Norway

In June 2005, Norway celebrated the centenary of the dissolution of the union with Sweden that had been in place since the end of the Napoleonic war. A hundred years ago, Norway was a relatively poor, staple goods-producing economy, highly integrated into the international trading system. At the time of independence, the staple goods were fi sh, timber, and wood products that between them accounted for two-thirds of commodity exports. In addition to integration through trade, Norway was also integrated into the international markets of the late nineteenth century through labor fl ows. Norway experienced mass emigration to North America, and Norway and Ireland were the European countries with the largest emigrations measured as a percentage of the resident population.