The
Nordic countries make up a region in
Northern Europe and the
North Atlantic which consists of
Denmark,
Finland,
Iceland,
Norway and
Sweden and their associated territories which include the
Faroe Islands,
Greenland,
Svalbard and
Åland.
Scandinavia is sometimes used as a synonym for the Nordic countries, although within the Nordic countries the terms are considered distinct.
The region's five
nation-states and
three autonomous regions share much common history as well as common traits in their respective
societies, such as political systems and the
Nordic model. Politically, Nordic countries do not form a separate entity, but they co-operate in the
Nordic Council. Linguistically, the area is heterogeneous, with three unrelated language groups, the
North Germanic branch of
Indo-European languages and the
Baltic-Finnic and
Sami branches of
Uralic languages as well as the
Eskimo-Aleut language
Greenlandic spoken in
Greenland. The Nordic countries have a combined population of approximately 25 million spread over a land area of 3.5 million km² (Greenland accounts for 60% of the total area).
Etymology and terminology
The term 'Nordic countries' is
derived from the
French term
Pays nordiques as an equivalent of the local terms
Norden (
Scandinavian languages),
Pohjola /
Pohjoismaat (
Finnish language),
Põhjala /
Põhjamaad (
Estonian language),
Norðurlönd (
Icelandic),
Norðurlond (
Faroese) and
Davveriikkat (
North Sámi) with the meaning of "
The North(ern lands)".
In English usage, the term
Scandinavia is sometimes used—though not consistently—as a synonym for the Nordic countries. From the 1850s, it was known
Scandinavia came to include,
politically and
culturally, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
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
1658. 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. Having once been a part of Sweden, Finland has been significantly influenced by Swedish culture and
part of it is geographically within Scandinavia, whereas the Finnish language is not related to the Scandinavian languages.
Greenland was settled by the
Norse, and is currently part of the Danish realm, with the Danish language spoken by nearly all inhabitants, while geographically it is part of
North America.
In
geology, the 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).
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines "Nordic" as an adjective dated to 1898 with the meaning "of or relating to the
Germanic peoples of
northern Europe and especially of Scandinavia" or "of or relating to a group or physical type of the Caucasian race characterized by tall stature, long head, light skin and hair, and blue eyes". In the light of
linguistic-based
race theories,
Germany would be a Nordic country instead of Finland whose population generally features the previously mentioned stereotypical phenotype and a Uralic majority language. Before the 19th century and
romantic nationalism, the term
Nordic may have been used more as a synonym for
Northern to mean
Northern Europe including the
Baltic countries (at that time
Lithuania,
Livonia and
Courland) and occasionally the
British Isles and other lands on the shores of the
Baltic and
North Seas.
Use of Nordic countries vs. Scandinavia
While the term
Scandinavia is most commonly used for Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the term
the Nordic countries is used unambiguously for Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland, including their associated territories (Greenland, the Faroes, and Åland).
Scandinavia can thus be considered a subset of the Nordic countries.
In addition to mainland Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the Nordic countries consist of:
and
- Jan Mayen (an integrated geographical body of Norway)
Estonia has applied for membership in the
Nordic Council, referring to its cultural heritage and close linguistic links to Finland, although normally Estonia is regarded as one of the
Baltic countries. All Baltic states have shared historical events with the Nordic countries, including Scandinavia, during the centuries.
History
A reconstructed Viking ship
The 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.
The indigenous population of northern half of continental "Norden" are the
Sami people, whereas the southern half is the historical "urheimat" of the
Norse cultures and the forefathers of the
Finnish. The western isles may be said to have been first settled by the Norse, with two caveats:
Inuit arrived on northwestern Greenland more or less at the same time as the Norse came to the island's southeast; and in the settlement of Iceland, Celts were also active.
During the
Dark Ages, what are now Norway, Sweden, Denmark and from 10th century onwards also 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 another Nordic state.
After being
Christianized 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,
Greenland belonged to Norway. All Nordic countries followed the Protestant Reformation of the Western church during the 16th century and adopted
Lutheran state churches—which still have large membership counts, although their state affiliation varies. Finland also has a much smaller
Orthodox state church whose members, 1.1% of population, 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 which Denmark dominated, in the early 16th century Sweden reestablished itself as a separate kingdom. Denmark's domination over Norway lasted until 1814 when the king was forced to cede Norway to the king of Sweden. Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands remained Danish.
The power balance between the Nordic countries shifted after the
Thirty Year War where Denmark was humiliated, but Sweden came out successful and with an alliance with France. During the 17th century Sweden established itself among the
Powers of Europe, but 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.
Scandinavism
The 19th century saw a personal union between Sweden and Norway which was dissolved in 1905 due to growing dissatisfaction from the Norwegian part. From 1840s
Scandinavism emerged in Scandinavia. This movement strove to unite the three Scandinavian kingdoms into one, diminishing after Sweden refused to help Denmark on
war in 1864.
In the midst of the
Russian revolutions, Finland emerged for the first time as an independent nation, orienting for a Nordic community. 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 postwar period, especially in the socioeconomic area. All Nordic countries have large tax-funded
public welfare sectors and extensive socialist 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.
Chronology of the Nordic countries
Nordic Passport Union
The
Nordic Passport Union, created in 1954, and implemented on May 1, 1958, allows citizens of the Nordic countries: Denmark (Faroe Islands included since January 1, 1966, Greenland not included), Sweden, Norway (Svalbard, Jan Mayen, Bouvet Island and Queen Maud's Land not included), Finland and Iceland (since September 24, 1965) to cross approved border districts without carrying and having their passport checked. Other citizens can also travel between the Nordic countries' borders without having their passport checked, but still have to carry some sort of approved travel identification documents.
Since 1996, these countries have joined the larger EU directive Schengen Agreement area, comprising 30 countries in Europe. Border checkpoints have been removed within the Schengen zone and only a national ID card is required. Within the Nordic area any ID card, e.g. driving licence is valid for Nordic citizens, because of the Nordic Passport Union.
From March 25 2001, the Schengen acquis fully applied to the five countries of the Nordic Passport Union (except for the Faroe Islands). There are some areas in the Nordic Passport Union that give extra rights for Nordic citizens, not covered by Schengen, such as less paperwork if moving to a different Nordic country, and fewer requirements for naturalisation.Political dimension and divisions
The Nordic region has a political dimension in the joint official bodies called the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. In this context, several aspects of the common market as in the European Union have been implemented decades before the EU implemented them. Intra-Nordic trade is not covered by the CISG, but by local law.
In the European Union, the Northern Dimension refers to external and cross-border policies covering the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries, and Russia.
The political cooperation between the Nordic Countries has not led to a common policy or an agreement on the countries' memberships in the European Union, Eurozone, and NATO. Norway and Iceland are only members of NATO, while Finland and Sweden are only members of the European Union. Denmark alone participates in both organizations. Only Finland is a member of the Eurozone. The tasks and policies of the European Union overlap with the Nordic council significantly, e.g. the Schengen Agreement partially supersedes the Nordic passport free zone and a common labor market.
Additionally, certain areas of Nordic countries have special relationships with the EU. For example, Finland's autonomous island province Åland is not a part of the EU VAT zone.Flags and symbols
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".Other Nordic flags
Greenland and the Sami people have adopted flags without the Nordic cross, but they both feature a circle which is placed off-center like the cross. Geography
Economy
Population
thumb|right|300px|Sweden represents almost 40% of the Nordic population whereas Iceland represents less than 2%. The three others represent about 20% each. (Please note that the diagram is approximative since different sources have been used for each country.)
The total population of the Nordic countries is approximately 25,382,411 (as of 2009).Areas with close relations to the Nordic countries
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, although classified as Northern Europe by the United Nations.Shetland and Orkney
The Northern Isles of Scotland—Orkney and Shetland—have a long-established Nordic identity. The islands were Norwegian and Danish 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 and Norway, 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 survey showed that 60% of the male population of Shetland and Orkney had Western 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.Scotland
Areas such as Caithness, Sutherland and the Hebrides were under Norse rule for long periods, and the Bishopric of Trondheim formerly controlled large sections of north west Scotland.
The Norn language was spoken in eastern Caithness into medieval times. Estonia
Even though Estonia is widely considered to be a Baltic state or part of Eastern Europe, many Estonians themselves consider Estonia to be Nordic rather than Eastern European. The Estonian language is closely related to the Finnish language, and Estonians, as an ethnic group, are a Finnic people. The northern part of Estonia was part of medieval Denmark, but then sold to the Germans. Later, the Baltic provinces came under Swedish rule after the Thirty Years War, before being absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. However, the local Baltic German upper classes had stronger political and cultural dominance in the country from the 12th to the early 20th century than the Swedes, Danes, and Russians. The name of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, is thought to be derived from the Estonian taani linn'', meaning 'Danish town' (see Flag of Denmark for details).
Historically, large parts of Estonia’s north-western coast and islands have been populated by an indigenous ethnically Swedish population, the Estonian Swedes. The majority of Estonia's Swedish population fled to Sweden in 1944, escaping the advancing Soviet Army. In 2007, Estonian Swedes were granted official cultural autonomy under Estonian law. Since regaining independence in 1991, Estonia has expressed interest joining the Nordic Council. In 1999, Toomas Hendrik Ilves delivered 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 Battle Group. However, Estonia is not considered a Nordic country by the majority of the Nordic populations.England
Anglo-Saxon England was founded in part by Jutes in Kent, the Isle of Wight and the national saga of England is Beowulf, carried to England by the Wuffings of East Anglia. Much of England, particularly East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria were once part of the Danelaw. The story of Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom, London Bridge Is Falling Down and Sigurd the Dane of Macbeth fame come from this period of an Anglo-Scandinavian "Empire of the North". After England's population stabilised into a nation-state, Sweyn Forkbeard's family, which went back to Denmark from the Danish colonies in the West (see Harthacnut of Denmark), took over Wessex partly with the excuse of St. Brice's Day massacre and stratified as well as unified the government of England into four regional jarldoms under control by Danes and Norwegians as well as promoting the English church in Scandinavia at the expense of the German church. This led to the later installment of the Archdiocese of Nidaros, which administered the Diocese of Sodor and Man formerly belonging to the Province of York (and would later reconnect upon Norse land cessions) by the English Pope Adrian IV. Direct relations between Denmark and England would continue intermittently until the reign of Eystein II of Norway, but the take overs of both by Eric of Pomerania and William of Normandy respectively, divided their focuses to re-attachment with Continental Europe instead. There was a much later interjection of New Sweden amidst the New England and Virginia colonies, but the relationship was much different in that period. Northern Germany
Parts of the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in northern Germany were at times part of Denmark and Sweden, respectively, and have a long history of cooperation dating back to the medieval Hanseatic League. In the 15th century, Stockholm had a German majority population, and Germans paid more than half of the city's taxes.
Southern Schleswig on the Jutland peninsula was conquered and reconquered both by the Germans and the Danes, i.e. the border between Denmark and Germany changed several times over the centuries. Particularly the northern parts of present Schleswig-Holstein have a significant ethnic Danish minority. The region had a Scandinavian identity in Hedeby and Angeln up until its transfer to Germany in the mid 19th century and its subsequent Germanisation. Today, the Nordic character of Southern Schleswig's society and its inhabitants is still very prominent. There are Danish state schools in the area, and the Danish minority is active both politically and culturally.
Swedish Pomerania was once part of the Swedish kingdom; a time when the local University of Greifswald, at that time Sweden's oldest university, attracted both students and professors from Sweden. The cultural heritage survives in the form of many buildings, though the Swedish population either left the region when the Swedish Empire declined or was assimilated into mainstream German society.See also
