Oslo - Norway

Oslo is the capital and largest city in Norway. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by a fire in 1624. The DanishNorwegian king Christian IV rebuilt the city as Christiania (briefly also spelled Kristiania). The city was renamed Oslo in 1925. The diocese of Oslo is one of the five original dioceses in Norway, which originated around the year 1070. Oslo is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental centre of Norway. The city is also a hub of Norwegian trade, banking, industry and shipping. It is also an important centre of maritime knowledge in Europe, and is home to approximately 980 companies and 8,500 employees within the maritime sector—among which are some of the world's largest shipping companies, shipbrokers and insurance brokers. Oslo is considered a global city and ranked "Beta World City Plus" in studies performed by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network in 2008.Oslo has for several years been listed as one of the most expensive cities in the world alongside cities such as Tokyo, Copenhagen and Paris.[2] In 2009 Oslo regained its status as the world's most expensive city. Oslo is a pilot city of the Council of Europe and the European Commission intercultural cities programme. As of 2009, the metropolitan area of Oslo had a population of 1.4 million; of whom, 876,391[5] lived in the contiguous conurbation. Furthermore, the city's population currently increases at a record rate of over 2% annually, making it one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. It is estimated that 26%—or around 152,000—of Oslo's core population are immigrants. ( source Wikipedia )