After all your hard work, you definitely want to retire in place where you can relax and live your life to the fullest. Some dream of retiring near the beach, up in the mountains, or in a secluded town far from busy city streets.
Norway is still the best country in the world to live and retire in according to the annual Human Development Report produced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This paradise is a long, narrow country on the northwestern edge of the European continent. The northern third of Norway lies above the Arctic Circle and is called the land of the Midnight Sun. Because this region is so far north, it has long periods every summer when the sun shines 24 hours a day. Oslo, Norway’s capital and largest city, is in the southern part of the country.
Norway, along with Denmark and Sweden, is one of the Scandinavian countries. It is the world’s third largest oil exporter and western Europe’s largest gas producer. It has been saving oil revenues in a fund worth around $190 billion for future generations.
Ever since the Vikings left home waters in the ninth century, Norway has drawn strength from the sea. Today its merchant and oil-tanker fleets are among the world’s largest, and its fishing flotilla lands Western Europe’s biggest catch.
Wealth from oil and gas in the North Sea, first tapped in the early 1970s, subsidizes public health and welfare programs
Norway is mostly a high, mountainous plateau covered by bare rock, and it has a relatively small amount of farmland. But the rivers that rush down from the mountains provide much cheap electricity. Norway generates more hydroelectric power per person than any other country. Norwegian manufacturing is based on this cheap power. Important products of Norway include chemicals, metals, petroleum, processed foods, and wood pulp and paper. Norway is one of Europes largest producer of petroleum due to its massive oil reserves. Which has made Norwegians one of the richest people in the world.
The climate of Norway is much milder than that of most other regions as far north, especially along the country’s west coast.
Outdoor sports are an important part of Norwegian life. Recreation areas lie within short distances of all homes. Skiing, Norway´s national sport, may have started there thousands of years ago as a means of crossing the snowcovered land. Almost every town has a ski jump. The second most popular winter activity is ice-skating. Norwegians also have long enjoyed bandy, a form of hockey played by 11-player teams on large rinks.
Soccer is the favourite summer sport. Norway’s forests and mountains provide many other recreational opportunities.
Norwegians have contributed much to the development of the arts. Henrik lbsen’s realistic plays of the late 1800´s brought him worldwide fame as the father of modern drama. Three Norwegian writers have won the Nobel Prize for literature. The painter Edvard Munch was a strong influence on the expressionist art style of the early 1900´s. Statues by Gustav Vigeland, perhaps Norway’s greatest sculptor, stand in Oslo’s Frogner Park. Edvard Grieg, Norway’s bestknown composer, used melodies from folk songs and dances in his orchestral works.
Norway has a relatively low crime rate remains largely free of terrorist incidents. Norway provides retirement, disability and survivors benefits.
Add all this up and you can begin to see what makes Norway the best country to retire in Europe.