Have been reading up a travel guide on Norway and yea I'm getting excited!! Let me share some info on Norway.

Taken from "The Rough Guide to Norway"

Fact File
Norway is one of the five Nordic nations, along with Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. It is bordered to the east by Sweden, Finland and Russia, but otherwise is flanked by the sea - the Atlantic to the west, the Barents Sea to the north and the Skagerrak, which leads off the North Sea, to the south. Extremely long and thin, Norway has a surface area of 286,000 square kilometres, of which half is mountain and a further third forest, lake and river.

The country's population numbers about 4.5million, of which more than ten percent (half a million) live in the capital, Oslo. Norway's second city, Bergen, clocks up about 240,000 residents while around 30,000 indigeneous Sami (Lapps) live mostly in the north of the country.
Norway is a constitutional monarchy and the present kind, Harald V, came to the throne in 1991. The parliament - the Storting - sits in Oslo, but many functions are devolved to a complex network of local authorities. The Lutheran Church of Norway is the official state church and over eighty percent of the population belong to it, however nominally. Norway is not a member of the EU, but has signed up to the EEA (European Economic Agreement) free-trade deal.

The economy of Norway is highly dependent on the oil industry, with crude oil accounting for forty percent of the country's total exports. Natural gas, metals and fish products come a distant second, at about eight percent each."


Where to go
Norway is one of Europe's most sparsely inhabited countries, and for most oart its people live in small towns and villages, but the country's five largest cities are the obvious - and the most popular targets for a visit. The five begin with urban, vivacious Oslo, one of the world's most prettily sited capitals, with a flourishing cafe scene and a clutch of outstanding museums. Beyond Oslo, in roughly descending order of interest, are Trondheim, with its superb cathedral and charming, antique centre; the beguiling port of Bergen, gateway to the western fjords; gritty, bustling Stavanger in the southwest; and northern Tromso. All are likeable, walkable cities worth of time in themselves, as well as being withing comfort reach of some stratling handsome scenery. Indeed, each can serve as either a base or a starting point for further explorations: the trains, buses and ferries of Norway's finely tuned public transport system will take you almost anywhere you want to go, although services are curtailed in winter.

Outside of the cities, the perennial draw remains the western fjords - a must, and every bit as scenically stunning as the publicity suggests."

p/s: With all the walking that I'm going to do, I'm sure I'll be back with a kick-ass butt and legs. =p