page_title: Wildlife of Norway
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Wildlife of Norway / Geography
caption_attribution_description: Spitzbergen, view from plane during approach for landing. (User:Bjoertvedt: Seen from west towards east, this is definitely Kvalvågen with Strongbreen on 77*30'N - 17*30'E.)
context_page_description: The wildlife of Norway includes the diverse flora and fauna of Norway. The native plants and animals are adapted to the geography and climate of this country in northwestern Europe. The habitats include high mountains, tundras, rivers, lakes, wetlands, sea coast and some lower cultivated land in the south. Mainland Norway has a long coastline, protected by skerries and much dissected by fjords, and the mostly-icebound archipelago of Svalbard lies further north. The flora is very varied and a large range of mammals, birds, fish and invertebrate species live here, as well as a few species of reptiles and amphibians.
context_section_description: Mainland Norway is a mountainous, elongated country with a very long coastline. It extends from a latitude of 58°N to more than 71°N, which is north of the Arctic Circle, and there are some 50,000 smaller islands off the extremely indented coastline. The Scandinavian Mountains extend along the length of the country; the average elevation is 460 m (1,510 ft) and 32% of the mainland is located above the tree line. The mountains end abruptly on the west coast and there is little in the way of a coastal plain. Between the mountains are deep valleys, with lowland largely limited to the southeastern region of the country and the south coast. The far northeast of the country is less mountainous, with rolling hills and the Finnmarksvidda plateau.
  Further north still, the archipelago of Svalbard has an arctic climate; the land surface on the three large and many smaller islands is 60% glacier ice, 30% rock and scree, and only 10% is vegetated. The island has its own distinctive flora and fauna.
caption: Ice-covered Svalbard during August
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