Ever wondered how a nation of just 5.6 million people built the planet's biggest sovereign wealth fund? Norway's strategy is honestly wild when you think about it.

They didn't stumble into this by accident. The Norwegians took their oil revenues and actually invested them smartly instead of blowing through the cash. While other resource-rich countries partied, they played the long game.

What's fascinating is the discipline involved. They set up strict rules about how much they could withdraw annually, basically treating their natural resources like a trust fund for future generations. No reckless spending, no populist giveaways during election cycles.

The fund now holds stakes in like 9,000+ companies worldwide. That's diversification taken to another level. Makes you wonder what other small nations could achieve with the right financial framework and some actual restraint.