Norway, officially Kingdom of Norway (in Norwegian, Kongeriket Norge), constitutional monarchy in northern Europe, occupying the western and northern portions of the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is bordered on the north by the Barents Sea, an arm of the Arctic Ocean, on the north-east by Finland and Russia, on the east by Sweden, on the south by the Skagerrak Strait and the North Sea, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, which in Norway is also called the Norwegian Sea. Norway’s deeply indented and glaciated coastline measures about 21,925 km (13,624 mi) including all the fiords and offshore islands. The passageway between the screen of more than 150,000 offshore islands - known locally as the skerry guard - and the mainland is naturally protected. “Norway” means “northern way”, which reflects the importance of the sheltered coastal waters in linking the many small fiord and valley communities that are otherwise separated by rugged mountains. detail »
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