Kingdom of Norway

1. Kingdom of Norway By: Nathan, Lizz, and Ashley

2. Norwegian Government The constitutional assembly in 1814 • Norway’s government is a parliamentary democracy that is ruled by constitutional monarchy. • The Norwegian constitution was inspired by the U.S Declaration of Independence and the French constitution and on May 17, 1814 it was signed and put into action. • Power is divided between executive, legislative, and supreme courts and uses checks and balances like the United States, however there is still a king.

3. Gov Continued.. • The current king of Norway is King Harald V. He came into power after his father on January 17, 1991. • King Harald V commands the Norwegian Armed Forces and is head of the Church of Norway. • An interesting fact about Harald V is that he’s also in line for the Bristish throne becaue his grandfather was King Edward VII and his second cousin is Queen Elizabeth II. • King Harald V of Norway is also given executive power but must have the parliaments approval before a decision is made. • The ruling monarchy has power along with parliament, council of state, and a judiciary system and must comply with the constitution. • The king elects the members of his cabinet/committee of advisors and it is referred to as The Council of State. Current photograph of King Harald V.

4. The current prime minister/the head of parliament is Jens Stoltenberg. • The Norwegian parliament is called the Storting and is a unicameral organization. • The judiciary system is called the Supreme Courts of Justice of Norway. Gov Continued.. Photograph of the Stortinget a.k.a Storting which in Norwegian means “great thing”

5. Economy • Currency is a Krone, 1 Krone=0.155972 U.S. dollars. • Government owns a large part of the economy. • Main exports are oil and natural gas. • Resources also include wood and fish. • One of the most expensive countries to live in.

6. Recent History • Norway joined NATO after WW2. • In the 1970’s large oil deposits were discovered in the North sea. • In 2008 an amendment was passed which abolished a previous law requiring people to be Lutheran. • Norway has been war free recently so they were able to focus on their resources and economy. • Norway is very protective of their individuality leading them to remain out of many large European groups. • The Labor party is the most powerful but has been losing strength in recent times. • Gained independence in 1905.

7. Art and Music • Popular genres of music in current Norway are electronica, rock, pop, hip-hop, and black metal. • Norwegian folk music, jazz, blues, and country are also well-liked. • In 2008 a new opera house was opened in the capital city of Oslo where people are able to enjoy the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. • The Opera House in Oslo seats 1350 people, contains 1100 rooms, has an area equal to four football fields, and six stages (some which are even underwater.

8. Art and Music continued.. Famous people from Norway include: • Roald Dahl- author of childrens books • Röyksopp- duo that compose and play electronic music • Gatas Parlament- a hip-hop group composed of rap artists who rap about political issues and world leaders • Mayhem- black metal group known to be highly controversial and violent because they previously were caught setting fire to churches • Edvard Munch- an artist well known for his painting The Scream

9. Right: Gatas Parlament Down: Royksopp Right: The Scream Down Right: Mayhem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZeMrZPxylI&feature=related

10. Language • Norwegian is a Northern Germanic language spoken by 95% of the population and 5% speak dialects of Norwegian or other languages. • The language is similar to Swedish, German, and Danish • There are two official written forms of the Norwegian language • Bokmal and Nynorsk are the names of the two written forms but the Norwegian language is the term for the spoken form • They’re used in schools, churches, on TV, radio, and in administrations • Bokmal (written form) is used by 85-90% of the population • In school the children are taught English as a second language.

11. Language Cont.. • Norwegian alphabet (norsk alfabet) Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj a be se de ee ff ge hå I je/jådd Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt kå ell em enn o pe ku ærr ess te Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz Ææ Øø Åå u ve dåbbelt eks y sett æ ø å http://www.omniglot.com/soundfiles/alphabets/alphabet_no.mp3

12. Customs and Beliefs • An important element of Norwegian culture is humbleness • Norwegians believe people should not judge or criticize others, show off their wealth or achievements and they should be modest and polite. • A poet named Aksel Sandemose wrote down a series of “laws” that many Norwegians abide by and he called them the Jante Laws. • The tenets of Jante Law are:. You shall not think you are special. . You shall not believe you are smarter than others. . You shall not behave as if you are better than others. .. You shall not laugh at others. . You shall not believe that others care about you. . You shall not believe that you can teach others anything. • Norwegians are very professional and do not mix their personal lives with their business lives. • When introducing themselves they greet you with a firm handshake and a smile.

13. Customs Cont.. • When a person is going to a dinner party it’s traditional that they send a bouquet of flowers so they will be used as decoration that night • Norwegians particularly enjoy wildflowers especially for the winter season • While dining at another persons house it’s polite etiquette to begin eating once the hostess has begun. • Toasts are also made at dinner with alcoholic drinks (except for beer). • Once dinner has concluded it is customary for the male guest of honor to thank the hostess for dinner by saying, “takk for matten” which translates to “thanks for the meal”

14. Architecture • Embraced functionalism. • Fueled by the Stockholm Exhibition in 1930. • One important architect is Sverre Fehn.

15. Architecture (continued) • Contemporary architecture is extremely varied. • More concern for aesthetics. • Contemporary architects try to minimize materials.

16. Architecture (continued) • Government built many buildings after Norway gained its independence. • Building was limited to government buildings. • Later public buildings were also funded.

17. Architecture (continued) • Some old buildings remain. • Remnants of Rococo can still be seen in the country side.

18. Architecture (continued) • Gothic and renaissance architecture is also present in Norway.

19. Architecture (continued) • One very unique form of Norwegian architecture is Stave architecture.