Norway, officially the Kingdom ofNorway, is a country and constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe thatoccupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is bordered by Sweden,Finland, and Russia. The distance between the northern and southern parts ofNorway is considerable compared to east-west distances. The country's extensivecoastline along the North Atlantic Ocean is home to its famous fjords.

The Kingdom of Norway alsoincludes the Arctic island territories of Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Norwegian sovereigntyover Svalbard is based upon the Svalbard Treaty, but that treaty does not applyto Jan Mayen. Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean and Peter I Island and QueenMaud Land in Antarctica are external dependencies, but those three entities donot form part of the kingdom.

Since World War II, Norwayhas experienced rapid economic growth, and is now amongst the wealthiestcountries in the world, with a fully developed welfare system. This economicprogress is caused in part by the development of oil and gas reserves off itscoast. Norway was ranked highest of all countries in human development from2001 to 2006. It also rated the most peaceful country in the world in a 2007survey by Global Peace Index. In contrast, Norwegian secondary education isranked as 33rd in the world by OECD, being significantly below the OECD average.