong to the best agricultural land of the country.

The Norwegian glaciers are not residues of the glaciations, but are much more recent. Indeed, the climate was softer of one to three degrees Celsius than currently and the original ice had entirely melted.

Physical geography

The Scandinavian Alps

The Scandinavian Alps begin in north from the coast from the Skagerrak then skirt the coast in direction of north, frequently stopped by the many fjords of the Vestlandet. On the level of Dovre, in the south of Trondheim, the chain transfers in the east and reaches the Swedish border close to Sylane. It follows the border towards the North-East, crossing the fjords of Nordland and Troms. This part of the chain takes the name of Kjølen. It crosses then the North-West of the Finnmark, losing in altitude as it approaches the Northern Cape before plunging in the Mer of Barents.

Southern and south-eastern area

The southern part of Norway consists of plains, extending from Stavanger in the west of the fjord of Oslo. The valleys are directed there North-South. The relief is mainly made up of hills, but one also finds there plates as in Jæren or in Lista.

South-east (Østlandet, Telemark and Røros is dominated by valleys of which longest are located in the provinces of Østerdal and Gudbrandsdal. Plains surround the fjord of Oslo, the Glomma river as well as the lake Mjøsa.

West coast

The west coast is skirted by the Scandinavian alpine range, whose altitude decreases while approaching the sea. A series of rock small islands (the Skærgård) parallel at the coast forms a right of way on almost the totality of the 1600 km which separate Stavanger from the Northern course.

In the north of Dovre, the landscape becomes less escarpé. The valleys which open since the fjord of Trondheim form a relatively broad plain. The peninsula of Fosen and the area in the north of the latter are cut out again, with narrower valleys. The North-West counts several large islands, of which the Lofoten and the Vesterålen.

The extreme North-East is definitely less mountainous and altitude seldom exceeds 400 meters there. The interior is dominated by the plate of Finnmarksvidda. The fjord of Varanger is the only large fjord of the country to be opened towards the east.

Archipelagoes and possessions overseas

; Svalbard: The Svalbard is a Archipel mountainous of the Arctic Ocean, mainly covered with glaciers (up to 90% in its part is). Contrary to the continent, the glaciers fall directly into the ocean. ; Jan Mayen: In the extreme North-West, halfway of the Greenland, the island of Jan Mayen is only the active Volcan of Norway. ; Island Grooving plane: By 54° of southern latitude in the Atlantic Ocean, the island Bouvet is covered with glacier. It is about the one of the islands most isolated from the world, populated only seals, and of birds. ; Island Pierre Ier: The island Pierre Ier is a volcanic and glacial island of the southern Pacific. The territorial claims of Norway are however suspended by the Traité on the Antarctic, the island being beyond 60° southern latitude. ; Ground of the Queen-Maud: The Ground of the Queen-Maud is the Antarctic sector asserted by Norway, between the glacier of Stancomb-Wills and the glacier of Shinnan. It is entirely covered by the Icecap, some nunataks boring the ice. Installed on a hill without snow, the research station Troll is the only station of the Antarctic out of the ices.

Climate

The Norwegian climate is surprisingly moderate under so high latitudes. Indeed, the Atlantic northern Drift and its prolongation, the Norwegian current, heat the atmosphere considerably.

Precipitations

The areas located at the west of the Scandinavian alpine range (Verstlandet and Nordland) are wettest of Europe because of the orographical Onde. Brekke on average receives the annual precipitations most abundant with 3575 mm. The autumn and the beginning of the winter are the wettest periods, the months of April to June are driest. The interior of the fjords is generally drier than the coast.

In the east of the mountains, the climate is more continental with less precipitations. The summer months are wettest while the winter and spring are drier.

The number of day per year with at least 3 mm of precipitation is of 77 with Oslo, 96 with Kristiansand, 158 with Bergen, 93 with Trondheim and 109 with Tromsø.

Temperatures

Along the coast, the winters are softer than in any other place with the same latitude. The islands Lofoten, located beyond the Arctic Circle, are the place of the world more in north where the average temperature is higher than 0° degree at every season.

Finnmarksvidda undergoes the most cold winters of the country but of the southernmost areas, inside the grounds, can also see very low temperatures. Spring is the season when the difference in temperature between north and the south is marked. It is also the season when the variation in temperature between the day and the night is largest.

The summer is softest in the interior valleys and at the bottom of the fjords. The plain of the fjord of Oslo profits from the hottest summers, with 17° C on average (on 24:00) in July. With Alta, 70° NR, the average of July is of 13,5° C.

The Atlantic northern drift separates in two branches in north from the Mer from Norway. One leaves towards the east in the Mer Barents while the other continues towards north along the west coast of the Svalbard, modifying the Arctic polar climate (water is free there of ice throughout the year, fact single with this latitude). Water bordering the east coast of the archipelago is usually cold lasting most of the year, but the warming observed these last years appreciably prolonged the period of thaw.

The extreme monthly averages go from -17.1° C in January to Karasjok to 17,3° C in July to Oslo. The highest annual average is of 7,7° C to Skudeneshavn, lowest is of -3,1° C to Sihcajarvi (other than the mountains of Svalbard).

The maximum temperature ever recorded is of 35,6° C to Nesbyen, coldest of -51,4° C in Karasjok. The hottest month was July 1901 in Oslo, with an average of 22,7° C on 24:00, the coldest month was February 1966 with Karasjok with an average of -27,1° C. the wind of south-west, if it in is heated more by the Foehn, can heat the narrow fjords in winter considerably; thus, one recorded a temperature of 17,9° C in January to Tafjord and of 18,9° C in February to Sunndal.

The average of the daily minima in January are of -6,8° C in Oslo, -4,8° C with Kristiansand, -0,4° C with Bergen and -6,5° C with Trondheim and Tromsø. The average of the maximum days laborer in July are of 21,5° C in Oslo, 20,1° C in Kristiansand, 17,6° C in Bergen, 18,4° C in Trondheim and 15,3° C in Tromsø.

Relief

Norway is marked by high plateaus and mountains separated by fertile valleys. The plains small and are dispersed. The east coast deeply cut out and forms many fjords. The sea engraved the Norwegian coasts on 2 500 km. Deployed, this granite lace would make 21 612 km length. In this country of 4,6 million inhabitants, where the longest fjord makes more than 40 km length, the languages of sea fourchues worked, as in the Lysefjord, of the cliff which reach 700 m in height. The extreme North-East is occupied by the Arctic Toundra (especially on the Péninsule of Varanger). The glaciers are numerous. The climate moderated by the hot ocean and currents prevents the formation of Permafrost, except in altitude and in the county of Finnmark.

Biodiversity

The variation of latitude as well as the diversity of the reliefs and the climates supported the appearance of many habitats and it is not less than 60' 000 different species which cohabit in Norway and in water which borders it, of which many insects and mushrooms. Approximately 40' 000 of these species are indexed. On the red Liste of the UICN for 2006 3' 886 species are reproduced, including 430 mushrooms, 90 birds and 25 mammals. 1988 species are classified like in danger from disappearance , and 285 like in critical danger of extinction , of which the gray Loup and the Arctic Renard.

Natural resources

Oil, Copper, Natural gas, Pyrite, Nickel, Iron, Zinc, Lead, Poisson, Wood, hydraulic power.

See too

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