Nordic countries

For disambiguation, see Nordic.

The Nordic region.

The Nordic countries, excluding Greenland and Svalbard.

The Nordic region or Nordic countries is a region in Northern Europe, consisting of the five countries in the Nordic Council (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) and their associate insular members. The region's five nation-states and three autonomous regions share a common history as well as common traits in their respective societies, such as cultural traits and political systems. The Nordic countries have a combined population of about 24 million.

Finnish and Swedish Lapland and Norwegian Finnmark, and other regions within the Nordic states, where the Sami peoples live, are part of the concept of the Nordic Countries.

Etymology and terminology

The term is derived from the French term Pays Nordiques as an equivalent of the local terms Norden (Scandinavian languages) and Pohjola (Finnish language) and Norðurlond (Icelandic and Faroese languages) with the meaning of "The North(ern lands)".

In English usage, the term Scandinavia is often used as a synonym for the Nordic countries. This is a source of repeated ambiguity. Scandinavia, originally a purely geographic term, came to include, since the 1850's, politically and culturally Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Geographically Scandinavia or the Scandinavian peninsula includes Sweden, Norway and a small part of Finland. The geologic term for the land area which lies above sea level on the Baltic shield (also known as the Fennoscandian shield) is Fennoscandia. Again, here the local terminology Norden/Pohjola is unambiguously of a culturo-historical nature and clear in definition.

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 Greenland.

Population density in the Nordic region.

History

See also: History of Scandinavia

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.

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.

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 and the Faroy 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 in 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 a 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.

Political dimension and divisions

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 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". The Greenland and the Sami people have flags with no cross.

Denmark	Faroe Islands	Finland	Iceland	Norway	Sweden	Åland Islands
Denmark	Faroe Islands	Finland	Iceland	Norway	Sweden	Åland Islands

The Nordic region is not unique in having its countries possess similar flags: the nations of Central America likewise exhibit such a trait. (see United Provinces of Central America)

Estonia's Nordic identity

As of late, Estonia seems to show signs of interests in identifying itself with the Nordic Countries due to its linguistic, cultural and historical ties with Finland and Sweden. Nowadays, there is also a great deal of economic interdependence between Estonia and some Nordic states; fully three quarters of investments into Estonia come from Nordic states (principally Finland and Sweden), to which Estonia sends 58% of its exports.

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 interests in joining the Nordic Council.

See also

• Subdivisions of the Nordic countries
• Scandinavia
• Baltic countries
• Baltic region
• Northern Europe
• Nordic Cross
• Thule
• Northern Dimension

External links

• 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.