The
Scandinavian Peninsula is a geographic region in northern
Europe, consisting of
Norway and
Sweden. The name
Scandinavian is
derived from Scania, a region at the southernmost extremity of the peninsula. The Scandinavian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in Europe.
Geography
Scandinavian Peninsula in relation to the larger Fennoscandia
The Scandinavian Peninsula is the largest
peninsula in Europe. It is approximately 1,850 kilometers (1,150 miles) long with a width varying between approximately 370–805 km (230-500 mi).
The
Scandinavian mountain range generally defines the borders between the two countries. The peninsula is bordered by several bodies of water including:
Its highest elevation was
Glittertinden in Norway at 2,470 m (8,104 ft) above sea level, but since the glacier at its summit partially melted , the highest elevation is at 2,469 m (8,101 ft) at
Galdhøpiggen, also in Norway. These mountains also house the largest
glacier on mainland Europe,
Jostedalsbreen.
About one quarter of the peninsula lies north of the Arctic Circle, with the northernmost point at Cape
Nordkyn.
The climate across the peninsula varies from tundra (
Köppen: ET) and subarctic (Dfc) in the north, with cool marine west coast climate (Cfc) in northwestern coastal areas reaching just north of
Lofoten, to humid continental (Dfb) in the central portion, and to marine west coast (Cfb) in the south and southwest.
The region is rich in timber, iron and copper with the best farmland in southern Sweden. Large petroleum and natural-gas deposits have been found off Norway's coast in the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Much of the population is concentrated in the southern part of the peninsula;
Stockholm and
Gothenburg, both in Sweden, and
Oslo in Norway are the largest cities.
Geology
Scandinavian Peninsula
The Scandinavian Peninsula occupies part of the
Baltic Shield, a stable and large crust segment formed of very old, crystalline
metamorphic rocks. Most of the soil covering this substrate was scraped by glaciers during continental
glaciation, especially in the northern part, where the shield is nearest the surface. As a consequence of this scouring, the elevation and the climate, a very small percentage of land is
arable (3% in Norway).
[Hobbs, Joseph J. and Salter, Christopher L.Essentials Of World Regional Geography,p. 108.Thomson Brooks/Cole.2005.ISBN 0-534-46600-1] The glaciers also deepened river valleys, which were invaded by the sea when the ice melted, creating the famous
fjords. In the south the glaciers deposited many sediments, configuring a very chaotic landscape.
[Ostergren, Robert C., Rice, John G. The Europeans. Guilford Press. 2004.ISBN 0-89862-272-7]Although the Baltic Shield is largely stable and resistant to the influences of other neighboring tectonic formations, the weight of nearly four kilometers of ice sheet caused the terrain to sink down. When the ice sheet disappeared, the shield rose again, a tendency that continues to this day at a rate of about 1 meter per century.
Conversely, the southern part has tended to sink down to compensate, causing flooding of the
Low Countries and
Denmark.
The crystalline substrate and absence of soil exposes mineral deposits of metals, such as iron, copper, nickel, zinc, silver and gold.
People
The first recorded human presence in the southern area of the peninsula and Denmark dates from 12,000 years ago.
[Tilley, Christopher Y. Ethnography of the Neolithic: Early Prehistoric Societies in Southern Scandinavia, p. 9, Cambridge University Press. 2003. ISBN 0-521-56821-8] As the ice sheets from the glaciation retreated, the climate allowed a
tundra biome that attracted
reindeer hunters. The climate warmed gradually up, favoring the growth of perennial trees first, and then
deciduous forest which brought animals like
aurochs. Groups of hunters-fishers-gatherers started to inhabit the area since the
Mesolithic (8200 BC), up to the advent of agriculture in the
Neolithic (3200 BC).
The northern and central part of the peninsula is partially inhabited by the
Sami, often referred to as "Lapps" or "Laplanders". In the earliest recorded periods they occupied the
arctic and
subarctic regions as well as the central part of the peninsula as far south as
Dalarna, Sweden. They speak the
Sami language, a non-
Indo-European language of the
Finno-Ugric family, which is related to
Finnish and
Estonian. The other inhabitants of the peninsula, according to ninth century records, were the Norwegians on the west coast of Norway, the
Danes in what is now southern and western Sweden and southeastern Norway, the
Svear in the region around
Mälaren as well as a large portion of the present day eastern seacoast of Sweden and the
Geats in
Västergötland and
Östergötland. These peoples spoke closely related
dialects of an Indo-European language,
Old Norse. Although political boundaries have shifted, these peoples still are the dominant populations in the peninsula in the early 21st century.
Political development
Although the
Nordic countries look back on more than 1000 years of history as distinct political entities, the international boundaries came late and emerged gradually. It was not until the middle of 17th century that Sweden secured an outlet on the
Kattegat and control of the south Baltic coast. The Swedish and Norwegian boundaries were finally agreed to and marked out in 1751. The Finnish and Norwegian border on the peninsula was established after extensive negotiation in 1809, and the common Norwegian-Russian districts were not partitioned until 1826. Even then the borders were still fluid, with Finland gaining access to the
Barents Sea in 1920, but ceding this territory to Russia in 1944.
Denmark, Sweden and Russia dominated political relations within the Scandinavian Peninsula for centuries, with Iceland, Finland and Norway only gaining full independence in the 20th century.
See also
