If you measure coastline length including all the fjords and islands, Norway has one of the longest coastlines in the world. While Canada is first, Norway’s coastline is incredibly complex due to its deep-cut fjords. If you were to stretch out Norway's coastline into a straight line, it would reach nearly halfway around the Earth (over 63,000 miles if you include its 240,000 islands). This geography has made Norway a maritime superpower for over a thousand years, from the Viking Age to its modern status as a leader in offshore oil and shipping. The 'Fjordland' of Norway is a prime example of how glacial erosion can create extreme geographical features that defy simple measurements.