Nordic countries
For disambiguation, see Nordic. |
Overview map of the region. |
The
Nordic countries, sometimes also the
Nordic region (or incorrectly
Scandinavia), comprise a region in
Northern Europe consisting of
Denmark,
Finland,
Iceland,
Norway and
Sweden. The region's five
nation-states and
three autonomous regions share some common history as well as some common traits in their respective
societies, such as political systems. The Nordic countries have a combined population of about 24 million.
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Political map of the Nordic countries and associated territories. |
The term is
derived from the
French term
Pays Nordiques as an equivalent of the local terms
Norden (
Scandinavian languages),
Pohjola /
Pohjoismaat (
Finnish language) and
Norðurlönd (
Icelandic and
Faroese languages) with the meaning of "
The North(ern lands)".
In English usage, the term
Scandinavia is often incorrectly used as a synonym for the Nordic Countries. From the 1850's,
Scandinavia came to include,
politically and
culturally, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
Geographically the Scandinavian peninsula includes mainland Sweden and mainland Norway, and also a part of Finland, while the
Jutland Peninsula includes mainland Denmark and a small part of Germany (Denmark proper has not included any territory on the Scandinavian Peninsula since the middle of the 17th century).
The Faroe Islands and
Iceland are "Scandinavian" in the sense that they were settled by Scandinavians and speak Scandinavian languages, but geographically they are not part of Scandinavia. Finland was once part of Sweden, and has been significantly influenced by Sweden, and
Swedish is spoken there by a minority, but it is not geographically part of Scandinavia either nor is Finnish related to the Scandinavian languages.
Greenland was settled by Danes, is currently part of the Danish realm, and Danish is spoken there by some, but geographically it is part of
North America.
In
Geology, term for the land area which lies above sea level on the
Baltic shield (also known as the
Fennoscandian shield) is
Fennoscandia (from the
Latin toponyms
Fennia and
Scania).
Before the 19th century, the term
Nordic may have been used more as a synonym for
Northern to mean
Northern Europe, including
European
Russia, the
Baltic countries (at that time
Estonia,
Livonia and
Curonia) and occasionally the
British Isles and other lands on the shores of the
Baltic and
North Seas.
See also:
History of Iceland,
History of Finland,
History of ScandinaviaThe Nordic countries are characterised by similar structures of their societies and cultural traits. This results not only from similar environmental realities and thus traditional livelihoods but also from a shared history.
During the
Middle Ages what is now Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland shared a similar
cultural,
linguistic (
Old Norse) and
religious (
Norse mythology) environment. From ca. the 12th century onwards what is now Finland (linguistically
Baltic-Finnic and broader
Finno-Ugric) started sharing the common developments as it was increasingly integrated into the kingdom of Sweden. As another example of a deeply rooted unifying past could be taken the indigenous Sami lifestyle (linguistically Finno-Ugric) across what is now northern Norway, Sweden and Finland (and beyond). Indeed, all Nordic countries have minority groups deriving or claiming heritage of a population residing within an other Nordic state.
After being Christianised around the year
1000, the process of local unification established Denmark, Norway and Sweden as separate
kingdoms. Finland became part of Sweden in the mid
1200s, whereas Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the
Shetland Islands,
Orkney and large parts of
Scotland and
Ireland belonged to Norway. All Nordic countries followed the Protestant Reformation of the Western church during the
16th century and adopted
Lutheran state churches, which to today have a large membership count although state church status varies. Finland also has a much smaller
Orthodox state church whose members mainly come from the areas that were outside the Swedish realm when Christianity was introduced.
In the
14th century, Denmark, Norway (with Iceland) and Sweden (with Finland) were united under one
regent, in the
Kalmar Union. Denmark quickly gained the upper hand, but in the early
16th century Sweden re-established itself as a separate kingdom. Denmarks's sovereignty over Norway lasted until
1814 when the Danish king was forced to cede Norway to Sweden. Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands remained Danish.
After establishing itself as one of the
Great powers in Europe during the
17th century Sweden ultimately lost its foreign
Dominions one by one. This process culminated in the loss of Finland to
Russia in
1809 which became an autonomous
Grand Duchy under the Russian
tsar.
The
19th century saw a personal union between Sweden and Norway which was dissolved in 1905 due to growing dissatisfaction from the Norwegian part. At the same time
Scandinavism emerged in Sweden and Denmark. This movement strove to unite the three Scandinavian countries into one kingdom without much success.
During
World War I and in the midst of the
Russian revolution of 1917, Finland emerged for the first time as an independent nation and the perspective of a Nordic community replaced the idea of a united Scandinavia alone. During
World War II in 1944, Iceland gained its independence from Denmark. The member states of the Nordic council (founded in 1952) had thus emerged.
The Nordic countries share similar traits in the policies implemented under the after-war period, especially in the social area. All Nordic countries have large tax funded
public welfare sectors and extensive social legislation. In most cases, this is due to the political ambitions of the many
Social Democrat governments that came to power during the interwar period in each of the Nordic countries.
The Nordic region has a mild political dimension in joint official bodies called the
Nordic Council and the
Nordic Council of Ministers.
In the
European Union, the
Northern dimension refers to external and cross-border policies covering the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries, and
Russia.
There exists a small split in Nordic participation in
NATO and the
European Union: The Western Nordic countries of Norway and Iceland are only members of
NATO, while the Eastern Nordic countries of Finland and Sweden are only members of the European Union. Denmark alone participates in both organizations.
Flags
 |
Nordic flags |
All Nordic countries, including the autonomous territories of
Faroe and
Åland Islands, have a similar flag design, all based on the
Dannebrog, the Danish flag. They display an off-center cross with the intersection closer to the hoist, the "
Nordic cross".
Greenland and the
Sami people have adopted flags without the Nordic cross, but they feature a circle which is placed off-center like the cross.
Symbol
The Nordic countries have recently adopted the
bumblebee as the main feature of their common
coat-of-arms.
[*"Hear the buzz as the Nordics bumble ahead", 'European Voice' (a subsidiary of The Economist), 16th March 2006] The Nordic countries have often been compared to the bumblebee. This is due to what their more southerly neighbours see as the 'heavy' yet successful nordic economic model, featuring high
taxation and
welfare spending and a restricted
labour market; it is also often stated that, in theory, given its weight and wing size, the bumblebee should not be able to fly as well as it does.
There may also be a social element to the choice of the bumblebee logo; the bumblebee is a highly social creature.
Several areas have a long and close relationship with and often identify with some or all of the Nordic countries. These are however for the most part not regarded as part of the Nordic group themselves.
Shetland and Orkney
The
Northern Isles of
Scotland -
Orkney and
Shetland - have a long-established Nordic identity. The islands were Norwegian
colonies for more than 500 years, but ownership defaulted to the
crown of Scotland in
1472 following non-payment of the marriage
dowry of
Margaret of Denmark, queen of
James III of Scotland.
During
World War II Shetland and Orkney were important bases for the Norwegian armed forces in exile. The
Shetland Bus was based in Shetland and smuggled refugees, agents and supplies to and from Norway.
In later years financial relations, particularly in the maritime industries, have been important. Cultural and sporting exchanges are frequent.
A genetic surveyshowed that 60% of the male population of Shetland and Orkney had Norwegian genes.
The traditional links to Scandinavia are reflected in the islands' flags, both of which are based around a Nordic cross:
Other regions of the
British Isles have adopted symbols to allude to a similar Norse or
Norse-Gaelic heritage [
1].
Estonia
| | Estonian flag proposal with Nordic cross |
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Since regaining its
independence in
1991,
Estonia has shown signs of interests in identifying itself with the Nordic Countries due to its linguistic, cultural and historical ties with Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The
Estonian language is closely related to the
Finnish language and
Estonians, as an ethnic group, are
Finnic people. Estonia was part of the Danish and Swedish
empires for many centuries; it is generally thought that the name of the Estonian capital,
Tallinn, derives from the
Estonian taani linn, meaning 'Danish town.' Nowadays, there is also a great deal of economic interdependence between Estonia and some Nordic states; three quarters of investments into Estonia come from Nordic states (principally Finland and Sweden), to which Estonia sends 58% of its exports. On the other hand, the Estonian political system makes it rather different from the other Nordic states, and from many other European countries.
In
1999, Estonian Foreign Minister
Toomas Hendrik Ilves gave a speech entitled "Estonia as a Nordic Country" to the
Swedish Institute for International Affairs. In
2003, the
foreign ministry also hosted an exhibit called "Estonia: Nordic with a Twist." In 2005, Estonia also joined the
European Union's
Nordic Battalion Group and shows interest in joining the Nordic Council.
Others
Finally, the northernmost part of
Germany,
Schleswig on the
Jutland peninsula, had a Nordic identity up until its transfer to Germany in the mid 19th century and its subsequent
Germanization. Today, the Nordic character of Schleswig's society and its inhabitants is not very pronounced.
The largest cities in Nordic countries, by population, are:#
Stockholm 774,411 #
Helsinki 562,570 #
Oslo 541,822#
Copenhagen 501,158 #
Gothenburg 487,028#
Århus 295,513#
Malmö 272,634#
Bergen 242,854#
Espoo 229,443 (Part of the
Helsinki metropolitan area)#
Tampere 204,385 (Largest inland city in the Nordic countries)
Largest metropolitan areas in the Nordic countries#
Stockholm 1 273 000 #
Copenhagen 1 115 035 #
Helsinki 977 091 #
Gothenburg 879 000#
Oslo 811 686#
Århus 661 013#
Malmö 597 232#
Tampere 300 000 (Largest inland metropolitan area in the Nordic countries)#
Bergen 213 585#
Reykjavík 190 000
*
Subdivisions of the Nordic countries*
Scandinavia*
Baltic countries*
Baltic region*
Northern Europe*
Nordic Cross*
Thule*
Northern Dimension*
Nordic FAQ - For a full definition and many facts about the Nordic countries
*
Nordic Council*
NordRegio Statistics - A collection of thematic maps of Nordic and Baltic countries
*
Historical Atlas of Scandinavia*
Scandinavia Files - Introduction and facts on Nordic culture and life.
