Norway is commonly divided into five major geographical regions (landsdeler). These regions are purely geographical, and have no administrative purpose. According to most definitions, the Counties of Norway are divided into the following regions:
- Northern Norway (Nord-Norge/Nord-Noreg)
- Finnmark
- Troms
- Nordland
- Trøndelag
- Nord-Trøndelag
- Sør-Trøndelag
- Western Norway (Vestlandet)
- Møre og Romsdal
- Sogn og Fjordane
- Hordaland
- Rogaland
- Southern Norway (Sørlandet or Agder)
- Vest-Agder
- Aust-Agder
- Eastern Norway (Østlandet/Austlandet)
- Telemark
- Buskerud
- Hedmark
- Oppland
- Akershus
- Oslo
- Vestfold
- Østfold
The division into regions is, by convention, based on geographical and also dialectical differences, but it also follows the county borders approximately. Other regions exist for various purposes of government. Administratively, the traditional regions as listed above play less of a role – the major administrative units are at county level.
The region Midt-Norge/Midt-Noreg (Central Norway) is often used as a synonym to Trøndelag, but also includes Møre og Romsdal (according to some definitions only Nordmøre and parts of Romsdal). The southernmost part of Nordland (Helgeland) is also sometimes considered to be part of Central Norway. Similarly, Rogaland, or parts of Rogaland, is sometimes grouped with Southern Norway instead of Western Norway.
Svalbard is not a county and is not usually considered part of Northern Norway. The governor of Svalbard (sysselmannen) reports to the Department of Justice, whereas the county governors (fylkesmenn) report to the Department of Administration. Also Jan Mayen is an integrated geographical body of Norway. Since 1995 it has been administered by the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland.
Bouvet Island in the south Atlantic Ocean, Queen Maud Land and Peter I Island in Antarctica are Norwegian dependencies.
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—Alexander Herzen (1812–1870)
“Within the regions of the air,
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Great tracts of land there may be found
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Where many numerous hosts
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For other great and glorious ends,
Inhabit, my yet unknown friends.”
—Thomas Traherne (1636–1674)
“Write about winter in the summer. Describe Norway as Ibsen did, from a desk in Italy; describe Dublin as James Joyce did, from a desk in Paris. Willa Cather wrote her prairie novels in New York City; Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn in Hartford, Connecticut. Recently, scholars learned that Walt Whitman rarely left his room.”
—Annie Dillard (b. 1945)