Settlement
Norwegians have their roots in an old peasant culture. In the course of the last 50 years many have moved off the land and today the majority of Norwegians live in towns. Compared to most other countries, however, there are no really big cities in Norway. Even the capital, Oslo, has less than half a million inhabitants. The second largest town is Bergen which is situated on the West coast and has a population of about 220,000.

The Sami (formerly known as Lapps) are the indigenous people of Norway with origins in the northern regions of Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway, where they have lived for centuries by hunting, fishing and herding reindeer. There are about 30,000 Sami in Norway, the majority living in Finnmark, the northernmost county. Many still pursue the nomadic life of their forefathers but the majority now live and work in much the same way as most Norwegians. The Sami possess a rich and ancient culture and their traditional costume is a splendid and colourful sight. In 1989 they formed their own "Parliament" which deals with matters concerning the rights of the Sami people.

Language
Norway has two official forms of the written language -"bokmål" (Standard Norwegian) and "nynorsk" (New Norwegian). The latter has its origin in Norwegian dialects. The Sami also have their own language and Sami children often do not speak anything else before starting school, where they can choose between Norwegian or their own tongue as their main language. We have many different dialects. Øyvind from Tromsø and Kari from Oslo speak different dialects, but they have no difficulty in understanding each other.

At school
Children in Norway start school in the year they reach the age of 6. Primary schooling lasts for 7 years and secondary schooling for 3. This total of 10 years is the compulsory minimum, but it is also quite usual to continue for 3 more years in the upper secondary school. Education in the state school system is free. Only a small number of Norwegian children attend private schools. For the first few years the school day lasts about 4 hours, but increases gradually to 6 or 7 hours as the children advance in the school system. For younger children whose parents are both out working there are after- school arrangements to keep the children safely occupied until their parents have finished work. Did you know that school uniforms are completely unknown to Norwegian children and that marks are not given until the pupils begin secondary school? English is taught from as early as the second class in the primary school, French or German being added later in the secondary school. Most children walk or cycle to school, but special transport arrangements are made for those who live a long way from the nearest school.

Sport and leisure activities
The great majority of Norwegians engage in some kind of athletic activity and many are members of sports clubs or associations connected with outdoor activities. Norwegians are an outdoor people and walking in the forests and the mountains is very popular. In the summer the waters around the coast are full of boats and people bathing, while in the winter almost everybody goes skiing. Øyvind and Kari are both keen skiers and they and their families often go for long trips at the weekends. All over Norway there are thousands of forest paths and marked ski-tracks. Everybody is free to walk or ski where they please and to pick berries and mushrooms without asking permission of any landowner.

Apart from skiing, the most popular sports in Norway are football, handball and athletics. The world's largest football tournament, Norway Cup, is held in Oslo every summer and attracts more than 22,000 young players, both boys and girls. Teams from over 30 countries participate, graded in different age groups from 10 to 18. Last year Kari's team took part and they are already looking forward to the next tournament.

Twice in its history Norway has staged the Olympic Winter Games, the first time in Oslo in 1952 and recently in Lillehammer in 1994. Øyvind and Kari were both lucky enough to experience the sporting events and the very special atmosphere in Lillehammer.

In addition to sports clubs, many Norwegian children are also members of various types of associations, such as the Scouts and Guides, folk dance groups, environmental organizations, musical groups, school bands and choirs.

Every year children and youngsters from more than 30 countries take part in the Norway Cup, the largest football tournament in the world.

Johann Olav Koss - speed skater and winner of 3 Olympic Gold Medals at the Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer.

Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games, 1994