What makes scandinavia the region it is

Known as the Nordic cross , the design features an off-centre cross, with an optional thin border on the cross itself. Its origin is Danish and the distinctive design is said to represent Christianity. Despite the name, the flag is not exclusive to the region. Many regional flags within the Baltic nations Latvia and Estonia use the design, while there have been campaigns within Estonia to adopt the design for their national flag.

The flags of the Scottish archipelagos of Shetland and Orkney also feature the Nordic cross design, recalling their Nordic origins. Many other countries, territories, islands and regions from all over the world also make use of the striking design.

Now for the boring bit. The Nordic Council of Ministers is a forum to facilitate cooperation across the region. It may sound a little like the European Union, but there are significant differences. Firstly, members of the Council are not directly elected. They are members of the national parliaments and are nominated by the party groups.

Another major difference is that the full Council of Ministers meets just twice per year. At these forums, Nordic politicians make decisions on issues, but they are not binding decisions. Instead, the individual Nordic governments are strongly encouraged to implement them. While this formal decision-making takes place infrequently, there is plenty of ongoing work conducted through committees and party groups. Two example committees are one on knowledge and culture in the region, and one on sustainability.

You can find out more about all of them here. Rising inequality is one of the biggest social and economic issues of our time. But what does that actually mean? Well, first things first, it does not mean socialist.

Regardless of the current make up of their governments, all five Nordic nations are all social-democratic countries with mixed economies. The countries are not socialist in the classical sense because they are driven by financial markets rather than by central planning. That being said, the states play a strategic role in the economies.

According to one researcher, the success of the Nordic countries shows that major egalitarian reforms and substantial welfare states are possible within prosperous capitalist countries. You can read more on the researcher's take on the Nordic model here. Is there such a thing as Nordic culture? Yes, absolutely. Understandable given the climate, winter sports are dominant throughout much of the Nordic region.

One curious discipline that combines ski jumping with cross-country skiing not at the same time! Regulated by the International Ski Federation FIS , the discipline was invented in Norway and competitions from the country lead the way in many major events. At elite level the sport has traditionally been male only, however times are changing. Women were included in the FIS Junior World Championships from , while women will be included in senior competition from As the northernmost European country, Norway is known for its frequent midnight sun.

The country is also filled with gorgeous fjords and landscapes. Iceland is popular for its otherworldly landscapes, access to the northern lights , and the Blue Lagoon among other amazing hot springs in the country. Many impressive landscapes were used as filming locations for "Game of Thrones. Finland is still under the radar for most tourists but its surprisingly mild climate and diverse regional landscape make it an ideal Nordic vacation destination. Finns are known to be very kind and you should make sure to enjoy the nation's saunas before you leave.

If you like to bike Denmark will be your ideal Nordic country. Biking is integral to daily life so much of the country is very cyclist-friendly.

Copenhagen is the most well-known city and is ideal for travelers who like to walk as much of the city is catered to pedestrians. Greenland is a territory that is closer to America than to Europe but belongs politically to the kingdom of Denmark. Neither the Baltic countries nor Greenland is considered Scandinavian or Nordic. However, there is a close relationship between the Nordic countries and the Baltics and Greenland. The Baltic republics have been strongly influenced, both culturally and historically, by the Scandinavian countries and the same applies to a part of Greenland's historical and cultural heritage.

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Measure ad performance. At just under 5. Capital city Helsinki is home to the 18th-century Suomenlinna sea fortress, the mega-hip Design District and fascinating range of museums.

Although the country shares much with its neighbours to the west, the Finnish language is completely different. As such, most Finnish schoolchildren learn Swedish as a second language, and are also fluent in English by the time they become adults. With a population of less than half a million people, Iceland is the smallest of the main Nordic nations by quite some way.

Yet despite this, the country somehow manages to punch way above its weight. Tourism is a massive draw to the island, in particular to the world-famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, the incredible landscapes, and to a lesser extent the westfjords region. Which is your favourite Scandinavian country?

If you love Scandinavia, why not share that love on Pinterest? It's one of our favourite places to plan a trip. We've got just the pin for you. Just hit that Pinterest button! He now works as a professional writer on all things Scandinavia.

I love to visit the Scandinavian country as l can see that is a lovely country during my next holiday ,please kindly send me the list of area and tourism zone to visit.

It is Soo amazing, how cheerful and loving Scandinavian countries are United. An evident demonstration of love and unity, definitely a good place to visit or even live. Soo much to learn from these countries! I love to visit these countries and was recently in Copenhagen and hope to visit Oslo soon.

Have been in Tromso and Stockholme in the last 3 years and Gottenborg. Northwestern part of Finland is geographically on the Scandinavian peninsula, Denmark is not. Finnish language is, however, completely different from the Scandinavian languages, though Finland is officially bilingual and has a Swedish speaking minority. This group contains Estonian and some minority groups speaking related Baltic languages The Finno-Ugric group has similarities with Hungarian and all belong to the Ural-Altaic family of languages which includes the Turkic group of languages and these can be traced to Mongolian territory.

One province in Finland is Swedish speaking. Finland has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish. Finnish is the mother tongue of about 90 percent of Finns. Swedish is the mother tongue for about 5 percent of the Finns. Swedish is mostly spoken on the west and south coasts of Finland. In the northern part, both in Finland, Sweden, Norway and in Russia with a border to the west, Sami is also spoken. In total, approximately 5. Home » Scandinavia » The Scandinavian Countries.

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