Norway's rugged coastline of fjords and craggy islands gives this northernmost of European countries a bit of a rough edge. And throughout its history, its citizens have earned a reputation as hearty and passionately hard-working-from the sturdy hunters who first settled this isolated, ice-covered land right down to the famously driven Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl.
A Norwegian hiker peers over Preikestolen in Forsand.
And this work-ethic has paid off, giving Norway's 4.6 million residents one of the lowest unemployment rates and one of the highest standards of living in the world.
But priorities in modern Norway are shifting, and more and more, its citizens are seeking new ways to define wealth.
Recent laws and programs passed by Norway's parliament are putting an ever-increasing emphasis on time off and time with family, including generous vacation minimums, state-subsidized daycare, and substantial paid leave for mothers and fathers of young children.
Norway has one of the lowest unemployment rates and one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Norwegians continue to work hard, consistently ranking near the top in global worker productivity rates. But in a high-tech world where work seems to find us wherever we go, the Land of the Midnight Sun is shining a new light on what truly defines wealth.
Norway's social policies help its hard-working citizens strike a balance between their personal and professional lives. See photos of Norwegians at work and at play.
