Oslo absolute location is at 60º North and 11º East. It is its relative location, however, that is more important to determining its position as the capital and largest city in Norway. In the Viking age, the monarchy had stronger roots in the West Coast cities of Bergen and Trondheim. Oslo grew became the capital because of its superior relative location closer to the other Scandinavian kingdoms and the rest of Europe.

Its position on the north end of the Oslo Fjord gave it access not only to a deep protected harbor, but also to some of the richest agricultural land in Norway. This combination of a good connection to the outside world and a rich hinterland made Oslo a natural site for the capital.