Norway trivia: 48 questions and answers

Oslo. Oslo, at the head of the Oslofjord, is the capital and largest city. Bergen and Trondheim are Norway's next largest cities, and Stockholm is the capital of Sweden.

Bokmål and Nynorsk. Bokmål and Nynorsk. Most people write Bokmål, which grew out of written Danish, while Nynorsk was built from rural dialects in the 1800s. The Sámi languages are official too, but they are separate languages, not forms of Norwegian.

The Norwegian krone. The Norwegian krone (NOK) has been used since 1875. Norway is not in the European Union and does not use the euro.

False. False. Norwegians voted against joining in 1972 and again in 1994. Norway works closely with the EU through the European Economic Area, which it joined in 1994.

Lindisfarne, in England. Lindisfarne, in England: the raid on this monastery off the northeast coast on 8 June 793 is usually taken as the start of the Viking Age. Nidaros, today's Trondheim, was only founded in 997.

Olaf II Haraldsson. Olaf II Haraldsson was killed at Stiklestad and was soon honoured as Saint Olaf. His half-brother Harald Hardrada survived the battle and later became king. Harald Fairhair lived much earlier, and Haakon VII became king in 1905.

On a ship from England. The plague came to Bergen on a ship from England in 1349. Up to 60 percent of Norway's people may have died by 1350.

17 May 1814. The constitution was signed on 17 May 1814. 7 June 1905 is when the Storting ended the union with Sweden, 9 April 1940 is the German invasion and 8 May 1945 the German surrender.

False. False. In 1814 Norway wrote its own constitution but then entered a union with Sweden in November. It became fully independent in 1905.

True. True. 368,208 voted yes and only 184 voted no, and Sweden accepted the separation peacefully.

Prince Carl of Denmark, as Haakon VII. Prince Carl of Denmark, as Haakon VII: he was elected king after a second referendum kept the monarchy. Oscar II was the Swedish king who gave up the Norwegian throne.

Roald Amundsen. Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole about a month before the British expedition of Robert Falcon Scott. Nansen was a famous Arctic explorer, Heyerdahl sailed the Kon-Tiki raft, and Leif Erikson was a Viking.

Blücher. Guns and torpedoes from Oscarsborg Fortress sank the Blücher. The delay let King Haakon VII and the government leave Oslo, and they later went into exile in London.

Fårikål. Fårikål, "mutton in cabbage", was voted the national dish in the 1970s and again in 2014. It even has its own day, the last Thursday in September.

Whey, milk and cream, boiled until brown. Brunost is made from whey, milk and cream, boiled until brown as the milk sugars caramelise. Cream with cloudberries is multekrem, a dessert.

Lye. Lye. "Lutefisk" means "lye fish". The lye is strongly caustic, and the fish must be soaked in water for days afterwards before it can be eaten, so it is best bought ready to cook.

Kransekake. Kransekake is built from rings of almond, sugar and egg white. Krumkake is a rolled wafer, lefse a flatbread and a skillingsbolle a cinnamon bun.

Raw salmon. Raw salmon. Project Japan began in 1985, and Norwegian salmon became a popular sushi topping in Japan and then around the world.

True. True. It means "buried salmon": fishermen once salted salmon and buried it in the sand. Today it is cured in the fridge with salt, sugar and dill.

False. False. Raspeball is a large dumpling of grated potato and flour, served with salted meat or sausages, butter and mashed rutabaga. The almond cake is kransekake.

Ålesund. Ålesund burned on 23 January 1904 and was rebuilt within a few years in the Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) style.

Karasjok. The Sámi Parliament, founded in 1989, meets in Karasjok (Kárášjohka), a centre of Sámi language and culture in Finnmark.

True. True. After oil was found in the North Sea in 1969, Stavanger grew into the centre of Norway's oil industry.

False. False. Lillehammer hosted the Winter Olympics in 1994, and the Winter Youth Olympics in 2016.

Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord. Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord were inscribed together by UNESCO in 2005 as the West Norwegian Fjords.

About 600 m. About 600 m: the flat-topped cliff rises 604 m straight above the Lysefjord.

The Hanseatic League. German merchants of the Hanseatic League traded at Bryggen from around 1350, storing stockfish from the north and grain from Europe.

Gustav Vigeland. Gustav Vigeland made the 212 bronze and granite sculptures. Munch was a painter, Ibsen a playwright and Grieg a composer.

True. True. Building began in 1070 over the grave of Olaf II, and it became a great pilgrimage church.

False. False. The carvings were made from about 4200 BC to 500 BC, thousands of years before the Viking Age.

The Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize is chosen by a committee appointed by the Norwegian parliament and presented every 10 December at Oslo City Hall. The other Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm.

The right to roam on open land. Allemannsretten is the right to roam on open land: anyone may walk, ski, pick berries and camp for up to two nights on uncultivated land.

North of the Arctic Circle, in summer. North of the Arctic Circle, in summer, the sun does not set for weeks, for example in Tromsø from about late May to late July. Oslo is south of the Arctic Circle, so the sun sets there even in June.

True. True. The carpenter Thor Bjørklund designed the "ostehøvel" in 1925, and it was made in Lillehammer from 1927.

True. True. The Lærdal Tunnel, opened in 2000 on the road between Oslo and Bergen, is 24.5 km long.

False. False. Norway first hosted the Winter Olympics in Oslo in 1952, and then in Lillehammer in 1994. As of 2026 it has won more Winter Olympic medals than any other country.

Mountain. "Fjell" means mountain. Forest is "skog", snow is "snø", and a fjord is a "fjord".

Nordlys. "Nordlys" means northern lights. "Midnattssol" is the midnight sun, "hytte" a cabin and "snø" snow.

True. True. "Tog" (TAWG) means train. A ferry is a "ferje".

False. False. "Skog" means forest. Snow is "snø".

Tusen takk. "Tusen takk", literally "a thousand thanks". "Ha det bra" is goodbye, "Unnskyld" is excuse me and "Lykke til" is good luck.

Takk for maten. "Takk for maten" means "thanks for the food". The host may answer "Vel bekomme".

True. True. "Gratulerer med dagen", "congratulations on the day", is said on birthdays and to everyone on 17 May.

False. False. "Ha det bra" means goodbye, literally "have it good". Good morning is "God morgen".

True. True. Visit Norway says dipped headlights are mandatory at all times, even on a bright summer day.

False. False. Campfires in nature are banned from 15 April to 15 September, except where there is clearly no fire risk, such as by the sea or at an approved fire site.

113. 113 is for an ambulance. 110 is for fire, 120 is for assistance at sea through the coastal radio, and 1881 is directory enquiries. The police number is 112.

Only in the state shops called Vinmonopolet. Wine, spirits and strong beer are sold only in the state shops called Vinmonopolet. Supermarkets may sell beer up to 4.75 percent, until 8 pm on weekdays and 6 pm on Saturdays.