Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
istically small, Norway also has a growing Muslim population: approximately 3.5% (85%
of whom live in Oslo).
Christianity in Norway dates back thousands of years and one of the country's earliest
kings,OlavII,wascanonisedbytheCatholicChurch.However,modernNorwegianChris-
tianityhasbeenmostinfluencedbyGermanreformerMartinLuther,whosedoctrineswere
adopted in Norway in 1537.
Today the Church of Norway is the national denomination of Protestant Evangelical
Lutheranism and the Norwegian constitution states: 'All inhabitants of the Realm shall
have the right to free exercise of their religion. The Evangelical-Lutheran religion shall re-
main the official religion of the State. The inhabitants professing it are bound to bring up
their children in the same.'
The King of Norway is the official head of the Church. This power was dramatically ex-
ercised in 1961, when King Olav V appointed the country's first woman priest, and again
in 1993, when King Harald V sanctioned the first female bishop. In the 1970s a bishop and
quite a few priests quit after the storting (parliament), with royal sanction, passed a liberal
abortion law. As many as 5000 Norwegians leave the official church annually.
For information on the Sami religion, Click here .
Sport
Winter Olympics
Skiing is etched deep in the Norwegian soul, not least because for thousands of years skis
were the only practical means of winter transport in much of Norway. Not surprisingly,
Norway is a leading winter-sports country and has won more medals at the Winter
Olympics than any other country.
At the 1998 Winter Olympics, Norway finished second on the medal table, matching its
1994 medal tally when it was the host nation. The success turned to domination in 2002
when Norway topped the medal table, but no-one quite knows what happened in Torino
in 2006, when Norway trailed in 13th with just two gold medals. As you can imagine, the
suddendeclinewasreportedasclosetoanationaltragedy.Ameasureofnationalpridewas
restored in 2010, when Norway came fourth on the medals table with nine golds and 23
medals in total.
Among Norway's enduring Olympic legends are Sonja Henie, the Olympic figure-skat-
ing gold medallist who won gold in 1928, 1932 and 1936; speed-skater Johann Koss, who
wonthree gold medals at the Viking Ship Arena in Hamar in 1994; and cross-country skier
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