Norwegians (Norwegian: nordmenn) constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Australia.

Towards the end of the 3rd millennium BC, Proto-Indo-European speaking Battle-Axe peoples migrated to Norway bringing domesticated horses, agriculture, cattle and wheel technology to the region.

During the Viking age, Harald Fairhair unified the Norse petty kingdoms after being victorious at the The Battle of Hafrsfjord in the 880s. Two centuries of Viking expansion tapered off following the decline of Norse paganism with the adoption of Christianity in the 11th century. During The Black Death, approximately 60% of the population died and in 1397 Norway entered a union with Denmark.

In 1814, following Denmark-Norway's defeat in the Napoleonic Wars, Norway entered a union with Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although Norway remained officially neutral in World War I, the country was unofficially allied with the Entente powers. In World War II Norway proclaimed its neutrality, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940–45). In 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes but in referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU. Key domestic issues include integration of a fast growing immigrant population, maintaining the country's generous social safety net with an aging population, and preserving economic competitiveness.

Richard Wayne Bandler (born February 24, 1950) is an American author and trainer in the field of self-help. He is best known as the co-inventor (with John Grinder) of Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), a pseudoscientific collection of concepts and techniques intended to understand and change human behavior-patterns. He also developed other systems known as Design Human Engineering® (DHE®) and Neuro Hypnotic Repatterning™ (NHR™).

Bandler holds a BA (1973) in philosophy and psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) and an MA (1975) in psychology from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco. He has referred to himself as having a doctorate, such as in April 2000 at a seminar in Konstanz, Germany, and as testified in court in 2000.^{[citation needed]}

Bandler helped Robert Spitzer edit The Gestalt Approach (1973) based on a manuscript by gestalt therapist Fritz Perls (who had died in 1970). He also assisted with checking transcripts for Eye Witness to Therapy (1973). According to Spitzer, "[Bandler] came out of it talking and acting like Fritz Perls."

Erna Solberg (born 24 February 1961) is a Norwegian politician, and current leader of the Conservative Party of Norway. She was the Municipal and Regional Minister in Kjell Magne Bondevik's second government, 19 October 2001 until 17 October 2005. In 2005, she was appointed a Commander of the Order of St. Olav.

Solberg was born in Bergen in Western Norway. She obtained an undergraduate degree in sociology, political science, statistics and economics at the University of Bergen in 1986.

Solberg was a deputy member of Bergen city council in the periods 1979–1983 and 1987–1989, the last period in the executive committee. She chaired local and municipal chapters of the Young Conservatives and the Conservative Party. She was the leader of the nationwide Conservative Women Association from 1994 to 1998, served as deputy leader of the Conservative Party from 2002 to 2004 and became party leader in 2004.

She was first elected to the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) from Hordaland in 1989 and has been re-elected on four occasions. From 2001 to 2005 Solberg served as the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development under Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. Her alleged tough policies in this department, including a firm stance on asylum policy, earned her the nickname "Jern-Erna" (Norwegian for "Iron Erna") in the media. However, numbers show that the Bondevik government (2001–2005) actually let in thousands of more asylum seekers than the later centre-left Red-Green government (2005–2009). In 2003, Solberg also proposed to introduce Islamic Sharia Councils in Norway after being informed about the existence of such councils in the United Kingdom, and in 2004 said that she wished increased immigration to Norway.