Physical Landscape

Although in terms of population Oslo is not very large compared to some of the most populous cities of the world, when measured in terms of land area, it ranks among the largest in the world. This is due to the fact that two thirds of the land within the city limits is not fit to be built on. The city of Oslo is 454 km2, 242km2 of which is forested. (The city of Chicago is only 365.6km2.) Within the city limits there are 343 lakes. The Oslo Fjord also contains 40 islands, many of which are in close proximity to the city. Although the region is mountainous, it is less so than Western Norway, making more agriculture possible in the region.

The climate of Oslo is mild. This is due to the Gulf Stream, which carries warm water across the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico. This causes the temperature in Oslo to be significantly higher than other places with a similar latitude. Oslo is also protected from the Atlantic rainfalls by mountains, making it sunnier and drier than cities on the west coast of Norway. Oslo also ranks as Scandinavia's sunniest capital.

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