Norway Facts

The Christmas tree displayed in Trafalgar square in London is an annual gift to the UK from Norway since 1947. The Norwegian spruce given is a token of appreciation of British friendship during World War II from the Norwegian people.

After being in captivity for 23 years, the orca from Free Willy, Keiko, was set free in 2002. Weeks later, he appeared at a Norwegian fjord apparently seeking human contact and even gave rides to children on his back.

Norway has a king penguin as Colonel-in-Chief of their royal guard.

Sweden is so good at recycling, it has run out of garbage and now must import garbage from Norway to fuel its energy programs.

There is a town in Norway called Hell, and it freezes over almost every winter.

In Norway, owners of electric cars enjoy free public parking, free ferry trips, and the right to drive in bus lanes.

In 1999, a Swedish doctor fell through ice while skiing and spent 80 minutes trapped underwater. Her body temperature dropped to 56.7°F - the lowest ever recorded in a surviving patient. She had no heartbeat. Doctors spent 9 hours reviving her. She later became a radiologist at the very hospital that saved her life.

In 2019, a beluga whale wearing a harness labeled "Equipment St. Petersburg" appeared near Hammerfest, Norway. They named him Hvaldimir, a pun on "whale" and "Vladimir." Weeks later, a woman dropped her phone off a dock into the ocean. Hvaldimir dove down, picked it up in his mouth, and brought it back to her. Her friend caught the whole thing on camera.