Norway is a kingdom that is situated in the northern part of Europe. Together with Denmark and Sweden, Norway is part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The kingdom of Norway has a population of around 4 million, scattered on a total of 385,155 km. The Norwegian coast is a heaven for sailors with picturesque small towns and a coastline especially on the south coast filled with islands. The fjords and the mountainous landscape gives you the possibility to create interesting itineraries that are unique along the 1.200 nautical miles long coastline. The beauty of Norway doesn’t only depend on its mountains and fjords but also on the diversity of its islands, which makes sailing in Norway truly enjoyable. All you have to do is charter a yacht, and then you can give yourself one unique and memorable holiday for you and your family.

One of the most fascinating places to visit in Norway is Bergen. It is a small town, the income of which is much dependent on tourism. Perhaps the reason could be attributed to the fact that the city acts like a portal for the glamorous fjords that comprise Norway. Moreover, there are several amateur bands that tirelessly play all over the community. Hence, while you’re waiting for your charter to arrive, you can sit down and listen to these individuals play their own music.

Sailing in Norway is like heaven. But where do you go? A good suggestion will be in the Norwegian South Coast region. By nature, the weather along this area is sometimes unpredictable. However, you can have many sheltered places along your charter. If you’re sailing alone, you can anchor your boat on any of the mountains near the fjords. Nevertheless, for safety purposes, ensure that you have the right safety equipment with you. Moreover, you must also be prepared for the strong gusts of winds.

Do you love to commune with nature on a vacation? You can always bring your backpack on the North West Coast region. There are many hiking and biking trails that you can find near the fjords. A good example is the one you can discover in Midsund District. The narrowness of Rorsethornet’s edges can give you the kind of thrill in your holiday. You can also pass by the fjords until you reach the mountain peaks Midoya Island. On the way, don’t forget to pick the spring flowers that decorate the entire mountains. Nevertheless, make sure that you bring along a trail map with you. It’s better to have something to look at when you can’t find your way home.

Certainly, there is more to sailing in Norway. You can also enjoy their music, beautiful mountain peaks, and the challenges provided by the fjords and the seas that envelop the entire region. If you acre to go to Norway, you must know that the Norwegians love sports, being champions at ski fond, ski jumping and other winter sports. You also must know that they are most likely to employ bicycles than cars, and you will see loads of people on bikes, so you can rent one too during your stay.

Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. The Royal House is a branch of the princely family of Glücksburg, originally from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. As it stands, the functions of the King, Harald V, are mainly ceremonial, but he has influence as the symbol of national unity. Although the constitution of 1814 grants important executive powers to the King, these are always exercised by the Council of State in the name of the King. The reserve powers vested in the Monarch by the constitution have in the 20th century in reality been symbolic, but has on a few occasions been important such as in World War II, when the Monarch said he would step down if the government should accept the German demand.

The Council of State consists of a Prime Minister and other ministers, formally appointed by the King. Parliamentarism has evolved since 1884 and entails that the cabinet must not have the parliament against it, and that the appointment by the King is a formality when there is a clear majority in Parliament for a party or a coalition of parties. But after elections resulting in no clear majority to any party or coalition, the leader of the party most likely to be able to form a government is appointed Prime Minister by the King. Norway has often been ruled by minority governments. The King has government meetings every Friday at the Royal Palace, but the government decisions are decided in advance in government conferences, headed by the Prime Minister, every Tuesday and Thursday. The King opens the Parliament every October, he receives ambassadors to the Norwegian court, and he is the symbolic Supreme Commander of the Norwegian Defence Force and the Head of the Church of Norway.

The Norwegian parliament, Stortinget, currently has 169 members. The members are elected from the nineteen counties for four-year terms according to a system of proportional representation. In addition, 19 seats, the socalled ”levelling seats” are allocated on a nationwide basis to make the representation in parliament correspond better with the popular vote. There is a 4% election threshold to gain levelling seats. When voting on legislation, the Storting ” until the 2009 election ” divides itself into two chambers, the Odelsting and the Lagting. Laws are in most cases proposed by the government through a Member of the Council of State, or in some cases by a member of the Odelsting in case of repeated disagreement in the joint Storting. Nowadays, however, the Lagting rarely disagrees, effectively rubber-stamping the Odelsting’s decisions. A constitutional amendment of February 20, 2007 will repeal the division after the 2009 general election.

Impeachment cases are very rare and may be brought against Members of the Council of State, of the Supreme Court, or of the Storting for criminal offenses which they may have committed in their official capacity. Prior to an amendment to the Norwegian Constitution on February 20, 2007 indictments were raised by the Odelsting and judged by the Lagting and the Supreme Court justices as part of the High Court of the Realm. In the new system impeachment cases will be heard by the five highest ranking Supreme Court justices and six lay members in one of the Supreme Court courtrooms. Storting representatives may not perform as lay judges. Indictments will be raised by the Storting in a plenary session.

The Storting otherwise functions as a unicameral parliament and after the 2009 general election the division into Odelsting and Lagting for passing legislation will be abolished. Legislation will then have to go through two – three in case of dissent – readings before being passed and sent to the King for assent. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, city and district courts, and conciliation councils. Judges attached to regular courts are appointed by the King in council. In order to form a government, more than half the membership of the Council of State is required to belong to the Church of Norway. Currently, this means at least ten out of nineteen members. After the negotiations of looser ties between the church and the state, it was decided that this requirement will be abolished in the near future.