AREA AND POPULATION.
433
Area and Population.
The kingdom is divided into twenty provinces, or Amts, the area and population of which was as follows at the two last enumerations, of December 31, 1855, and of December 31, 18G5 : —
Area in
Amts
geographical
Population,
Population,
sq. miles
Dec. 31, 1855
Dec. 31, 1S65
Christiania (town) .
0-17
31,715
57,382
Akershus
93-26
96,055
107,416
Smaalenene .
72-78
84.416
98,849
Hedemarken .
47196
101,394
120,411
Christians
454-79
115,149
124,968
Budskerud
26615
90,343
99,275
Jarlsberg
40-48
73,223
85,423
Bratsberg
268-3S
76.546
81,929
Nedenas
18128
59,112
68,033
Lister and Mandal
113-96
67,370
73,757
Stavanger
160-89
91,539
104,849
Sondre Bergenlms
275-31
104,763
113,386
Bergen (town)
0-03
24,512
27,703
Nordre Bergenhus
331-17
81,496
86,784
Bomsdal
265-44
90,283
104,337
Sondre Trondhjem
33328
96,318
109,043
Xordre Trondhjem
413-36
73,571
82,489
Nordland
689-51
77,587
89,668
Tromso
457-14
54,655 [
45,334
Finmark
Total .
860-54
20,329
5.749-88
1,490,047
1,701,365
English square miles
120,729
The inhabitants of the kingdom are homogeneous in race and reli- gion, and the land is very equally divided among them. Landed property descends the same as personal property, and there exists no privilege of birth, that of hereditary nobility having been abolished by a law which passed the Storthing August 1, 1821. With the exception of 2,800 dissenters, enumerated in the last census, the population adhere to the Lutheran Church. All sects of Christians and Jews are tolerated, but only the members of the Lutheran Church are admitted to public offices, and charges under the Government.
Education is compulsory in the kingdom, parents being bound to let their children, between the ages of seven and fourteen, receive public instruction. Schoolmasters are settled in each parish, who live either in fixed residences, or move at stated intervals from one
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