FAX: (22) 43 07 77

Flag description: red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Norway Economy

Economy - overview: The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector (through large-scale state enterprises). The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil production and international oil prices; in 1999, oil and gas accounted for 35% of exports. Only Saudi Arabia exports more oil than Norway. Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994. Growth picked up in 2000 to 2.7%, compared to the meager 0.8% of 1999, but may fall back in 2001. The government moved ahead with privatization in 2000, even proposing the sale of up to one-third of the 100% state-owned oil company Statoil. Despite their high per capita income and generous welfare benefits, Norwegians worry about that time in the next two decades when the oil and gas begin to run out. Accordingly, Norway has been saving its oil-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund, which is invested abroad and now is valued at more than $43 billion.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $124.1 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.7% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $27,700 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2%

industry: 25%

services: 73% (1999)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.1%

highest 10%: 21.8% (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.9% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 2.4 million (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: services 74%, industry 22%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 4% (1995)

Unemployment rate: 3% (2000 est.)

Budget: revenues: $71.7 billion

expenditures: $57.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries: petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 121.084 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.63%

hydro: 99.11%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0.26% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 110.795 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 8.28 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 6.467 billion kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: barley, other grains, potatoes; beef, milk; fish

Exports: $59.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish

Exports - partners: EU 73% (UK 17%, Germany 11%, Netherlands 10%,
Sweden 9%), US 5% (1999)

Imports: $35.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners: EU 66% (Sweden 15%, Germany 12%, UK 9%, Denmark 7%), US 10%, Japan (1999)

Debt - external: $0 (Norway is a net external creditor)

Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.4 billion (1998)

Currency: Norwegian krone (NOK)

Currency code: NOK

Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 8.7784 (January 2001), 8.8018 (2000), 7.7992 (1999), 7.5451 (1998), 7.0734 (1997), 6.4498 (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Norway Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 2.735 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,080,408 (1998)

Telephone system: general assessment: modern in all respects; one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in Europe

domestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover the prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular mobile systems instead of fixed wire systems

international: 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM at least 650, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios: 4.03 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 360 (plus 2,729 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions: 2.03 million (1997)

Internet country code: .no

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (2000)

Internet users: 2.36 million (October 2000)

Norway Transportation

Railways: total: 4,012 km

standard gauge: 4,012 km 1.435-m gauge (2,530 km electrified; 96 km double track) (1998)

Highways: total: 91,180 km

paved: 67,838 km (including 109 km of expressways)

unpaved: 23,342 km (1999)

Waterways: 1,577 km (along west coast)

note: navigable by 2.4 m maximum draft vessels

Pipelines: refined petroleum products 53 km

Ports and harbors: Bergen, Drammen, Floro, Hammerfest, Harstad,
Haugesund, Kristiansand, Larvik, Narvik, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Stavanger,
Tromso, Trondheim

Merchant marine: total: 764 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,667,370 GRT/32,100,208 DWT

ships by type: bulk 89, cargo 139, chemical tanker 114, combination bulk 9, combination ore/oil 37, container 15, liquefied gas 84, passenger 10, petroleum tanker 151, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 45, short-sea passenger 22, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 38

note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 1, Japan 1, Mexico 1, Sweden 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: 103 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 67

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 12

1,524 to 2,437 m: 12

914 to 1,523 m: 14

under 914 m: 28 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 36

914 to 1,523 m: 5

under 914 m: 31 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Norway Military

Military branches: Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy (includes
Coast Artillery and Coast Guard), Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home
Guard

Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,101,384 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 913,534 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 27,341 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.113 billion (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (FY98)

Norway Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land); Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute between Norway and Russia

@Oman

Oman Introduction

Background: In 1970, QABOOS bin Said Al Said ousted his father and has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world and has preserved a long-standing political and military relationship with the UK. Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries.

Oman Geography

Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and
Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE

Geographic coordinates: 21 00 N, 57 00 E

Map references: Middle East

Area: total: 212,460 sq km

land: 212,460 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas

Land boundaries: total: 1,374 km

border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km

Coastline: 2,092 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south

Terrain: central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m

highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m

Natural resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas

Land use: arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 5%

forests and woodland: 0%

other: 95% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 580 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil

Oman People

Population: 2,622,198

note: includes 527,078 non-nationals (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.51% (male 554,727; female 533,627)

15-64 years: 56.12% (male 894,978; female 576,672)

65 years and over: 2.37% (male 32,863; female 29,331) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.43% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 37.96 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 4.1 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.55 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female

total population: 1.3 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 22.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.04 years

male: 69.9 years

female: 74.29 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.04 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.11% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Omani(s)

adjective: Omani

Ethnic groups: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri
Lankan, Bangladeshi), African

Religions: Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu

Languages: Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects

Literacy: definition: NA

total population: approaching 80%

male: NA%

female: NA%

Oman Government

Country name: conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman

conventional short form: Oman

local long form: Saltanat Uman

local short form: Uman

former: Muscat and Oman

Government type: monarchy

Capital: Muscat

Administrative divisions: 6 regions (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah) and 2 governorates* (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah) Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat, Musandam*, Zufar*; note - the US Embassy in Oman reports that Masqat is a governorate, but this has not been confirmed by the US Board of Geographic Names (BGN)

Independence: 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)

National holiday: Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November (1940)

Constitution: none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a new basic law which, among other things, clarifies the royal succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from holding interests in companies doing business with the government, establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens

Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: in Oman's most recent elections in 2000, limited to approximately 175,000 Omanis chosen by the government to vote in elections for the Majlis ash-Shura

Executive branch: chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary

Legislative branch: bicameral Majlis Oman consists of an upper chamber or Majlis al-Dawla (48 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory powers only) and a lower chamber or Majlis al-Shura (83 seats; members elected by limited suffrage, however, the monarch makes final selections and can negate election results; body has some limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise has only advisory powers)

elections: last held NA September 2000 (next to be held NA September 2003)

election results: NA; note - two women were elected for the first time to Majlis al-Shura, about 100,000 people voted

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has non-Islamic judges as well as traditional Islamic judges

Political parties and leaders: none

Political pressure groups and leaders: none

International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF,
CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Abdallah bin Muhammad bin Aqil al-DHAHAB

chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: (202) 387-1980 through 1981, 1988