Contrary to the rest of Europe, Norway seems to be escaping the financial crisis – a miracle that can be explained in part by the rich natural resources of the Scandinavian peninsula, which is home to one third of the world’s unexploited oil and gas reserves.

 Norway is the world’s third biggest gas exporter, its fifth biggest oil exporter, and the leader in GDP per capita. It also has the world’s second biggest sovereign wealth fund, just behind Abu Dhabi: a treasury with an estimated worth of more than 216 billion dollars, replenished by gas and oil revenue.

 
If natural resources are abundant, the ethos of saving money is also ingrained in the system; earning a lot and spending little is indeed Norway’s credo. This financial discipline is to thank for the country’s economic hardiness, according to the government.

 
"First of all, our public finances are healthy, which means that when we take measures to deal with the crisis, we do so from a solid starting point,” explains Foreign Affairs Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

 
This flourishing economy is attracting workers from around the world, who are drawn to this economic oasis – despite its harsh climate and odd seasonal daylight hours – for its promise of a brighter and more stable financial future.

 
But the global financial crisis has not totally spared Norway; the country topped off with less than 1 percent growth in 2009’s first trimester, and saw a spike in unemployment. 30,000 people – 2.5 percent of the active work force – have lost their jobs in the last 6 months.

 
Still, with its discreet prosperity protected by one of the planet’s most powerful sovereign wealth funds, the Norwegian good life isn’t going anywhere.