How many countries are there in Europe?
It sounds like a simple question: How many countries are there in Europe? However, the answer is more complicated than you might think.
Geography
LOADING CONTENT
The ice in Antarctica has melted before
The ice sheet in Queen Maud Land in East Antarctica is not stable. Large amounts of ice have melted in the past, most recently as 5,000 years ago.
Fjord ice can have a great impact on local communities
Norwegian fjord and coastal ice represent a potential security threat, as it may cut off entire communities from the outside world.
Old Norse settlers traded walrus ivory with Kyiv
Norse settlers in Greenland exported walrus tusk ivory to Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages.
London introduced car charge in city centre – and saw most harmful pollution increase
In 2003, the average traffic speed in central London was less than 14 km/h. The congestion charge improved the flow of traffic but also had unwanted effects.
Abandoned cropland helps make Europe cooler
As nations prepare to mitigate climate change, decision makers need to understand how land use fits into the climate equation. A new study looked at land use changes over two decades and found a major shift from cropland to forests. That change made western Europe cooler.
Making future transport more climate friendly
The world’s transportation network is constantly growing. “Green asphalt” and sustainable bus transportation will ease the environmental impact of future transport routes.
Planting the seeds for a bioliterate tropical country
Ecologist Daniel H. Janzen has spent virtually all of his half-century career trying to catalogue and understand the creatures in a patch of dry tropical forest in northwestern Costa Rica. Little did he realize his efforts would evolve into building a sea-to-summit conservation area — and a drive to inventory all million species in the country in partnership with the Costa Rican government.
What makes everyone sick?
The world’s best-known doctor is coming to the Big Challenge to talk about the world’s biggest challenge, and one that thousands of scientists are trying to figure out: what makes us sick? Norway is among the challenge participants.
Viking house remains found along planned E6 road route
Archaeologists at NTNU have discovered the remains of a Viking house from the early Middle Ages. It is a “very rare find,” says project manager Merete Moe Henriksen.
Openness no guarantee against abuse and corruption
Increased openness by the authorities is often a requirement for developing countries to receive foreign aid. But at its worst, openness can be harmful.
The Maasai’s unknown cousins
They live side by side with the Maasai people and maintain a culture where rituals and music play an important role. The Sonjo people’s harvest ceremony is their most central ritual.
A future for skiing in a warmer world
As the world struggles to make progress to limit climate change, researchers are finding ways to adapt to warmer winter temperatures — by developing environmentally friendly ways of producing artificial snow.
Martin’s world
Visualizing oil reservoirs or tectonic plates under the seafloor requires lots of computing power and the imagination to envision what the data are showing you. That’s Martin Landrø’s work world. But he’s also fascinated by how teachers from a century ago taught their students about the Earth and the way it moves around the sun.
Extreme weather in the Arctic causes problems for people, wildlife
The last week of January 2012 brought wild weather to the Norwegian arctic island archipelago of Svalbard and its largest town, Longyearbyen. A new cross-disciplinary study provides a comprehensive look at the effects of this extreme weather event on everything from town infrastructure to the natural environment.
Understanding cultural differences can strengthen a multicultural team
Norwegian companies have been less than successful at developing software abroad. But there are scientific answers to the challenge.
Thwarting invaders
Predicting risks from invasive species – before it happens.
Norwegian journey, Vietnamese dreams
The Vietnamese are among the most successful of all non-western immigrants to Norway. Why?