Asker is a rural municipality located in the County of Viken, approximately 20 kilometres south-west of Oslo the capital of Norway. Asker is the 8th largest municipality in Norway with almost 95,000 citizen. It covers an area of 376 kilometres squared (km2), 324 km2 of which is farmland, natural land (including 69 areas of special protection), and recreational areas. There are approximately 37,000 jobs in Asker, primarily in the areas of health and social services, trade, industry, building and construction, and teaching. The municipality has about 6,450 employees. The municipal infrastructure includes 40 schools, 34 public day care centres, 73 private day care centres, and 96 cultural institutions. There are 771 places in nursing homes, and 585 places for various kinds of care. The municipality is home to 623 non-governmental organizations, 96 of which are sports clubs. Asker manages a budget of approximately NOK 7,5 billion (EUR 748 million).