Includes bibliographical references (leaves 192-197).The multi-wavelength surveys have improved our understanding of the extent and shape of the Norma Wall. However, the most central part of the Norma Wall remains poorly understood because of the high levels of extinction and star-crowding at these low Galactic latitudes. In this thesis, I present an imaging survey in the three near-infrared bands (J, H, Ks) along the most obscured part of the Norma Wall, the so called Norma Wall Survey (NWS). It has the goal to uncover the galaxy distribution in this area. The near-infrared waveband was selected because it is less affected by dust extinction than the optical. In addition, near-infrared surveys are sensitive to early-type galaxies which are better tracers of the mass in galaxies
