Scandinavia is the peninsula and cultural region of northern Europe comprising Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, bound by the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Skagerrak strait. Its long coastlines, fjord-cut mountains, and boreal forests shaped a maritime and seafaring culture from the Viking Age onward, and the term is sometimes extended more broadly to include Finland and Iceland among the Nordic countries.
Facts
Area (sq km)Norway, Sweden and Denmark proper; figures run higher if Svalbard, the Faroe Islands or Finland and Iceland are folded into a broader Nordic definition. Population2022 estimate, Norway, Sweden and Denmark combined. FAQs
Is Finland part of Scandinavia?
Finland is generally not considered part of Scandinavia; it belongs to the wider Nordic countries.
Generally no. Scandinavia usually means Norway, Sweden and Denmark, while the wider term Norden also takes in Finland and Iceland. Some authorities argue for including Finland on geologic and economic grounds, and Iceland and the Faroe Islands because their people speak North Germanic languages related to those of Norway and Sweden. Taken together with Norway, Sweden and Denmark, these other areas are usually called the Nordic countries.
Connections
Associated With
Scandinavia is sometimes used as a synonym for the Nordic countries but more properly names the three Nordic monarchies.
Source Nordic Countries (Wikipedia)
Wadden Sea, Bodies of Water Why this is disputed. Denmark, one of the three Wadden Sea nations, is conventionally grouped as Scandinavian/Nordic, though the Danish Wadden Sea coast itself lies on the Jutland peninsula rather than in the Scandinavian core; the atlas records this as an approximate regional association, not a precise containment claim.
Source Wadden Sea Quality Status Report
Shaped By
Source Scandinavia (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Origin Of
Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.
Source Akvavit (Wikipedia)
Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.
Source Smorrebrod, Wikipedia
Also in Language Atlas: which originated in this subject.
Also in Literature Atlas: which originated in this subject.
Source The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poeticstier 1
Site Of
Also in Business Atlas: which is located in this subject.
Source Wikipedia: Scandinavian Airlinestier 2
Found There
Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.
Source Great Famine of 1315-1317, Wikipedia
Also in Divinity Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Earth and Environment Atlas: found in this subject.
Source Borsu surface (Wikipedia)Article leadQuote, Article lead
is an erosion surface found as valley benches in the northern Scandinavian Mountains.
Also in History Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in History Atlas: found in this subject.
Source Wikipedia: Viking AgeLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articletier 2Quote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
The Viking Age applies not only to their homeland of Scandinavia but also to any place significantly settled by Scandinavians during the period.
Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.
Source Wikipedia: Germanic LanguagesLead sentence 3tier 2Quote, Lead sentence 3
All Germanic languages are derived from Proto-Germanic, spoken in Iron Age Scandinavia, Iron Age Northern Germany and along the North Sea and Baltic coasts.
Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.
Source Wikipedia: Old NorseLead sentence 1tier 2Quote, Lead sentence 1
Old Norse was a North Germanic language spoken in Scandinavia and in Norse settlements during the Viking Age and the early Middle Ages (approximately the 8th–14th centuries).
Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.
Also in Sport and Games Atlas: found in this subject.
Source Biathlon, WikipediaLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articleQuote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
It developed from the sport of military patrol, which began in 19th century Scandinavia and originated in ski warfare.
Also in Sport and Games Atlas: found in this subject.
Sources
1. Scandinavia (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction
The geography of the region is varied, from the Norwegian fjords in the west and Scandinavian mountains covering parts of Norway and Sweden, to the low and flat areas of Denmark in the south, as well as archipelagos and lakes in the east.
Introduction (2)
Iceland and the Faroe Islands are sometimes included, due to their ethnolinguistic ties to Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
Shaped By: Glaciation, Formation statement for target 23655
Finland and Sweden have many lakes and moraines, legacies of the ice age, which ended about ten millennia ago.
View the Source 2. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Wikidata: Scandinavia
Wikidata Q21195, class allow-list match verified against P17/real-world identity (w-geo-qidcite-0926).View the Source Wadden Sea Quality Status Report
Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation (Denmark, Germany, Netherlands)Associated With: Wadden SeaView the Source Nordic Countries (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Nordic Countries, Lead sectionQuote, Associated With: Nordic Countries, Lead section
Scandinavia is sometimes used as a synonym for the Nordic countries, but that term more properly refers to the three monarchies of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.