Scandinavia - Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a concept that refers to part or all of the Nordic region. In geography, the Scandinavian peninsula is a peninsula with the backbone of the Scandinavian mountains, bounded by the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. The Scandinavian peninsula was equivalent to the present-day mainland territories of Norway, Sweden and parts of northern Finland. In terms of culture, history and language, Scandinavia is understood to include Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Nordic also includes other countries and territories such as Finland, Iceland; Greenland, Faroe Islands (Denmark). In these regions Danish and Swedish are considered minority or foreign languages. All Nordic countries are members of the Nordic Council.

In some documents, based on linguistic criteria, Finland is also classified in the Scandinavian region. Others argue that Finland and Scandinavia are two distinct regions, which are grouped together in a region called Fenno-Scandinavia. Historically, Finland has been part of Sweden for over a hundred years. Today there is still a part of the Swedish minority living in Finland. Swedish is also the second official language of this country. However, Finnish has little in common with its neighbours. It is also not in the Germanic group of the Indo-European language family, but in the Finnish-Ugri language group of the Ural language family. Due to a long history of dependence, some Finns do not like to group their country and Sweden together.

nation

Nordic countries map

Denmark Scandinavia's smallest country with hundreds of islands, undulating farms, endless beaches.

Norway Famous for its deep fjords, steep mountains, wooden churches, Northern Lights and a thousand years of maritime tradition. Norway's topology and character are characteristic of regional diversity.

Sweden Scandinavia's largest country by area and population is home to endless forests, clear blue lakes and beautiful archipelagos along its shores.

Finland Hundreds of thousands of islands and lakes to explore in this stretch of bridge to the east. The furthest and perhaps most conservative of the Nordic countries, with a language unlike the Nordic languages.

Iceland Breathtaking landscapes of volcanoes, glaciers, geysers and waterfalls on this North Atlantic island.

Territory

• The islands of land - an archipelago and autonomous territory of Finland with its own distinctive culture and quasi-national identity, located in the Baltic Sea between southern Finland and Stockholm. By an accident of history, Ålanders usually speak only Swedish, have their own parliament and cuisine, print their own postage stamps, are exempt from military service and maintain a special status of taxes in the European Union.
• Faroe Islands - an autonomous territory of Denmark in the Atlantic Ocean with a very distinct culture and sense of national identity. Especially known for its impressive natural landscapes and unique birds.
• Greenland - an autonomous territory of Denmark; geography part of North America. The indigenous people, the Inuit, are also culturally close to the American homeland, but with a modern Nordic influence.
• Svalbard - an archipelago and autonomous territory of Norway, located in the Barents Sea north of Norway, famous for its harsh climate, coal deposits. The only part of Norway where polar bears actually live. Theoretically, passport holders among the 41 signatories of the treaty of Svalbard (including countries not like Afghanistan and Dominican Republic) does not require a visa or other permit to visit - or even work - in Svalbard, although due to air transit usually through mainland Norway these rights can be problematic to implement in practice.

City

• Aarhus - a brilliant open-air museum containing historic buildings from towns and cities across Denmark, many dating back to the 1800s
• Bergen - old Hanseatic mall with beautiful amazing wooden buildings, a beautiful mountain view, rich and varied nightlife
• Copenhagen - a large number of services for cultural experiences, shopping and inspiration of the Danish design traditions. In recent times the city has become the culinary hub of the region, promoting the principles of "New Nordic Cuisine".
• Gothenburg - a port and industrial city on the west coast of Sweden, second in size in Sweden
• Helsinki - is the "Daughter of the Baltic", the capital of Finland and the largest city with its iconic church
• Oslo - national important museum, a beautiful setting, lively nightlife and cultural scene
• Reykjavik - the northernmost capital of the world
• Stockholm - spread out over several islands, one of Scandinavia's most beautiful cities
• Turku - gateway to the archipelago sea; The huge castle and the Cathedral are the two poles of Turku history, between which just about all the important sites in the city can be found.

Other destinations

• Gotland - an island in the Baltic Sea
• Jostedalsbreen - the largest glacier on the European continent
• Kullaberg - nature conservation
• Myvatn - a lake area near Akureyri in the north of Iceland
• Nordkapp - this cliff is the northernmost point of mainland Europe
• Nuuksio National Park
• Saariselkä
• Stevens Cliff
• Sydfynske hav
• ingvellir . National Park - not only is this the original site of the longest-lived parliament in the world, it's also where the continental United States and Europe are breaking apart

overview

Auroras are commonly seen in Northern Europe

Strictly speaking, Scandinavia only include Denmark, Norway and Sweden, but here we use it in its broader sense to cover all countries Northern Europe (Norden). Terms Nordic countries also includes Greenland, geographically part of North America, but politically linked to the rest of the Nordic countries that are part of the Kingdom of Denmark and a member of a cooperative political organization commune called Nordic Council.

The Scandinavian countries share many cultural features including similar flags and many related languages. The area is known for its natural beauty and more recently its liberalism. Denmark, Finland and Sweden are members of the EU. Norway is rich in oil and gas.

All Nordic countries enjoy relatively strong economies. Norway and Iceland have particularly benefited from an abundance of natural resources. Sweden and Finland also share natural resources, but the international market is mainly known for strong brands such as Volvo, Saab, Ericsson and Nokia. Although Denmark has developed complex businesses in a number of industries, it ranks above all of the leading agricultural nations in Scandinavia. Strong economies and relatively small social differences translate into those hefty prices for visitors.Welfare countries Meticulousness is a common characteristic of Nordic countries. Most things are usually highly organized and tourists can expect everything to proceed according to plans, rules and timetables. According to Transparency International, Nordic countries are the least corrupt in the world (only a few other countries that match this criterion include Canada, New Zealand and Singapore).

History

Where are the Vikings? Many tourists wonder, Where in Scandinavia can they see the real Vikings. Unfortunately, they haven't been here for about a thousand years. "Viking" not the name of a particular tribe or country - it is simply the old Norse word for "sailor", "navigator of the fjord" or "pirate" depending on the source. While most Swedish, Norwegians and Danes today are farmers or fishermen still in Scandinavia (thus, by definition, are not must have been Vikings), some men (and in some cases some women) took part in commercial expeditions, exploration, and piracy, which continues to this day. Canada, Maroc and Caucasian, join the platform of big countries like Russia, France and Brother. When pagan Scandinavian was christened around 1000 AD, Viking raids were in decline. There are still traces from the Viking times, such as mysterious stones and burial mounds, everywhere in Scandinavia. Some good places to see Viking-era artifacts are National Antiquities Museum ("Historiska museet") [1] in Stockholm, NS Reykjavik Settlement Exhibition 871 ± 2 belong to Reykjavik City Museum ("Minjasafn Reykjavikur") [2] in Reykjavik, Viking Ship Museum ("Vikingeskibsmuseet") [3] in Roskilde and Ancient Uppsala in Uppsala. Viking Age heritage has been distorted through history - romanticized in the 19th century, as horned hats were made. (A horned one would be very impractical in combat.) Most Scandinavians take great pride in their Viking origins, although they don't take this seriously.

Scandinavia was covered by a layer of ice around 10,000 BC. As the ice pushes the land down, it still rises above the sea level, at a rate of nearly 1 cm a year. While northern Germanic peoples inhabited the southern coast, Finns and Sami migrated from the Ural Mountains. From about 700 AD, Norse sailors known as Vikings ventured across the Atlantic and European rivers. Christianity did not reach Scandinavia until about 1000, and spread to Finland many centuries later. The Nordic countries participated in the Kalmar League during the 14th and 15th centuries, but due to Sweden's exit in the 16th century, they fought eleven wars against Denmark, over the next 300 years. followed, until the idea of ​​Nordic unity was revived in the 19th century. Norway, Finland and Iceland achieved or gained independence in the early 20th century. Since the end of World War II, the five Nordic countries have prospered as democratic social security, albeit in different political spheres.

Geography

Denmark borders virtue, while Finland and Norway have borders with Russia, but otherwise the Nordic countries are separated from their neighbors by the Baltic Sea, North Sea or Atlantic Ocean. An abundance of land, water and wilderness is a common feature of the Nordic countries (with the exception of Denmark, most of the country is farmed or settled). For example, Sweden is one of the largest countries in Europe in the region but has only some 9 million inhabitants.

Landscapes and nature vary greatly across the Nordic countries. Denmark is a flat lowland like the Netherlands and Northern Germany. Iceland is a land of volcanoes and arctic. Norway and Sweden share the Scandinavian peninsula that is highest on the Atlantic coast and gradually becomes lower until Sweden meets the Baltic Sea. The Nordic mountains, running from southern Norway and Tromsø through northern Norway, are steep and rugged on the Atlantic side, gentle on the east. Finland is relatively flat, somewhat cold, and characterized by lakes dotted across the country. Large parts of Sweden and Finland (as well as parts of Norway) are covered with deep pine forests which are mainly the western branches of the great Russian taiga. Galdhøpiggen in the national park Jotunheimen of Norway has an elevation of 2,469 m (8,100 f) north of the highest mountain in the Alps, while Kebnekaise, at 2104 m (6902 f), is the highest mountain in Sweden.

Climate

The Nordic countries are known for their distinct seasonal changes due to fluctuations in temperature, wind and precipitation. In addition to this, the amount of sunlight varies greatly between summer and winter, with the north of these countries having up to several months without sunlight in winter, and several months of sunlight. continuously during the summer.

The northern part of Norway, Sweden and Finland, as well as most of Greenland, lies within the Arctic Circle. Do high latitude Summer nights are very short and in most northern parts there is midnight sun in the summer (and no sun in the middle of winter). While the central part of Scandinavia (Oslo-Stockholm triangle, Copenhagen) is more densely populated, large areas in the North or in the mountains are almost uninhabited at all. Because of this, space, light and nature are the main features of the four northern countries, with the exception of Denmark.

Although in the high-central latitude region, the Nordic countries have a temperate, at least much warmer than expected at this latitude. The northern part has a subarctic climate, while the southern part and coastal areas enjoy a temperate climate. Denmark and the coastal areas of southern Norway, Iceland and western Sweden only experience occasional frost and snow during winter. Summers in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland are pleasantly warm with daytime temperatures between 15-30 °C. In the mountains and along the west coast, the weather is generally more unstable. Finland has the most stable sunny weather during the summer. In general, going inland, the difference between summer and winter is larger. The Baltic side is usually colder in winter than the North Sea side. The Atlantic Islands are west of Norway and there is a slight difference between summer and winter.

Arrive

By plane

Due to the great distances and countries surrounding most of the Nordic region, getting here by air is often the most efficient way of getting to the Nordic countries. All major cities have international airports, and even towns like Haugesund and lesund serves a number of international flights. Almost all Scandinavian airlines service European airports.

• SAS Scandinavian Airlines ( Denmark, Norway, Sweden) - Scandinavia's largest supplier and national airline of all 3 countries, the main international hub is Copenhagen airport, Kastrup.

San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, DC, New York, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo

• Finnair (Finland) - the national airline of Finland, flying out of its main base in Helsinki, with a strong presence on Asian routes.

New York, Delhi, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Singapore.

• Icelandair (Iceland) - further strengthens the strategic midway position between Europe and North America to maintain a strong presence on North American routes.

Seattle, Minneapolis-St Paul, Orlando, Boston, New York, Toronto, Halifax

• Atlantic Airways (Faroe Islands) - Flies many destinations in the North Atlantic, including the UK and Iceland, and their partner airlines Air Iceland( Flugfelag Island) [4] expands North Atlantic network to include several destinations above Greenland.

In addition to regional airlines, there are also several major international airlines which offer direct routes to Scandinavia. Emirates, Gulf Air, Air Canada and Singapore Airlines fly to Copenhagen,Air China to Stockholm, while PIA ( Pakistan'),Thai, Qatar Airways, US Airways, Delta, and United Airlines all services several intercontinental routes to Scandinavia.

Alternative low-cost airlines in the region include 'Norwegian[5] in Norway, Sweden and Denmark and Iceland Express[6] on Iceland. Both airlines have routes to one of the London airports, and therefore London is a very good starting point, if you can find a cheaper flight there, which is often the case. Many of the low-cost airlines serve routes primarily between cold Scandinavia and the sunny Mediterranean, so you can also find bargain flights from Spain, Italy, etc. you want to experience a real Nordic winter.

By ferry

Norway is served by ferries from Denmark and Germany. To Sweden, there are ferries from Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Iceland is connected to the Danish Faroe Islands and by ferry. Finland has ferries from Estonia and Germany.

¹ Arrives in Nynäshamn, about 1 hour south of Stockholm by suburban train