| NORWAY | 507 |
islands off the coast of the Arctic ocean are very rocky and mountainous, with peaks from 3,000 to 4,000 ft. high, generally covered with snow and ice. Among them many isolated rocks like cones rise out of the sea, inhabited by millions of aquatic birds. On Magerö is the North cape, the most northerly point of the continent of Europe, with cliffs 300 ft. high. On Kvalö is Hammerfest, the most northerly city in the world; and on Tromsö is the city of the same name, with 4,000 inhabitants. Senjen is the second largest island in Norway. The Loffoden isles are also very rocky and mountainous; the principal one, Hindö, is the largest in Norway. At the S. W. end of the Loffoden islands is the Maelstrom, which is produced by the currents of the West fiord. (See Maelstrom.) In 1869 there were 90 lighthouses on the coasts of Norway, of which 4 were on the Arctic coast, 30 on the Atlantic, 34 on the North sea, and 22 on the Skager Rack. That of Fruholmen, near Hammerfest, in lat. 71° 5′ 45″, is the most northerly one in the world. The principal ports are Christiania and Christiansand on the Skager Rack, and Bergen, Christiansund, and Drontheim. on the North sea.—The surface is very mountainous, particularly in the north, but there are no well defined and regular ridges, the great Scandinavian chain, which extends, under the names of Kiölen, Dovrefield, and Langfield, and other appellations, N. and S. throughout the peninsula, consisting rather of a series of elevated plateaus called fjelds or fields, from which rise mountain masses. The principal summits are Ymes Field, 8,540 ft. above the sea, and Skagtöls Tind, 8,061. The descent from these plateaus on the Swedish side is gradual, but on the west it is abrupt and precipitous, though it stretches out far toward the sea, and in some places covers almost the entire width of the kingdom. The whole country is extremely rugged. Minor lateral ranges branch from the main chain, forming deep narrow valleys, each with its stream and lakes. On the W. coast the lower parts of these valleys form the fiords, the upper parts of which are but dark narrow lanes of water, with wooded precipices rising from their edges, and cataracts and torrents pouring into them. Among the most famous natural curiosities is the mountain of the Kilhorn in Nordland, a remarkable pyramidal peak, terminating with a long, sharp, spire-like summit, and having a large perforation about three fourths of the way up its side. The mountain of Hornelen, which forms the E. extremity of the island of Bremanger at the entrance of Vaags fiord, is an isolated mass from which rises a sharp-pointed peak inclined at an angle of 60° to the horizon, and appearing about to topple over upon the surrounding plain. Some of the mountain passes are extremely picturesque. The Vöring-fos and Rinkan-fos are cataracts, each 900 ft. in perpendicular descent, and several of the rivers have falls of less height. The principal rivers are the Tana and Alten, which flow into the Arctic ocean, the former forming part of the boundary of Russian Lapland; the Namsen, which empties into the Atlantic; and the Laugen, Drammen, and Glommen, which fall into the Skager Rack. There are many other smaller streams. Lakes abound in all parts of the country, the largest being the Miösen, 40 m. N. of Christiania, 55 m. long and from 1 to 12 m. broad; it is formed by an expansion of the river Laugen, and discharges into the Glommen through the Vormen. The geological formation is chiefly primitive and transition rocks. The most abundant is gneiss, alternating occasionally with granite, and intermixed with mica slate. Limestone, quartz, and hornblende are also found. In the southern districts there are many traces of volcanic action. The mountains are rich in iron, copper, silver, nickel, and cobalt; but the mines are not worked to their full capacity on account of government restrictions and the scarcity of fuel. The silver mines of Kongsberg belong to the state. The Röraas copper mines have been worked for more than 200 years. The iron mines are but imperfectly worked, but the metal is of superior quality.—The soil is in general poor. Only 0.8 per cent. of the surface is under cultivation; 2.1 per cent. is meadow, and 97.1 woodland, pasture land, or barren. The land is of a light sandy texture, which under the best cultivation could not yield heavy crops; but there are vast pasture lands of good quality. The climate is healthy, and less severe than might be expected from the high latitude and elevation of surface, being considerably tempered by the sea and warm S. W. winds. Many of the western and northern gulfs and fiords are rarely or never frozen, while those on the south are filled with ice. The mean temperature at Christiania is 43° F.; at Ullensvang, on the gulf of Hardanger, 44°; at Drontheim, 39.50°; at the Salten fiord, 43°; and at the North cape, 29°. The temperature is milder than that of any other region equally distant from the equator. Vegetation flourishes as far N. as lat. 70°. The weather is remarkably steady for the latitude. About 1⁄35 of the surface is covered with perpetual snow; in other districts snow lies only about four months in the year, beginning toward the end of November. In January and February the mercury ranges from 14° F. above to 15° below zero, and sometimes sinks to 31° below. In summer it rises occasionally to 108°, and the crops ripen three months after sowing. The principal crop is barley, which is cultivated as far N. as lat. 70°. Rye, oats, wheat (in favorable seasons and southern districts), potatoes, flax, hemp, a little tobacco, and apples, pears, cherries, and other fruits are also raised. The system of agriculture is extremely rude, and the prejudice of the farmers against innovation precludes the hope of any speedy improvement. Under-drainage is never practised. A large quantity of grain, chiefly rye and barley, is annually imported from Denmark
