Oslo was founded around 1048 by King Harald III "Hardrada" of Norway. The city was largely destroyed by a fire in 1624 and The Danish-Norwegian king Christian IV rebuilt the city as Christiania (briefly also spelt Kristiania). In 1925 the city reclaimed its original Norwegian name, Oslo. The diocese of Oslo is one of the five original dioceses in Norway, which originated around the year 1070.

As of 2010, the metropolitan area of Oslo has a population of 1.5m and is increasing at a record rate of over 2% annually, making it the fastest growing capital in Europe. This growth stems from immigration changing Oslo into a multicultural city. In 2009 Oslo regained its status as the worlds most expensive city.

Attribution: wikipedia (last visited December 24, 2010).