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Netherlands

2017-09-22T19:58:35Z

Biblereader: Category:Liberal Nations

{{Country|
|map=Netherlands rel87.jpg
|map2=Netherlands location.PNG
|flag=Netherlandsflag.gif
|arms=
|capital=Amsterdam
|government=Constitutional monarchy
|language=Dutch
|king=Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
|president=
|chancellor=
|pm=Mark Rutte
|area=41,526 km² (18,41% water)
|pop=17,016,967
|pop-basis=2016
|gdp-year=2006 (est)
|gdp-pc=$35,078
|currency=Euro (€) (EUR)
|idd=31
|tld=.nl
}}
:''For the impact on left-wing policies on the Netherlands and the rest of Europe, see [[European migrant crisis]]''
The '''Netherlands''' (Dutch: ''Nederland'') is a country in the [[European Union]] in northwestern Europe, north of Belgium and France. It is a part of [[the Kingdom of the Netherlands]]. It is bordered by [[Belgium]] and [[Germany]], and has a total population of 16.9 million (2015). Its system of government is [[constitutional monarchy]]. The country is often referred to as "Holland", which was originally the name of two densely populated provinces of the country (North-Holland and South-Holland). The cities of [[Amsterdam]], [[Rotterdam]] and [[The Hague]] all lie in these provinces, that have always been the most influential regions in the Netherlands. The official language is [[Dutch]] and the people are referred to in English as Dutchmen or collectively as the Dutch.

The major ethnic groups in the Netherlands are [[Dutch]] 94%, Surinamese 2%, Asians 2% and others 2%.
==Dike system==
The term "Netherlands" means "low country," and it is a very low-lying country. About a quarter of the land area, containing more than half of the population, is actually below sea level, and would flood if the sea were not held back by a system of [[dike]]s. The Dutch have a saying that "God created the earth, but the Dutch made Holland".

A major breach of the dikes occurred in 1953, killing 1800 people.
To avoid a repeat of the disaster the Dutch began construction of the "Delta Project" to protect the country from future inundations. Begun in 1953 and completed in 2002 the Delta Project is considered a modern wonder of civil engineering. After [[Hurricane Katrina]], a delegation of American engineers was invited by the Dutch government to see how the project works and how its technology can be applied in the United States for low-lying cities like [[New Orleans]].
==Major cities==
[[Amsterdam]], named for the Amstel river, is the largest city, and the capital of the Netherlands. Amsterdam is ringed by an extensive system of concentric canals. The seat of government, however, is located for historical reasons in [[The Hague]] (''Den Haag'').

[[Eindhoven]], a city of the southern province of Brabant, is the location of the giant electronics corporation, Philips (full name: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.), with annual revenue equivalent to about $40 billion. (The U.S. corporation [[General Electric]] has revenues of about $150 billion, but much of it is from non-electronics businesses). The Eindhoven area is known for its high concentration of high-tech industires, which include ASML, the world primary producer of lithography system for the production of semiconductors, and ''Océ'', a leading producer of printers and copiers.

[[Groningen]] is home to many branches of ''KPN'', the former state company of Post, Telegraphy and Telephony. It had its headquarters in Groningen when it was still state run, and move to [[The Hague]] since. ''KPN'' stands for ''Koninklijke PTT Nederland'', or ''Royal PTT Netherlands''. Groningen is also home to ''Gasunie'' (Gasunion), a public-private partnership that exploits the natural gas reseves in the province of Groningen and the adjoint [[North Sea]].

[[File:Jongkind A Windmill near Delft 1857.jpg|thumb|left|[[Johan Barthold Jongkind]], A Windmill near Delft, 1857.]]
[[Delft]] is a small town in [[South Holland]], situated between [[Rotterdam]] and [[The Hague]]. It is noted for the blue-and-white Delft pottery, and as the home of the great artist [[Jan Vermeer]].

[[Arnhem]] is a city in Gelderland, lying on the north bank of the Lower Rhine river. It was the scene of a major battle during [[Operation Market Garden]] in September 1944, when British and allied paratroop forces captured its strategic road bridge before being overwhelmed by German forces in the area.

[[Leeuwarden]] ([[Frisian]]: ''Ljouwert'') is the capital of the northern province of Friesland; it was also the home town of the spy [[Mata Hari]] and the artist [[M.C. Escher]].
It has a population of 92,000.

[[Utrecht]] is a city of the central province of Utrecht. It is the seat of a bishopric and is a major communications hub and rail center. With a population of 290,000, it is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands.
The city is best known as the site of lengthy peace negotiations to end the [[Wars of Spanish Succession]] in the 18th century. The resulting peace, called the [[Treaty of Utrecht]], was signed in April 1713.

Hoek van Holland ("Hook of Holland", literally 'corner of Holland') is a port in [[South Holland]], and is administratively part of the city of [[Rotterdam]]. It lies at the outflow of the Nieuwe Waterweg [[canal]] and the [[North Sea]], and is the base for ferry services to [[Harwich]] in eastern [[England]].

==Provinces==

South Holland contains the cities of [[The Hague]] and [[Rotterdam]].

Flevoland is the youngest of the twelve provinces, having the least population (ca. 360,000). It was created in 1986 on two [[polder]]s: just 80 years ago, there was no dry land but the [[Zuiderzee]]. Its capital is [[Lelystad]].

Friesland is a coastal province in the north, home to the [[Frisian]] language and people.

Gelderland borders [[Germany]] to the east, and extends north to the [[Ijsselmeer]]. Gelderland includes the major cities of [[Nijmegen]] and [[Arnhem]], as well as the extensive heathland known as the Veluwe, now a national park.

North Brabant is often referred to as ''Brabant'', as there is no ''south Brabant'' in the Netherlands.
The southern part of the former ''duchy of Brabant'' (including the important cities of [[Antwerp]] and [[Leuven]]) now belongs to Belgium. While [[Eindhoven]] is the biggest city in North Brabant, its capital is [['s-Hertogenbosch]].

==Business==
The Netherlands is the home of the Anglo-Dutch oil company [[Royal Dutch Shell]] . Other well known Dutch or partly Dutch multinationals are [[Unilever]], a company owning many household brands, ''ING Group'', a banking group, ''Ahold'', an international chain of supermarkets, ''Reed Elsevier'', a publishing house, ''Nielsen Company'', owner of the [[Yellow Pages]], and ''Randstad Holding'', a company providing [[human resource services]]. The famous ''Dutch East India Company'', which dominated trade in with South-East Asia in the 17th century, is regarded as the first multinational in history.
==Customs==
The Netherlands has long been famous for its production of flowers, and also for a related economic event, the "[[tulip mania]]" of 1636-1637. [[Tulip]]s were traded on stock exchanges, and bid up to fantastic prices by people who understood that the prices were crazy but hoped to sell at a profit to even crazier investors. Many people mortgaged their homes for a single tulip bulb and in one case an entire brewery was exchanged for a few bulbs. As with all [[economic bubble]]s, when bidding began to lag people tried to sell and the bubble burst with disastrous consequences. Since then the Dutch have been renowned for their carefulness with money and have established a significant presence in the banking and financial sectors.

===Drug policies===
The Netherlands is noted for its low-crime rate (although comparable to other western European nations) and [[libertarian]] legislation. Examples are licensed prostitution in designated areas of major cities, such as Amsterdam's Red Light District, the legal soft [[drugs]] sold in the country's many coffee shops, [[abortion]] rights, [[same-sex marriage]]s and [[euthanasia]].

Consuming and carrying (for personal use only) the "soft drugs" ([[marijuana]], [[hashish]] and [[hallucinogenic mushrooms]]) were made legal in the Netherlands in 1976 in a final attempt to stop drug-related crime in the 1970s. Soft drugs can be legally purchased by individuals over 18 in the famed (licensed) coffee shops, that do sell coffee as well, but are prohibited from serving alcohol.
The Dutch policy regarding soft drugs (and previously prostitution) is called "gedoogbeleid" (condonement policy). This means that although certain behavior is officially prohibited by law, a condonement clause prevents law enforcement agencies from prosecuting this behavior. This clause is, legally speaking, not a law and can be reverted much easier than a regular law.

The main reason for this policy is to try to split the market for "soft drugs" from the one for "hard drugs", this to avoid that users "upgrade" from soft to "hard drugs" (the latter are still illegal). So in short, the law tries to prevent citizen's exposure to hard drugs by providing a legal context in which to purchase cannabis. The policy also allows the police to focus on the war on hard drugs and criminal trade, and avoid the exhaustive bureaucratic costs associated with low-profile possession busts. In fact, most major cities in the world have similar non-prosecution policies, but the Dutch one is the only nationwide one.

Growing marijuana and hashish for commercial purposes is still officially illegal (it is legal to own up to four plants per household), causing coffee shop owners to rely on illegal homegrown products. Only two state run companies are exempted from this rule in order to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes. Leftist movements have stated that the government should make its mind up: "either make growing marijuana and hashish legal, or ban soft drugs altogether".

Some argue that the legal status of soft drugs has had no significant adverse effects on Dutch society.{{who}} This is probably due to the fact that it has become a more or less socially accepted drug like alcohol and tobacco, removing the need for dealers and effectively terminating cannabis' status as an anti-establishment symbol, and in effect diminishing its' popularity somewhat amongst youth. Some disagree:
* {{marijuana-passive-Dutch}}

==King's Day==
April 27 is King's Day - the national holiday to mark the official birthday of the monarch. King's Day is the one day of the year when ordinary Netherlanders are permitted to sell goods on the streets without a license. Consequently, the whole country is turned into a gigantic flea market (garage sale). The primary effect of this is that people buy goods they do not want or need, solely in order to sell them the following year. In an act of patriotism, most of the populace wear orange colored clothing (the national color) to identify with the Royal House Of Orange-Nassau.

Those not involved with selling their surplus belongings celebrate the national holiday at outdoors parties in the cities or with fine weather, spend the free day on a terrace of a pub, or cycle in the national ''Fietsen op Dijken'' tour around the nation's dikes.

==Anne Frank==
[[Anne Frank]] was a famous Jewish girl who hid from Nazis in the house of friends in Amsterdam. She wrote a diary which was later published and became a best seller. Her family left Germany in 1933 because of the Nazis, but the Nazis caught up with her and sent her to Belsen death camp where she died before end of war in 1945. Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam is now a popular tourist attraction.

==Society==

[[Same sex marriage]] has been recognized by the Dutch government since 2001.<ref>[http://marriage.about.com/cs/samesexmarriage/a/samesex.htm About.com]</ref> Furthermore, legal [[prostitution]], [[euthanasia]], [[abortion]] and its drug policy (see above) make The Netherlands the most liberal country in the world by most standards. Christianity was once the dominant factor in Dutch society and politics, but since the 1970s plays a secondary role in society, with only 9% of the population being [[Protestant]] (2009) and just under 30% are [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]]. There is a rising [[Muslim]] population (4%) which has caused social strains. An overall decline in religion can be seen as of 2004. These days The Netherlands are considered one of the least churchgoing countries in Europe.

==History==
* see [[History of the Netherlands]]

== See also ==

*[[Painting of the Dutch Century]]
*[[Gallery of Flemish and Dutch painting]]
*[[Flemish School of Painting]]
*[[Gallery of Dutch Still life Masterpieces]]
*[[Countries of the world - Gross Domestic Product per capita]]

==Bibliography==
===Guides===
* DK. ''Amsterdam'' (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Amsterdam-EYEWITNESS-TRAVEL-GUIDE-Publishing/dp/075662441X/ref=pd_bbs_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443999&sr=8-9 excerpt and text search]
* DK. ''Netherlands'' (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Holland-Eyewitness-Travel-Guides-Ewart/dp/0789493055/ref=pd_bbs_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443999&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]
* ''Lonely Planet the Netherlands'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Netherlands-Travel-Guides/dp/1741042992/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443999&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* ''Michelin the Green Guide Netherlands'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Michelin-Green-Guide-Netherlands-Guides/dp/2067123319/ref=pd_bbs_sr_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443999&sr=8-10 excerpt and text search]
===Current conditions===
* Delsen, Lei. ''Exit Polder Model? Socioeconomic Changes in the Netherlands'' (2002) [http://www.questia.com/read/113099417?title=Exit%20Polder%20Model%3f%20%20Socioeconomic%20Changes%20in%20the%20Netherlands online edition]
* Mathijs, Ernest, ed. ''The Cinema of the Low Countries.'' (2004). 268 pp.
* Vuijsje, Herman. ''The Politically Correct Netherlands: Since the 1960s.'' (2000). 244 pp.
* White, Colin, et al. ''The Undutchables: An Observation of the Netherlands, Its Culture And Its Inhabitants'' (2005)
===History surveys===
* Arblaster, Paul. ''A History of the Low Countries.'' (2006). 298 pp.
* Blom, J. C. H. and E. Lamberts, eds. ''History of the Low Countries'' (2006) 504pp [http://www.amazon.com/History-Low-Countries-J-Blom/dp/1845452720/ref=pd_bbs_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443552&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]; also [http://www.questia.com/read/1379132?title=History%20of%20the%20Low%20Countries complete edition online]
* Hooker, Mark T. ''The History of Holland'' (1999) 264pp [http://www.amazon.com/History-Holland-Greenwood-Histories-Nations/dp/0313306583/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209805742&sr=1-17 excerpt and text search]
* Israel, Jonathan. ''The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall, 1477-1806'' (1995) a major synthesis; [http://www.questia.com/read/91981119?title=The%20Dutch%20Republic%3a%20Its%20Rise%2c%20Greatness%2c%20and%20Fall%2c%201477-1806 complete online edition]; also [http://www.amazon.com/Dutch-Republic-Greatness-1477-1806-History/dp/0198207344/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443552&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Kossmann, E. H. ''The Low Countries 1780-1940'' (1978)
* van Oostrom, Frits, and Hubert Slings. ''A Key to Dutch History'' (2007)
* Pirenne, Henri. ''Belgian Democracy, Its Early History'' (1910, 1915) 250 pp. history of towns in the Low Countries [http://www.questia.com/read/1276323?title=Belgian%20Democracy%2c%20Its%20Early%20History online free]
* Rietbergen, P.J.A.N. ''A Short History of the Netherlands. From Prehistory to the Present Day''. 5th ed. Amersfoort: Bekking, 2002. ISBN 9061094402
* Vlekke, Bernard H. M. ''Evolution of the Dutch Nation'' (1945) 382 pp. [http://www.questia.com/read/82243176?title=Evolution%20of%20the%20Dutch%20Nation online edition]

==Online resources==
* [http://www.iisg.nl/ International Institute of Social History (IISH)]
* [http://www.minbuza.nl/history/en/home History of the Netherlands, introduction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
* [http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/lowcountries/dutchrevolt.html Dutch revolt: maps]

==References==
<references/>

{{European Union}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO Members]]
[[Category:Netherlands]]
[[Category:Dutch History]]
[[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Liberal Nations]]

Israel

2017-09-22T19:56:12Z

Biblereader: Category:Liberal Nations

{{Country
|name =מדינת ישראל ''Medīnat Yisrā'el''
|map =Israel shaded.jpg
|flag =Flag of Israel.png
|arms =Arms of Israel.png
|capital =Jerusalem
|capital-raw =
|government =Parliamentary Democracy
|government-raw =
|language =Hebrew
|language2 =
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|governor general=
|governor general-raw=
|president =Reuven Rivlin
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Benjamin Netanyahu
|pm-raw =
|chairman =
|general secretary=
|governor =
|governor-raw =
|premier =
|premier-raw =
|area =8,019 / 8,522 sq mi
|pop =7,184,000
|pop-basis =2007
|gdp =$170.3 billion
|gdp-year =2006
|gdp-pc =$31,767
|currency =Shekel
|idd =
|tld =
}}
The '''State of Israel''' ([[Hebrew]]: '''מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל''', ''Medinat Yisra'el'' from ''' יִשְׂרָאֵל''' ''Yisra'el'', "Struggled with God") is a nation located in the [[Middle East]]. It is the world's only Jewish state, having emerged from [[Zionism]] in Europe and the U.S. in the 1880s-1940s. It grants citizenship to anybody considered to be [[Jewish]], although this does not apply to anyone suspected or convicted of serious crimes or who the state otherwise considers a serious threat to its welfare. It also contains Arab Muslim and Arab Christian minorities who are remnants of the pre-1948 Arab majority, along with a small [[Druze]] community. It is the location of most Biblical events.

==Geography==
[[File:Haifa Israel.JPG|thumb|420px|center|Haifa.]]
Israel occupies an area along the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with [[Jordan]] and [[Syria]] to the east; [[Lebanon]] on the north; and [[Egypt]] to the south. The territories of the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]] are currently controlled by Israel, but disputed.

The terrain varies from a temperate, coastal climate to desert conditions. Israel shares with Jordan the shoreline of the [[Dead Sea]], at 1,378 feet below sea level.

==People==
Of the approximately 6.43 million Israelis in 2007 about 76% were counted as Jewish, though some of those are not considered Jewish under [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jewish]] law. Since 1989, nearly a million immigrants from the former Soviet Union have arrived in Israel, making this the largest wave of immigration since independence. In addition, an estimated 105,000 members of the [[Ethiopian]] Jewish community have immigrated to Israel, 14,000 of them during the dramatic May 1991 Operation Solomon airlift. 32.9% of Israelis were born outside of Israel.

The three broad Jewish groupings are the Ashkenazim, or Jews who trace their ancestry to [[Central Europe]]; the Sephardim, who trace their origin to [[Spain]], [[Portugal]], southern Europe, and North Africa; and Eastern or Oriental Jews, who descend from ancient communities in Islamic lands. Of the non-Jewish population, about 68% are Muslims, about 9% are Christian, and about 7% are Druze.
[[File:People at a Bar Mitzvah in the Western Wall tunnel.jpg|thumb|280px|left|At a Bar Mitzvah in the Western Wall tunnel.]]
Education is compulsory from age 6 to 16 and is free up to age 18. The school system is organized into kindergartens, 6-year primary schools, 3-year junior secondary schools, and 3-year senior secondary schools, after which a comprehensive examination is offered for university admissions. There are seven university-level institutions in Israel, a number of regional colleges, and an Open University program.

The majority of families in Israel - Jewish and Arab - send their children to segregated schools. This [[segregation]] poses a distinct problem, tending to promote rival viewpoints and attitudes that become ripe for exploitation by proponents of violence. Within Israel, the schools of the minority Arab population become incubators for resentment and hostility, while the schools of the majority Jewish population tend to reinforce a sense of insulation from the concerns of others.<ref>http://handinhandk12.org/</ref>

With a population drawn from more than 100 countries on 5 continents, Israeli society is rich in cultural diversity and artistic creativity. The arts are actively encouraged and supported by the government. The first Jewish artist on record was named Bezalel, an architect, sculptor and designer of holy garments best known for purportedly making the Tabernacle that contained the Ark of the Covenant.<ref>[http://www.jewish-art.org/ancient-jewish-art.html Ancient Jewish art]</ref> The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra performs throughout the country and frequently tours abroad. The Jerusalem Symphony and the New Israel Opera also tour frequently, as do other musical ensembles. Almost every municipality has a chamber orchestra or ensemble, many boasting the talents of gifted performers from the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Israel has several professional ballet and modern dance companies, and folk dancing, which draws upon the cultural heritage of many immigrant groups, continues to be very popular. There is great public interest in the theater; the repertoire covers the entire range of classical and contemporary drama in translation as well as plays by Israeli authors. Of the three major repertory companies, the most famous, Habimah, was founded in 1917.

Active artist colonies thrive in Safed, Jaffa, and Ein Hod, and Israeli painters and sculptors exhibit works worldwide. Israel boasts more than 120 museums, including the Israel [[Museum]] in Jerusalem, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls along with an extensive collection of regional archaeological artifacts, art, and Jewish religious and folk exhibits. Israelis are avid newspaper readers, with more than 90% of Israeli adults reading a newspaper at least once a week. Major daily papers are in Hebrew; others are in Arabic, English, French, Polish, Yiddish, Russian, Hungarian, and German.

==Government==
[[Image:Tst4436.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[David Ben Gurion]], the First Prime Minister of Israel, publicly pronouncing the Declaration of the State of Israel, May 14, 1948, [[Tel Aviv]], Israel, beneath a large [[portraits|portrait]] of Theodore Herzl, founder of modern political Zionism, in the old Tel Aviv Museum of Art building on Rotshild St.]]
Israel is a parliamentary democracy with a governmental system based on several basic laws enacted by its unicameral parliament, the Knesset. The president (chief of state) is elected by the Knesset for a 5-year term.

The prime minister (head of government) exercises executive power and has in the past been selected by the president as the party leader most able to form a government. Between May 1996 and March 2001, Israelis voted for the prime minister directly. (The legislation, which required the direct election of the prime minister, was rescinded by the Knesset in March 2001.) The members of the cabinet must be collectively approved by the Knesset.

The Knesset's 120 members are elected by secret ballot to 4-year terms, although the prime minister may decide to call for new elections before the end of the 4-year term. Voting is for party lists rather than for individual candidates, and the total number of seats assigned each party reflects that party's percentage of the vote. Successful Knesset candidates are drawn from the lists in order of party-assigned rank. Under the present electoral system, all members of the Knesset are elected at large.

The independent judicial system includes secular and religious courts. The courts' right of judicial review of the Knesset's legislation is limited. Judicial interpretation is restricted to problems of execution of laws and validity of subsidiary legislation. The highest court in Israel is the Supreme Court, whose judges are approved by the President.

Israel is divided into six districts, administration of which is coordinated by the Ministry of Interior. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for the administration of the occupied territories.

===Principal Government Officials===
*President—Reuven Rivlin
*Prime Minister—Benjamin Netanyahu
*Foreign Minister—Avigdor Lieberman (Our Home Israel)
*Ambassador to the United States—Sallai Meridor
*Ambassador to the United Nations—Dan Gillerman

===Political Conditions===
[[File:Knesset Israel.jpg|right|300px|The Knesset, The House of Representatives.]]
From the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948 until the election of May 1977 Israel was ruled by successive coalition governments led by the Labor alignment or its constituent parties. From 1967-70 the coalition government included all of Israel's parties except the communist party. After the 1977 election the Likud bloc, then composed of Herut, the Liberals, and the smaller La'am Party, came to power forming a coalition with the National Religious Party, Agudat Israel, and others. As head of Likud, Menachem Begin became Prime Minister. The Likud retained power in the succeeding election in June 1981, and Begin remained Prime Minister. In the summer of 1983, Begin resigned and was succeeded by his Foreign Minister, Yitzhak Shamir.

After Prime Minister Shamir lost a Knesset vote of confidence early in 1984, new elections in July provided no clear winner, with both Labor and Likud considerably short of a Knesset majority and unable to form even narrow coalitions. After several weeks of difficult negotiations, they agreed on a government of national unity, including the rotation of the office of Prime Minister and the combined office of Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister midway through the government's 50-month term.

During the first 25 months of unity government rule, Labor's Shimon Peres served as Prime Minister, while Likud's Shamir held the posts of Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, until they switched positions in October 1986. In November 1988 elections, Likud edged Labor out by one seat but was unable to form a coalition, producing another national unity government in January 1989. Yitzhak Shamir became Prime Minister, and [[Shimon Peres]] became Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister. This government fell in March 1990, however, in a vote of no confidence precipitated by disagreement over the government's response to U.S. Secretary of State Baker's initiative in the peace process. Labor Party leader Peres was unable to attract sufficient support among the religious parties to form a government. Yitzhak Shamir then formed a Likud-led coalition government, including members from religious and right-wing parties.

Shamir's government took office in June 1990, and held power for 2 years. In the June 1992 national elections, the Labor Party reversed its electoral fortunes, taking 44 seats. Labor Party leader [[Yitzhak Rabin]] formed a coalition with [[Meretz]] (a leftist party) and Shas (an ultra-Orthodox religious party). The coalition included the support of two Arab-majority parties. Rabin became Prime Minister in July 1992, presiding over the signing of the Oslo accords with the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]]. However, Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Jewish radical on November 4, 1995. Peres, then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, once again became Prime Minister and immediately proceeded to carry forward the peace policies of the Rabin government and to implement Israel's Oslo commitments, including military redeployment in the West Bank and the holding of historic Palestinian elections on January 20, 1996.

Enjoying broad public support and anxious to secure his own mandate, Peres called for early elections after just 3 months in office. (They would have otherwise been held by the end of October 1996.) In late February and early March, a series of suicide bombing attacks by Palestinian terrorists took some 60 Israeli lives, seriously eroding public support for Peres and raising concerns about the peace process. Increased fighting in southern Lebanon, which also brought Katyusha rocket attacks against northern Israel, also raised tensions and weakened the government politically a month before the May 29 elections.
[[File:Ariel-sharon.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Ariel Sharon (1928-2014).]]
In those elections—the first direct election of a Prime Minister in Israeli history—Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu won by a narrow margin, having sharply criticized the government's peace policies for failing to protect Israeli security. Netanyahu subsequently formed a right-wing coalition government publicly committed to pursuing the peace process, but with an emphasis on security and reciprocity. In 1999, with a shrunken coalition and facing increasing difficulty passing legislation and defeating no-confidence motions, Netanyahu dissolved parliament and called for new elections. This time, the Labor candidate—Ehud Barak—was victorious. Barak formed a mixed coalition government of secular and religious parties, with Likud in the opposition. In May 2000, Barak fulfilled one of his major campaign promises by withdrawing Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon. However, by mid-autumn, with the breakdown of the Camp David talks and the worsening security situation caused by the new intifada, Barak's coalition was in jeopardy. In December, he resigned as Prime Minister, precipitating a new prime ministerial election.

In a special election on February 6, 2001, after a campaign stressing security and the maintenance of Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, Likud leader [[Ariel Sharon]] defeated Barak by over 20 percentage points. As he had promised in his campaign, Sharon formed a broad unity government that included the Labor and Likud parties, the far-right parties, some smaller secular parties, and several religious parties. The unity government collapsed in late 2002, and new elections were held in January 2003. Sharon again won, and formed a new government consisting of his own Likud party, the right-wing National Religious Party and National Union party, and centrist Shinui.

The summer of 2004 saw renewed instability in the government, as disagreement over the Gaza disengagement plan resulted in Sharon's firing two ministers of the National Union Party and accepting the resignation of a third from the National Religious Party in order to secure cabinet approval of the plan (it was endorsed on June 6, 2004). Continuing divisions within the Likud on next steps then prompted Ariel Sharon to leave the party in November 2005 to form the Kadima ("Forward") party and call new elections for March 2006. However, Sharon was unexpectedly incapacitated in January 2006 due to a severe stroke and leadership of Kadima shifted to Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who on March 28 led the party to 29 seats in the Knesset. Labor came in second with 19 seats, and Shas and Likud tied with 12. After intensive coalition negotiations, a new, Kadima-led government, with Labor as "senior partner", was sworn in on May 4, 2006.

===Foreign Relations===
In addition to seeking an end to hostilities with Arab forces, against which it has fought five wars since 1948, Israel has given high priority to gaining wide acceptance as a sovereign state with an important international role.
[[File:Leaders Orient Arab Israel.jpg|left|300px|November, 2010.]]
Before 1967, Israel had established diplomatic relations with a majority of the world's nations, except for the Arab states and most other Muslim countries. UN Security Council resolutions provided the basis for cease-fire and disengagement agreements concerning the Sinai and the Golan Heights between Israel, Egypt, and Syria and for promoting the Camp David accords and the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty. The Soviet Union and the communist states of Central Europe (except Romania) broke diplomatic relations with Israel during the 1967 war, but those relations were restored by 1991.

The landmark October 1991 Madrid conference recognized the importance of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 in resolving regional disputes, and brought together for the first time Israel, the Palestinians, and the neighboring Arab countries, launching a series of direct bilateral and multilateral negotiations. These talks were designed to finally resolve outstanding security, border, and other issues between the parties while providing a basis for mutual cooperation on issues of general concern, including the status of refugees, arms control and regional security, water and environmental concerns, and economic development.

Today, Israel has diplomatic relations with 161 states. Following the signing of the Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on September 13, 1993, Israel established or renewed diplomatic relations with 36 countries. Israel has full diplomatic relations with Egypt, Jordan, and Mauritania. In addition, on October 1, 1994, the Gulf States publicly announced their support for a review of the Arab boycott, in effect abolishing the secondary and tertiary boycotts against Israel.

Israel has diplomatic relations with nine non-Arab Muslim states and with 32 of the 43 Sub-Saharan states that are not members of the Arab League. Israel established relations with China and India in 1992 and with the Holy See in 1993.

===Relations with the United States===
[[File:Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu 2008.jpg|thumb|left|Benjamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama in 2008.]]
[[Image:Mosque.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem]]
Commitment to Israel's security and well being has been a cornerstone of U.S. policy in the Middle East since Israel's founding in 1948, in which the United States played a key supporting role. Israel and the United States are bound closely by historic and cultural ties as well as by mutual interests. Continuing U.S. economic and security assistance to Israel acknowledges these ties and signals U.S. commitment. The broad issues of Arab-Israeli peace have been a major focus in the U.S.-Israeli relationship. U.S. efforts to reach a Middle East peace settlement are based on many critical security interests. The United State's strong national security interests in promoting regional security in the Middle East and curtailing acts of terrorism both in Israel and abroad are supported in part by UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. As one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, the United States also has a strong interest in promoting Israel's economic success.

On a bilateral level, relations between the United States and Israel are continually strengthening in every field. In addition to the Joint Political-Military Group described above, there are: bilateral science and technology efforts (including the Binational Science Foundation and the Binational Agricultural Research and Development Foundation); the U.S.-Israeli Education Foundation, which sponsors educational and cultural programs; the Joint Economic Development Group, which maintains a high-level dialogue on economic issues; the Joint Counterterrorism Group, designed to enhance cooperation in fighting terrorism; and a high-level Strategic Dialogue that meets biannually.

==Defense==
Israel's ground, air, and naval forces, known as the Israel Defense Force (IDF), fall under the command of a single general staff. Conscription is universal for Israeli men and women over the age of 18, although exemptions may be made on religious grounds. Druze, members of a small Islamic offshoot living in Israel's mountains, also serve in the IDF. [[Israeli Arabs]], with the exception of some [[Bedouins]], do not serve. During 1950-66, Israel spent an average of 9% of GDP on defense. Real defense expenditures increased dramatically after both the 1967 and 1973 wars. Military spending in 2005 totaled $9.45 billion, which is equivalent to 7.7% of GDP, and represents 16.3% of government expenditures. The United States provides approximately $2.4 billion per year in security assistance.

In 1983, the United States and Israel established the Joint Political Military Group, which meets twice a year. Both the U.S. and Israel participate in joint military planning and combined exercises, and have collaborated on military research and weapons development.

==Economy==
[[File:Israeli Tel Aviv.jpg|thumb|left|230px|Tel Aviv.]]
Israel has a diversified, technologically advanced economy with substantial but decreasing government ownership and a strong high-tech sector. The major industrial sectors include high-technology electronic and biomedical equipment, metal products, processed foods, chemicals, and transport equipment. Israel possesses a substantial service sector and is one of the world's centers for diamond cutting and polishing. It also is a world leader in software development and, prior to the violence that began in September 2000, was a major tourist destination.

Israel's strong commitment to economic development and its talented work force led to economic growth rates during the nation's first two decades that frequently exceeded 10% annually. The years after the 1973 [[Yom Kippur War]] were a lost decade economically, as growth stalled and [[inflation]] reached triple-digit levels. The successful economic stabilization plan implemented in 1985 and the subsequent introduction of market-oriented structural reforms reinvigorated the economy and paved the way for rapid growth in the 1990s.

A wave of Jewish immigration beginning in 1989, predominantly from the countries of the former U.S.S.R., brought nearly a million new citizens to Israel. These new immigrants, many of them highly educated, now constitute some 13% of Israel's 6.7 million inhabitants. Their successful absorption into Israeli society and its labor force forms a remarkable chapter in Israeli history. The skills brought by the new immigrants and their added demand as consumers gave the Israeli economy a strong upward push and in the 1990s, they played a key role in the ongoing development of Israel's high-tech sector.
*GDP (2006 est.): $170.3 billion.
*Annual growth rate (2006): 4.8%.
*Per capita GDP (2006): $26,800.
*Currency: Shekel (4.13 shekels = 1 U.S. dollar; 2007 est.).
*Natural resources: [[Copper]], [[phosphate]], [[bromide]], [[potash]], [[clay]], [[sand]], [[sulfur]], [[bitumen]], [[manganese]].
*Agriculture: Products—citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, dairy, and poultry products.
*Industry: Types—high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, plastics, chemical products, diamond cutting and polishing, metal products, textiles, and footwear.
*Trade: Exports (2006 est.)--$42.86 billion. Exports include polished diamonds, electronic communication, medical and scientific equipment, chemicals and chemical products, electronic components and computers, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, rubber, plastics, and textiles. Imports (excluding defense imports, 2006 est.)--$47.8 billion: raw materials, diamonds, energy ships and airplanes, machinery, equipment, land transportation equipment for investment, and consumer goods. Major partners—U.S., U.K., Germany; exports—U.S., Belgium, Hong Kong; imports—U.S., Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, U.K.

During the 1990s, progress in the Middle East peace process, beginning with the Madrid Conference of 1991, helped to reduce Israel's economic isolation from its neighbors and opened up new markets to Israeli exporters farther afield. The peace process stimulated an unprecedented inflow of foreign investment in Israel, and provided a substantial boost to economic growth in the region over the last decade. The onset of the intifada beginning at the end of September 2000, the downturn in the high-tech sector and Nasdaq crisis, and the slowdown of the global economy have all significantly affected the Israeli economy. However, despite the recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, the Israeli economy grew during 2006.
[[File:Shopping Tel Aviv Israel.jpg|right]]
Israeli companies, particularly in the high-tech area, have in the past enjoyed considerable success raising money on Wall Street and other world financial markets; Israel ranks second to Canada among foreign countries in the number of its companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. Israel's tech market is very developed, and in spite of the pause in the industry's growth, the high-tech sector is likely to be the major driver of the Israeli economy. Almost half of Israel's exports are high tech. Most leading players, including Intel, IBM, and Cisco have a presence in Israel.

Growth was an exceptional 6.2% in 2000, due in part to a number of one-time high tech acquisitions and investments. This exceptional year was followed by two years of negative growth of -0.9% and -1%, respectively, in 2001 and 2002. As a result of the security situation and the associated downturn in the economy, there was a significant rise in unemployment and wage erosion. This led to a decline in private consumption in 2002, the first time that there had been negative private consumption since the early 1980s. However, following growth rates of 1.7% in 2003 and 4.4% in 2004, the Israeli economy entered into a period of stabilization and recovery after the deep recession of 2001 and 2002. Since then, the Israeli economy seems to have returned to a trend of consistent growth. The Israeli economy grew by 5.2% in 2005 and GDP per capita (U.S. $17,800) increased by 3.3%. The Israeli economy grew by an estimated 4.8% in 2006.

Exports of goods and services in Israel grew by 7% in 2005. Service and agricultural exports each increased by more than 10% in 2005, whereas exports increased by 5.6% and imports rose to 4.4%. [[Israel Tourism]] revenues increased by 22.7% as a result of the dramatic increase following the intifada's subsidence.

Israel's private consumption increased by 4% in 2005. The largest growth in private consumption was in the purchase of clothing, footwear, and personal effects, which increased by 10.2%, following an increase of 5.4% in 2004. Consumption of consumer durables grew much more slowly than in 2004, with an increase of only 3.4%, compared with 14.3% the previous year.

In the Israeli business sector, business GDP grew by 6.6% in 2005. According to CBS statistics, the transportation, storage, and communications industries grew by 9.2%, following growth of 6.6% in 2004. The GDP of the wholesale, retail, restaurant, and hotel sector increased by 8.1%, up from 6.1% in 2004. The GDP of the finance and business services sector in 2005 increased by 6.4%, up from the previous year's 6.1% growth rate.

The general consensus among economists is that Israel's economy is very strong and that its growth potential is in the 4% to 5% range.
[[File:Bar Rafaeli Israel.jpg|thumb|left|Bar Refaeli, model and actress.]]
The United States is Israel's largest trading partner. In 2005, two-way trade totaled some $26.6 billion, up 12% from 2004. The U.S. trade deficit with Israel was $7.1 billion in 2005, up 33% from 2004, due largely to rising Israeli exports to the U.S. U.S. exports to Israel rose 6.1% in 2005 to $9.7 billion, making Israel our 19th largest export market for goods. The principal goods exported from the U.S. include civilian aircraft parts, telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, civilian aircraft, electrical apparatus, and computer accessories. Israel's chief exports to the U.S. include diamonds, pharmaceutical preparations, telecommunications equipment, medicinal equipment, electrical apparatus, and cotton apparel. The two countries signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in 1985 that progressively eliminated tariffs on most goods traded between the two countries over the following 10 years. An agricultural trade accord signed in November 1996 addressed the remaining goods not covered in the FTA but has not entirely erased barriers to trade in the agricultural sector. Israel also has trade and cooperation agreements in place with the European Union, Canada, Mexico, and other countries.

Best prospect industry sectors in Israel for U.S. exporters are electricity and gas equipment, defense equipment, medical instruments and disposable products, industrial chemicals, telecommunication equipment, electronic components, building materials/construction industries (DIY and infrastructure), safety and security equipment and services, non-prescription drugs, travel and tourism services, and computer software.

==History==
[[File:Twelve Tribes of Israel.JPG|thumb|left|Twelve Tribes of Israel.]]
[[File:Baal thunderbolt Louvre AO15775.jpg|thumb|Stele of the Canaanite god Baal with a thunderbolt, 15th-13th century BC.]]
[[File:Map of the Holy Land.jpg|thumb|Map of the Holy Land Divided into the XII Tribes of Israel, by Emanuel Bowen, PUBLISHED 1752.]]
The name Israel refers to [[Jacob]] from the [[Bible]], the father of the [[Jews]] who would eventually create the kingdom of Israel. (See the [[Genesis|Book of Genesis]] in the Bible.) Jacob's descendants were numerous, but were put under bondage in [[Egypt]]. The first attempt at forming a nation dates back to the migration or [[Exodus of Israel]] out of Egypt after being freed from their [[slavery]]. (See the [[Exodus|Book of Exodus]] in the Bible). While the exact date is not known, the most likely scenario is in the 1400s B.C. After 40 years of wandering, the Hebrews attempted to settle in the land of Canaan, after first having to fight battles with the inhabitants. (See the [[Joshua (Biblical book)|Book of Joshua]] in the Bible). The Jewish people lived for hundreds of years under Judges (See the [[Judges|Book of Judges]] in the Bible) before forming a monarchy under their first King, [[Saul]] in 1050 B.C. Israel expanded under [[King David|David]] from 1010 to 970 B.C. and then reached its height under [[Solomon]] from 970 to 930 B.C. With the death of Solomon the united kingdom of Israel split in two with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin forming their own nation, [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]]. (See [[I Samuel]], [[II Samuel]], [[I Kings]], [[I Chronicles]] in the Bible)

The first King of Israel was [[Jeroboam I]], who made his capital at [[Shechem]] until it was replaced by [[Samaria]] under [[Omri]]. Almost immediately the Israeli kings "did evil in the sight of the Lord" and turned away from the Lord God. Although they were larger and more powerful than Judah, they fell more quickly due to their apostacy. Israel continued being ruled by kings until its conquest by [[Assyria]] in 722 B.C. Judah had a number of kings who did what was right in God's sight, but eventually they too were turning away. They continued as an independent nation until 586 B.C. when they fell to the [[Babylonians]]. Both of these conquests led to many Jews being deported from the land of Israel. While under [[Persian empire|Persian]] rule after the Babylonians had fallen to the Persians, the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild their temple (520 - 516 B.C.)<ref>An Encyclopedia of World History, Kingsport Press, 1948</ref> In the 400's B.C. they began to return to God as well, showing a reverence for Him that was often lacking during the time they had their own kingdom. Still under Persian rule and with their blessing, [[Nehemiah]] came to rebuild the walls of [[Jerusalem]], a position that was bitterly opposed by the other peoples living on the land. The Jews had to stand guard as they built.
[[File:Jews in Cochin PD.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Cochin Jews are the oldest group of Jews in [[India]].]]
When [[Alexander the Great]] swept through Israel in 332 B.C., Persian rule had ended to be replaced by [[Macedone|Greek]]. Upon Alexander's death in 323 B.C. there was a fight for power among his generals and subordinates, which led to Israel coming under control of the Ptolemies, the Greek leaders of Egypt. The Jews were treated leniently until the [[Seleucids]], the Greek leaders of Syria, pushed back the Ptolemies and took over Israel in 198 B.C. The Seleucids were not as lenient and under [[Antiochus IV]] (175 to 164 B.C.) conditions worsened considerably. In 168 B.C. Judaism was declared to be illegal and a pig was sacrified on the altar of the Jewish temple; the Jews revolted under the [[Maccabees]] and fought a prolonged [[guerrilla war]] until their eventual religious independence in 164 B.C. Complete acknowledgement of independence from the Seleucids didn't come until 142 B.C. when Roman pressure helped them to make the decision to let Israel go. This independence would last until 63 B.C., when infighting caused the Jews to ask for [[Roman]] intervention. Rome stopped the fighting, but Israel came under Roman rule as the province of [[Palestine]]. The Jewish people would not have their independence again for over 2000 years. It was under this state of Roman control that [[Jesus]] was born around 4 B.C. Three revolts against Roman rule by the Jews, the first in 66 A.D., the next in 115 A.D., and the last in 132 A.D. took place, and failed. After the failure of the third, the Romans forced the Jews to leave Israel thus beginning the [[diaspora]], the dispersal of the Jews from the land of Palestine.

By the fifth century the inhabitants of the region were Christianized, under the [[Byzantine Empire]], a situation which continued until the [[Arab]] invasions of the 7th and 8th centuries. The Arabs brought with them the [[Islam]]ic faith which, due to its many similarities with [[Christianity]] and [[Judaism]] and the social advantages it brought, was gradually adopted by the population. However, Jewish and Christian citizens continued to live in the region, in relative peace, until the Crusades.

The [[Crusades]] saw part of the Holy Lands reconquered from Islam in the name of Christianity. The Crusader states were temporary before being conquered by Islam again with the fall of the last Crusader state in 1290. First the [[Mamelukes]] controlled the area, then starting in the early 1500s, the [[Ottoman Turks]] conquered the region. [[World War I]] saw a British victory over the Ottoman's and the region came under British mandate of Palestine in 1920.

The British and late Ottoman authorities permitted the resettlement of Jews from Europe, many of them looking to establish a Jewish state in the region, part of a movement called [[Zionism]]. In the last years of British mandate the number and strength of the Jews in [[Palestine]] increased, with many adopting extremely radical tactics to achieve their goal of an independent Jewish state. Terrorist organizations such as Irgun and Lehi attacked British and Arab targets, killing civilians in the process. Britain's occupation became too expensive and they handed control to the [[United Nations]] to sort out a solution.

==Modern Nation==
[[Image:Zion.jpg|right|300px|Jaffa (Yafo) gate, Jerusalem.]]
The recreation of the State of Israel in 1948 was preceded by more than 50 years of efforts to re-establish a sovereign state as a homeland for the Jewish nation. These efforts were initiated by Theodore Herzl, founder of the Zionist movement, and were given added impetus by the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which asserted the British Government's support for the recreation of a Jewish homeland in roughly its [[Promised Land|original position]], which was then known as Palestine.

In the years following [[World War I]], Palestine became a British Mandate and the number of Jews returning to their homeland steadily increased, as did violence between Palestine's Jewish and Arab communities. Mounting British efforts to restrict this immigration were countered by international support for Jewish national aspirations following the near-extermination of European Jewry by the [[Nazis]] during [[World War II]]. This support led to the 1947 UN partition plan, which would have divided Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem under UN administration.

[[Image:Israel48.jpg|thumb|400px|left]] On May 14, 1948, immediately after the British quit Palestine, the State of Israel was proclaimed and was immediately invaded by armies from neighboring Arab states, which rejected the UN partition plan. This conflict, Israel's War of Independence, was concluded by armistice agreements between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria in 1949 and resulted in a 50% increase in Israeli territory. The U.S. immediately recognized Israel and gave large amounts of financial aid through private sources, but did not at this time send military aid.

In 1956, French, British, and Israeli forces engaged Egypt in response to its nationalization of the Suez Canal and blockade of the Straits of Tiran. Israeli forces withdrew in March 1957, after the United Nations established the UN Emergency Force (UNEF) in the Gaza Strip and Sinai. This war resulted in no territorial shifts and was followed by several years of terrorist incidents and retaliatory acts across Israel's borders.
===Six Day War (1967)===
In June 1967, Israeli forces in the [[Six-Day War]] struck targets in Egypt, Jordan, and Syria in response to Egyptian President Nasser's ordered withdrawal of UN peace keepers from the Sinai Peninsula and the buildup of Arab armies along Israel's borders. After 6 days, all parties agreed to a cease-fire, under which Israel retained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, the formerly Jordanian-controlled West Bank of the Jordan River, and East Jerusalem. On November 22, 1967, the Security Council adopted Resolution 242, the "land for peace" formula, which called for the establishment of a just and lasting peace based on Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in 1967 in return for the end of all states of belligerency, respect for the sovereignty of all states in the area, and the right to live in peace within secure, recognized boundaries. The Six Day War had a momentous effect on [[American Jews]], mobilizing new support for Israel.

The following years were marked by continuing violence across the Suez Canal, punctuated by the 1969-70 [[War of Attrition]] between Israel and Egypt. On October 6, 1973—Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement), the armies of Syria and Egypt [[Yom Kippur War|launched an attack against Israel]]. Although the Egyptians and Syrians initially made significant advances, Israel was able to push the invading armies back beyond the 1967 cease-fire lines by the time the United States and the Soviet Union helped bring an end to the fighting. In the UN Security Council, the United States supported Resolution 338, which reaffirmed Resolution 242 as the framework for peace and called for peace negotiations between the parties.

In the years that followed, sporadic clashes continued along the cease-fire lines but guided by the U.S., Egypt, and Israel continued negotiations. In November 1977, Egyptian President [[Anwar Sadat]] made a historic visit to Jerusalem, which opened the door for the 1978 Israeli-Egyptian peace summit convened at Camp David by [[Jimmy Carter|President Carter]]. These negotiations led to a 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, pursuant to which Israel withdrew from the Sinai in 1982, signed by President Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menahem Begin of Israel.

In the years following the 1948 war, Israel's border with Lebanon was quiet relative to its borders with other neighbors. After the expulsion of Palestinian fighters from Jordan in 1970 and their influx into southern Lebanon, however, hostilities along Israel's northern border increased and Israeli forces crossed into Lebanon. After passage of Security Council Resolution 425, calling for Israeli withdrawal and the creation of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeeping force (UNIFIL), Israel withdrew its troops.
[[File:Karakal Israel.jpg|left]]
In June 1982, following a series of cross-border terrorist attacks and the attempted assassination of the Israeli Ambassador to the U.K., Israel invaded Lebanon to fight the forces of Yasser Arafat's [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO). The PLO withdrew its forces from Lebanon in August 1982. Israel, having failed to finalize an agreement with Lebanon, withdrew most of its troops in June 1985 save for a residual force which remained in southern Lebanon to act as a buffer against attacks on northern Israel. These remaining forces were completely withdrawn in May 2000 behind a UN-brokered delineation of the Israel-Lebanon border (the Blue Line). Hezbollah forces in Southern Lebanon continued to attack Israeli positions south of the Blue Line in the Sheba Farms/Har Dov area of the Golan Heights.

The victory of the U.S.-led coalition in the [[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]] of 1991 opened new possibilities for regional peace. In October 1991, the United States and the Soviet Union convened the Madrid Conference, in which Israeli, Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian, and Palestinian leaders laid the foundations for ongoing negotiations designed to bring peace and economic development to the region. Within this framework, Israel and the PLO signed a Declaration of Principles on September 13, 1993, which established an ambitious set of objectives relating to a transfer of authority from Israel to an interim Palestinian authority. Israel and the PLO subsequently signed the Gaza-Jericho Agreement on May 4, 1994, and the Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities on August 29, 1994, which began the process of transferring authority from Israel to the Palestinians.

On October 26, 1994, Israel and Jordan signed a historic peace treaty, witnessed by President Clinton. This was followed by Israeli Prime Minister Rabin and PLO Chairman Arafat's signing of the historic Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on September 28, 1995. This accord, which incorporated and superseded previous agreements, broadened Palestinian self-government and provided for cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians in several areas.

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated on November 4, 1995, by a right-wing Jewish radical, bringing the increasingly bitter national debate over the peace process to a climax. Subsequent Israeli governments continued to negotiate with the PLO resulting in additional agreements, including the Wye River and the Sharm el-Sheikh memoranda. However, a summit hosted by President Clinton at Camp David in July 2000 to address permanent status issues—including the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, final security arrangements, borders, and relations and cooperation with neighboring states—failed to produce an agreement.

Following the failed talks, widespread violence broke out in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza in September 2000. In April 2001 the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact Finding Committee, commissioned by the October 2000 Middle East Peace Summit and chaired by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, submitted its report, which recommended an immediate end to the violence followed by confidence-building measures and a resumption of security cooperation and peace negotiations. Building on the Mitchell report, In April 2003, the Quartet (the U.S., UN, European Union (EU), and the Russian Federation) announced the "roadmap," a performance-based plan to bring about two states, Israel and a democratic, viable Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.

Despite the promising developments of spring 2003, violence continued and in September 2003 the first Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), resigned after failing to win true authority to restore law and order, fight terror, and reform Palestinian institutions. In response to the deadlock, in the winter of 2003-2004 Prime Minister Sharon put forward his Gaza disengagement initiative, proposing the withdrawal of Israeli settlements from Gaza as well as parts of the northern West Bank. President Bush endorsed this initiative in an exchange of letters with Prime Minister Sharon on April 14, 2004, viewing Gaza disengagement as an opportunity to move towards implementation of the two-state vision and begin the development of Palestinian institutions. In a meeting in May 2004 the Quartet endorsed the initiative, which was approved by the Knesset in October 2004.

The run-up to disengagement saw a flurry of diplomatic activity, including the February 2005 announcement of Lieutenant General William Ward as U.S. Security Coordinator; the March 2005 Sharon-Abbas summit in Sharm el-Sheikh; the return of Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors to Israel; and the May 2005 appointment of former World Bank president James D. Wolfensohn as Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement to work for a revitalization of the Palestinian economy after disengagement. Wolfensohn's direct involvement spurred Israeli-Palestinian agreement on the Gaza ‘crossings" at Karni and Erez, on the demolition of settler homes, water, electricity, and communications infrastructure issues, as well as other issues related to the Palestinian economy.

[[File:Israeli Defense Forces.jpg|center]]

On August 15, 2005, Israel began implementing its disengagement from the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli Defense Forces completed their withdrawal, including the dismantling of 17 settlements, on September 12. After broad recognition for Prime Minister Sharon's accomplishment at that fall's UN General Assembly, international attention quickly turned to efforts to strengthen Palestinian governance and the economy in Gaza. The United States brokered a landmark Agreement on Movement and Access between the parties in November 2005 to facilitate further progress on Palestinian economic issues. However, the terrorist organization Hamas—building on popular support for its "resistance" to Israeli occupation and a commitment to clean up the notorious corruption of the Palestinian Authority (PA)--took a majority in the January 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections, with Hamas leader Ismail Haniya as Prime Minister. The Israeli leadership pledged not to work with a Palestinian government in which Hamas had a role.

Shortly following Hamas' PLC victory, the Quartet—comprised of the United States, European Union, United Nations. and Russia—outlined three basic principles the Hamas-led PA must meet in order for the U.S. and the international community to reengage with the PA: renounce violence and terror, recognize Israel, and respect previous agreements, including the roadmap. The Hamas-led PA government rejected these principles, resulting in a Quartet statement of "grave concern" on March 30, 2006 and the suspension of U.S. assistance to the PA, complete prohibition on U.S. Government contacts with the PA, and prohibition of unlicensed transactions with the PA government. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) under the leadership of PLO Chairman and PA President Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen), by contrast, remained consistently committed to the Quartet principles.
[[File:Israeli tanks Gaza strip borders 2007.jpg|left|thumb|340px|Israeli tanks, Gaza strip borders, 2007.]]
Despite several negotiated cease-fires between Hamas and Fatah, violent clashes in the Gaza Strip—and to a lesser extent in the West Bank—were commonplace between December 2006 and February 2007 and resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries. In an attempt to end the intra-Palestinian violence, the King of Saudi Arabia invited Palestinian rivals to Mecca, and on February 9, 2007, Abbas and Hamas leader Haniya agreed to the formation of a Palestinian national unity government and a cessation of violence. Hamas' rejectionist policies and violent behavior continued despite the formation of the national unity government.

In June 2007, Hamas effectively orchestrated a violent coup in Gaza. Hamas also launched scores of Qassam rockets into southern Israel in an attempt to involve Israel in the Hamas-Fatah conflict. On June 14, Palestinian Authority President Mahoud Abbas exercised his lawful authority by declaring a state of emergency, dissolving the national unity government, and replacing it with a new government with Salam Fayyad as Prime Minister.

The new Palestinian Authority government under President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad has no elements controlled by Hamas. The new government claims they are dedicated to peace and the Quartet principles and has been embraced politically and financially by the international community, including Israel, mainly because of the far worse alternative that Hamas represent.

==References==
* Laqueur, Walter, and Rubin, Barry, eds. ''The Israel-Arab Reader: A Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict'' (7th ed. 2008) 626p.
* Rabinovich, Itamar, and Reinharz, Jehuda, eds. ''Israel in the Middle East: Documents and Readings on Society, Politics, and Foreign Relations, pre-1948 to the Present.'' (2008) 626pp
<References/>

==Further reading==
*Durant, Will. ''Our Oriental Heritage'' (1935); A general history of the ebb and flow of civilizations in the area.
[[File:Zionism1.jpg|thumb|270px|in front: David Ben Gurian, Golda Meir, Theodor Herzl]]
* Gilbert, Martin. ''Israel: A History'' (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Israel-History-Martin-Gilbert/dp/0688123635/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261917385&sr=1-8 excerpt and text search]
* Oren, Michael B. ''Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East'' (2003), 480pp; standard history of the war [http://www.amazon.com/Six-Days-War-Making-Modern/dp/0345461924/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255773712&sr=1-10 excerpt and text search]
* Sachar, Howard M. ''A History of Israel: From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/History-Israel-Rise-Zionism-Time/dp/0375711325/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261732421&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Shindler, Colin. ''A History of Modern Israel'' (2008), very good on politics; thin otherwise. [http://www.amazon.com/History-Modern-Israel-Colin-Shindler/dp/0521615380/ref=pd_sim_b_2 excerpt and text search]
* Stein, Leslie. ''The Hope Fulfilled: The Rise of Modern Israel'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/Hope-Fulfilled-Praeger-Israeli-Studies/dp/027597815X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261915375&sr=1-1#noop excerpt and text search]
* Tucker, Spencer C., ed. ''The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict A Political, Social, and Military History'' (4 vol. 2008); vol 4 includes 150 primary sources
* Wigoder, Geoffrey, ed. ''New Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel'' (2nd ed. 2 vol. 1994); 1521pp

==See also==
*[[Israel Tourism]]
*[[Jewish philosophy]]
*[[Israelophobia]]
*[[The Samson Option]]
*[[Gaza Strip]]
*[[Gallery of Jewish Painting]]
*[[Suicide bomber]]
*[[Suicide bomber: a personal account]]
*[[Jews in history]]
*[[In the midst of a Maelstrom: the Holy Spirit and silence: an essay]] an encounter between Israeli Jew and Egyptian Muslim in Alexandria
*[[Christmas in the Holy Land: an essay]]
*[[Adiabene]]
*[[What is Torah, what is Talmud]]
*[[Presidents of Israel]]
*[[Prime Ministers of Israel]]

== External links ==
*[https://cidisrael.org Christians in Defense of Israel]
*[http://www.jewart.com/2007/11/07/jewish-art-in-history/ Jewish art in history]
*[http://www.jewishmuseum.org.uk/collections/photoarchive.asp Photographic Archive] The Jewish Museum.
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOVhTFOPKxc&feature=related Failed suicide bombing attempt by anguishing 21 year old woman]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zegXBwGBPZs Touring in Jerusalem, Tagalog and English]
*[http://www.conservativenewsandviews.com/2011/05/07/clergy/journey-to-israel-day-1/ Journey to Israel, Day One]
*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/potoc.html American Attitudes Toward Israel.]
*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/jewstoc.html Jews in America.]
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.de/2013/04/dear-people-this-may-seem-to-you-to-be.html Under a "Pillar of a Cloud"]
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.de/2013/03/then-from-egypt-to-israel-now-from.html Then, from Egypt to Israel: Now, from Russia and the U.S.]

{{Copyright Details (US Government)}}
Source: [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3581.htm]

{{Asian Countries}}

[[Category:Biblical Places]]
[[Category:Israel]]
[[Category:Zionism]]
[[Category:Israeli Wars]]
[[Category:Religion and Politics]]
[[Category:Liberal Nations]]

David Ben-Gurion

2017-09-22T19:54:05Z

Biblereader: David Ben Gurion

'''David Ben-Gurion''' (Oct 16, 1886 Plonsk (Poland) - Dec 1, 1973 Tel-Aviv) was the founder of the modern state of [[Israel]], which he proclaimed on May 4, 1948. He served Israel as its first [[prime minister]] until 1963 except for a brief period from 1954 to 1955. He was also minister of defense.

A [[Zionist]], he settled in [[Palestine]] as an orchard worker in 1906. He was involved in the foundation of the worker's union ''Histradut'' (general secretary 1921 - 1935) and of the [[socialist]] party ''Mapai''. As chairman of the Jewish Agency (1935-1948), he organized the immigration of Jewish refugees from [[Europe]] to Palestine against the resistance of the [[Palestinian]] [[Arab]]s and the [[British]], who held a [[League of Nations]] mandate over the area and wished to avoid immigration policies that would upset the status quo. In 1944, he became president of the ''World Zionist Organization''.

Although he was the first [[prime minister]] of [[Israel]], Gurion was an [[atheist]].<ref>http://www.celebatheists.com/wiki/David_Ben-Gurion</ref>.<ref>http://mailstar.net/bengur-recollections.html</ref>

He read extensively, accumulating a library of some 20,000 books.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Modern%20History/Centenary%20of%20Zionism/Zionist%20Leaders-%20David%20Ben-Gurion Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs]: Zionist Leaders: Ben-Gurion</ref>

==See also==
* [[Binyamin Netanyahu]]

==References==
* Bar-Zohar, Michael: ''Ben Gurion'', 1971-1974
<References/>

==External links==
*[http://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=684 Knesset: David Ben-Gurion]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ben-Gurion, David}}

[[Category:Prime Ministers of Israel]]
[[Category:Israel]]
[[Category:Jewish People]]
[[Category:European Jews]]
[[Category:Atheist]]

Denmark

2017-09-22T19:46:15Z

Biblereader: Category:Liberal Nations

{{Country
|name =''Kongeriget Danmark''
|map =Denmark rel99.jpg
|map2 =Loc of Denmark.jpg
|flag =Flag of Denmark.png
|arms =Arms of Denmark.png
|capital =Copenhagen
|capital-raw =
|government =Parliamentary Democracy, Constitutional Monarchy
|government-raw =
|language =Danish
|king =
|queen =Margrethe II
|monarch-raw =
|president =
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Helle Thorning-Schmidt
|pm-raw =
|area =16,639 sq mi
|pop =5,593,785
|pop-basis =2016
|gdp =$198.5 billion
|gdp-year =2006
|gdp-pc =$46,600
|currency =Danish krone
|idd =
|tld =.dk
}}
The '''Kingdom of Denmark''' is a [[Scandinavia]]n country in [[Europe]] located on the Jutland Peninsula to the north of [[Germany]]. Its capital is [[Copenhagen]].

==Geography==
Denmark proper consists of the Jutland Peninsula plus many adjecent islands in the Baltic Sea.
*Area: 43,094 km2. (16,639 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than Vermont and New Hampshire combined.
*Cities: Capital—Copenhagen (pop. 0.5 million in Copenhagen and 1.1 million in the Copenhagen Region). Other cities—Arhus (293,510), Odense (185,206), Aalborg (163,231).
*Terrain: Low and flat or slightly rolling; highest elevation is 173 m. (568 ft.).
*Climate: Temperate. The terrain, location, and prevailing westerly winds make the weather changeable.

Two autonomous provinces with home rule are considered part of Denmark despite their distance from the Jutland Peninsula. They are the [[Faroe Islands]], a small archipelago located in the Norwegian Sea between [[Scotland]] and [[Iceland]]; and [[Greenland]], off northeast [[Canada]], part of the [[North America]]n landmass and the largest island in the world.

==People==
[[File:Moesgard Vikingetraef, Denmark.jpg|thumb|360px|Viking rally.]]
The Danes, a homogenous Gothic-Germanic people, have inhabited Denmark since prehistoric times. Danish is the principal language. English is a required school subject, and fluency is high. A small German-speaking minority lives in southern Jutland; a mostly Inuit population inhabits Greenland; and the Faroe Islands have a Nordic population with its own language. Education is compulsory from ages seven to 16 and is free through the university level.

Although religious freedom is guaranteed, the state-supported Evangelical Lutheran Church accounts for about 77,8% of those persons claiming religious affiliation. Several other Christian denominations, as well as other major religions, find adherents in Denmark. Islam is now the second-largest religion in Denmark. According to polls some 43-80% of the population are either agnostics, atheists or non-believers in God.<ref>http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html</ref>
*Population (July 2006): 5,434,567.
*Annual growth rate: 0.33%.
*Ethnic groups: Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali.
*Religion membership: Evangelical Lutheran 95%; other Protestants 2.6%; Muslim 2%; Catholic 0.4%.
*Languages: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (Inuit dialect), some German. English is the predominant second language.
*Education: Years compulsory—9. Attendance—100%. Literacy—100%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate (2006)--4.51/1,000. Life expectancy—men 75 years, women 80 years.
*Work force (2006): 2.8 million. Employment: Industry, construction, mining and utilities—23%; government—35%; private services—38%; agriculture and fisheries—4%.

====Cultural achievements and cultural decline ====

Denmark's rich cultural heritage has experienced decline. For example, a 2015 ''Jerusalem Post'' article indicates "[[Copenhagen]] has for long been the [[bestiality]] capital of Europe and has attracted many tourists mainly visiting to have sex with animals. Legislation against this practice was only enacted this year."<ref>[http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Suggestions-for-the-anti-Semitic-slurs-list-434293 Suggestions for the anti-Semitic slurs list] by By MANFRED GERSTENFELD '''Jerusalem Post''', 2015</ref> See also: [[Denmark and bestiality]] and [[Atheistic Denmark and alcoholism]]. Additionally, it enacted a law requiring churches to perform and recognize same-sex marriages, and then clarified that the law would apply only to the government-endorsed Lutheran church, of which 77.8% of the Danes are members.<ref>http://www.dst.dk/en/Statistik/emner/folkekirken/medlemmer-af-folkekirken.aspx</ref>

Denmark's rich intellectual heritage has made multifaceted contributions to modern culture the world over. The discoveries of astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), geologist and anatomist Niels Steensen (1639–86), and the brilliant contributions of Nobel laureates [[Niels Bohr]] (1885-1962) to atomic physics and Niels Finsen (1860-1904) to medical research indicate the range of Danish scientific achievement. The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen (1805–75), the philosophical essays of Soeren Kierkegaard (1813–55), and the short stories of Karen Blixen (pseudonym Isak Dinesen; 1885-1962) have earned international recognition, as have the symphonies of Carl Nielsen (1865-1931). Danish applied art and industrial design have won so many awards for excellence that the term "Danish Design" has become synonymous with high quality, craftsmanship, and functionalism. Among the leading lights of architecture and design was Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971), the "father of modern Danish design." The name of Georg Jensen (1866-1935) is known worldwide for outstanding modern design in silver, and "Royal Copenhagen" is among the finest porcelains. No 'short list' of famous Danes would be complete without the entertainer and pianist Victor Borge (1909-2000), who emigrated to the United States under Nazi threat in 1940, and had a worldwide following when he died a naturalized U.S. citizen in Greenwich, Connecticut, at the age of 91.
[[File:Aarhus Theater by Danish architect Hack Kampmann.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Aarhus Theater by Danish architect Hack Kampmann.]]
Visitors to Denmark will discover a wealth of cultural activity. The Royal Danish Ballet specializes in the work of the great Danish choreographer August Bournonville (1805–79). Danish dancers also feature regularly on the U.S. ballet scene, notably Peter Martins as head of New York City Ballet.

The Danish Film Institute, one of the oldest in Scandinavia, offers daily public screenings of Danish and international movies in their original language and plays an active role in the maintenance and restoration of important archival prints. Over the decades, movie directors like Gabriel Axel (Babette's Feast, 1987 Oscar for Best Foreign Film), Bille August (Buster's World, 1984; Pelle the Conqueror, 1988 Oscar for Best Foreign Film; The House of the Spirits, 1993) and Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves, 1996; Dancer in the Dark, 2000 Cannes Golden Palm) have all won international acclaim. In addition, Denmark has been involved virtually from the start in development of the "Dogma film" genre, where small, hand-held digital cameras have permitted greater rapport between director and actor and given a documentary film feel to their increasingly realistic works. Besides von Trier's Dogville (2003) starring Nicole Kidman, and The Idiots (1998), The Celebration (1998 Cannes Special Jury prize) by Thomas Vinterberg, Mifune's Last Song (1999 Berlin Silver Bear award) by Soeren Kragh-Jacobsen, and Italian for Beginners (2000 Berlin Silver Bear award) by Lone Scherfig all are prime examples of the Dogma concept.

International collections of modern art enjoy unusually attractive settings at the Louisiana Museum north of Copenhagen, "Arken" south of Copenhagen, and the North Jutland Art Museum in Aalborg. The State Museum of Art and the Glyptotek, both in Copenhagen, contain masterpieces of Danish and international art. Denmark's National Museum building in central Copenhagen harbors most of the state's anthropological and archeological treasures with especially fine prehistoric and Viking Age collections; two of its finest satellite collections are the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde west of the metropolis and the Open Air Museum in a near northern suburb where original buildings have been transported from their original locations around the country and reassembled on plots specially landscaped to evoke the original site. The Museum of Applied Art and Industrial Design in Copenhagen exhibits the best in Danish design. The world-renowned Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Factory exports worldwide. The ceramic tradition is carried on by designers such as Bjoern Wiinblad, whose whimsical creations remain as popular today as when they burst on the scene in the 1950s, and is carried on by younger talents such as Gertrude Vasegaard and Michael Geertsen.

Denmark has more than its share of impressive [[castles]], many of which have been converted to [[museum]]s. Frederiksborg Castle, on a manmade island in a lake north of Copenhagen, was restored after a catastrophic fire in the 1800s and now houses important collections in awe-inspiring splendor amidst impeccably manicured gardens. In Elsinore, Kronborg (or Hamlet's) Castle that once exacted tribute from passing ships now houses important furniture and art collections of the period, while hosting in its courtyard many touring summer productions of Shakespearean works. In Copenhagen, Rosenborg Castle houses the kingdom's crown jewels and boasts spectacular public gardens in the heart of the city.

Among today's Danish writers, probably the best-known to American readers is Peter Hoeg (Smilla's Sense of Snow; Borderliners), while the most prolific is Klaus Rifbjerg—poet, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. Benny Andersen writes poems, short stories, and music. Poems by both writers have been translated into English by the Curbstone Press. Suzanne Broegger focuses on the changing roles of women in society. Kirsten Thorup's "Baby" won the 1980 Pegasus Prize and is printed in English by the University of Louisiana Press. The psychological thrillers of Anders Bodelsen and political thrillers by Leif Davidsen also appear in English.

In music, Hans Abrahamsen and Per Noergaard are the two most famous living composers. Abrahamsen's works have been performed by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. Other international names are Poul Ruders, Bo Holten, and Karl Aage Rasmussen. Danes such as bass player Niels Henning Oersted Petersen have won broad international recognition, and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival held each year in July has acquired a firm place on the calendar of international jazz enthusiasts.

====Cultural Policy====
[[File:Skuldelev III Viking boat.jpg|thumb|300px|Skuldelev III, Viking boat.]]
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs was created in 1961. Cultural life and meaningful leisure time were then and remain now subjects of debate by politicians and parliament as well as the general public. The democratization of cultural life promoted by the government's 1960s cultural policy recently has come to terms with the older "genteel culture;" broader concepts of culture now generally accepted include amateur and professional cultural, media, sports, and leisure-time activities.

Denmark's cultural policy is characterized by decentralized funding, program responsibility, and institutions. Danish cultural direction differs from that of other countries with a Ministry of Culture and a stated policy in that special laws govern each cultural field—e.g., the Theater Act of 1990 (as amended) and the Music Law of 1976 (as amended).

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs includes among its responsibilities international cultural relations; training of librarians and architects; copyright legislation; and subsidies to archives, libraries, museums, literature, music, arts and crafts, theater, and film production. During 1970-82, the Ministry also recognized protest movements and street manifestations as cultural events, because social change was viewed as an important goal of Danish cultural policy. Different governments exercise caution in moderating this policy and practice. Radio and TV broadcasting also fall under the Ministry of Culture.

Although government expenditures for culture totaled about 1.0% of the budget in 1996, in 2006 government expenditures for culture totaled 0.66% of gross domestic product (GDP). Viewed against the new government's firm objective to limit public expenditures, contributions are unlikely to increase in the future. Municipal and county governments assume a relatively large share of the costs for cultural activities in their respective districts. Most support goes to libraries and archives, theater, museums, arts and crafts training, and films.

==Government==
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. Queen Margrethe II has largely ceremonial functions; probably her most significant formal power lies in her right to appoint the prime minister and cabinet ministers, who are responsible for administration of the government. However, she must consult with parliamentary leaders to determine the public's will, since the cabinet may be dismissed by a vote of no confidence in the Folketing (parliament). Cabinet members are occasionally recruited from outside the Folketing.

The 1953 constitution established a unicameral Folketing of not more than 179 members, of whom two are elected from the Faroe Islands and two from Greenland. Elections are held at least every 4 years, but the prime minister can dissolve the Folketing at any time and call for new elections. Folketing members are elected by a complicated system of proportional representation; any party receiving at least 2% of the total national vote receives representation. The result is a multiplicity of parties (seven represented in the Folketing after the February 2005 general election), none of which holds a majority. Electorate participation normally is around 80-85%.

The judicial branch consists of about 100 local courts, two high courts, several special courts (e.g., arbitration and maritime), and a Supreme Court of 15 judges appointed by the crown on the government's recommendation.

Since a structural reform of local government was passed by the Folketing in 2004 and 2005, Denmark has been divided into five regions and 98 municipalities. The regions and municipalities are both led by councils elected every four years, but only the municipal councils have the power to levy taxes. Regional councils are responsible for health services and regional development, while the municipal councils are responsible for day care, elementary schools, care for the elderly, culture, environment and roads.

The Faroe Islands and Greenland enjoy home rule, with the Danish Government represented locally by high commissioners. These home rule governments are responsible for most domestic affairs, with foreign relations, monetary affairs, and defense falling to the Danish Government.

===Principal Government Officials===
*Monarch—Queen Margrethe II
*Prime Minister—Helle Thorning-Schmidt

===Political Conditions===
Political life in Denmark is orderly and democratic. Political changes occur gradually through a process of consensus, and political methods and attitudes are generally moderate. Growing numbers of immigrants and refugees throughout the 1990s, and less than successful integration policies, however, have in recent years led to growing support for populist anti-immigrant sentiments in addition to several revisions of already tight immigration laws, with the latest revision taking effect July 1, 2002.

The Social Democratic Party, historically identified with a well-organized labor movement but today appealing more broadly to the middle class, held power either alone or in coalition for most of the postwar period except from 1982 to 1993. From February 1993 to November 2001, Social Democratic Party chairman Poul Nyrup Rasmussen led a series of different minority coalition governments, which all included the centrist Social Liberal Party. However, with immigration high on the November 2001 election campaign agenda, the Danish People's Party doubled its number of parliamentary seats; this was a key factor in bringing into power a new minority right-of-center coalition government led by Liberal Party chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen (no relation to Nyrup Rasmussen).

Parliamentary elections held February 8, 2005 returned the coalition to government for another term of up to four years. The coalition consists of the Liberal Party ("Venstre") and the Konservative Party, holding 71 of the 179 seats in the Folketing, and has the parliamentary support of the Danish People's Party, holding another 24 seats. The opposition Social Democrats hold 47 seats and the Social Liberals hold 16 seats. Addressing the costs and benefits of the Denmark's comprehensive social welfare system, restraining taxes, and immigration are among the key issues on the current domestic political agenda.

On October 24, 2007 prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced an early election to be held on November 13, 2007. Between the 2005 elecion and the 2007 a new party made by members of parliament from different parties was created. This party had the name New Alliance and its leader was Nasser Khader, an immigrant from Syria. In the early days of this new party polls showed massive support for it, however at the election the party earned far less seats in parliament than expected from these early polls. The Liberal and Konservative parties together earned 64 seats, and their supporting party, the Danish People's Party earned 25 seats, so combined these three parties were just one seat short of ensuring the majority. After the election Edmund Joensen elected on the Faroe Islands pledged his support to the government of Denmark giving them exactly the 90 seats required for a majority, and thus the new alliance didn't have the determining seats they had hoped for, but nevertheless they pledged their support to Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

In late 2008 rumours began that prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen aspired for an unspecified big international post. Amongst the mentioned possibilities were the Presidency of the European Union and the Secretary General of NATO, but the Presidency of the European Union depended on the ratification of the Lissabon Treaty, which needed to be ratified by all EU members, wasn't ratified by Ireland, so this post was no longer in question. The rumours persisted throughout the spring of 2009, but Anders Fogh Rasmussen attempted to deny the rumours by claiming not to be a candidate for anything. On April 4, 2009 Anders Fogh Rasmussen finally did tender his candidacy to become the next Secretary General of NATO, but he was met with reluctance from Turkey, seemingly because of the Muhammad cartoons controversy. This reluctance was overcome and on April 5, 2009 during the NATO summit in Strasbourg, Anders Fogh Rasmussen was appointed the Secretary General of NATO.

After having been appointed Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen resigned as Prime Minister of Denmark and member of the Danish Parliament. He was then replaced by the vice president of the Liberal Party, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who became the new Prime Minister of Denmark. Though Denmark has had three consecutive prime ministers by the name of Rasmussen, neither of them is related, as the name Rasmussen is fairly common in Denmark.
[[File:Muslims in Europe map.jpg|thumb|290px|Muslims in Europe by country.]]
Denmark's role in the European Union (EU) remains an important political issue. Denmark emerged from two referenda (June 2, 1992 and May 18, 1993) on the Maastricht Treaty on the European Union with four exemptions (or "opt-outs"): common defense, common currency, EU citizenship, and certain aspects of legal cooperation, including law enforcement. The Amsterdam Treaty was approved in a referendum May 28, 1998, by a 55% majority. Still, the electorate's fear of losing national identity in an integrated Europe and lack of confidence in long-term stability of European economies run deep. These concerns were at the forefront of the September 28, 2000 referendum on Denmark's participation in the third phase of the Economic and Monetary Union, particularly the common currency, the [[euro]]; more than 53% voted "no," and Denmark retained its "krone" currency unit. The government and the pro-EU opposition have agreed, and Denmark has received an EU green light, to maintain the four opt-outs throughout the process of approving and ratifying a new EU constitutional treaty, with the ambition to eliminate all opt-outs in the longer term. The government intended to put Danish approval of the new [[EU Constitution]] to the public in a referendum, but that process has been put on hold until further discussion of the constitution has taken place in the European Council.

Denmark's relatively quiet and neutral role in international affairs was abruptly changed on September 30, 2005, when the Danish newspaper ''Jyllands-Posten'' printed 12 caricatures of Mohammed. Islamic law prohibits any visual portrayal of Mohammed, and Muslims viewed the caricatures as offensive. Muslims worldwide were infuriated with the Danes, beginning a boycott of Danish products and burning several Danish embassies. The Danish Government defended freedom of expression while it chastised the newspaper for inconsideration. The newspaper apologized, and the Danish Government repeatedly reiterated its support for freedom of religion, but the Islamic community still holds much animosity toward the Danes.

===Foreign Relations===
[[File:Leaders at a United Nations Conference in Copenhagen.jpg|thumb|300px|Leaders at a United Nations conference in Copenhagen, 2009.]]
Danish foreign policy is founded upon four cornerstones: the United Nations, NATO, the EU, and Nordic cooperation. Denmark also is a member of, among others, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; the World Trade Organization (WTO); the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); the Council of Europe; the Nordic Council; the Baltic Council; and the Barents Council. Denmark emphasizes its relations with developing nations. Although the government has moved to tighten foreign assistance expenditures, it remains a significant donor and one of the few countries to exceed the UN goal of contributing 0.7% of GNP to development assistance.

In the wake of the Cold War, Denmark has been active in international efforts to integrate the countries of Central and Eastern Europe into the West. It has played a leadership role in coordinating Western assistance to the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). The country is a strong supporter of international peacekeeping. Danish forces were heavily engaged in the former [[Yugoslavia]] in the UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR), as well as in NATO's Operation Joint Endeavor/Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (IFOR/SFOR), and currently in the Kosovo Force (KFOR).

Denmark has been a member of NATO since its founding in 1949, and membership in NATO remains highly popular. There were several serious confrontations between the U.S. and Denmark on security policy in the so-called "footnote era" (1982–88), when a hostile parliamentary majority forced the government to adopt specific national positions on nuclear and arms control issues. With the end of the Cold War, however, Denmark has been supportive of U.S. policy objectives in the Alliance.

Danes have had a reputation as "reluctant" Europeans. When they rejected ratification of the Maastricht Treaty on June 2, 1992, they put the European Community's (EC) plans for the European Union on hold. In December 1992, the rest of the EC agreed to exempt Denmark from certain aspects of the European Union, including a common defense, a common currency, EU citizenship, and certain aspects of legal cooperation. On this revised basis, a clear majority of Danes approved continued participation in the EU in a second referendum on May 18, 1993, and again in a referendum on the Amsterdam Treaty on May 28, 1998.

Since September 11, 2001, Denmark has been highly proactive in endorsing and implementing United States, UN, and EU-initiated counter-terrorism measures, just as Denmark has contributed substantially to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and the neighboring countries. In 2003, Denmark was among the first countries to join the "Coalition of the Willing" and supplied a submarine, Corvette-class ship, and military personnel to the coalition's effort in Iraq to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1441. Since that time it has provided 500 troops to assist with stabilization efforts in Iraq. Prime Minister Rasmussen announced in February 2007 that most Danish troops would be withdrawn from Iraq by August 2007, as Iraqi forces had become capable of taking over security responsibilities in the Basra area, where the Danish troops had been concentrated.

==Defense==
Although Denmark remained neutral during the First World War, its rapid occupation by Nazi Germany in 1940 persuaded most Danes that neutrality was no longer a reliable guarantee of Danish security. Danish security policy is founded on its membership in NATO. Since 1988, Danish budgets and security policy have been set by multi-year agreements supported by a wide parliamentary majority, including government and opposition parties. In 2006, Danish defense expenditures were 1.4% of GDP according to a NATO estimate.

==Economy==
Denmark's industrialized market economy depends on imported raw materials and foreign trade. Within the European Union, Denmark advocates a liberal trade policy. Its standard of living is among the highest in the world, and the Danes devote about 1% of gross national product (GNP) to foreign aid to less developed countries. In addition, Denmark in 2006 devoted 0.81% of GNP for overseas development, including for peace and stability purposes, refugee pre-asylum costs, and for environmental purposes in central and eastern Europe and developing countries.
*GDP (2006): $275.24 billion.
*Annual growth rate (real terms, 2006 est.): 3.2%.
*Per capita GDP: $50,625.
*Agriculture and fisheries (2.4% of GDP at gross value added): Products—meat, milk, grains, seeds, hides, fur skin, fish and shellfish.
*Industry (21.0% of GDP at gross value added): Types—industrial and construction equipment, food processing, electronics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, furniture, textiles, windmills, and ships.
*Natural resources: North Sea—oil and gas, fish. Greenland—fish and shrimp, potential for hydrocarbons and minerals, including zinc, lead, molybdenum, uranium, gold, platinum. The Faroe Islands—fish, potential for hydrocarbons.
*Trade (2006 .): Exports--$90.97 billion: manufactured goods 81% (of which machinery and instruments 35%); agricultural products 10% (of which pork and pork products cover 48%), fuels 2%, fish and fish products 3%, other 4%. Imports--$84.23 billion: raw materials and semi-manufactures 43%, consumer goods 29%, capital equipment 14%, transport equipment 7%, fuels 5%, other 2%. Partners (percent of total trade in goods)--Germany 21%, Sweden 13%, U.K. 8%, U.S. 5%, Norway 5%, Japan 2%, east European countries 5%.
*Official exchange rate: 5.70 kroner=U.S. $1 as of late February 2007.
[[File:Vejle Fjord Bridge.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Vejle Fjord Bridge.]]
Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy. Its principal exports are machinery, instruments, and food products. The United States is Denmark's largest non-European trading partner, accounting for about 6% of total Danish merchandise trade. Aircraft, computers, machinery, and instruments are among the major U.S. exports to Denmark. Among major Danish exports to the United States are industrial machinery, chemical products, furniture, pharmaceuticals, canned ham and pork, [[windmill]]s, and [[plastic]] [[Lego|Lego bricks]]. In addition, Denmark has a significant services trade with the U.S., a major share of it stemming from Danish-controlled ships engaged in container traffic to and from the United States (notably by Maersk-SeaLand). There are some 375 U.S.-owned companies in Denmark.

The Danish economy is fundamentally strong. Since the mid-1990s, economic growth rates have averaged close to 3%, the formerly high official unemployment rate stands at around 4%, and public finances have been in surplus. Except for one year—1998—Denmark since 1989 has had comfortable balance-of-payments current account surpluses, in 2006 corresponding to 2.45% of GDP. The former Social Democratic-led government coalition lowered marginal income tax rates but at the same time reduced tax deductions, increased environmental taxes, and introduced a series of user fees, thus increasing overall revenues. Under the tax reform plan agreed upon by the government and the Danish People's Party on March 31, 2003, taxpayers received tax relief in 2004, albeit at a lesser rate than the government proposed originally. Denmark has maintained a stable currency policy since the early 1980s, with the krone formerly linked to the Deutschmark and since January 1, 1999, to the euro. Denmark meets, and even exceeds, the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency—the euro) of the European Monetary Union (EMU). Although a referendum on EMU participation held on September 28, 2000 resulted in a firm "no" and Denmark, therefore, has not yet adopted the euro, opinion polls show support for EMU membership now exceeds 60%.{{fact}}

Danes are generally proud of their welfare safety net, which ensures that all Danes receive basic health care and need not fear real poverty. However, at present the number of working-age Danes living mostly on government transfer payments amounts to more than 800,000 persons (roughly 23% of the working-age population). Although this number has been reduced in recent years, the heavy load of government transfer payments burdens other parts of the system. Health care, other than for acute problems, and care for the elderly and children have particularly suffered, while taxes remain at a painful level. More than one-fourth of the labor force is employed in the public sector.

====Greenland and the Faroe Islands====
[[File:Columnar-Basalt von Frooba Faroe.jpg|thumb|Columnar-Basalt von Froðba, Färöer]]
The Greenland economy has increased by an average of some 3% to 4% annually since 1993, the result of increasing catches and exports of shrimp, Greenland halibut and, more recently, crab. However, it was not until 1999 that the economy had fully recovered from the economic downturn in the early 1990s. During the last decade the Greenland Home Rule Government (GHRG) has pursued a fiscal policy with mostly small budget surpluses and low inflation. The GHRG has taken initiatives to increase the labor force and thus employment by, among other things, raising the retirement age from 60 to 63 years. However, structural reforms are still needed in order to create a broader business base and economic growth through more efficient use of existing resources in both the public and the private sector. Due to the continued critical dependence on exports of fish, the economy remains very vulnerable to foreign developments. The public sector, including publicly owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in Greenland's economy. Close to one-half of the government revenues come from Danish Government grants, an important supplement of GDP. Greenland has registered a foreign trade deficit since the closure of the last remaining lead and zinc mine in 1989. Despite several interesting hydrocarbon and mineral exploration activities, it will take several years before production can materialize. Two major aluminum producers reportedly have expressed interest in building smelters in Greenland to take advantage of abundant hydropower potential. Besides a continued increase in local content, i.e., using a Greenlandic rather than Danish work force in both the public and private sectors, tourism appears to be the sector that offers the best near-term potential, and even this is limited due to a short season and high costs. Air Greenland has announced it will begin its first scheduled service to North America in May 2007, with summer season flights to Baltimore.

Politically, the Greenland Home Rule Government has had increasing autonomy since its creation in 1979. An independent commission from Greenland made recommendations for greater self-rule in 2003. In May 2003, the Danish and Greenland Home Rule governments reached agreement on a set of power-sharing principles on Greenland's involvement in Danish foreign and security policy. The so-called Itilleq Declaration provides that Greenland will have foreign policy involvement with a view toward having equal status on questions of concern to both Denmark and Greenland. The Danish Government intends to form, together with Greenland, a new Danish-Greenlandic Commission to make joint recommendations to the Danish parliament on ways to update the Home Rule Act of 1979.

The Faroese economy has performed strongly since the mid-1990s with annual growth rates averaging close to 6%, mostly as a result of increasing fish landings and salmon farming and high and stable export prices. Unemployment is insignificant and there are labor shortages in several sectors. Most of the Faroese who emigrated in the early 1990s (some 10% of the population) due to the economic recession have now returned. The positive economic development also has helped the Faroese Home Rule Government produce increasing budget surpluses that in turn help to reduce the large public debt, most of it to Denmark. However, the total dependence on fishing and salmon farming makes the Faroese economy very vulnerable, and the present fishing efforts appear in excess of what is required to ensure a sustainable level of fishing in the long term. Initial discoveries of oil in the Faroese area give hope for eventual oil production, which may lay the basis for a more diversified economy and thus less dependence on Denmark and Danish economic assistance. Aided by a substantial annual subsidy from Denmark, albeit reduced from some 10% of GDP to about 6% in 2002, the Faroese have a standard of living comparable to that of the Danes and other Scandinavians.

Politically, the present Faroese Home Rule Government has initiated a process toward greater independence from Denmark, if not complete secession from the realm, a project the outcome of which it is too early to predict. In that respect, agreement on how to phase out the Danish subsidy plays a crucial role.

==History==
[[File:Sirenita The Little Mermaid Statue Copenhagen Denmark.jpg|thumb|The Little Mermaid Statue, Copenhagen, 1913.]]
During the Viking period (9th-11th centuries), Denmark was a great power based on the Jutland Peninsula, the Island of Zealand, and the southern part of what is now Sweden. In the early 11th century, King Canute united Denmark and England for almost 30 years.

Viking raids brought Denmark into contact with Christianity, and in the 12th century, crown and church influence increased. By the late 13th century, royal power had waned, and the nobility forced the king to grant a charter, considered Denmark's first constitution. Although the struggle between crown and nobility continued into the 14th century, Queen Margrethe I succeeded in uniting Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland under the Danish crown. Sweden and Finland left the union in 1520; however, Norway remained until 1814. Iceland, in a "personal union" under the king of Denmark after 1918, became independent in 1944.

The Reformation was introduced in Denmark in 1536. Denmark's provinces in today's southwestern Sweden were lost in 1658, and Norway was transferred from the Danish to the Swedish crown in 1814, following the defeat of Napoleon, with whom Denmark was allied.

The Danish liberal movement gained momentum in the 1830s, and in 1849 Denmark became a constitutional monarchy. After the war with Prussia and Austria in 1864, Denmark was forced to cede Schleswig-Holstein to Prussia and adopt a policy of neutrality. Toward the end of the 19th century, Denmark inaugurated important social and labor market reforms, laying the basis for the present welfare state.

Denmark remained neutral during World War I. Despite its declaration of neutrality at the beginning of World War II, it was invaded by the Germans in 1940 and occupied until liberated by the Allied forces in May 1945. Resistance against the Germans was sporadic until late 1943. By then better organized, the resistance movement and other volunteers undertook a successful rescue mission in which nearly the entire Jewish population of Denmark was shipped to Sweden (whose neutrality was honored by Germany). However, extensive studies are still being undertaken for the purpose of establishing a clearer picture of the degree of Danish cooperation—official and corporate—with the occupying power. Denmark became a charter member of the United Nations and was one of the original signers of the North Atlantic Treaty.

{| style="width: 100%; background:transparent; border: 2px solid #000099;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
!colspan=2 style="width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #000088; color: white; "|'''Copyright Details'''
|-
!style="background-color: #000088; color:white;"|License:
|style=" background-color: none;"| This work is in the [[Public Domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code
|-
!style=" background-color: #000088; color:white;"|Source:
|style="background-color: none;border-top: 2px solid black"| File available from the {{{1|[[United States Federal Government]] [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3167.htm]}}}.
|}

==See also==
*[[Aalborg]]
*[[Aarhus]]
*[[Atheistic Denmark and alcoholism]]
*[[Atheistic Denmark and child pornography]]
*[[Coat of arms of Denmark]]
*[[Denmark and bestiality]]

==References==
<references />

{{European Union}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO Members]]
[[Category:Scandinavian Countries]]
[[Category:Denmark]]
[[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Liberal Nations]]

Norway

2017-09-22T19:43:14Z

Biblereader: Category:Liberal Nations

{{Country
|name =''Kongeriket Norge''
|map =Norway rel96.jpg
|map2 =Norway location.png
|flag =Flag of Norway.png
|arms =Arms of Norway.png
|capital =Oslo
|capital-raw =
|government =Constitutional monarchy
|government-raw =
|language =Norwegian
|king =Harald V of Norway{{!}}Harald V
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Erna Solberg
|pm-raw =
|area =148,746 sq mi
|pop =5,258,317
|pop-basis =2017
|gdp =
|gdp-year =$213.6 billion (2006)
|gdp-pc =$46,300 (2006)
|currency =Norwegian krone
|idd =
|tld =.no
}}

'''Norway''' is a country in the peninsula of [[Scandinavia]]. The capital is [[Oslo]], and the principal language in [[Norwegian]], though Sami languages are also spoken in the far north. Norway is one of the few former Western Bloc nations not in the [[European Union]] but is a member of the Schengen Agreement group of countries which permit cross-border travel without passport control. It belongs to [[NATO]] and is a strong ally of the United States.

Norway has escaped the [[Recession of 2008]] largely unscathed, partly by tapping into its oil and gas-fueled sovereign wealth fund — currently valued at more than 2.4 trillion kroner ($400 billion). Unemployment stands at 3%, among the lowest in Europe.

Oil and gas pumped from North Sea platforms have made the country of 4.8 million people one of the world's richest nations. Norway is the world's third largest exporter of natural gas and the sixth largest exporter of oil. While oil production has been falling in recent years, natural gas production continues to rise.

== Geography ==
[[File:Lake glacier Bondhus in Norway.jpg|thumb|Lake and glacier Bondhus.]]
Norway is located in Northern Europe, bordering the [[North Sea]] and the North [[Atlantic Ocean]], west of [[Sweden]]. It has an area of 385 186 km2. Its climate is temperate along coast; rainy year-round on west coast. Border countries are [[Finland]], [[Sweden]] and [[Russia]]. Its longest river is the Glomma and its highest mountain the Galdhøpiggen with 2, 469 m. Norway population is estimated in 5,053,500 persons by the end of 2012.

<blockquote>
Large areas of Norway consist of forests and mountains. We generally divide the country into northern and southern Norway but geographically we can refer to 4 regions. Southeast Norway contains extensive areas of [[forest]], gentle valleys and rich arable land. In the southwest, nature is more dramatic with deep fjords penetrating 200 km or more into the heart of the country where mountain glaciers lie. The central region also has fjords and a coastline but here the [[mountain]]s are more gentle and there are also extensive lowland areas. In northern Norway the [[landscape]] is a mixture of valleys, fjords, mountains and islands.<ref>[http://www.regjeringen.no/ud/html/brosjyrer/norway/geography2.html Introducing Norway: Geography]</ref>
</blockquote>

=== Jan Mayen ===
Jan Mayen is a small [[Volcano|volcanic]] [[island]] located in the [[Arctic Ocean]]. It is a part of Norway. While the island has no natural resources itself, there are substantial [[fish]] populations, and potentially untapped [[petroleum]] resources, in the surrounding waters. It was named after the first recorded visitor [[Dutch]] [[Whaling|whaler]], although it is possible that it was visited by the [[Viking]]s.

[[Olonkinbyen]], the only permanent settlement, houses the island's [[radio]] and [[Meteorology|meteorological]] stations, as well as its only airfield. There are approximately 18 permanent inhabitants.<ref>http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=no&tl=en&u=http://www.jan-mayen.no/</ref><ref>https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/jn.html#top</ref>

==People==
[[File:Royal Guardsman in Oslo.JPG|thumb|left|Royal Guardsman in Oslo.]]
Ethnically, Norwegians are predominantly Germanic, although in the far north there are communities of Sami (Lapps) who came to the area more than 10,000 years ago (according to secular archeology), probably from central Asia. In recent years, Norway has become home to increasing numbers of immigrants, foreign workers, and asylum-seekers from various parts of the world. Immigrants now total over 300,000; some have obtained Norwegian citizenship.

More than 10% of Norway's residents have foreign origins. They include many asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Eritrea. Their status is increasingly a political issue. Siv Jensen, leader of the conservative Progress Party, demands tighter restrictions on immigration, claiming Norway is being "Islamified".

===Culture===
In 2012 Norway removed the Lutheran church as it's state religion which had held that position since it replaced Catholicism. Norway has complete religious freedom. Education is free through the university level and is compulsory from ages 6 to 16. At least 12 months of military service and training are required of every eligible male. Norway's socialist health system includes free hospital care, physician's compensation, cash benefits during illness and pregnancy, and other medical and dental plans. There is a public pension system.

Norway is in the top rank of nations in the number of books printed per capita, even though Norwegian is one of the world's smallest language groups. Norway's most famous writer is the dramatist Henrik Ibsen. Artists Edvard Munch and Christian Krogh were Ibsen's contemporaries. Munch drew part of his inspiration from Europe and in turn exercised a strong influence on later European expressionists. Sculptor Gustav Vigeland has a permanent exhibition in the Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo. Musical development in Norway since [[Edvard Grieg]] has followed either native folk themes or international trends.

===Religion===
[[File:Church in Kvam Norway.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Church in Kvam.]]
The Lutheran religion replaced Catholicism around 1536.

A 2016 poll found that 39 percent of Norweigans are [[Atheism|atheists]]/[[Agnosticism|agnostics]].<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/03/22/for-first-time-in-history-atheism-overtakes-religious-faith-in-norway/ For First Time in History, Atheism Overtakes Religious Faith in Norway], Breitbart</ref>

The Evangelical Lutheran Church has been a state-funded and state-controlled church since 1660. It is led by 11 bishops who report to the government's ministry of church and cultural affairs. The king and at least one half of his ministers are required by law to belong to the established church. Lay councils are very active in parish life, especially among the fundamentalists of the south and west. As a result, the church has been able to support much social work and important missions in Africa and India. In relation to population, Norway has sent abroad the largest number of missionaries. The first woman minister was appointed in 1961. Although 88% of Norwegians belong to the Church of Norway, and 82% if babies are baptized in it, only 10% attend ten or more services a year.<ref>See [http://www.howto.co.uk/abroad/living-in-norway/church_religion_and_belief/ "Church, Religion and Belief"]</ref> During the 1970s and 1980s, a movement to sever the strong connection between the state and the Lutheran Church failed.<ref>Peder A. Eidberg, "Norwegian Free Churches and Religious Liberty: A History." ''Journal of Church and State'' 1995 37(4): 869-884.</ref>

Lutheranism remained the only religious option until the Dissenter Law of 1845 legalized free church congregations. Historians see this law as a restricted reform: Norwegians could leave the Lutheran Church only after they turned eighteen, and civil service jobs were still restricted to Lutherans. Thereafter, liberal groups such as the Norwegian Council of Dissenting Churches worked to end legal discrimination on the basis of religion. In 1969, religious restrictions on the hiring of public school teachers were finally lifted. Today Norwegians enjoy complete freedom of worship. By a law passed in 1969 the state provides financing for the officially registered dissenting churches. Dissenters include 44,000 Pentecostals; a Lutheran Free Church, with about 20,000 members; a Methodist Episcopal Church, with about 20,000 members; 12,000 Baptists; about 21,500 Roman Catholics, and over 76,000 Muslims, the fastest growing group. According to polls some 31-72% of Norwegians are either agnostics or atheists.<ref>http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html</ref>

====Church Burnings====

In 1992, [[heavy metal]] [[musician]] Varg Vikernes was believed responsible for burning down a number of churches. The motivation behind this occurrence appeared at the time to be rooted in [[Paganism]] and [[Satanism]]. Vikernes was not convicted of this crime, however two years later he was jailed for murdering his friend Øystein Aarseth in another bizarre incident.

{{Clear}}

==Government==
The functions of the king are mainly ceremonial, but he has influence as the symbol of national unity. Although the 1814 constitution grants important executive powers to the king, these are almost always exercised by the Council of Ministers in the name of the king (King's Council). The Council of Ministers consists of a prime minister—chosen by the political parties represented in the Storting—and other ministers.

The 169 members of the Storting are elected from 19 fylker (counties) for 4-year terms according to a complicated system of proportional representation. After elections, the Storting divides into two chambers, the Odelsting and the Lagting, which meet separately or jointly depending on the legislative issue under consideration.

The special High Court of the Realm hears impeachment cases; the regular courts include the Supreme Court (17 permanent judges and a president), courts of appeal, city and county courts, the labor court, and conciliation councils. Judges attached to regular courts are appointed by the king in council after nomination by the Ministry of Justice.

Each fylke is headed by a governor appointed by the king in council, with one governor exercising authority in both Oslo and the adjacent county of Akershus.
[[File:Norway-map.gif|thumb|270px]]

===Politics===
Norway's left-leaning government narrowly defeated a splintered center-right opposition in the September 2009 elections. Prime Minister [[Jens Stoltenberg]]'s ruling [[Labor Party (Norway)|Labor Party]] government came under challenge by [[Siv Jensen]] and her right-wing populist [[Progress Party (Norway)|Progress Party]] (which has gained support by calling for lowering Norway's notoriously high taxes and tightening immigration rules), as well as [[Erna Solberg]] and her center-right [[Conservative Party (Norway)|Conservative Party]]. Debate centered on how to manage the Nordic welfare state's oil wealth.<ref>See Karl Ritter, [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090914/ap_on_re_eu/eu_norway_election "Norway election focused on oil wealth," ''AP'' Sept. 14, 2009]</ref>

Until the 1981 election, Norway had been governed by majority [[Labor Party (Norway)|Labor Party]] governments since 1935, except for three periods (1963, 1965–71, and 1972–73). The Labor Party lost its majority in the Storting in the 1981 elections. Since that time, minority and coalition governments have been the rule. The two conservative parties in, the old Conservative Party and the younger Progressive Party increased their electoral support from 23% in 1975 to 34% in the election of 1987. The electoral mobilization by these conservative parties was mainly based on an ideologically inspired rhetoric of reduced government spending and corresponding tax reductions.

From 1981 to 1997, governments alternated between Labor minority governments under [[Gro Harlem Brundtland]] and Conservative-led coalition governments under [[Kåre Willoch]] and [[Jan P. Syse]]. The first government coalition led by Christian Democrat [[Kjell Magne Bondevik]] came to power in 1997, but fell in March 2000 over the issue of proposed gas-fired power plants, opposed by Bondevik due to their impact on [[climate change]]. The Labor Party's [[Jens Stoltenberg]], a Brundtland protégé, took over in a minority Labor government but lost power in the September 2001 election when Labor posted its worse performance since World War I. Bondevik once again became Prime Minister, this time as head of a minority government with the Conservatives and Liberals in a coalition heavily dependent upon the right-populist Progress Party.

The September 2005 elections ended the Bondevik government, and the Labor party came back with its most substantial victory in years, securing 60 of the 169 seats in Parliament. While this election result once more made Labor the undisputed heavyweight in Norwegian politics, Stoltenberg, chastened by his previous stint as the head of a minority government, reached out to the far left Socialist Left party and agrarian Center party to form a coalition government that commanded a majority of seats in Parliament. The current government is the first majority government in Norway in over 20 years, but the governing coalition has had to bridge substantial policy differences to build this majority.

Norway, [[Iceland]] and [[Switzerland]] are the only countries in former Europe Bloc that do not belong to the [[European Union]].

Norway is one of five European countries that permit [[same-sex marriage]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7978495.stm Sweden allows same sex marriage]</ref>

===Principal Government Officials===
[[File:Jens Stoltenberg Norweigian PM 2005 Gothenburg.jpg|thumb|Jens Stoltenberg.]]
*King, [[Harald V of Norway|Harald V]]
*Prime Minister, Erna Solberg
*Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonas Gahr Støre
*Minister of Defense, Anne-Grethe Strøm-Erichsen
*Ambassador to the United States, Wegger Christian Strømmen
*Ambassador to NATO, Kim Traavik
*Ambassador to the United Nations, Johan Ludvik Løvald
{{Clear}}

===Foreign Relations===
Norway supports international cooperation and the peaceful settlement of disputes, recognizing the need for maintaining a strong national defense through collective security. Accordingly, the cornerstones of Norwegian policy are active membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and support for the United Nations and its specialized agencies. Norway also pursues a policy of economic, social, and cultural cooperation with other Nordic countries—Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland—through the Nordic Council.

In addition to strengthening traditional ties with developed countries, Norway seeks to build friendly relations with developing countries and has undertaken humanitarian and development aid efforts with selected African and Asian nations. Norway also is dedicated to encouraging democracy, assisting refugees, and protecting human rights throughout the world.
===Military===
The ''Economist'' magazine Intelligence Unit used measures of military spending and actions and violent crime rates to find that Norway is the most peaceful country in the world.<ref>See [http://www.ppu.org.uk/newsx/news_013.html report]</ref>

Norway spends about 1.8% of GDP on defense, about the NATO average. Military spending has fallen from 7.4% of the national budget in 1990 to 4.8% in 2004.

The principle of universal military service has long been accepted by most Norwegians. All men between the ages of 19 and 45 must serve 12 months in the army or 15 months in the navy or air force. The army, based on five regional commands, has a peacetime strength of about 19,000 and is posted mainly in the north near Russia. A home defense force of some 85,000 is trained for special tasks in local areas. The navy has 5 frigates, 15 submarines, and numerous small craft for patrolling the coast.

The Royal Norwegian Air Force (Luftforsvaret) became an independent service in 1944. In peacetime, it has about 3,000 personnel, and in time of war, some 17,500. It has 10 squadrons that operate from seven air stations and fly a variety of aircraft and helicopters, including F-16 fighters. It also operates six missile batteries and 10 short-range point defense missile systems.

In 2009, 500 Norwegian soldiers serve under NATO command in Afghanistan.

==Economy==
Norway is one of the world's richest countries in per capita terms. It has an important stake in promoting a liberal environment for foreign trade. Its large shipping fleet is one of the most modern among maritime nations. Metals, pulp and paper products, chemicals, shipbuilding, and fishing are the most significant traditional industries.
[[Image:Dalen Telemarken Norway.jpg|thumb|340px|Dalen, Telemarken, Norway. Photochrom print, between ca. 1890 and ca. 1900.]]
Norway's emergence as a major oil and gas producer in the mid-1970s transformed the economy. Large sums of investment capital poured into the offshore oil sector, leading to greater increases in Norwegian production costs and wages than in the rest of Europe up to the time of the global recovery of the mid-1980s. The influx of oil revenue also permitted Norway to expand an already extensive social welfare system. Norway has established a state Petroleum Fund that exceeded $132.6 billion as of December 2004. The fund primarily will be used to help finance government programs once oil and gas resources become depleted. Norway is currently enjoying large foreign trade surpluses thanks to high oil prices. Unemployment remains currently low (3%-4% range), and the prospects for economic growth are encouraging thanks to the government's stimulative fiscal policy and economic recovery in the United States and Europe.

Norway voted against joining the European Union (EU) in a 1994 referendum. With the exception of the agricultural and fisheries sectors, however, Norway enjoys free trade with the EU under the framework of the European Economic Area. This agreement aims to apply the four freedoms of the EU's internal market (goods, persons, services, and capital) to Norway. As a result, Norway normally adopts and implements most EU directives. Norwegian monetary policy is aimed at maintaining a stable exchange rate for the krone against European currencies, of which the euro is a key operating parameter. Norway is not a member of the EU's Economic and Monetary Union and does not have a fixed exchange rate. Its principal trading partners are in the EU; the United States ranks sixth.

===Energy Resources===
Norway has a highly developed oil and natural gas sector. Norway's oil production peaked in 2001 at 3.42 million barrels per day (bbl/d) and has been steadily declining since, reaching 2.47 million bbl/d in 2008. Natural gas production, on the other hand, has been steadily increasing since 1993, reaching 3.5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) in 2008. All of Norway's oil and natural gas fields are located subsea on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Most of the new discoveries being made are natural gas. The Norwegian government is committed to developing the frontier Barents Sea region as existing North Sea fields mature.<ref>For current statistics, see [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/country/country_energy_data.cfm?fips=NO Energy Information Administration, "Norway Energy Profile" (2009)]</ref>

Offshore hydrocarbon deposits were discovered in the 1960s, and development began in the 1970s. Norway is now the world's third-largest gas exporter and provides much of Europe's crude oil and gas requirements. In 2003, Norwegian oil and gas exports accounted for 56% of total merchandise exports. In addition, offshore exploration and production have stimulated onshore economic activities. Foreign companies, including many American ones, participate actively in the petroleum sector.

One issue that has hampered the development of oil and natural gas reserves in the northern Barents Sea area has been the lack of a defined maritime boundary between Norway and Russia. However, on June 5, 2009, Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom and Norwegian state-controlled oil company StatoilHydro signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding to work together in exploring and developing their Arctic sea regions. According to a joint statement, the two companies will work together on development of the Shtokman field, some 345 miles from land in 1,148 feet of water. It holds estimated gas reserves of around 113 trillion cubic feet.

Hydropower provides nearly all of Norway's electricity, and all of the gas and most of the oil produced is exported.

==History==
===Pre-Viking===
Hunting tribes were displaced by farmers after 3000 B.C. By 400 AD the inhabitants had contacts with Gaul, used [[runic]] writing, and expanded their settlements. After 400 AD, migrations brought in new peoples from the south to "Northern Way", or Norway. The first local kingdoms were created to bolster local defenses. For example, the Ynglings, a branch of the first Swedish royal house, established one of the earliest kingdoms west of the Oslofjord.
===Vikings===

The [[Viking]] period (9th to 11th centuries) was one of national unification and expansion.

see [[Viking]]
[[File:Vikings.jpg|thumb|280px]]

About 900 AD Harald Fairhair established a large kingdom by winning, in alliance with the earl of Lade (Trøndelag) a victory over other local kings. Harald's victory caused disgruntled subordinate chieftains to join the growing Viking movement. The growth in population forced some Norwegians to spread inland on to poorer soils and others to seek their fortunes as raiders, traders, or settlers across the North Sea. The Vikings proved to be superb sailors and ferocious warriors; their raids turned into landing operations and settlements.

The sparsely inhabited Scottish islands were settled first; the first recorded Viking raid on England came in 793 AD. In the following two centuries Norse Vikings plundered far and wide. Kingdoms were carved out in Ireland, Scotland, northeast England, and northern France, and the Faeroes, Iceland, and eventually Greenland were colonized. In addition to advanced ships, the Vikings had good iron tools and weapons and were expert wood-carvers. Overseas, the Vikings developed trade wherever they settled. In Norway, markets, the forerunners of towns that grew up in the 11th century, sprang up beside the fjords.

===Medieval Norway===
Inside Norway the Middle Ages were a time of political turmoil. Harald Fairhair's throne was fought over for nearly a century bloody civil wars among kings and earls, pagans and Christians, and between Norwegians and Danes. Olav II (reigned 1016-1028) briefly united Norway and introduced Christianity. He was killed in 1030 by rebel nobles who had allied themselves with Denmark. After his death Olav was hailed almost at once as a national saint; he was canonized in 1154. Trondheim cathedral was founded in his honor, and his family regained and kept the throne after a brief period of Danish rule (1028-1035).

English Christian missionaries had a major impact; their monasteries became the owners of large estates. The Viking traditions died out, surviving in the carvings on the new churches of dragons and other pagan symbols. Harald Hardraade (Hard Ruler) was the last Norwegian king to claim England (1066), but he was killed in England. In 1170 the papacy made Trondheim the seat of an archbishop, with five suffragan bishops in Norway and six in the western islands, Iceland, and Greenland. Norway became the ecclesiastical center for the widely dispersed Norse peoples.

The civil wars over control of the throne died out during the long reign of Haakon IV (1217-1263), and Norway entered upon the brief "age of greatness." Haakon reorganized the national government, with a royal council, regional governors, and judicial officers all appointed by the king. A national legal code was established in 1274. Iceland and Greenland accepted the king of Norway as ruler, and effective power was exerted in the Faeroes, Shetland, and Orkney in Scotland.<ref>The other Norse territories in Scotland were formally surrendered in 1266 to the Scottish king.</ref> Overseas trade flourished during this period, and Haakon IV, who usually resided in Bergen where the trade was centered, concluded his first commercial treaty with the English king.

The 13th century was the last period of early Norwegian independence and greatness. During the 100 years from the reign of Haakon IV to that of Haakon V (1299-1319) the Norwegian sagas, the stories of Norway's past, were gathered. In Iceland, Snorri Sturluson wrote the "Heimskringla" and the "Younger Edda," and Sturla Thordsson, a nephew of Snorri, wrote the "Islendingasaga," the "Sturlingasaga," and the "Haakon Haakonssonsaga,'' which comprise the earliest masterpieces of Scandinavian literature.

===Union of Kalmar===
The Norwegian royal line died out in 1387, and the country entered a dark period under the control of Denmark. The Norwegian merchant class began to decline after 1250 when the German [[Hanseatic League]] (the mercantile organization of north German towns) established agents in Bergen, who supplied essential imports of Baltic grain in exchange for north Norway's traditional export of dried cod. The aristocracy collapsed during the Black Plague, which killed half the population in 1349. The resulting economic calamity destroyed most of the dairy farming, the dominant form of agriculture on most aristocratic estates. Thus Norway was already the weakest Scandinavian kingdom when the extinction of the royal lines in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark led to the union of the three countries (1397) under the Union of Kalmar. Norway lost its king and court and aristocracy, its commerce declined; it stopped producing great literature. Outsiders, mostly Danish-speaking Danes, were in control; Norwegian tradition claims the harshness of the Danish misrule created a greater unity among Norwegians.

The population grew slowly, from 500,000 in 1660 to 900,000 in 1814--the vast majority were poor and eked out a living as farmers and/or fishermen.

===19th Century===
In 1814, as a result of the Napoleonic wars, Norway was separated from [[Denmark]] and combined with [[Sweden]]. Norway at last had its own government--the Storthing or parliament was now comprised of Norwegians--with a Swedish viceroy representing the king of Sweden. The king tried to stop the growing independence of the Storthing but failed; by the 1830s the peasants comprised half the Storthing and they demanded strict economy and stripped the remaining nobles (mostly Danes) of their aristocratic titles and pretensions.

As nationalism emerged across Europe it appeared as well in Norway; the "Young Norway" movement romanticized the peasants and ridiculed the king. An upper class party of merchants also emerged—both parties were led by poets who celebrated the Norwegian language. The new king Oscar I (reigned 1844–57) allowed a separate Norwegian flag for merchant ships, which increasingly became important on the Atlantic. [[Whaling]] became a major industry, as the economy began to improve in the 1840s. The first railway opened, and steamships provided easy travel along the long coastline.

The threat of socialism emerged when The Thranittforeningene (Workers' Associations), started by socialist Marcus Thrane, formed Norway's first modern mass political movement. At its peak in 1849-50 the Thranites included both propertied and unpropertied and urban and rural Norwegians brought together by anxieties over maintaining their economic position in a period marked by international economic depression and the beginnings of Norway's transition to a modern society.

By the 1880s the peasants could sell their holdings and buy passages to America. About a fourth of the families, specially the younger ones, did so, and headed to Minnesota and neighboring states. About one in four returned to Norway, but their tales of life in the New World only stimulated more emigration.

The viceroy system was dropped and Norway had its own prime minister from 1873—albeit one chosen by the king. Norway celebrated its 1000th anniversary as a nation as serious political tensions with the king continued throughout the latter part of the 19th century. By the 1890s the Norwegians demanded a role in diplomacy, which the Swedes refused to allow. The union with Sweden persisted until 1905, when Norway demanded and received complete independence, and could now have its own king and diplomats.

All men were given the vote in 1898, and most women in 1907.

===20th century===
[[File:Oslo Christian Frederiks plass Norway.JPG|thumb|280px|Oslo, Christian Frederiks plass.]]
The Norwegian Government offered the throne of Norway to Danish Prince Carl in 1905. After a plebiscite approving the establishment of a monarchy, the Parliament unanimously elected him king. He took the name of Haakon VII, after the kings of independent Norway.

Before 1900 Norway was one of the poorest countries in Europe, with an economy focused on farming, forestry, and fishing. Norway's harsh environment—the high latitudes and short growing seasons, the poor soils, the excessive precipitation, and the cool summers—have made farming difficult. Today only 3% of the land is used for farming; the main products are forage grains and dairy products. About one of every four Norwegian families cultivates its own garden plot.

In the 20th century new industries based on cheap water power and raw materials harvested from Norway's farms, forests, seas, and mines replaced agriculture as the prime employer. The very large merchant fleet became a major contributor to the nation's wealth. After 1970 vast offshore oil resources made the country rich.
{{Clear}}

===World War II===
Norway tried and failed to be neutral during [[World War I]], but was invaded by the Germans in 1940<ref>François Kersaudy, ''Norway 1940'' (1991). 272 pp.</ref> and ruled by traitors, led by Quisling. The king and the government escaped to Britain in 1940, serving as symbolic leader of a nation under occupation by the Nazis. In 1940-45, sharp jokes about the occupiers circulated widely among Norwegians. The jokes contained contempt for the oppressors, ridicule of Nazi ideology, depictions of the cruelty of Nazi methods, and mockery of the inflated self-image of the Germans. All of the jokes served to boost morale, educate Norwegians about the occupation, and encourage a sense of solidarity.<ref>Kathleen Stokker, "Heil Hitler - God Save the King: Jokes and the Norwegian Resistance 1940-1945." ''Western Folklore'' 1991 50(2): 171-190.</ref>

===Postwar===
King Haakon returned in triumph in 1945. He died in 1957 and was succeeded by his son, Olav V, who died in January 1991. Upon Olav's death, his son Harald was crowned as King Harald V.
====Welfare state====
[[File:Harbour of Hamnoy Norway.jpg|thumb|300px|Harbour of Hamnøy.]]
The Scandinavian countries first established strong welfare states in the 1920s and 1930s. Benefits for the middle as well as lower classes became lavish, and Social Democrats raised income taxes until they became the world's highest. Despite this, Norway (and the rest of Scandinavia) retained private enterprise. Unlike France, England, and Germany, Scandinavian states owned and ran very few companies other than public utilities and railroads. Across Scandinavia the major sompanies like Saab, Ericsson, Nokia, and Volvo have always belonged to stockholders.

The Norwegian Labor Party won a majority in 1945, a time that required cooperation among Norwegian political parties for national reconstruction after the German occupation. Labor Party leaders were willing to recognize a role for privately owned business and for market forces in economic planning both on pragmatic grounds and because party leaders in exile in London during the war had seen successful cooperation between British industry and government. The Labor Party acknowledged that private ownership was more effective than state management in improving efficiency. The state's role expanded in the direction of redistributing, rather than producing, national wealth. Although the Labor Party moved toward democratic socialism, the tension between broader participation, particularly by workers in management, and effective planning persisted into the 1970s.<ref>Trond Bergh, "Pragmatic and Democratic Socialism: Ideological and Political Trends in the Norwegian Labour Party during the 1940s and 1950s." ''Scandinavian Journal of History'' 1991 16 (3): 205-213.</ref>

In 1945, all Norwegian political parties right and left agreed that extensive government economic controls would be needed for a period of postwar reconstruction. The Labor government's objectives were economic growth through expansion of the manufacturing sector and modernization. When government controls potentially interfered with the effort to increase industrial exports, the latter got priority. Similarly, although the private sector resisted attempts to institutionalize state corporatism, the government's flexibility led to increased cooperation between the government and manufacturing industries. The Labor Party and its opponents disagreed not on the need for modernization in postwar Norway but on the direction to take to the common goal.<ref>Even Lange, and Helge Pharo, "Planning and Economic Policy in Norway, 1945-1960" ''Scandinavian Journal af History'' 1991 16 (3): 215-228</ref>

In Norway (and the rest of Scandinavia) marginal tax rates on wages, and the value added taxes (which are assessed like sales taxes) remain the highest in the world. But capital gains taxes and real estate assessments are low or non-existent. The region is ahead of the United States in a few areas of market reforms: All four countries have school vouchers and allow individual control over some social security taxes.<ref>Eli Lehrer, "Scandinavia's Surprising Turn from Socialism." ''The American Enterprise'' v. 13 #8 Dec. 2002. pp 42+ online at [[Questia]]</ref>

====Cold War====
The wartime horrors led Norwegians to reject neutrality in the [[Cold War]], and they turned instead to collective security in alliance with the United States. Norway was one of the signers of the NATO Treaty in 1949 and was a founding member of the [[United Nations]] in 1945. Indeed, the first UN General Secretary, Trygve Lie, was a Norwegian. Under the terms of the will of Alfred Nobel, the Storting (Parliament) elects the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee who award the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] to champions of peace.

==See also==
*[[Braised trake]]

==Further reading==
===Guides===
* ''Norway'' (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by Snorre Evensberget (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/Norway-Eyewitness-Travel-Guides-Evensberget/dp/078949339X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252960453&sr=1-3 excerpt and text search]
* ''Norway'' (Country Guide) by Anthony Ham (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Norway-Country-Guide-Anthony-Ham/dp/1741045797/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252960453&sr=1-4 excerpt and text search]
* ''Insight Guide Norway'' by Simon Ryder and Cameron Duffy (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Insight-Guide-Norway-Guides/dp/9812587128/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252960453&sr=1-5 excerpt and text search]
* ''Frommer's Norway'' by Darwin Porter (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Frommers-Norway-Complete-Darwin-Porter/dp/0470432136/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252960453&sr=1-8 excerpt and text search]
* ''Norway - Culture Smart!: the essential guide to customs & culture'' by Linda March (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Norway-Culture-essential-customs-culture/dp/1857333314/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252960453&sr=1-11 excerpt and text search]

===History===
====Surveys====
* Bain, Robert Nisbet. ''Scandinavia; a Political History of Denmark, Norway and Sweden from 1513 to 1900'' (2002) [http://www.amazon.com/Scandinavia-Political-History-Denmark-Norway/dp/0543939006/ref=sr_1_44?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252960971&sr=1-44 excerpt and text search]
* Derry, Thomas Kingston. ''A History of Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.'' (1979). 447 pp.; standard scholarly history
* Dreyer, Grøndahl, et al. ''A History of Norway: From the Ice Age to the Age of Petroleum'' (1999) standard scholarly history
* Nordstrom, Byron J. ''Scandinavia since 1500'' (2000), standard scholarly history [http://www.questia.com/read/111772948?title=Scandinavia%20since%201500 online edition]
* Sjovik, Jan. ''Historical Dictionary of Norway'' (2008), standard reference book

====Specialized====
* Archer, Clive. '' Norway outside the European Union: Norway and European Integration from 1994 to 2004'' (2004) [http://www.amazon.com/Norway-outside-European-Union-Integration/dp/0415282799/ref=sr_1_58?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252961077&sr=1-58 excerpt and text search]
* Berdal, Mats R. ''The United States, Norway and the Cold War, 1954-60.'' (1997). 268pp
* Beyer, Harald. ''A History of Norwegian Literature'' (1956) [http://www.questia.com/read/23498525?title=A%20History%20of%20Norwegian%20Literature online edition]
* Cole, Wayne S. ''Norway and the United States, 1905-1955: Two Democracies in Peace and War.'' (1989). 221 pp.
* Derry, Thomas Kingston. ''Haakon VII of Norway: The Man and the Monarch'' (1983) [http://www.questia.com/read/77549523?title=Haakon%20VII%20of%20Norway%3a%20The%20Man%20and%20the%20Monarch online edition]
* Einhorn. Eric S., and John Logue. ''Modern Welfare States: Scandinavian Politics and Policy in the Global Age'' (2003) [http://www.questia.com/read/113176873?title=Modern%20Welfare%20States%3a%20%20Scandinavian%20Politics%20and%20Policy%20in%20the%20Global%20Age online edition]
* Gjelsvik, Tore. ''Norwegian Resistance, 1940-1945.'' (1979). 224 pp.
* Gran, Thorvald. ''The State in the Modernization Process: The Case of Norway, 1850-1970.'' Oslo: Ad Notam Gyldendal, 1994. 415 pp.
* Greve, Tim. ''Haakon VII of Norway: The Man and the Monarch.'' (1983). 212 pp.; he reigned 1905-57.
* Haywood, John. ''The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings'' (1995) [http://www.amazon.com/Penguin-Historical-Atlas-Vikings-Hist/dp/0140513280/ref=pd_sim_dbs_b_2 excerpt and text search]
* Hovde, B. J. ''The Scandinavian Countries, 1720-1865: The Rise of the Middle Classes'' (1948) [http://www.questia.com/read/23307473?title=The%20Scandinavian%20Countries%2c%201720-1865%3a%20The%20Rise%20of%20the%20Middle%20Classes%20-%20Vol.%201 online edition]
* Lowell, Briant Lindsay. ''Scandinavian Exodus: Demography and Social Development of 19th-Century Rural Communities.'' (1987). 262 pp.
* Naess, Harald S., ed. ''A History of Norwegian Literature.'' (1993). 435 pp. [http://www.questia.com/read/9898528?title=A%20History%20of%20Norwegian%20Literature online edition]
* Petrow, Richard. ''The Bitter Years: The Invasion and Occupation of Denmark and Norway, April 1940-May 1945'' (1974)
* Rommetvedt, Hilmar. ''The Rise of the Norwegian Parliament'' (2003), recent history [http://www.questia.com/read/108508058?title=The%20Rise%20of%20the%20Norwegian%20Parliament online edition]
* Royal Institute of International Affairs. ''The Scandinavian States and Finland: A Political and Economic Survey'' (1951) [http://www.questia.com/read/57951997?title=The%20Scandinavian%20States%20and%20Finland%3a%20%20A%20Political%20and%20Economic%20Survey%20%281951%29 online edition]
* Rust, Val D. ''The Democratic Tradition and the Evolution of Schooling in Norway.'' (1989). 333 pp.

==External links==
* [http://www.howto.co.uk/abroad/living-in-norway/ "Living and Working in Norway"], useful coverage of many topics
* [http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2741143.ece search Oslo newspaper stories]

== References ==
<references/>

{{Copyright Details (US Government)}}
Source = [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3421.htm]

[[Category:Norway]]
[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO Members]]
[[Category:Scandinavian Countries]]
[[Category:Political Parties in Norway]]
[[Category:Arctic Circle]]
[[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Liberal Nations]]

United States Population

2017-09-22T19:41:58Z

Biblereader: Fixing misspelled words

The [[United States]] has the third highest [[population]] in the world, and it is estimated to have a population of more than 300 million . It is a very diverse country with people from virtually all races and religions.

The major religions in the United States are [[Christianity]] 70.6% ([[Evangelical]]) [[Protestant]] 25.4%, Mainline Protestant 14.7%,Historically Black Protestant 6.5%, [[Catholic]] 20.8%, [[Mormon]] 1.6%,[[Orthodox]] [[Christian]] 0.5%, [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] 0.8%, other [[Christian]] 0.4%). Non-Christian Faiths:[[Judaism]] 1.9%, [[Muslim]] 0.9%. [[Buddhist]] 0.7%, [[Hindu]] 0.7%,other 1.8% . Unaffiliated 22.8%, [[atheist]] 3.1%, [[agnostic]] 4.0%, 'nothing in particular' 15.8%, 'don't know' 0.8%.<ref>http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/</ref>

The major racial groups in the United States are: [[European American|Whites]] 78%, [[African Americans]] 12%, [[Mestizo]]s (people of mixed Spanish and Indian descent) 6%, [[Asian]]s just under 4% and [[Native American]]s less than 1%. Approximately 15% of Americans are [[Latinos]], although they may be of any race.<ref> http://www.census.gov/</ref>

==United States Prison Population==
The [[United States]] has the highest incarceration rate in the world which has more than 700 U.S adults per 100,000 and the prison population is more than 2,000,000 which makes up 25 percent of the world's population.<ref>https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/</ref>
<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/04/30/does-the-united-states-really-have-five-percent-of-worlds-population-and-one-quarter-of-the-worlds-prisoners/?utm_term=.23c67b752b9c</ref>
<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/07/07/yes-u-s-locks-people-up-at-a-higher-rate-than-any-other-country/?utm_term=.33560a158553</ref>
==See also==
* [[Population density]]
* [[Population]]
* [[List of countries by population]]
* [[Gross Domestic Product]]
* [[List of countries by area]]
* [[List of countries by GDP]]
* [[List of countries by GDP per capita]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Demography]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]

Sweden

2017-09-22T19:39:33Z

Biblereader: Sweden Category:Liberal Nations

{{Country
|name =''Konungariket Sverige''
|map =Sweden rel96.jpg
|map2 =Sweden location.png
|flag =Flag of Sweden.png
|arms =Arms of Sweden.png
|capital =Stockholm
|capital-raw =
|government =Constitutional monarchy
|government-raw =
|language =Swedish
|king =Carl XVI Gustaf
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Stefan Löfven
|pm-raw =
|area =173,732 sq mi
|pop =9,880,604 (2016)
|pop-basis =
|gdp =
|gdp-year =$291 billion (2006)
|gdp-pc =$32,200 (2006)
|currency =Swedish krona
|idd =
|tld =.se
}}
:''For the impact on left-wing policies on Sweden and the rest of Europe, see [[European migrant crisis]]''
'''Sweden''' is a country in [[Scandinavia]]. The capital city is [[Stockholm]], which is also the largest city. Sweden has approximately 9 million inhabitants, with an area of 173,750 square miles (450,000 square kilometers).

Sweden is a constitutional [[monarchy]] and a parliamentary [[democracy]]. The prime minister of Sweden is [[Fredrik Reinfeldt]], leader of the Moderates. The Swedish parliament has 349 seats. [[Carl XVI Gustaf]] is the current king.

==People==
Sweden has one of the world's highest life expectancies. The country counts at least 17,000 Sami among its population. About one-fifth of Sweden's population are immigrants or born to at least one foreign-born parent. The largest immigrant groups are from Finland, [[Iraq]], Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, [[Iran]], Norway, Denmark, and Poland. This reflects Nordic immigration, earlier periods of labor immigration, and later decades of refugee and family immigration.

Swedish is a Germanic language related to Danish and Norwegian but different in pronunciation and [[orthography]]. English is by far the leading foreign language, particularly among students and those under age 50.

Sweden has an extensive child-care system that guarantees a place for all young children from 2–6 years old in a public day-care facility. From ages 7–16, children attend compulsory comprehensive school. After completing the ninth grade, 90% attend upper secondary school for either academic or technical education.

Swedes benefit from an extensive social welfare system, which provides for childcare and maternity and paternity leave, a ceiling on health care costs, old-age pensions, and sick leave among other benefits. Parents are entitled to a total of 480 days' paid leave between birth and the child's eighth birthday, with 60 of those days reserved specifically for the father.
*Population (November 2007): 9,179,731.
*Annual population growth rate (2007): 0.76%.
*Ethnic groups: Indigenous Swedes, ethnic Finns, ethnic Sami.
*Immigrants: Total: 491,996 (20% of total population); Finns, Iraqis, ex-Yugoslavia nationals, Iranians, Norwegians, Danes, Greeks, and Turks.
*Religions: Lutheran (87%), Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim.
*Education: Years compulsory—9. Literacy—99%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate (2006)--2.80/1,000. Life expectancy—men 78.70 years, women 82.94 years.
*Work force (4.82 million, 2007 est.): Services—70.7%; industry—28.2%; agriculture—1.1%. Unemployment (2007)--5.2%.
*Public holidays (2008): January 1 (New Year's Day); January 6 (Epiphany); March 21 (Good Friday); March 22 (Easter); March 23 (Easter Sunday); March 24 (Easter Monday); May 1 (May Day and Ascension Day); May 11 (Whit Sunday); June 6 (National Day); June 21 (Midsummer Holiday); November 1 (All Saints' Day); December 25 (Christmas); December 26 (Boxing Day).

The eve of a holiday is as important—or more so—than the holiday itself. Most Swedes have the day off, including those working in the civil service, banks, public transport, hospitals, shops, and the media. Others have at least a half-day. This applies especially to Midsummer's Eve, All Saints' Day Eve, and Christmas Eve. The eve of May Day is called Valborg Eve or St Walpurgis. When a holiday falls on a Thursday many Swedes have the following Friday off in addition. When a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday it is not taken on the following Monday.

==== Religion and Sweden ====

Sweden is the most [[Atheism|atheistic]] country in the world and the website adherents.com reports that 46 - 85% of Swedes are agnostics/atheists/non-believers in God.<ref>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html Top 50 Countries With Highest Proportion of Atheists / Agnostics(Zuckerman, 2005)]</ref> Sweden also has the 3rd highest rate of belief in evolution as far as [[Western World]] nations (see: [[Evolutionary belief and bestiality]]).<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/bigphotos/21329204.html Photo: Evolution Less Accepted in U.S. Than Other Western Countries, Study Finds]</ref>

===== Christianity in Sweden =====

[[File:Sweden Orberga church Vadstena.jpg|thumb|300px|Orberga church Vadstena.]]
80% of the inhabitants belong to the Evangelical [[Lutheran Church]] of Sweden named The Swedish Church (Svenska kyrkan in Swedish). The number is so high because children born to members of the church automatically become lifelong members. This church is somewhat unique because it has decided to agree to perform a blessing ceremony for [[homosexuality|homosexuals]] engaging in registered partnership (full marriage for same sex couples is a matter of debate in Sweden). This Church is considered a [[liberal]] Church and does not protest against [[abortion]]s, [[divorce]], and other conservative issues. About 5% of the Swedish population belong to "conservative" Christian churches.
Regardless of the church membership polls suggest that 46-85% of Swedes to be either agnostics, atheists or non-believers of gods.<ref>http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html</ref>

In the 1960s the government decided to reduce education about Christianity in [[public school]]s.

In 2000, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the government were separated. Before that, all children were born members of the church, except those whose parents took an active decision against it and both left the church. Even if a child were not christened, he or she became a member for life, having to pay a small tax to the church.

In 2005 a Swedish Pentecostal preacher, [[Ake Green|Åke Green]], was charged with, and found guilty of hate speech, when preaching Biblical teachings regarding homosexuality. He was imprisoned for one month, but then acquitted by the High Court and the Supreme Court.

==Leftist politics in Sweden==
A nonexhaustive list of the left-wing agenda in Sweden:

===Abortion in Sweden===
:{{main|Sexual immorality and Sweden|Abortion in Sweden}}
Sweden provides taxpayer-subsidized, no-questions-asked [[abortion]]s during the first 18 weeks of [[pregnancy]]. During the following four weeks, [[women]] are required to get special permission for abortions. Swedish politicians are currently discussing whether foreign women should be allowed to have a late term abortion in Sweden, and it is possible that the parliament will vote in favor of that proposition.

===Low religious liberty===
{{See also|Religious freedom}}
In 2017, a Swedish local government unit forced a Christian preschool to ban prayer to God under the country's Education Act, but the preschoolers were subsequently instructed to thank the sun and the rain before meals.<ref>Chretien, Claire (June 28, 2017). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/christian-preschool-switches-to-thanking-the-sun-and-rain-before-meals-afte Gov’t bans prayer to God; Christian preschool forced to thank ‘sun and rain’ for meals instead]. ''LifeSite News''. Retrieved August 6, 2017.</ref><ref>Hale, Virginia (June 26, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/06/26/christian-preschool-banned-saying-amen/ Christian Preschoolers Banned from Saying ‘Amen’, Talking About the Bible]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved August 6, 2017.</ref><ref>[http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2017/june/preschoolers-in-sweden-banned-from-saying-amen-mentioning-the-bible Preschoolers in Sweden Banned from Saying 'Amen,' Mentioning the Bible]. ''CBN News''. June 29, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017.</ref> Also in 2017, the Prime Minister of Sweden stated in an interview that Swedish state church priests should "marry" homosexual couples regardless of what they think of it, and that they should leave their positions if they don't do it.<ref>Multiple references:
*Chretien, Claire (June 28, 2017). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/swedish-pm-priests-unwilling-to-marry-same-sex-couples-should-do-something Swedish PM: Priests unwilling to ‘marry’ same-sex couples should ‘do something else’]. ''LifeSite News''. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
*Tomlinson, Chris (August 6, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/06/24/swedish-pm-wants-force-priests-marry-sex-couples/ Swedish PM to Force Priests to Conduct Gay Marriages, Compares them With Abortions]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
*[https://www.thelocal.se/20170623/all-priests-should-wed-same-sex-couples-swedish-pm 'All priests should wed same-sex couples': Swedish PM]. ''The Local''. June 23, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
*Hurd, Dale (June 23, 2017). [http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2017/june/swedish-prime-minister-priests-should-be-forced-to-perform-same-sex-weddings Swedish Prime Minister: Priests Should Be Forced to Perform Same-Sex Weddings]. ''CBN News''. Retrieved August 6, 2017.</ref> In 2017, the Swedish Labour Court of Appeal ruled that a [[pro-life]] midwife can be forced to perform abortions even if she objects.<ref>Chretien, Claire (April 12, 2017). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/swedish-court-denies-pro-life-midwifes-appeal-its-reasonable-for-employer-t Pro-life midwife can be forced to do abortions, court rules]. ''LifeSite News''. Retrieved August 6, 2017.</ref> As of August 2017, the case is being appealed in the [[European Court of Human Rights]].<ref>Chretien, Claire (April 21, 2017). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pro-life-midwife-ordered-to-do-abortions-to-keep-job-takes-case-to-european Pro-life midwife ordered to do abortions or lose her job takes case to European human rights court]. ''LifeSite News''. Retrieved August 6, 2017.</ref>

===Feminism===
Although Sweden's left-wing policies have negatively impacted the nation, including women (See: [[European migrant crisis#Sweden]]), Sweden's leaders continue to advocate for feminist policies, and in 2017, learning about "men’s violence against women" became a compulsory university subject.<ref>Hale, Virginia (March 28, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/03/28/sweden-male-violence-women-university/ Sweden Makes ‘Men’s Violence Against Women’ Compulsory Subject at University]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved March 29, 2017.</ref>

===Transgender ideology===
Sweden provides "gender-neutral" kindergarten lessons, and transgender ideology has a strong grip in its society.<ref>Ciccotta, Tom (July 26, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/07/26/vice-documents-introduction-of-gender-neutral-kindergartens-in-sweden/ VICE Documents Introduction of Gender-Neutral Kindergartens in Sweden]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved August 6, 2017.</ref>

===Mass immigration===
:{{main|European migrant crisis#Sweden}}
Liberal Swedish politicians have strongly supported globalist and pro-mass immigration policies, which have led to the non-Swedish population in the country massively expand, among other undesirable changes.

==Government==
[[File:Gripsholm Castle Mariefred Sweden.jpg|thumb|280px|left|Gripsholm Castle.]]
Popular government in Sweden rests upon ancient tradition. The Swedish parliament (Riksdag) stems from tribal courts (Ting) and the election of kings in the Viking age. It became a permanent institution in the 15th century. Sweden's government is a limited constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. Executive authority is vested in the cabinet, which consists of a prime minister and 22 ministers who run the government departments. The present Alliance for Sweden government, led by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, came to power in September 2006. King Carl XVI Gustaf (Bernadotte) ascended to the throne on September 15, 1973. His authority is formal, symbolic, and representational. The unicameral Riksdag has 349 members, popularly elected every 4 years, and is in session generally from September through mid-June.

Sweden has three levels of government: national, regional, and local. In addition, there is the European level which has acquired increasing importance following Sweden's entry into the EU. At parliamentary elections and municipal and county council elections held every four years, voters elect those who are to decide how Sweden is governed and administered.

Sweden is divided into 18 counties (lan), 18 county councils (landsting), 290 municipalities (kommuner), and 2 semi-independent regions. Each county (lan) is headed by a governor, who is appointed by the central government. The counties coordinate administration with national political goals for the county. The county council (landsting) is a regional government that is popularly elected with particular responsibility for health and medical care. The municipalities are local governments that deal with issues such as education, public transportation and social welfare. Elected municipal councils are headed by executive committees roughly analogous to the boards of commissioners found in some U.S. cities.

Swedish law, drawing on Germanic and Roman law, is neither as codified as in France and other countries influenced by the Napoleonic Code, nor as dependent on judicial practice and precedents as in the United States. Legislative and judicial institutions include, in addition to the Riksdag, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, the Labor Court, the Law Council, District Courts and Courts of Appeal, the Public Prosecutor's Office, the parliamentary ombudsmen and the Chancellor of Justice who oversee the application of laws with particular attention to abuses of authority.

At the national level, the Swedish people are represented by the Riksdag (Swedish parliament) which has legislative powers. Proposals for new laws are presented by the government which also implements decisions taken by the Riksdag. The government is assisted in its work by the government offices, comprising a number of ministries, and some 300 central government agencies and public administrations.

===Principal Government Officials===
[[File:King Carl XVI Gustaf Sweden.jpg|thumb|King Carl XVI Gustaf.]]
*Head of State—King Carl XVI Gustaf
*Prime Minister (Head of Government)--Stefan Löfven
*Minister for Finance—Anders Borg
*Minister for the Environment—Andreas Carlgren
*Minister for Justice—Beatrice Ask
*Minister for Foreign Affairs—Carl Bildt
*Minister for EU Affairs—Cecilia Malmstrom
*Minister for Social Security—Cristina Husmark Pehrsson
*Minister for Agriculture—Eskil Erlandsson
*Minister for International Development Co-operation—Gunilla Carlsson
*Minister for Health and Social Affairs—Goran Hagglund
*Minister for Higher Education and Research—Lars Leijonborg
*Minister for Education—Jan Bjorklund
*Minister for Culture—Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth
*Minister for Elderly Care and Public Health—Maria Larsson
*Minister for Local Government and Financial Markets—Mats Odell
*Minister for Enterprise and Energy—Maud Olofsson
*Minister for Defense—Sten Tolgfors
*Minister for Integration and Gender Equality—Nyamko Sabuni
*Minister for Trade—Ewa Bjorling
*Minister for Employment—Sven Otto Littorin
*Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy—Tobias Billstrom
*Minister for Infrastructure—Asa Torstensson
*Ambassador to the United Nations—Anders Liden

===Political Conditions===
Ordinary general elections to the Swedish parliament are held every fourth year on the third Sunday in September. County council and municipal council elections take place at the same time. The last elections were held on September 14, 2014. There is a barrier rule intended to prevent very small parties from gaining representation in the parliament. A party must thus receive at least 4% of the votes in the entire country or 12% in a single electoral district to qualify for any seats.

Elections to the Riksdag were held on September 17, 2006. The Alliance for Sweden (a coalition of four center-right parties—the Moderate Party, the Liberal Party, the Christian Democrat, and the Center Party) won 178 of the 349 seats, securing Moderate Fredrik Reinfeldt the position of Prime Minister. The 2006 election results for Sweden's major parties were as follows: the Social Democratic Party (34.99%; 130 seats), the Moderate Party (26.23%; 97 seats), the Center Party (7.88%; 29 seats), the Liberal Party (7.54%; 28 seats), the Christian Democrats (6.59%; 24 seats), the Left Party (5.85%; 22 seats), and the Green Party (5.24%; 19 seats).
[[File:Estocolmo The Royal Official Castle.jpg|thumb|left|380px|The Royal Official Castle, [[Stockholm]].]]
The Social Democratic Party has a base of blue-collar workers and public sector employees. It derives much of its power from strong links with the National Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), which represents blue-collar workers. The party program combines a commitment to social welfare programs and government direction of the economy. The Social Democratic Party has led the government for 65 of the 76 years since 1932; the 2006 election ended its most recent term of 12 consecutive years in office.

The Moderate Party emphasizes personal freedom, free enterprise, and reduction of the public-sector growth rate, while still supporting most of the social benefits introduced since the 1930s. The party also supports a strong defense and Sweden's membership in the European Union (EU). Its voter base is urban business people and professionals, but the party also attracts young voters, main-street shop owners, and, to some extent, blue-collar workers. Moderate Party Leader Reinfeldt followed an election strategy of remodeling his party as "New Moderates," moving away from the party's right-wing, upper-class roots to appeal to a large middle ground of voters, and successfully winning over many who had until then supported the SDP, as well as others who had previously voted for the smaller, non-socialist parties. Reinfeldt was instrumental in uniting the previously divided four parties of the center-right opposition. The Alliance offered alternative policies focusing on job creation that persuaded the voters.

The Center Party maintains close ties to rural Sweden. The main priorities of the party include providing a sound economic climate for business and job creation, climate change and environmental concerns (including nuclear power), and health and welfare issues.

The Left Party, formerly the Communist Party, focuses on feminist issues, employment in the public sector, and the environment. It opposes privatization, cuts in public expenditure, Swedish participation in NATO activities, and EU membership. Its voter base consists mainly of young people, public sector employees, feminists, journalists, and former social democrats.

The Christian Democrat Party is conservative and value-oriented. Its voter base is primarily among members of conservative churches and rural populations. Christian Democrats seek government support for families and better ethical practices to improve care for the elderly.

The Liberal Party's platform is "social responsibility without socialism," which includes a commitment to a free-market economy combined with comprehensive Swedish social welfare programs. Foreign aid, education and women's equality also are popular issues. The Liberal Party base is mainly centered in educated middle-class voters.

The Green Party is a leftist environmentalist party that attracts young people. The Greens support a phasing-out of nuclear energy in Sweden and hope to replace it with alternative, environmentally friendly energy sources.

The next Swedish election for parliament is scheduled to be held in 2010. In 2009 Sweden will vote for its representatives to the European Parliament.

===Foreign Relations===
Swedish foreign policy is based on the premise that national security is best served by staying free of alliances in peacetime in order to remain neutral in the event of war. In 2002, Sweden revised its security doctrine. The new security doctrine still states that "Sweden pursues a policy of non-participation in military alliances," but permits cooperation in response to threats against peace and security. The Swedish Government devotes particular attention to issues of disarmament, arms control, and nuclear nonproliferation and has contributed importantly to UN and other international peacekeeping efforts, including the NATO-led peacekeeping forces in the Balkans (KFOR). Sweden also contributes to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and assumed leadership of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mazar e-Sharif in March 2006.

Sweden participates actively in the United Nations and its specialized and related agencies, including the World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Labor Organization (ILO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (USESCO), World Health Organization (WHO), and others including as a member of the Security Council in 1997-98. In January 1995, Sweden became a full member of the European Union after a referendum in late 1994 indicated that 52.3% of participants wanted to join. Sweden became a member in part due to its increasing isolation outside the economic framework of the Maastricht Treaty. Sweden is a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace (PFP) and participates in numerous international peacekeeping operations under UN auspices. Sweden also cooperates closely with its Nordic neighbors, formally in economic and social matters through the Nordic Council of Ministers and informally in political matters through direct consultation.

Swedish governments do not consider that nonalignment precludes taking outspoken positions in international affairs. Government leaders have favored [[national liberation movement]]s that enjoy broad support among developing world countries, with notable attention to Africa. During the Cold War, Sweden was suspicious of the superpowers, which it saw as making decisions affecting small countries without always consulting those countries. With the end of the Cold War, that suspicion has lessened somewhat, although Sweden still chooses to remain nonaligned.

== Economy ==
[[File:Sweden Slottsteater chateau theatre.jpg|thumb|270px|Drottningholm, Slottsteater (chateau theatre).]]
Sweden is a highly industrialized country. Agriculture, once accounting for nearly all of Sweden's economy, now employs less than 2% of the labor force. Extensive forests, rich iron ore deposits, and hydroelectric power are the natural resources which, through the application of technology and efficient organization, have enabled Sweden to become a leading producing and exporting nation.

The Swedish economic picture has brightened significantly since the severe recession in the early 1990s. Growth has been strong in recent years, with an annual average GDP growth rate of 2.5% for the period 2000-2004 and 2.7% in 2005. The inflation rate was low in 2006, with an annual average inflation rate of about 1.5%, but unemployment remains a stubborn problem. The inflation rate rose to 3.5% in December 2007. The unemployment rate held steady in recent years at about 5% and in 2005 reached 7.8%. Unemployment in 2007 reached 5.2%. Since the mid-1990s, Sweden's export sector has grown significantly as the information technology (IT) industry, telecommunications, and services have overtaken traditional industries such as steel, paper, and pulp. The overall current-account surplus has traditionally been much smaller than the merchandise trade balance, as Sweden has generally run a deficit on trade in services, net income flows, and unrequited transfers. However, since 2003 this has not been the case, as the services balance swung into surplus in 2003 and improved further in 2004 and 2005. In addition, the income account also swung from deficit into surplus in 2003, before slipping back to register small deficits in 2004 and 2005. Although the transfers balance remained in deficit, mainly as a result of Sweden's contributions to the EU budget, the overall current-account surplus was larger than the trade surplus in 2003-05. Most categories of services exports produced an improvement over this period, but the biggest contribution came from business services exports, followed by transportation and royalties and license fees.

During 2005 real GDP rose by 2.5%, 3.4% in 2006, and 2.9% (est.) in 2007. The government budget improved dramatically from a record deficit of more than 12% of GDP in 1993 to a surplus of 0.9% of GDP in 2006. The new, strict budget process with spending ceilings set by parliament, and a constitutional change to an independent Central Bank, have greatly improved policy credibility. This can be seen in the long-term interest rate margin versus the Euro, which is negligible. From the perspective of longer-term fiscal sustainability, the long-awaited reform of old-age pensions entered into force in 1999. This entails a far more robust system vis-à-vis adverse demographic and economic trends, which should keep the ratio of total pension disbursements to the aggregate wage bill close to 20% in the decades ahead. Taken together, both fiscal consolidation and pension reform have brought public finances back on a sustainable footing. Gross public debt, which jumped from 43% of GDP in 1990 to 78% in 1994, stabilized around the middle of the 1990s and has been decreasing in recent years. In 2007 public debt was about 35.6% of GDP. These figures show excellent improvement of the Swedish economy since the crisis of the early 1990s.

Eighty percent of the Swedish labor force is unionized. For most unions there is a counterpart employers' organization for businesses. The unions and employer organizations are independent of both the government and political parties, although the largest federation of unions, the National Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), always has maintained close links to the largest political party, the Social Democrats. There is no fixed minimum wage by legislation. Instead, wages are set by collective bargaining.
*GDP (2007, purchasing power parity): $308.9 billion. GDP (2007, official exchange rate): $384.1 billion.
*Annual growth rate (3rd quarter 2007): 2.5%.
*Per capita income (2006, purchasing power parity): $33,897.
*Inflation rate (December 2007): 2.2%.
*Natural resources: Forests, hydroelectric power, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber.
*Agriculture (2006, 2.2% of GDP): Products—dairy products, meat, grains (barley, wheat), sugar beets, potatoes, wood. Arable land—6 million acres.
*Industry (2006, 38% of GDP): Types—machinery/metal products (iron and steel), electrical equipment, aircraft, paper products, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods.
*Services (2006, 59.8% of GDP): Types—telecommunications, computer equipment, biotech.
*Trade: Exports (2006)--$148.8 billion. Types—machinery, transport equipment, motor vehicles, wood products, paper, pulp, chemicals, iron and steel products, and manufactured goods. Major trading partners, exports (2007)--Germany 9.9%, U.S. 9.3%, Norway 9.1%, U.K. 7.2%, EU total 59.7%. *Imports (2006)--$127.3 billion. Types—machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel, foodstuffs, clothing. Major trading partners, imports (2007)--Germany 18.6%, Denmark 8.9%, Norway 8.5%, U.K. 6.9%, Netherlands 6.1%, Finland 6.0%, France 4.9%.

==History==
[[File:Lund Sweden.jpg|thumb|Church Altar in Lund.]]
See [[History of Sweden]]
{{Clear}}
==Some Notable Swedes==
[[File:Idunn and Bragi by Blommer 1846.jpg|thumb|323px|Idunn and Bragi by Nils Blommer, 1846.]]
* [[Alfred Nobel]], inventor of dynamite; founded the [[Nobel Prize]]
* [[Anders Celsius]], inventor of the world standard [[Celsius scale]].
* Carl von Linné (Carolus Linnaeus) inventor of the modern system of classifying all lifeforms.
* Greta Garbo, actress
* ABBA - 1970's rock group comprised of Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog. The forth member, Anni-Frid Lyngstad is from Norway.
* Dag Hammarskjöld, UN leader
* Astrid Lindgren
* Fredrik Ljungberg
* Henrik Larsson
* Stellan Skarsgård
* Saint Bridgid
* Lars Magnus Ericsson
* Gustavus Adolphus (king, founder of Gothenburg etc., died 1632 in the Thirty Years' War)
* Björn Borg, tennis player
* Olof Palme, prime minister
* Ingemar Bergman, actress
* Roxette
* Jussi Bjoeling
* Laurentius Petri, archbishop and reformer
* Lewi Pethrus (1884–1974), founder of the Swedish Pentecostal movement
* Olaus Petri, reformer
* Nathan Söderblom, archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
* Erik Trolle, bishop and statesman
* Kettil Karlsson Vasa, bishop and statesman
* [[Saint Bridget of Sweden|Saint Birgitta]] (1303–1373), patron saint of Europe
* Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772), writer, mystic and philosopher
* Peter Stormare, actor
* [[Victoria of Sweden]]

==Further reading==
* ''Sweden'' (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by DK Publishing (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Sweden-Eyewitness-Travel-Guides-Publishing/dp/0756609135/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241584198&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* ''Frommer's Sweden'' ed. by Danforth Prince (2009) [http://www.amazon.com/Frommers-Sweden-Complete-Danforth-Prince/dp/0470432144/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241584198&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* '' Lonely Planet Sweden'' ed. by Carolyn Bain and Graeme Cornwallis (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Sweden-Carolyn-Bain/dp/1740592271/ref=sr_1_25?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241584640&sr=1-25 excerpt and text search]
* ''The Rough Guide to Sweden'' ed. by James Proctor and Neil Roland (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Rough-Guide-Sweden-Travel-Guides/dp/1843536854/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241584198&sr=1-5 excerpt and text search]
* Hancock, M. Donald ''Politics in Europe: An Introduction to the Politics of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Politics-Europe-Introduction-Kingdom-Germany/dp/1933116455/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241584640&sr=1-27 excerpt and text search]

==External links==
*[http://www.sweden.se SWEDEN.SE]
*[http://www.svenskakyrkan.se Svenska Kyrkan]
*http://www.lo.se
*http://www.moderaterna.se
*http://www.gp.se/gp/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=913&a=324428
*http://www.gluefox.com
* http://www.livetsord.se/default.aspx?idStructure=918
* http://www.skattebetalarna.se
* http://www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/History/MacKinder/mackinder.html
* http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-NWE-Norway/index.html
* [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2880.htm source for much of this article; not copyright]

==References==
<references />

{{European Union}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:Scandinavian Countries]]
[[Category:Sweden]]
[[Category:Welfare State]]
[[Category:Socialism]]
[[Category:Arctic Circle]]
[[Category:Christian-Majority Countries]]
[[Category:Liberal Nations]]

Iceland

2017-09-22T19:36:24Z

Biblereader: Iceland Category:Liberal Nations

{{Country
|name =''Lýðveldið Ísland''
|map =Iceland rel 81.JPG
|map2 =Iceland location.png
|flag =Flag of Iceland.png
|arms =Arms of Iceland.png
|capital =Reykjavík
|capital-raw =
|government =Republic
|government-raw =
|language =Icelandic
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson
|pm-raw =
|area =39,600 sq mi
|pop =313,376
|pop-basis =2008
|gdp =$19.9 billion
|gdp-year =2007
|gdp-pc =$64,033
|currency =Icelandic króna
|idd =
|tld =
}}
'''Iceland''' is an [[island]] [[nation]] situated in the [[North Atlantic]], between [[Britain]] and [[Greenland]]. The capital is [[Reykjavik]]. Uninhabited until the tenth century, it was colonized by [[Vikings]] - the [[Icelandic]] language is still remarkably similar to [[Old Norse]], far more so than its cognate languages [[Norwegian]], [[Swedish]] and [[Danish]].

Iceland enjoyed one of the highest standards of living during its [[economic bubble|financial bubble]], but the worldwide [[Financial Crisis of 2008]] ruined the economy and bankrupted all its banks, leaving a gigantic national debt that will take many years to repay.

It has the oldest (though not continuously functioning) [[Parliament]]. It was traditionally ruled as part of Denmark until 1944, when it declared itself an independent republic. Iceland was occupied by British and American forces in 1940, following the German invasion of Denmark, to prevent its occupation by Germany.

==Geography==
Iceland is a volcanic island in the North Atlantic Ocean east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle. It lies about 4,200 kilometers (2,600 mi.) from New York and 830 kilometers (520 mi.) from Scotland. About 79% of Iceland's land area, which is of recent volcanic origin, consists of glaciers, lakes, a mountainous lava desert (highest elevation 2,000 meters—6,590 ft.--above sea level), and other wasteland. About 28% of the land is used for grazing, and 1% is cultivated. The inhabited areas are on the coast, particularly in the southwest where about 60% of the population lives. Because of the Gulf Stream's moderating influence, the climate is characterized by damp, cool summers and relatively mild but windy winters. In Reykjavík, the average temperature is 11 °C (52 °F) in July and -1 °C (30 °F) in January.

Iceland's territory was augmented by the emergence of the island of [[Surtsey]] from beneath the waves in the years 1963-67, following submarine volcanic eruptions. The island is subject to erosion, and now occupies .54 square miles (1.4 km2), about half its area in 1967.
*Area: 103,000 km2. (39,600 sq. mi.); about the size of Virginia or slightly larger than Ireland.
*Cities: Capital—Reykjavík (pop. 117,898). Other towns—Kópavogur (28,665), Hafnarfjörður (24,895), Akureyri (17,278).
*Terrain: Rugged.
*Climate: Maritime temperate.
*Highest elevation: Hvannadalshnjúkur at Vatnajökull Glacier, at 2,110 meters (6,923 ft.).

==People==
Most Icelanders are descendants of Norwegian settlers and Celts from the British Isles, and the population is remarkably homogeneous. According to Icelandic Government statistics, 93% of the nation's inhabitants live in urban areas (localities with populations greater than 200) and about 60% live in the Reykjavík metropolitan area. Of the Nordic languages, the Icelandic language is closest to the Old Norse language and has remained relatively unchanged since the 12th century. About 91% of the population belongs to the state church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, or other Lutheran Churches. However, Iceland has complete religious liberty, and about 20 other religious congregations are present.

Most Icelandic surnames are based on patronymy, or the adoption of the father's first given name. For example, Magnus and Anna, children of a man named Pétur, would hold the surname Pétursson and Pétursdóttir, respectively. Magnus' children, in turn, would inherit the surname Magnusson, while Anna's children would claim their father's first given name as their surname. Women normally maintain their original surnames after marriage. This system of surnames is required by law, except for the descendants of those who had acquired family names before 1913. Most Icelanders, while reserved by nature, rarely call each other by their surnames, and even phone directories are based on first names. Because of its small size and relative homogeneity, Iceland holds all the characteristics of a very close-knit society.
*Population (January 1, 2008): 313,376.
*Annual growth rate (2007): 1.8%.
*Ethnic group: Relatively homogenous mixture of descendants of Norwegians and Celts.
*Religion: Evangelical Lutheran, 86%.
*Language: Icelandic.
*Education: Compulsory up to age 16. Attendance—99%. Literacy—99.9%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate (2001-2006 average)--2.4/1,000. Life expectancy (2006)--men 79.4 years, women 83 years.
*Work force (2007, 181,500): Commerce—32.4%; manufacturing—10.2%; fishing/fish processing—4.2%; construction—8.9%; transport and communications—6.3%; agriculture—3.4%; government, education, and health—27.3%; other services—7.1%. Unemployment (2007): 2.3%.

====Cultural Achievements====
The Sagas, almost all written between 1180 and 1300 A.D., remain Iceland's best-known literary accomplishment, and they have no surviving counterpart anywhere in the Nordic world. Based on Norwegian and Icelandic histories and genealogies, the Sagas present views of Nordic life and times up to 1100 A.D. The Saga writers sought to record their heroes' great achievements and to glorify the virtues of courage, pride, and honor, focusing in the later Sagas on early Icelandic settlers. The best-known Icelandic writer of the 20th century is the 1955 Nobel Prize winner Halldór Kiljan Laxness. The literacy rate is 99.9%, and literature and poetry are a legendary passion with the population. Per capita publication of books and magazines is the highest in the world.

Unlike its literature, Iceland's fine arts did not flourish until the 19th century because the population was small and scattered. Iceland's most famous painters are Ásgrímur Jónsson, Jón Stefánsson, and Jóhannes Kjarval, all of whom worked during the first half of the 20th century. The best-known modern sculptor, Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893-1982), drew his inspiration from Icelandic folklore and the Sagas for many of his works. Today, Kristján Jóhannsson is Iceland's most famous opera singer, while pop singer Björk and progressive rock band Sigur Rós are well known internationally.

==Government==
The president, elected to a 4-year term, has limited powers. When Iceland became a republic in 1944, the post of president was created to fill the void left by the Danish king. Although the president is popularly elected and has limited veto powers (he can force a public referendum on a proposed law by refusing to sign it—a power that has only twice been exercised), the expectation is that the president should play the same limited role as a monarch in a traditional parliamentary system.

The prime minister and cabinet exercise most executive functions. The parliament is composed of 63 members, elected every 4 years unless it is dissolved sooner. Suffrage for presidential and parliamentary elections is universal for those 18 and older, and members of the parliament are elected on the basis of parties' proportional representation in six constituencies. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, district courts, and various special courts. The constitution protects the judiciary from infringement by the other two branches.

===Principal Government Officials===
*President—Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
*Prime Minister—Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson
*Foreign Minister—Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir
*Minister of Finance—Árni M. Mathiesen
*Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs—Björn Bjarnason
*Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries—Einar Kristinn Guðfinnson
*Minister of Communications—Kristján L. Möller
*Minister of Industry and Nordic Cooperation—Össur Skarphéðinsson
*Minister for the Environment—Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir
*Minister of Commerce—Björgvin G. Sigurðsson
*Minister of Health—Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson
*Minister of Social Affairs—Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
*Minister of Education, Science and Culture—Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir
*Speaker of Althingi—Sturla Böðvarsson
*Ambassador to the U.S.--Albert Jónsson
*Ambassador to the UN—Hjálmar W. Hannesson
*Ambassador to NATO—Thorsteinn Ingólfsson
*Ambassador to the EU—Stefán Haukur Jóhannesson

===Political Conditions===
Iceland's current government coalition was formed after the May 2007 parliamentary elections by the conservative Independence Party (IP) and the center-left Social Democratic Alliance. The two parties hold a large majority in parliament, with 43 out of 63 seats.

The current government replaced a coalition of the Independence Party and the Progressive Party (PP) that had been in power since 1995. Longtime IP leader Davíð Oddsson was Prime Minister 1991-2004, making him the longest-serving prime minister in Europe (from 1991 to 1995, the IP was in coalition with the Social Democratic Party). IP Deputy Chair Geir Haarde succeeded Oddsson as party chair when the latter retired from politics in 2005. At the same time, Haarde took over as Foreign Minister, and on June 15, 2006 he became Prime Minister when the PP leader and Prime Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson also left the political scene. In May 2007 the Independence Party and the Social Democratic Alliance formed a new government after an abysmal showing by the Progressive Party. Geir Haarde continued as Prime Minister, and Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, chairman of the Social Democratic Alliance took over as Foreign Minister.

The centrist agrarian Progressive Party has been a party to government for over 30 years in the past four decades. Its support dropped from 23% in the 1995 parliamentary election to 12% in 2007. The party has dealt with internal instability in the past few years, and power struggles have lead to frequent change in the party's leadership. Chairman Jón Sigurðsson stepped down after the 2007 elections and was replaced by Deputy Chairman Guðni Ágústsson.

Three left-wing parties—the Social Democratic Party, the People's Alliance, and the Women's List—formed an electoral coalition prior to the 1999 parliamentary election in the hope of mounting a credible challenge to the long-dominant Independence Party. But the dream of creating a united left coalition failed when disaffected leftists formed a new splinter party called the Left Green Movement, led by former deputy People's Alliance leader Steingrímur Sigfússon. With this defection, the left coalition won a disappointing 27% of the vote (17 seats) in the 1999 election, four percentage points below what the three parties had won running separately in 1995. Their 31% (20 seats) showing in 2003 recaptured this ground but did not suffice to topple the government. The Left Greens won a respectable 9% of the vote (5 seats) in 2003, but in the 2007 election they improved significantly, with 14% of the total vote (9 seats). Another new faction, the Liberal Party, won just over 7% (4 seats) in 2003 based on its strong opposition to the current fishing management system, and clung to roughly 6% in 2007.

Despite the poor electoral showing in 1999, the three left-wing parties decided to merge formally in 2000, creating a new party, the Social Democratic Alliance, led by Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir. The party has found it difficult to reconcile the widely varying foreign policy views of its members, which range from strong support for NATO membership to pacifism and a desire for neutrality.

Iceland's current President is Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, a former political science professor who led the far-left People's Alliance in 1987-95 and served as Finance Minister in 1988-91. Although Grímsson won office with only a 41% plurality in 1996, he was not challenged for re-election in 2000. He was re-elected again on June 26, 2004. In 2008 Grímsson was re-elected by default, as no other candidate declared their intention to run against him. Since no opposition candidate was declared, the presidential election scheduled for June 28 was cancelled. This follows a well-established tradition of giving deference to sitting presidents. Once in office, a president can generally count on serving as many terms as he or she likes, assuming good behavior. Reflecting the belief that the president is "above politics," presidential candidates run for election as individuals—since 1952, political parties have played no role in nominating or endorsing candidates. President Grímsson has occasionally drawn criticism that he breaches the bounds of presidential etiquette by being too outspoken on sensitive political issues.

===Foreign Relations===
Iceland maintains diplomatic and commercial relations with practically all nations, but its ties with other Nordic states, with the United States, and with the other NATO member states are particularly close. Icelanders remain especially proud of the role Iceland played in hosting the historic 1986 summit in Reykjavík between President Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev, which set the stage for the end of the Cold War.

Iceland has greatly increased its international profile since the early 1990s. Since the mid-1990s, Iceland has opened a number of missions overseas for a total of 22, including an embassy in Beijing, giving Iceland a diplomatic presence in all five permanent member countries of the UN Security Council. Not coincidentally, it has announced its candidacy to serve on the UN Security Council in 2009-2010. In the past few years, Iceland has also established missions to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Vienna. In 1998, it bolstered its delegation to NATO, assigning a permanent representative to the military committee for the first time ever.

Notwithstanding its status as an unarmed nation, Iceland has been eager to do its part to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security. One of the niches it is helping to fill is in civilian peacekeeping and crisis management. It took a significant step forward in this area in 2001 by launching its Icelandic Crisis Response Unit (ICRU). In setting up the ICRU, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs established a roster of over 100 experts in various occupations (police officers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, engineers, journalists, etc.) who will be specially trained and prepared to deploy to trouble spots abroad on short notice.

Peacekeeping has been a permanent item in the Icelandic state budget since 1994, and Iceland has been an active member of the UN Peacekeeping Committee since 1997. With the formal establishment of the ICRU, the government decided to increase the number of deployed peacekeepers to 50, though the timeline for that goal has shifted. The key emerging niche capability of the ICRU is airport administration following the successful management of the airport in Pristina, Kosovo, in 2003 and of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2004-2005.

Icelanders have a strong emotional bond with the Baltic states, and Iceland prides itself on being the first country to have recognized these countries' claim for independence in 1991.

====Membership in International Organizations====
Iceland is a member of the following organizations: Arctic Council, Barents Euro-Arctic Council; Council of Baltic Sea States; Council of Europe; European Economic Area; European Free Trade Organization; EFTA Court; EFTA Surveillance Authority; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; International Criminal Police Organization; International Council for the Exploration of the Sea; International Hydrographic Organization; International Maritime Satellite Organization; International Union for the Publication of Custom Tariffs; Nordic Council; North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission; North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization; the International Whaling Commission; and the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission.

It also is a member of the United Nations and most of its related organizations, specialized agencies, and commissions, including the International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, World Tourism Organization, Food and Agricultural Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development; Industrial Development Organization; International Labor Organization, International Maritime Organization, International Telecommunications Union, UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Universal Postal Union, World Health Organization, and World Meteorological Organization; World Intellectual Property Organization; International Bank for Reconstruction and Development; International Development Association; International Finance Corporation Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency and International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes; UN Conference on Disarmament; Economic Commission for Europe; UN High Commissioner for Refugees; Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Commission of Human Rights; UN Conference on Trade and Development.

==Defense==
The U.S. and Iceland signed a bilateral agreement in 1951 stipulating that the U.S. would make arrangements for Iceland's defense on behalf of NATO and providing for basing rights for U.S. forces in Iceland. In March 2006 the U.S. announced it would continue to provide for Iceland's defense but without permanently basing forces in the country; Naval Air Station Keflavik closed in September 2006 after 55 years. The Government of Iceland expressed disappointment, and even opposition politicians opposed to the U.S. military presence criticized the manner of the closing, but bilateral discussions ensued to explore new ways of ensuring the country's security, with an emphasis on a "visible defense." Negotiations concluded with a Technical Agreement on base closure issues (e.g., facilities return, environmental cleanup, residual value) signed on September 29, 2006, and a "Joint Understanding" on future bilateral security cooperation (focusing on defending Iceland and the North Atlantic region against emerging threats such as terrorism and trafficking) signed by the Secretary of State, Prime Minister Haarde, and Foreign Minister Valgerdur Sverrisdóttir in Washington on October 11, 2006. The United States also cooperated with local officials to mitigate the impact of job losses at the Air Station, notably by encouraging U.S. investment in industry and tourism development in the Keflavík area. The Government of Iceland announced in spring 2007 that a large portion of the former base site would be converted into the university-level "Atlantic Center of Excellence" with operations commencing in fall 2007.

Cooperative activities in the context of the new agreements began almost immediately, with the arrival of the amphibious ship USS Wasp in Reykjavík on October 12, 2006 (the first U.S. Navy port visit since 2002) to demonstrate the Navy's rapid reaction capability and to support counterterrorism training by units of Iceland's Coast Guard and police. In November 2006 a U.S. Navy P-3 patrol aircraft arrived at Keflavík for joint search and rescue, disaster surveillance, and maritime interdiction training. Northern Viking 2007, a U.S.-led air defense exercise, took place in August 2007, and planning for subsequent joint endeavors is underway.

The 2008 budget for the Government of Iceland is the first in the country's history to include funding for defense ($8.2 million); the money is earmarked for support of cooperative defense activities, military exercises in Iceland, and maintenance of defense-related facilities. This funding is in addition to roughly $12 million in new expenditures for the operation of the Iceland Air Defense System radar sites, which the United States handed over to Iceland on August 15, 2007.

The Government of Iceland contributes financially to NATO's international overhead costs and recently has taken a more active role in NATO deliberations, planning, and peacekeeping. Iceland hosted the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Reykjavík in June 1987 and again in May 2002. Iceland hosted the NATO Military Committee in April 2007 and hosted the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in October 2007.

==Economy==
Traditionally marine products have accounted for the majority of Iceland's exports of goods, but for the first time ever, in 2008 aluminum exports will exceed marine product exports. Other important exports include ferro-silicon alloys, equipment and electronic machinery for fishing and fish processing, and pharmaceuticals. The vast majority of Iceland's exports go to the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, followed by the United States and Japan. The U.S. is by far the largest foreign investor in Iceland. Iceland's relatively liberal trading policy was strengthened by accession to the European Economic Area in 1994 and by the Uruguay Round agreement, which also brought significantly improved market access for Iceland's exports, particularly seafood products. The agricultural sector, however, remains heavily subsidized and protected. Iceland became a full member of the European Free Trade Association in 1970 and entered into a free trade agreement with the European Community in 1973. Under the European Economic Area agreement, which took effect January 1, 1994, there is basically free cross-border movement of capital, labor, goods, and services between Iceland, EU, and EEA countries.
*GDP (2007): $19.9 billion.
*GDP growth rate (2005): 5.8%; (2006): 4.2%; (2007) 3.8%.
*Per capita GDP (2007): $64,033.
*Inflation rate (2007): 5.1%; (June 2008, 12-month change): 12.7%.
*Central government budget (2007): $6.3 billion; (projected 2008): $6.7 billion.
*Annual budget surplus (2006): 1.4% of GDP.
*Net central government debt (2007): 4.9% of GDP.
*Natural resources: Marine products, hydroelectric and geothermal power.
*Agriculture: Products—potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, roses, livestock.
*Industry: Types—aluminum smelting, fishing and fish processing technology, ferro-silicon alloy production, hydro and geothermal power, tourism, information technology.
*Trade: Exports of goods (2007)--$4.8 billion: marine products 41.8% industrial products 38.9%, agriculture 1.1%, and miscellaneous 18.2%. Partners—EEA 78.4% (Netherlands 21.3%, Germany 13.4%, U.K. 13.2%, Ireland 7.6%, Spain 4.6%, Norway 3.8%, Denmark 3.3%); U.S. 5.3% ($250 million); Japan 4.2%. Imports (2007)--$6.7 billion: industrial supplies 26.7%; capital goods, parts, accessories 21.5%; consumer goods 15.7%; transport equipment 20.5%; food and beverages 6.8%; fuels and lubricants 8%. Partners—EEA 64.6% (Germany 12.1%, Sweden 10%, Denmark 7.4%, Netherlands 5.6%, U.K. 5.4%, Norway 4.6%, Italy 3.4%); U.S. 13.5% ($208 million); China 5.1%; Japan 4.7%.

Iceland's economy was historically prone to inflation due to periods of rapid growth and its dependence on a few key export sectors, such as fish, which could fluctuate significantly in quantity and price from one year to the next. For example, inflation exceeded 43% in 1974 and 59% in 1980, before falling to 15% in 1987, and then rising to 30% in 1988, which resulted in devaluations of the krona. In the 1990s and continuing until 2006, Iceland experienced several years of strong economic growth, thanks to economic reforms, deregulation, and low inflation, averaging around 4%. The economy suffered a setback in spring 2006 when credit rating agencies and other international financial firms released a number of reports raising questions about the activities and stability of Iceland's major banks and the state of the Icelandic economy. These reports were widely covered in the international financial press, causing a marked drop in the value of shares listed on the Icelandic stock exchange and of the Icelandic krona. The market recovered as reforms were made in the banking sector. The financial sector was hit hard by the global credit crisis beginning in 2007. Although Icelandic banks had limited sub-prime mortgage market exposure, they were affected by the general lack of available capital. In the first six months of 2008, the Icelandic krona was devalued by 30% and inflation rose to nearly 12%. Because of Iceland's high current account deficit, high inflation, and high private sector debt levels, the global financial community and the foreign media closely monitored the situation. In turn, the Icelandic Government has carefully followed foreign confidence in the Icelandic economy because access to foreign capital, which Icelandic business people have used aggressively in overseas investments, is extremely important. Wealthy Icelanders have heavily invested in the retail and real estate markets in Denmark and the U.K. and telecom, pharmaceutical, banking, and financial sectors in Eastern Europe. Their success, beginning in the late 1990s, created for the first time a "super-rich" elite in Icelandic society.

Iceland has few proven mineral resources, but has abundant hydroelectric and geothermal energy resources. These clean energy sources provide for nearly 100% of electricity generation and home heating. Iceland's energy resources support power-intensive export industries, such as aluminum smelting. The Kárahnjúkar hydroelectric project is the largest single electrical station in the country, with capacity of 690 megawatts (mw). Other major hydroelectric stations include Búrfell (270 mW), Hrauneyjarfoss (210 mW), Sigalda (150 mW), and Blanda (150 mW). Iceland-based Nordural Aluminum is a wholly owned investment of Century Aluminum of Monterey, California. The plant employs more than 450 people and recently expanded its production capacity to 220,000 tons per year. A new smelter owned by Alcoa, another U.S.-owned aluminum company, began operations in June 2007 and will have a production capacity of 346,000 tons per year when fully operational. The Kárahnjúkar hydroelectric power plant, completed in early 2007, was built to provide power to the Alcoa smelter. Over $2 billion was invested to build the power plant and smelter, making the combined project the largest in Icelandic history.

Iceland has no railroads. Organized road building began about 1900 and has greatly expanded in the past decade. The current national road system connects most of the population centers along the coastal areas and consists of about 13,000 kilometers (8,125 mi.) of roads, of which about 4,800 kilometers (2,982 mi.) are paved. Regular air and sea service connects Reykjavík with the other main population centers.

==History==
Iceland was settled in the late 9th and early 10th centuries, principally by people of Norse origin. In 930 A.D., the ruling chiefs established a republican constitution and an assembly called the Althingi (Alþingi) the oldest parliament in the world. Iceland remained independent until 1262, when it entered into a treaty establishing a union with the Norwegian monarchy. Iceland passed to Denmark in the late 14th century when Norway and Denmark were united under the Danish crown.

In the early 19th century, national consciousness revived in Iceland. The Althingi had been abolished in 1800 but was reestablished in 1843 as a consultative assembly. In 1874, Denmark granted Iceland limited home rule, which was expanded in scope in 1904. The constitution, written in 1874, was revised in 1903, and a minister for Icelandic affairs, residing in Reykjavík, was made responsible to the Althingi. The Act of Union, a 1918 agreement with Denmark, recognized Iceland as a fully sovereign state united with Denmark under a common king. Iceland established its own flag, but Denmark continued to represent Icelandic foreign affairs and defense interests.

German occupation of Denmark in 1940 severed communications between Iceland and Denmark. Consequently, Iceland moved immediately to assume control over its own territorial waters and foreign affairs. In May 1940, British military forces occupied Iceland. In July 1941, responsibility for Iceland's defense passed to the United States. Following a plebiscite, Iceland formally became an independent republic on June 17, 1944. In October 1946, the Icelandic and U.S. Governments agreed to terminate U.S. responsibility for the defense of Iceland, but the United States retained certain rights at Keflavík. Iceland became a charter member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949. After the outbreak of hostilities in Korea in 1950, and pursuant to the request of NATO military authorities, the United States and Iceland agreed that the United States should again make arrangements for Iceland's defense. A bilateral defense agreement signed on May 5, 1951, remains in force, even though the U.S. military forces are no longer permanently stationed in Iceland. Iceland is the only NATO country with no standing military of its own.

During the 2009 economic crisis, the then-current [[prime minister]] Geir Haarde stepped down, and Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir took control of the Icelandic parliament (or Althing). At the time she was the only "out" [[homosexual]] head of government, though she was not elected. She was recently re-elected by the Icelandic people, highlighting the radical progressivism of this country and its culture.

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!colspan=2 style="width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #000088; color: white; "|'''Copyright Details'''
|-
!style="background-color: #000088; color:white;"|License:
|style=" background-color: none;"| This work is in the [[Public Domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code
|-
!style=" background-color: #000088; color:white;"|Source:
|style="background-color: none;border-top: 2px solid black"| File available from the {{{1|[[United States Federal Government]] [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3396.htm]}}}.
|}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:Nordic Countries]]
[[Category:NATO Members]]
[[Category:Islands]]
[[Category:Liberal Nations]]

United States Population

2017-09-22T19:29:06Z

Biblereader: Fixing word format

The [[United States]] has the third highest [[population]] in the world, and it is estimated to have a population of more than 300 million . It is a very diverse country with people from virtually all races and religions.

The major religions in the United States are [[Christianity]] 70.6% ([[Evangelical]]) [[Protestant]] 25.4%, Mainline Protestant 14.7%,Historically Black Protestant 6.5%, [[Catholic]] 20.8%, [[Mormon]] 1.6%,[[Orthodox]] [[Christian]] 0.5%, [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] 0.8%, other [[Christian]] 0.4%). Non-Christian Faiths:[[Judaism]] 1.9%, [[Muslim]] 0.9%. [[Buddhist]] 0.7%, [[Hindu]] 0.7%,other 1.8% . Unaffiliated 22.8%, [[atheist]] 3.1%, [[agnostic]] 4.0%, 'nothing in particular' 15.8%, 'don't know' 0.8%.<ref>http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/</ref>

The major racial groups in the United States are: [[European American|Whites]] 78%, [[African Americans]] 12%, [[Mestizo]]s (people of mixed Spanish and Indian descent) 6%, [[Asian]]s just under 4% and [[Native American]]s less than 1%. Approximately 15% of Americans are [[Latinos]], although they may be of any race.<ref> http://www.census.gov/</ref>

==United States Prison Population==
The [[United States]] has the highest incarceration in the world which has more than 700 U.S adults per 100,000 an the prison population is more than 2,000,000 which makes up 25 percent of the world's population.<ref>https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/</ref>
<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/04/30/does-the-united-states-really-have-five-percent-of-worlds-population-and-one-quarter-of-the-worlds-prisoners/?utm_term=.23c67b752b9c</ref>
<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/07/07/yes-u-s-locks-people-up-at-a-higher-rate-than-any-other-country/?utm_term=.33560a158553</ref>
==See also==
* [[Population density]]
* [[Population]]
* [[List of countries by population]]
* [[Gross Domestic Product]]
* [[List of countries by area]]
* [[List of countries by GDP]]
* [[List of countries by GDP per capita]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Demography]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]

United States Population

2017-09-22T19:28:13Z

Biblereader: United state prison population rate.

The [[United States]] has the third highest [[population]] in the world, and it is estimated to have a population of more than 300 million . It is a very diverse country with people from virtually all races and religions.

The major religions in the United States are [[Christianity]] 70.6% ([[Evangelical]]) [[Protestant]] 25.4%, Mainline Protestant 14.7%,Historically Black Protestant 6.5%, [[Catholic]] 20.8%, [[Mormon]] 1.6%,[[Orthodox]] [[Christian]] 0.5%, [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] 0.8%, other [[Christian]] 0.4%). Non-Christian Faiths:[[Judaism]] 1.9%, [[Muslim]] 0.9%. [[Buddhist]] 0.7%, [[Hindu]] 0.7%,other 1.8% . Unaffiliated 22.8%, [[atheist]] 3.1%, [[agnostic]] 4.0%, 'nothing in particular' 15.8%, 'don't know' 0.8%.<ref>http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/</ref>

The major racial groups in the United States are: [[European American|Whites]] 78%, [[African Americans]] 12%, [[Mestizo]]s (people of mixed Spanish and Indian descent) 6%, [[Asian]]s just under 4% and [[Native American]]s less than 1%. Approximately 15% of Americans are [[Latinos]], although they may be of any race.<ref> http://www.census.gov/</ref>

==United States Prison Population==
The [[United States]] has the highest incarceration in the world which has more than 700 U.S adults per 100,000 an the prison population is more than 2,000,000 which makes up 25 percent of the world's population.<ref>https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/</ref>
<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/04/30/does-the-united-states-really-have-five-percent-of-worlds-population-and-one-quarter-of-the-worlds-prisoners/?utm_term=.23c67b752b9c</ref>
<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/07/07/yes-u-s-locks-people-up-at-a-higher-rate-than-any-other-country/?utm_term=.33560a158553</ref>
==See also==
* [[Population density]]
* [[Population]]
* [[List of countries by population]]
* [[Gross Domestic Product]]
* [[List of countries by area]]
* [[List of countries by GDP]]
* [[List of countries by GDP per capita]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Demography]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]