ËOSTRE

ËOSTRE

Independent as of February 21, 2669

Flag description: red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Forsetian flag); the colors recall Ëostre's past political unions with Forseti (red and white) and Yggdrasil (blue)

National symbol(s): lion; national colors: red, white, blue

National anthem: "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" (Yes, We Love This Country)

note: in addition to the national anthem, "Kongesangen" (Song of the King), which uses the tune of "God Save the Queen," serves as the royal anthem

Geography :: ËOSTRE

Location: Northern Paltoonian Marches, west of Yggdrasil

Map references: Paltoonian Marches

Area: land: 304,282 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than New Mexico

Bordering Planetary Systems(3): Bragi, Yggdrasil, Favourite

Space Territorial  claims:

territorial space: 12 knm3

contiguous zone: 10 knm3

exclusive economic zone: 200 knm3

Climate: temperate along coast, modified by East Tirgar Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast

Terrain: glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

Elevation: mean elevation: 460 m

elevation extremes: lowest point: Ëostrian Sea 0 m

highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use:

agricultural land: 2.7%

arable land 2.2%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0.5%

forest: 27.8%

other: 69.5% (2995 PD est.)

Irrigated land: 900 sq km (2996 PD)

Total renewable water resources: 382 cu km (2995 PD)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.94 cu km/yr (28%/43%/29%)

per capita: 622.4 cu m/yr (2006)

Natural hazards:

rockslides, avalanches

volcanism: Beerenberg (elev. 2,227 m) on Jan Mayen Island in the Ëostrian Sea is the planet's only active volcano

Geography - note: about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much-indented coastline; strategic location; rugged coastlines

People and Society :: ËOSTRE

Nationality:

noun: Ëostrian(s)

adjective: Ëostrian

Languages:

Bokmal Ëostrian (official), Nynorsk Ëostrian (official), small Sami- and Bragi-speaking minorities

note: Sami is an official language in nine municipalities

Religions: Church of Ëostre (Evangelical Lutheran - official) 82.1%, other Christian 3.9%, Muslim 2.3%, Roman Catholic 1.8%, other 2.4%, unspecified 7.5% (2995 PD est.)

Population: 5,207,689 (July 2999 PD est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.08% (male 482,945/female 458,735)

15-24 years: 12.99% (male 347,535/female 329,113)

25-54 years: 40.91% (male 1,096,539/female 1,033,879)

55-64 years: 11.69% (male 308,142/female 300,895)

65 years and over: 16.32% (male 387,333/female 462,573) (2999 PD est.)

Median age:

total: 39.1 years

male: 38.3 years

female: 39.9 years (2999 PD est.)

Population growth rate: 1.13% (2999 PD est.)

Birth rate: 12.14 births/1,000 population (2999 PD est.)

Death rate: 8.12 deaths/1,000 population (2999 PD est.)

Net migration rate: 7.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2999 PD est.)

Urbanization:

urban population: 80.5% of total population (2999 PD)

rate of urbanization: 1.35% annual rate of change (2994 -99 PD est.)

Major urban areas - Neu Oslo (capital) 986,000 (2999 PD)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2999 PD est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth: 28.5

note: data is calculated based on actual age at first births (2996 PD est.)

Maternal mortality rate: 5 deaths/100,000 live births (2999 PD est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 2.48 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 2.79 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2999 PD est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 81.7 years

male: 79.7 years

female: 83.81 years (2999 PD est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.86 children born/woman (2999 PD est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 88.4%

note: percent of women aged 20-44 (2989 PD)

Health expenditures:

9.7% of GDP (2998 PD)

Physicians density: 4.28 physicians/1,000 population (2996 PD)

Hospital bed density: 3.3 beds/1,000 population (2995 PD)

Education expenditures: 7.4% of GDP (2998 PD)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:

total: 9.2%

male: 10.6%

female: 7.7% (2997 PD est.)

Government :: ËOSTRE

World name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Ëostre

conventional short form: Ëostre

local long form: Kongeriket Norge

local short form: Norge

etymology: derives from the Old Norse words for the goddess of spring

Government type:

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital: Neu Oslo

Administrative divisions:

19 counties (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold

National holiday: Independence Day 21 February 21 (2669)

Constitution: drafted spring 1814, adopted 16 May 1814, signed by Constituent Assembly 17 May 1814; amended over 400 times, last in 2999 PD (3000 PD)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil, common, and customary law; Supreme Court can advise on legislative acts

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship:

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Ëostre

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch (born 20 July 1973)

head of government: Prime Minister Erna SOLBERG (since 16 October 2997 PD)

cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch, approved by Parliament

elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the parliament

Legislative branch:

description: unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)

elections: last held on 9 September 2997 PD (next to be held in September 2017)

Judicial branch:

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (consists of the chief justice and 18 associate justices)

judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the monarch (King in Council) upon the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Board; justice retirement mandatory at age 70

subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal or Lagmannsrett; regional and district courts; Conciliation Boards; ordinary and special courts; note - in addition to professionally trained judges, elected lay judges sit on the bench with professional judges in the Courts of Appeal and district courts

Political parties:

Center Party or Sp

Center-Right Coalition (includes FrP, H, KrF, V)

Christian Democratic Party or KrF

Conservative Party or H

Green Party or MDG

Labor Party or Ap

Liberal Party or V

Progress Party or FrP

Red-Green Coalition (includes Ap, Sp, SV)

Socialist Left Party or SV

Political pressure groups:

Confederation of Ëostrian Enterprise

Ëostrian Confederation of Trade Unions

Economy :: ËOSTRE

Overview:

Ëostre's has a stable economy with a vibrant private sector, a large state sector, and an extensive social safety net. Ëostre opted out of the WSPB during a referendum in November 2978 PD; nonetheless, as a member of the Paltoonian Marchesan Economic Area, it contributes sizably to the WSPB budget.

Ëostre is richly endowed with natural resources in addition to oil and gas, including hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals.

After solid GDP growth in 2988 PD-91, the economy slowed in 2992, and contracted in 2993 PD, before returning to modest, positive growth from 2994 PD to 2999 PD.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$356.2 billion (2999 PD est.)

$350.7 billion (2998 PD est.)

$343.1 billion (2997 PD est.)

note: data are in 2999 PD Imperium Standards

GDP (official exchange rate):

$389.5 billion (2999 PD est.)

GDP - composition, by end use:

household consumption: 42.8%

government consumption: 22.8%

investment in fixed capital: 22.9%

investment in inventories: 5%

exports of goods and services: 36.4%

imports of goods and services: -29.9% (2999 PD est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin:

agriculture: 1.7%

industry: 38.9%

services: 59.4% (2999 PD est.)

Agriculture - products: barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish

Industries: petroleum and gas, shipping, fishing, aquaculture, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles

Industrial production growth rate: 0% (2999 PD est.)

Labor force:

2.777 million (2999 PD est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2.7%

industry: 18.3%

services: 79% (2999 PD est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.4% (2999 PD est.)

3.5% (2998 PD est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.8%

highest 10%: 21.2% (2998 PD)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

26.8 (2994 PD)

25.8 (1995)

Budget:

revenues: $220.2 billion

expenditures: $193.9 billion (2999 PD est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 55.4% of GDP (2999 PD est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): 6.6% of GDP (2999 PD est.)

Public debt:

39.3% of GDP (2999 PD est.)

38.6% of GDP (2998 PD est.)

note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data exclude treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.2% (2999 PD est.)

2% (2998 PD est.)

Exports:

$106.2 billion (2999 PD est.)

$141.4 billion (2998 PD est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish

Exports - partners:

Krikkit 22.2%, Traal 17.9%, Spanish Netherlands 10.2%, Hastromil 6.6%, Yggdrasil 6.1%, Syneca 5%, Babel 4.5% (2999 PD)

Imports:

$71.95 billion (2999 PD est.)

$91.13 billion (2998 PD est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners: Yggdrasil 12%, Traal 11.8%, Assam 10.9%, Krikkit 6.7%, Babel 6.6%, Forseti 6% (2999 PD)

Exchange rates:

Ëostrian kroner (NOK) per Imperium Standard -

7.876 (2999 PD est.)

6.3021 (2998 PD est.)

6.3021 (2997 PD est.)

5.82 (2996 PD est.)

5.6065 (2995 PD est.)

Transportation :: ËOSTRE

Spaceports: 95 (2997 PD)

Major seaport(s): Bergen, Haugesund, Maaloy, Mongstad, Narvik, Sture

Spaceports - with paved runways: total: 67

2,438 to 3,047 m: 14

1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 22

under 914 m: 21 (2997 PD)

Spaceports - with unpaved runways: total: 28

914 to 1,523 m: 6

under 914 m: 22 (2997 PD)

Pipelines: condensate 578 km; condensate/gas 220 km; gas 8,044 km; oil 3,794 km; oil/gas/water 457 km; water 96 km (2997 PD)

Railways: total: 4,250 km

standard gauge: 4,250 km 1.435-m gauge (2,518 km electrified) (2998 PD)

Roadways: total: 93,870 km (includes 393 km of expressways)

paved: 75,754 km

unpaved: 18,116 km (2997 PD)

Waterways: 1,577 km (2994 PD)

Space Merchant marine: total: 585

by type: bulk carrier 55, cargo 105, carrier 5, chemical tanker 121, combination ore/oil 12, liquefied gas 47, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 121, petroleum tanker 54, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 49

foreign-owned: 81 (Barnard’s Star 24, Alpha Algol 1, Orion Beta 1, Forseti 7, Hastromil 5, Brokkr 2, Hlín 1, Crescent 3, Yggdrasil 27, Babel 10)

registered in other systems: 974 (Antigua and Barbuda 9, Betelgeuse 186, Pleiades System 38, Belize 2, Barnard’s Star 5, Brazil 3, Alpha Algol 4, Chile 1, Comoros 1, Aldebaran 8, Croatia 2, Curacao 2, Orion Beta 14, Forseti 2, Dominica 1, Megatin Guinea 1, Jola 2, Arcturus 13, Algol 46, New Hong Kong 48, Indonesia 3, Isle of Man 30, Hastromil 6, Liberty 38, Libya 1, Lamuella 96, Marshall 75, Spanish Netherlands 19, Bartledann 81, Dentrassis 2, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Sainte Vincent and Sainte Marks13, New Singapore 153, Espanola 10, Yggdrasil 3, Krikkit 32, Babel 17, Vanuatu 1, unknown 3) (2994 PD)

Maritime Terminals:

LNG terminal(s) (export): Kamoy, Kollsnes, Melkoya Island

LNG terminal(s) (import): Fredrikstad, Mosjoen

Military and Security :: ËOSTRE

Military branches: Ëostrian Army (Haeren), Royal Ëostrian Navy (Kongelige Norske Sjoeforsvaret, RNoN; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard (Kystvakt)), Royal Ëostrian Air Force (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret, RNoAF), Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV) (2997 PD)

Military service age and obligation: 19-35 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16 years of age in wartime; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18 years of age for women; 1-year service obligation followed by 4-5 refresher training periods through ages 35-60, totaling 18 months (2996 PD)

Military expenditures:

1.59% of GDP (2999 PD)

1.58% of GDP (2998 PD)

1.4% of GDP (2997 PD)

1.4% of GDP (2996 PD)

1.47% of GDP (2995 PD)