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Norway Overview and History
Home » Norway » Norway Overview and History » Norway Overview and HistoryNorway has held fast to many of its cultural traditions and it is not uncommon to see intricate folk costumes worn at weddings and other festive events. Traditional folk dancing, singing and storytelling are also popular.
Norway is a ruggedly striking country of mountains, fjords and glaciers. The Land of the Midnight Sun has wonderfully long summer days, low-key cities, unspoiled fishing villages and rich historic sites that include Viking ships and medieval churches.
Norway’s coast is long and jagged and its fjords cut far into the land. From early history, the sight and sound of the sea has beckoned to its inhabitants, who have made only a meager living from the soil.
Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. The Royal House is a branch of the princely family of Glucksburg, originally from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. The functions of the King, Harald V, are mainly ceremonial, but he has influence as the symbol of national unity. Although the constitution of 1814 grants important executive powers to the King, the Council of State in the name of the King almost always exercises these. The reserve powers vested in the Monarch by the constitution are significant and an important security part of the role of the Monarchy, and were last used during World War II. The Council of State consists of a Prime Minister and his council, formally appointed by the King. Parliamentarism has evolved since 1884 and entails that the cabinet must not have the parliament against it, and that the appointment by the King is a formality.
Related Norway Overview and History Articles
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