OSLO
OSLO
Bygdøy is a huge
and green area,
commonly called the
Museum Peninsula
of Oslo.
115 sq km (44 sq mi) of
Oslo is built-up and
7 km2 (2.7 sq mi)
is agricultural.
Within the ranking of
Europe’s largest cities,
ordered by their number
of companies, Oslo is in
fifth position.
In 2003, Oslo received The
European Sustainable City
Award and in 2007 Reader’s
Digest ranked Oslo as
number two on a list of
the world’s greenest, most
livable cities.
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The immigrant share
of the population in
the city is more
than 25%.
The urban municipality
(bykommune) of Oslo and
county of Oslo (fylke) are
two parts of the same
entity, making Oslo the only
city in Norway where two
administrative levels
are integrated.
A number of
landmark buildings
in Oslo have
been built in the
Functionalist style.
Oslo has the most
expensive housing
market in Norway.
FACTS
According to the
Norse sagas, Oslo was
founded around 1049
by King Harald.
To the north and east,
wide forested hills
(Marka) rise above
the city giving the
location the shape of
a giant amphitheater.
The seal of Oslo shows
the city’s patron saint, St.
Hallvard, with his symbols,
the millstone and arrows
and with a naked woman
at his feet.
Oslo is built in a
horseshoe shape on the
shores of the Oslofjord
and is limited, in most
directions, by hills
and forests.
Oslo was
destroyed several
times by fire
during the war.
FACTS
Oslo’s cityscape is being
redeveloped with various
access-points, an extensive
metro-system, a new
financial district and a
cultural district.
During the Middle
Ages, Oslo reached its
height during the reign
of King Haakon V.
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