NORWAY 



4284 



NORWAY 



tasseled with numerous islands, which in the 

 north become extremely rugged, rising from 

 the sea like bare, rocky pyramids or towers. 

 The Lofoten Islands form the most prominent 

 group. Their coasts are washed by dangerous 

 tides and the eddies of the famous Maelstrom. 



Rivers and Lakes. Numerous short and rapid 

 streams flow down the steep western mountain 

 slopes to the sea, but Norway has few rivers of 

 commercial importance. Among the largest 

 streams in the east are the Glommen. which 

 flows into the Skagerrak, and the Drammen, 

 having its outlet in a western arm of Christiania 

 Fiord. The most important river in the north 

 is the Tana, forming part of the boundary with 

 Russia and falling into the Arctic Ocean. All 

 of the rivers are rapid, and navigation is hin- 

 dered by falls and cataracts of magnificent 

 beauty. The largest lakes include Mjosen, 

 Randsfiord, Spirilen and Kroderen. About four 

 per cent of the area of Norway is occupied by 

 lakes and rivers. 



Climate. Norway extends into the Arctic 

 Zone for about 300 miles, but the intense cold 

 is moderated somewhat by the Atlantic winds. 

 On the western coast the winters are mild and 

 the summers cool, while in the interior the 

 winters are extremely cold and the summers 

 comparatively warm. In the north the moun- 

 tains are covered with perpetual snow, and 

 great glaciers sweep down into the valleys. 

 Within this "Land of the Midnight Sun" of the 

 north there are two months of winter darkness, 

 and in the summer there is no night. In the 

 south the winter days are short and gloomy, 

 but the summer daylight lasts from the end of 

 April to the middle of August. There are said 

 to be two seasons, winter time and "tourist- 

 time." At Christiania the mean temperature 

 for July is 61, and for January, 25. The 

 rainfall is heaviest on the west coast, where it 

 averages from fifty to sixty inches, and the 

 fiords and cliffs are often veiled in dense fog 

 and mist. The precipitation on the southeast 

 coast averages forty-eight inches, and in the 

 interior jjelds it is but twelve inches. 



Travel in Norway. Every summer the rocky 

 coasts and magnificent mountains are visited 

 by thousands of tourists, who view the mid- 

 night sun from the summit of North Cape. In 

 normal years foreigners bring $5,000,000 into 

 Norway each year, and many of the inhabitants 

 find their chief source of income in the accom- 

 modation of these tourists. Many new and 

 well-appointed hotels have been opened, and 

 motor boats and cars have been introduced. 



The cariole, a small, two-wheeled car, in which 

 the driver sits behind his single passenger 1 and 

 which is drawn by the sure-footed Norwegian 

 pony, is still much used on the steep, smooth 

 roads of the mountains. The government re- 

 quires all roads to be kept in good condition 

 and has stationed posts along the mountain 

 routes for the comfort of tourists. The traveler 

 in Norway never has occasion to complain of 

 the "high cost of living," of dishonest dealing 

 or of any lack of hospitality. 



Agriculture. Although agriculture is the oc- 

 cupation of the larger proportion of the in- 

 habitants, only one-thirtieth of the land has 

 been cultivated, and over one-half of the coun- 

 try is bare mountain. The only arable soil is 

 on the hillsides and in the deep valleys along 

 the lakes and fiords, and the only extensive 

 tracts of cultivated land are near Trondhjem 

 in the central part of the country. Oats and 

 potatoes are the chief crops. Barley and rye 

 are raised in the small agricultural sections in 

 the north, and some wheat is grown in the 

 south. The small production of cereals falls 

 far short of the needs of the people. Agricul- 

 tural implements are generally modern, and 

 there has been a steady increase in the num- 

 ber of small private farms. One-tenth of the 

 land is in natural meadows, and the raising of 

 live stock is an important branch of industry. 

 About one-third of the cattle of the peninsula 

 are raised in Norway. In the mountain pas- 

 tures large herds of cows are kept during the 

 warmer season by Norwegian women who 

 spend the summer months in the lonely moun- 

 tain huts, or saeters. The cattle are small, but 

 give good milk, and the excellent Norwegian 

 dairy products are exported in large quantities 

 to Great Britain in normal times. The small, 

 sure-footed fiord pony and the larger farm 

 horse and sheep are extensively raised. The 

 Lapps in the north keep herds of reindeer 

 which serve them as beasts of burden and fur- 

 nish food and clothing. 



Forests. Over one-third of the country is 

 timberland, and lumber and wood products 

 constitute about one-third of Norwegian ex- 

 ports. The forests of the southwest are the 

 chief source of Norway's timber, three-fourths 

 of which is pine. Above the belt of firs which 

 encircles the mountains are birch forests, and 

 below, dense woods of oak, ash and maple. 

 The state forests occupy 3,044 square miles. 

 The Norwegian Forest Association has planted 

 many millions of new trees, and as a result of 

 their work, forestry has made progress. 



