Facts about Oslo 

Geography
Oslo is a county by itself with app. 460.000 people. The City is the capital of Norway and lies in the centre of Akershus county. Akershus borders  Østfold, Hedmark, Oppland, Buskerud and is the most populous part of Norway. The municipality of Akershus consist of several municipalities.

Oslo city's reference point is 59'55"N 10'45"E, as far north as, for example, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, the northerly part of Kamchatka, Anchorage in Alaska and Kap Farvel in Greenland.
Its area covers 454 km2 (175 sq miles), of which 242 km2 (93 sq miles) are forest, 8 km2 (3 sq miles) parkland and recreational areas, 40 islands and 343 inland lakes.

Climate
Even though the city is situated so far north, its climate is temperate in the autumn and warm in spring and summer. There is usually snow 3 to 5 months of the winter, and skiing conditions are good in the hills around Oslo between December and April. From May to July the weather can be quite warm with long periods of sunshine. Drought can also occur from time to time. This is due to Oslo's northerly position, well protected by the mountains from Atlantic rainfall, and favourable help from the Gulf Stream. Statistically speaking, Oslo is Scandinavia's sunniest capital.

Population
Oslo is the capital of Norway with approximately 500 000 inhabitants, or a little over 10% of the country's total population. About one third of the total population of the country lives around the Oslo Fjord area.

Commerce and Industry
The working population distributed according to occupation:
Industry 11 %
Building and construction 6 %
Transport 9 %
Trade, services and tourism 74 %

Holiday, sport and leisure
Oslo is surrounded by forest and fjord. An important part of the city's political tradition is to preserve the fjord and the area surrounding the city for leisure and outdoor pursuits. Oslomarka is used by thousands of skiers and hikers all the year round thanks to restrictions in the urbanization of the city.
Some of the major sports events in Oslo will be the Grete Waitz Race, the Holmenkollen Relay, Oslo Marathon and the Holmenkollen Ski Festival.
Oslo is a ski-eldorado with over 2,000 km (1250 miles) of prepared ski tracks for cross-country skiing and many ski lifts for alpine skiing. The tracks are also used throughout the rest of the year: B¾rumsmarka, Nordmarka and stmarka are all places where many people meet every weekend.