Norway Geography - 2024

Location

Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden

Geographic coordinates

62 00 N, 10 00 E

Map references

Europe

Area

total: 323,802 sq km

land: 304,282 sq km

water: 19,520 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than New Mexico

Area comparison map:

Land boundaries

total: 2,566 km

border countries (3): Finland 709 km; Sweden 1,666 km; Russia 191 km

Coastline

25,148 km (includes mainland 2,650 km, as well as long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 22,498 km; length of island coastlines 58,133 km)

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 10 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate

temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast

Terrain

glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

Elevation

highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m

lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m

mean elevation: 460 m

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use

agricultural land: 2.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 2.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0.5% (2018 est.)

forest: 27.8% (2018 est.)

other: 69.5% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

337 sq km (2016)

Population distribution

most Norwegians live in the south where the climate is milder and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found all along the North Sea coast in the southwest, and Skaggerak in the southeast; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated

Natural hazards

rockslides, avalanches

volcanism: Beerenberg (2,227 m) on Jan Mayen Island in the Norwegian Sea is the country's only active volcano

Geography - note

about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much-indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of the most rugged and longest coastlines in the world