Nordic countries Norden (Danish)/(Norwegian)/(Swedish) Pohjoismaat (Finnish) Norðurlöndin (Icelandic) Norðurlond (Faroese) Davveriikkat (Sami) Nunat Avannarliit (Kalaallisut)
Capitals		Stockholm; Copenhagen; Oslo; Helsinki; Mariehamn; Tórshavn; Reykjavík; Nuuk
Languages		8 Danish Faroese Finnish Greenlandic Icelandic Norwegian Sami Swedish
Membership		Iceland  Denmark  Faroe Islands  Finland  Greenland  Norway  Sweden  Åland
Area
-	Total	3,501,721 km2  1,352,022 sq mi
Population
-	2012 estimate	25,650,540
-	2000 census	25,478,559
-	Density	7.24/km2  18.8/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$1,049,856 million
-	Per capita	$41,205
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$1,621,658 million
-	Per capita	$63,647
Currency		Danish krone; Faroese króna; Icelandic króna; Norwegian krone; Swedish krona; Euro

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, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. In English, Scandinavia is sometimes used as a synonym for the Nordic countries (but excluding Greenland), despite the fact that that word is most strictly defined to refer only to Denmark, Norway and Sweden.^[1]

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. The Nordic countries have a combined population of approximately 25 million spread over a land area of 3.5 million km² (Greenland accounts for around 60% of the total area).

Although the area is linguistically heterogeneous, with three unrelated language groups, the common linguistic heritage is one of the factors making up the Nordic identity. The continental Scandinavian languages – Danish, Norwegian and Swedish – are considered mutually intelligible. These languages are taught in school throughout the Nordic countries; Swedish, for example, is a mandatory subject in Finnish schools, whereas Danish is mandatory in Icelandic, Faroese and Greenlandic schools. For this reason, (continental) Scandinavian language is considered the lingua franca of all of the Nordic countries. Besides these and the insular North Germanic languages Faroese and Icelandic, all belonging to the Indo-European language group, there are the Finnic and Sami branches of the Uralic languages, spoken respectively in northern Norway, Sweden and Finland, and Greenlandic, an Eskimo–Aleut language, spoken in Greenland.

Etymology and terminology[link]

The term 'Nordic countries' is derived from the French term Pays nordiques^{[citation needed]} 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, Scandinavia was considered 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^{[citation needed]}, 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".^[2] 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.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Use of Nordic countries vs. Scandinavia

While the term Scandinavia is commonly used for Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the term the Nordic countries is used unambiguously for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland, including their associated territories (Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Åland Islands).^[3] Scandinavia can thus be considered a subset of the Nordic countries. Furthermore, the term Fennoscandia refers to Scandinavia, Finland and Karelia, excluding Denmark and overseas territories; however, the usage of this term is restricted to geology, when speaking of the Fennoscandian Shield (Baltic Shield).

In addition to the mainland Scandinavian countries of

•  Denmark (Constitutional monarchy with a Parliamentary system.)
•  Norway (Constitutional monarchy with a Parliamentary system, independent since 1905)
•  Sweden (Constitutional monarchy with a Parliamentary system)

the Nordic countries consist of

•  Finland (Parliamentary republic, independent since 1917)
•  Iceland (Parliamentary republic, independent since 1918, although in a union with and a dependency of Denmark until 1944)

and

•  Faroe Islands (part of the Danish realm, autonomous since 1948)
•  Greenland (part of the Danish realm, with various degrees of autonomy since 1979)
•  Åland Islands (an autonomous province of Finland since 1920)

History[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

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.^{[citation needed]}

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 Finnic and more broadly Uralic) started sharing the common developments^{[citation needed]} 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 Uralic) 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 13th century, 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 the eastern part of Sweden in 1809, mainly today's Finland, 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 social-democratic legislation.^{[citation needed]} 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[link]

The Sami peoples of north Scandinavia have been subjects of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia.

Nordic Passport Union[link]

The Nordic Passport Union includes Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

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 been part of 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 means of proving one's identity, e.g. a driving licence, is valid for Nordic citizens, because of the Nordic Passport Union.

Since March 25, 2001, the Schengen acquis has 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[link]

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.

National symbols[link]

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 both feature a circle which is placed off-center, similar to the cross.

Denmark

• 

  Flag of Denmark, "Dannebrog"

• 

  Coat of arms of Denmark

• 

  Mute Swan, the National Bird of Denmark

• 

  Ogier the Dane, H.P. Pedersen-Dan's statue of Holger Danske at Kronborg castle, Denmark

Faroe Islands

• 

  Flag of the Faroe Islands, "Merkið"

• 

  Coat of arms of the Faroe Islands

• 

  Eurasian Oystercatcher, the National Bird of the Faroe Islands

• 

  Students wearing the National Costume of Faroe Islands

Finland

• 

  Flag of Finland, "Siniristilippu"

• 

  Coat of arms of Finland

• 

  Brown Bear, the National Animal of Finland

• 

  The Maiden of Finland, "Suomi-neito"

Greenland

• 

  Flag of Greenland, "Erfalasorput"

• 

  Coat of arms of Greenland

• 

  Polar Bear, the National Animal of Greenland

• 

  Children wearing the National Costume of Greenland

Iceland

• 

  Flag of Iceland

• 

  Coat of arms of Iceland

• 

  Falcon, the National Animal of Iceland

• 

  The Mountain Lady, Fjallkonan

Norway

• 

  Flag of Norway

• 

  Coat of arms of Norway

• 

  Elk (Moose), the National Animal of Norway

• 

  National costumes of Norway

The Sami People

• 

  Sami flag

• 

  Man wearing traditional Sami costume

• Geavrris utsnitt.JPG

  Sámi drum with sun-moon symbol (upper left)

• 

  Copper carving (1767) by O.H. von Lode showing a Sami noaidi with his drum (meavrresgárri)

Sweden

• 

  Flag of Sweden

• 

  Coat of arms of Sweden, Three Crowns

• 

  Elk (Moose), the National Animal of Sweden

• 

  Mother Svea

Åland Islands

• 

  Flag of Åland

• 

  Coat of arms of Åland

• 

  Roe Deer, the National Animal of the Åland Islands

• 

  Reenactment of an 1800s farmer's wedding

Geography[link]

• 

  Saana fell in Northern Finland seen from the south.

• 

  The beach Grenen, Skagen in Denmark

• 

  Galdhøpiggen in Norway is the highest mountain in Nordic Countries.

• 

  Vänern in Sweden is the largest lake in Nordic Countries

• 

  The erupting Great Geysir in Haukadalur valley, Iceland, the oldest known geyser in the world.

• 

  The southernmost island of the Faroe Islands, Suðuroy.

• 

  Moskusokselandet in Northeast Greenland National Park, Greenland

• 

  Archipelago Sea in Finland and Åland is the largest archipelago in the world by the number of islands

• 

  Lake Päijänne is one of tens of thousands of lakes in Finnish Lakeland.

Culture[link]

• 

  Turf-roofed houses in Iceland.

• 

  Cemetery at Upernavik, Greenland. Artificial flowers are used for decoration.

• 

  Traditional wedding in Jomala, Åland

• 

  A lakeside smoke sauna ("savusauna"/"rökbastu") in Finland

• 

  Stockholm, the Capital of Sweden.

• 

  Urnes stave church in Norway is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

• 

  Faroese folk dancers in national costumes.

• 

  Gefion Fountain in Copenhagen

• 

  Petäjävesi Old Church in Central Finland is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Economy[link]

• 

  The leading oil capital in Norway is Stavanger.

• 

  Headquarters of Nokia, the largest Finnish company.

• 

  The Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Plant services the Greater Reykjavík Area's hot water needs.

• 

  A local fisherman in Klaksvík.

• 

  Scandinavian Airlines is the largest airline in Scandinavia.

• 

  Offshore wind turbines near Copenhagen.

• 

  Oslo Metro.

• 

  The Oulu, Finland pulp and paper mill of Stora Enso, a Finnish–Swedish company.

Population[link]

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.)

Christianity has been the dominant religion in the Nordic countries for more than a thousand years. Before that, people followed different Pagan religions.

Name of country, with flag	Population (2011)	Source	Capital
Sweden	9,433,875	[4]	Stockholm
Denmark	5,564,219	[5]	Copenhagen
Greenland	56,615	[6]	Nuuk
Faroe Islands	48,596	[7]	Tórshavn
Finland	5,397,874	[8]	Helsinki
Åland	27,734	[9]	Mariehamn
Norway	4,954,661	[10]	Oslo
Iceland	318,452	[11]	Reykjavík
Total	25,779,428	[12]

Countries with close relations to the Nordic countries[link]

Several countries 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.^{[citation needed]}

Estonia[link]

Estonia has widely been thought of as geographically a Baltic state but a part of Northern Europe; Many Estonians consider themselves to be Nordic, as the term Balts or Baltic people does not apply to Estonians because of their descending from the Baltic Finns^[13][14] Additionally, there are significantly more connections between Estonian and Finnish people, as there are between Estonians and their southern neighbors.

The term Baltic as a concept to group Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia has been criticized, as what the three nations have in common almost wholly derives from shared experiences of occupation, deportation, and oppression; what these countries do not share is a common culture or identity. Furthermore, the original use of the word Balt appears in the 19th century referring only to the Germans living in the region (see Baltic Germans.)^[15]

The Estonian language is closely related to the Finnish language, and Estonians, as an ethnic group, are a Finnic people. Sites of the Nordic Bronze Age culture reached as far east as Estonia; Estonia also had close contacts with Scandinavia in the Viking Age. The Oeselians were known in the Icelandic Sagas and Heimskringla as Víkingr frá Estland (Estonian Vikings).

With the rise of Christianity, centralized authority in Scandinavia and Germany eventually led to the Northern crusades. The northern part of Estonia was part of medieval Denmark during the 13th-14th centuries, being sold to the Teutonic Order after St. George's Night Uprising in 1346. 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). Parts of Estonia were under Danish rule again in the 16th-17th centuries, before being transferred to Sweden in 1645.

Estonia was part of the Swedish Empire from 1561 until 1721, when it was ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Nystad, following the outcome of the Great Northern War. The Swedish era became colloquially known in Estonia as the "good old Swedish times". 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, or Russians. There were Finnish, Danish and Swedish volunteer units in the Estonian War of Independence. There were Estonian volunteers in the Finnish Winter War, Continuation War and the Alta Battalion in Norway during World War II.^{[citation needed]}

In 2011, being a member of EU, NATO, OSCE and the Eurozone, Estonia taken another step north from the Baltic States closer to the Northern European society.^{[citation needed]} Swedish ambassador, Mr. Dag Hartelius's speech on the Estonian Independence day, February 24, 2009, where he considered Estonia "A Nordic Country" gathered a lot of attention in the country and was widely considered as a great compliment.

The Nordic cross has a long history in Estonia, dating back to 1219. The Nordic flag is originated from Estonia, where according to the Danish legend, it fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse. Because of the long Danish and Swedish rule in Estonia, the Nordic cross flags have been evident as county flags in many of Estonian counties since 1219.

• 

  The coat of arms of Tallinn (small) and Harjumaa
• 

  Flag of Pärnu, Estonia
• 

  Flag of Setomaa, Estonia
• 

  Proposed new flag of
  Estonia
• 

  Flag of Estonia proposed in 1919.

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.^[16] Since regaining independence in 1991, Estonia has expressed interest in joining the Nordic Council. In 2003, the foreign ministry hosted an exhibit called "Estonia: Nordic with a Twist."^[17] In 2005, Estonia also joined the European Union's Nordic Battle Group.

Lithuania[link]

Lithuania's relations with Nordic countries date back to ancient times. Early written sources mention battles between the Vikings, led by king Olof, and the Curonians in Apuolė village in A.D. 850. The oldest reference of Lithuanians is found in Eric's Chronicle, dated between about 1320 and 1335. It includes narration of Swedish Junker Karl, who due to his bad relations with Birger Jarl went into voluntary exile by joining the Teutonic Knights in Livonia and was later killed by Samogitians in 1260 at a Battle of Durbe. The ties between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Sweden intensified from 1562, when John III of Sweden married Katarina Jagellonica in the Cathedral of Vilnius and the Royal Palace of Lithuania. Sixteen years after this marriage the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth passed to Sigismund III Vasa and later to his son Ladislaus IV Vasa. In 1648 John II Casimir Vasa became the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland.

The next important step in the history of Lithuania-Sweden relations is the Kėdainiai Union, an agreement between several magnates of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the king of the Swedish Empire, Charles X Gustav. It was signed on 20 October 1655 during the "Swedish Deluge", part of the Second Northern War. In contrast the preceding Treaty of Kėdainiai of 17 August, which put Lithuania under Swedish protection, the purpose of the Swedish-Lithuanian union was to end Lithuania's union with Poland, and set up two separate principalities in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The agreement did not last for long and never came into effect, as the Swedish defeat in the Battles of Warka and Prostki as well as a popular uprising in both Poland and Lithuania put an end both to Swedish power and the influence of the Radziwiłłs.

The Great Northern War (1700–21) started when an alliance of Denmark–Norway, Saxony, Poland-Lithuania and Russia declared war on the Swedish Empire, launching a threefold attack at Swedish Holstein-Gottorp, Swedish Livonia, and Swedish Ingria, sensing an opportunity as Sweden was ruled by the young Karl XII, who was 18 years old and inexperienced at the time.

Despite the tense relations in the 18th century, Sweden was the first state to accord Lithuania de facto recognition on the 12th of December, 1918. On the 18th of December,1918, the Bureau of Lithuanian Press was opened, and on the 12th of January, 1919, the first Lithuanian Diplomatic Agency was established in Stockholm. Diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Norway were established on the 29th of July, 1921, when a diplomatic mission, led by Jonas Aukštuolis, was established. During the Lithuania‘s occupation by the USSR, Stockholm became the centre of culture, politics and resistance. After the regain of independency and during the integration into the European and transatlantic structures, Nordic countries strongly supported by their Baltic neighbors. The Nordic-Baltic co-operation took place in various levels: networking and cooperation were established among politicians, civil servants and civil societies.

Currently, Nordic and Baltic cooperation takes place within various formats: European Union's Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, NB8, NB6, E-PINE, Nordic Council, Baltic Assembly, Council of the Baltic Sea States, etc. The cooperation between Lithuania and Other Baltic and Nordic countries includes not only political and security topics – countries are bound together by business and economic matters too. Lithuanian banking system is mainly operated by the Scandinavian banks SEB, Nordea, Swedbank, and DnB. Nordic countries are also amongst the largest investors in Lithuania. In 2010 Denmark's share in total FDI in Lithuania was 10.4%, Sweden's – 8.9%, Finland's 4.8%, Norway's – 3.3% and Iceland's – 0.5%. All together Nordic countries account for nearly 1/3 of all FDI in Lithuania (27.9%).

Nordic countries are also important Lithuania's trade partners all together accounting for 9.1% of all Lithuania's exports in 2011. The largest Nordic market for Lithuania's products and services is Sweden accounting for 3.6% of all Lithuania's exports. Denmark Denmark's share in Lithuania's exports is 2.1%, Norway's – 2.0%, Finland's – 1.3% and Iceland's – 0.1%.

Also, Nordic countries are important in Lithuania's import structure – all together they account for 7.5% of all Lithuania's imports. Again, Sweden is the leader from all the Nordic countries with its 3.3% in all Lithuania's imports (Finland – 2.1%, Denmark – 1.6%, Norway – 0.4% and Iceland – 0.1%).

Nordic countries are a popular destination for Lithuanian emigrants – in 2011 more that 7% of all the Lithuania's people who declared emigration, chose Norway as their new country of residence. Immigrants from Norway account for 7.5% of all the immigration to Lithuania.

Latvia[link]

Latvia has a long history of political, economical and cultural relations with the Nordic countries. During the Viking Age the indigenous tribes of present-day Latvia - the Baltic Couronians, Semigallians, Latgallians and Finnic Livs - both fought and traded with Scandinavian Vikings. The chief items of barter were bees-wax, furs, amber and silver. The Vikings travelled their so-called Eastern route, across the Baltic Sea, along the Daugava and Dnieper rivers and across the Black Sea towards Constantinople.^[18] The seafaring Couronians ("Latvian Vikings") from Courland and the Oeselians ("Estonian Vikings") from Saaremaa battled the Scandinavian Vikings and raided their lands.^[19] In 1187 they pillaged and sacked Sigtuna, by that time Sweden's largest and richest city.^[20] People in Denmark prayed: "save us Our God from the Couronian pirates".^[21][22] The Couronians participated in the Battle of Bråvalla on Swedish side against the Danes.^[23] Courland (or Kurland) and the Couronians (or Kurs) are mentioned in the Old Norse sagas, such as the Heimskringla^[24] and Egill Skallagrímsson's saga^[25]. Seeburg (now Grobiņa near Liepāja) was a Scandinavian settlement in Courland.^[26][19] Weapons, ornaments and large cemeteries of mixed Baltic and Viking character prove Swedes and Gotlanders were dwelling among the native population.^[27] Boats of the Couronians and Vikings were similar in construction and decoration.^[18] It is thought that in this age loanwords were adopted, like lord or king: in Swedish kung or konung, Latvian kungs and Danish konge .^[19]

The Northern Crusades, undertaken by the kings of Denmark and Sweden and German Livonian and Teutonic military orders, brought Christianity to the pagan tribes of Latvia. The Reformation brought Protestant Lutheranism. Between 1560-1585 the Bishopric of Courland belonged to king Frederick II of Denmark, his brother Magnus of Holstein lived and died at Piltene. Between 1561-1721 the Duchy of Livonia, which constituted the southern part of modern Estonia and northern part of modern Latvia, became Swedish Livonia, a dominion of the Swedish Empire. These times became known as "the good Swedish period"^[28], although the local Baltic German upper class kept their strong political, economical and cultural dominance over the peasant people. Alongside Finns and Estonians, Latvians fought with the Swedes in the Thirty Years' War against the Holy Roman Empire. Livonia, Sweden and Gothland were part of the same Hanseatic League trading chamber, with first Visby and later Riga as its chief city. Duke Jacob (1642-1682) of Courland leased iron and copper mines in Norway to support ship building and global seafaring.^[29] The flags of Ventspils, Cēsis and Alūksne bear a Nordic cross. Like other Northern Europeans the Latvians celebrate Midsummer solistice and St. Johns Day.

An ethnic-linguistic minority of Latvia are the Finnic Livs. The Liv people are indigenous inhabitants of present-day Latvia and ancient Livonia. The nearly extinct Liv language is a Baltic-Finnic language related to Estonian, Finnish, Karelian, Veps and Votic. Researchers believe about 15,000-28,000 Livs to have lived in the 12th century.^[30] In 2011 there were 180 registered Livs in Latvia^[31] and about 30 native speakers in the world^[32]. The Livonian Coast (Livonian: Līvõd Rānda) in Northern Courland is a protected area encompassing twelve Livonian villages. The Liv Peoples House (Livonian: Līvõd Rovkuodā) is located in the Livonian village of Mazirbe (Livonian: Irē) and the Liv Culture Center (Livonian: Līvõ Kultūr Sidām) in Riga.^[33] The Liv language is taught in universities in Latvia, Estonia and Finland.

Since the early 1990s Latvia takes part in Nordic-Baltic cooperation (NB8: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden)^[34], for which former Latvian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Valdis Birkavs and former Danish Minister of Defence Søren Gade wrote the 2010 NB8 Wise Men Report^[35]. The NB6 (Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) is a framework for meetings on EU related issues. On August 30, 2011 the Nordic and Baltic countries signed an agreement on diplomatic cooperation.^[36][37][38] Latvia also cooperates with the Nordic countries within the Council of the Baltic Sea States and the European Union's Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. The Nordic Council has an office in Riga and Latvia is a member of the Nordic Investment Bank. The Nordic countries are among the most important trading partners of Latvia.

England[link]

The Kingdom of England was founded mainly by invading Angles and in part by Jutes and Saxons, who all originated in Denmark prior to the Viking Age. Saxons, although usually associated with the modern region of Saxony, came from what is now lower Denmark and upper Germany. The name of England means 'land of the Angles', and scholars^[who?] believe that the Angles were the main contributors in the creation of what is usually called Anglo-Saxon England. These tribes shared a Scandinavian culture with the neighbouring Swedes, Danes and Geats, who all appear in the English national saga Beowulf, which is itself set in Denmark.^{[citation needed]}

Proposed flag of Northern England^{[citation needed]}

In addition to Migration Period links, much of England, particularly East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria, were once part of the Danelaw, an area of England ruled by Danish Vikings. These Danish Vikings may have been following a tradition of fortune-seeking in England that pre-dated the Viking Age, and was already well established when earlier Angles, Jutes and Saxons set up petty kingdoms in England. By contrast, the Norwegian Vikings tended to raid Scotland, Wales and Ireland. In the 11th century, Danish King Cnut the Great inherited the Kingdom of England, which was then the most prosperous monarchy in Europe, becoming king of England, Denmark, Norway and part of Sweden. In 1066, the Viking Age ended with the death of Norwegian King Harald Hardrada during an invasion attempt of England, where he was defeated by English King Harold Godwinson.

Cnut the Great's domains, in red

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 earldoms 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.

Scotland[link]

Like the English, the Scottish people have strong historical links to Scandinavia. The Scots language is descended from Old English, but has more Scandinavian loanwords than English. During the Viking Age, Scotland was frequently attacked from Norway, giving rise to a culture of Norse-Gaels, similar to the Anglo-Dane culture of Northern England. Areas such as Caithness, Sutherland and the Hebrides were under Norse rule for long periods.

The Norn language was spoken in eastern Caithness into medieval times. Norsemen have been found to have settled throughout Scotland, concentrated highly in the North.

In the Middle Ages under David I, many people arrived in the newly founded burghs from other European countries including Scandinavia. During the Middle Ages and Early Modern Era, Scotland traded extensively with the lands along the Baltic, including Scandinavia and the Baltic. Some of these people emigrated to the places where they were trading. In fact, Scotland is one of the main places from which people emigrated to Scandinavia, along with Germany.^[39]

Politically, some Scottish National Party supporters see Nordic countries, in particular the Nordic model, as allies or models.^[40][41][42]

Nordic conferences on the environment in the 2000s have included delegates from Scotland^[43]

Shetland and Orkney[link]

The Northern Isles of Scotland—Orkney and Shetland—have a long-established Nordic identity. The islands were ruled from Norway and later also Denmark 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.^{[citation needed]}

The traditional links to Scandinavia are reflected in the islands' flags, both of which are based around a Nordic cross:

Orkney	Shetland

Other regions of the British Isles have adopted symbols to allude to a similar Norse or Norse-Gaelic heritage.

Germany[link]

Parts of the states in northern Germany, namely Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg were at times part of Denmark and Lower Saxony, Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern part of Sweden, 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.

Genetically, Germans and Scandinavians are closely related. According to recent genetic analysis, both mtDNA and Y chromosome polymorphisms showed a noticeable genetic affinity between Swedes and Germans (conclusions also valid for Norwegians).^[44]

See also[link]

• Scandinavia, Northern Europe, Baltic region
• Baltoscandia
• Subdivisions of the Nordic countries
• Nordic Council, Northern Dimension
• Nordic Cross
• Climate of the Nordic countries

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: The Nordic region

• Norden – the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers' website.
• Nordregio – a European centre for research, education and documentation on spatial development, established by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Includes maps and graphs.
• Go Scandinavia – official website of the Scandinavian Tourist Boards in North America.
• Scandinavia House – the Nordic Center in New York, run by the American-Scandinavian Foundation.
• vifanord – a digital library that provides scientific information on the Nordic and Baltic countries as well as the Baltic region as a whole.
• Mid Nordic Committee – Nordic organization to promote sustainable development and growth in the region.

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