Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Geographical Situation, by Andr. M. Hansen
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has been proofread at least once.
(diff)
(history)
Denna sida har korrekturlästs minst en gång.
(skillnad)
(historik)
On the north the coast of Norway is washed by the Arctic
Ocean. The nearest land is Bear Island, then Spitsbergen, 36
hours’ steam north from Hammerfest. Every year the Norwegian
sealers cruise about the sea as far as it is open in the north, and
the name of Norway has been associated with the history of polar
exploration, from Othar, in king Alfred’s time, to Nansen.
On the west we have the North Atlantic Ocean. The nearest
land, which may be sighted after 24 hours’ fair sailing from the
coast near Bergen, is the Shetland Isles, where the people still
talked Norwegian in the last century. About the same distance
farther towards the NW lie the Farøe Isles, and yet farther, still
in the same direction, Iceland, both having been colonised from
Norway a thousand years ago, and still speaking the old Norwegian
language almost unaltered. A good deal farther west lies
Greenland, also an old Norwegian colony, which, together with the
above-named islands, was lost at the dissolution of the union with
Denmark in 1814. The voyages of the old Norsemen were even
extended for a time to the continent of America, to Vinland. At
the present time ⅐ of the Norwegian-born population live in
America. If we sail south from the Shetland Isles, we have the
Orkneys, Sutherland, the Hebrides, and the Isle of Man, all stations
on the western route of the Vikings, and Norwegian possessions
for several centuries. Norwegian kings ruled in Dublin for more
than 300 years, and the number of Norsemen among the so-called
«Danes» who conquered England, was by no means small; the
conquerors of Normandy were chiefly Norwegian Vikings. Towards
the west, Norway has thus, of old, been closely connected with
countries round the sea. About ⅓ of her trade with foreign
countries is at present with Great Britain and Ireland. (Newcastle
to Bergen, 36 hours).
With the countries to the south of the North Sea, Norway
has also been long and closely connected, with the Netherlands
and North Germany. The Hanseatic towns ruled the trade with
Norway for hundreds of years, and Hamburg, in particular, is still of
great importance, (Steamer from Hamburg to Kristiansand, 36 hours).
From Lindesnes, the coast turns gradually towards the NE
along the Skagerak, which, with a width of 70 miles, separates
Norway from Denmark (Jutland). The width is not greater
than will permit of the lighthouses of both countries being visible at
the same time (Ryvingen and Hanstholmen). There has so long
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
