Eastern Norway Eastern Norway Eastern Norway (Bokmål: "Østlandet", Nynorsk: "Austlandet") is the geographical region of the south-eastern part of Norway. It consists of the counties Telemark, Vestfold, Østfold, Akershus, Oslo, Buskerud, Oppland and Hedmark. Eastern Norway is by far the most populous region of Norway. It contains the country's capital, Oslo, which is Norway's most populous city. In Norwegian, the region is called "Østlandet" and "Austlandet" ("The east land") in contrast to Vestlandet ("The west land"). As of 2015, the region had 2,593,085 inhabitants, 50.4% of Norway's population. The region is bounded by mountains in the north and west, the Swedish border
Northern Norway stake a more firm claim for the kingdom of Norway along what was then the frontier of Norwegian settlement. By 1150, Lenvik Church was the northernmost church in Norway. In 1252 the first church, the Ecclesia Sanctae Mariae de Trums juxta paganos ("The Church of Saint Mary in Troms near the Heathens"), was built in Tromsø, along with a small rampart intended to serve as protection against Karelian raids. This was followed in 1307 by the consecration of Vardø Church in what is now eastern Finnmark. Finally, Vardøhus Fortress was constructed to mark and defend the border with the Karelian