Discovered in about 1000 AD, Oslo was originally established as a trading place by King Harald III. Then in around 1300 AD it was made a capital by Haakon V. The capital was then completely destroyed by fire in 1624, and it was decided to move it by King Christian IV closer to Akershus Castle. The city was then renamed Christiania in the king's honour. Christiana in 1925 once again went back to its original name of Oslo.
So today, Oslo is both the most highly populated city in all of Norway, and still remains the capital. It is the governmental and economic hub of the country, and also the centre for Norwegian trade, shipping, industry and banking. It is also recognised as a major city for maritime trade and maritime industry within Europe. A host of maritime companies have set up their operations in Oslo which include some of the largest global maritime insurance brokers, shipbrokers and shipping companies.
Ranked as a beta world city, it also shares rankings as the top city in regards to quality of life in Europe, and took out the second most expensive city in the world award by ECA International. The city is home to approximately 634,000 people, while the greater metropolitan area is home to more than 1.5 million. The city is one of the fastest growing populations in Europe, which is mainly driven by both immigration and high birth rates amongst these immigrants. The total percentage of immigrants within Oslo is now over 25% of the population.
Oslo also has a bunch of cool tourist attractions which include the Fram Museum, Munch Museum, Akershus Fortress, the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, Frogner Park, the Kon-Tiki Museum, the Oslo City Hall, the Oslo Opera House, the Holmenkollen Ski Museum, the Nobel Peace Center, The Royal Palace, the Ibsen Museum, Akerselva, the Storting Building, the Oslo Cathedral, the Norwegian Maritime Museum, Snogsvann, the Gol Stave Church, Gjoa, Hovedoya, the Old Aker Church, Maridalsvannet and the Trinity Church.