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77-646: 2 autonomous territories 1 autonomous region 2 unincorporated areas 1 dependency 2 Antarctic claims The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or Norden ; lit.   ' the North ' ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic . It includes the sovereign states of Denmark , Finland , Iceland , Norway and Sweden ;

154-415: A cultural area , cultural region , cultural sphere , or culture area refers to a geography with one relatively homogeneous human activity or complex of activities ( culture ). Such activities are often associated with an ethnolinguistic group and with the territory it inhabits. Specific cultures often do not limit their geographic coverage to the borders of a nation state , or to smaller subdivisions of

231-426: A mixed market economy combined with strong labour unions and a universalist welfare sector financed by high taxes, enhancing individual autonomy and promoting social mobility . There is a high degree of income redistribution, commitment to private ownership and little social unrest. North Germanic peoples , who comprise over three-quarters of the region's population, are the largest ethnic group, followed by

308-647: A retaliatory strike in conjunction with the German attack on the Soviet Union. However, more territory was lost and for many years to come Finnish foreign policy was based on appeasing the Soviet Union , even though Finland was able to retain its democratic form of government. Denmark and Norway were occupied by Germany in 1940. The Allies responded by occupying Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Sweden managed to formally maintain its neutrality in

385-504: A 95 ± 29  mm rise in global sea levels until they reach equilibrium. However, environmental conditions have worsened and are predicted to continue to worsen in the future. Given that the rate of melting will accelerate, and by using mathematical models to predict future climate patterns, the actual contribution of ice caps to rising sea levels is expected to be more than double from initial estimates. High-latitude regions covered in ice, though strictly not an ice cap (since they exceed

462-616: A continental scale are also referred to as "worlds", "spheres", or "civilizations", such as the Islamic world . The term cultural bloc is used by anthropologists to describe culturally and linguistically similar groups (or nations) of Aboriginal peoples of Australia . It may have been coined first by Ronald Berndt in 1959 to describe the Western Desert cultural bloc , a group of peoples in central Australia whose languages comprise around 40 dialects. Other groups described as

539-679: A cultural bloc include the Noongar people of south-western Australia; the Bundjalung people of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland ; the Kuninjku / Bininj Kunwok bloc and the Yolngu cultural bloc in Arnhem Land , Northern Territory . A music area is a cultural area defined according to musical activity. It may or may not conflict with the cultural areas assigned to

616-462: A given region. The world may be divided into three large music areas, each containing a "cultivated" or classical musics "that are obviously its most complex musical forms", with, nearby, folk styles which interact with the cultivated, and, on the perimeter, primitive styles. [REDACTED] Media related to Cultural regions at Wikimedia Commons Ice cap Ice caps are not constrained by topographical features (i.e., they will lie over

693-916: A major role in the establishment of the early-modern states in Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Sweden was very successful during the Thirty Years' War , while Denmark was a failure. Sweden saw an opportunity of a change of power in the region. Denmark–Norway had a threatening territory surrounding Sweden and the Sound Dues were a continuing irritation for the Swedes. In 1643, the Swedish Privy Council determined Swedish territorial gain in an eventual war against Denmark–Norway to have good chances. Not long after this, Sweden invaded Denmark–Norway. The war ended as foreseen with Swedish victory and with

770-828: A mixture of that of Norway, Finland and Denmark. Except at the High Coast the coastal areas of Sweden form lowlands. Sweden has three highland areas, the South Swedish Highlands , the Scandinavian Mountains and the Norrland terrain which is the eastern continuation of the Scandinavian Mountains. The South Swedish Highland and the Norrland terrain are separated by the Central Swedish lowland . The topography of Iceland stands out among

847-640: A population density around continental average, higher than for instance France and Poland but lower when compared to the United Kingdom, Italy or Germany. Finland, Norway and Sweden has a population density that is a little lower than the United States, but higher than Canada. In round figures, Iceland's population density resembles Canada's. This list includes dependent territories within their sovereign states (including uninhabited territories), but does not include claims on Antarctica . EEZ+TIA

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924-480: A state. A culture area is a concept in cultural anthropology in which a geographic region and time sequence ( age area ) is characterized by shared elements of environment and culture. A precursor to the concept of culture areas originated with museum curators and ethnologists during the late 1800s as means of arranging exhibits, combined with the work of taxonomy . The American anthropologists Clark Wissler and Alfred Kroeber further developed this version of

1001-482: A temperature of 7–8 °C below zero during the same month. Climatic conditions and quality of land have determined how land is used in the Nordic countries. In densely populated mainland Denmark there is hardly any wild nature left. Most of the scarce forests are plantations and nearly 60 per cent of Denmark's total area is cultivated or zoned as gardens or parks. On the other hand, in the other Nordic countries there

1078-643: A year later. The Nordic countries and self-governing regions in alphabetic order – number of inhabitants (2018), area (km) and population density (people/km): Denmark is by far the most densely populated country, whilst Sweden, Norway and Finland are low populated and similar to each other from this perspective. Iceland has both the lowest population and by far the lowest population density. But large areas in Finland, Norway and Sweden, like most of Iceland, are unpopulated. There are no such areas in Denmark. Denmark has

1155-743: Is a significant part of a society's culture, but it can also divide subgroups of the same ethnolinguistic group along more subtle criteria, such as the Brünig-Napf-Reuss line in German-speaking Switzerland, the Weißwurstäquator in Germany, or the Grote rivieren boundary between Dutch and Flemish culture. In the history of Europe , the major cultural boundaries are traditionally found: Macro-cultures on

1232-404: Is a strong consensus about keeping to the general concept. A central theme in the Nordic model is the "universalist" welfare state aimed specifically at enhancing individual autonomy, promoting social mobility and ensuring the universal provision of basic human rights, as well as for stabilising the economy. In this model welfare is not just aid to those who are in need of it, but a central part of

1309-462: Is exclusive economic zone (EEZ) plus total internal area (TIA) which includes land and internal waters. The Kingdom of Denmark includes the home-rule ( hjemmestyre ) territory of the Faroe Islands and the self-rule ( selvstyre ) territory of Greenland . The Nordic countries have a combined area of around 3.5 million square kilometres and their geography is extremely varied. The area

1386-677: Is much wild nature left. Only between 0 and 9 per cent of the land in the other Nordic countries is cultivated. Around 17 per cent of the land area in Iceland is used for permanent meadows and pastures and both Finland, Norway as well as Sweden have large forest areas. The Nordic region has a political dimension in the joint official bodies called the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Helsinki Treaty , signed on 23 March 1962 entered into force on 1 July 1962 and

1463-773: Is not represented in the territory concerned, according to the Helsinki Treaty. Since 25 March 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 . Cultural region In anthropology and geography ,

1540-472: Is not represented in the territory concerned. Nordic cooperation is based on the Helsinki Treaty. Politically, Nordic countries do not form a separate entity, but they cooperate in the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers . The council was established after World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction of a Nordic Passport Union in 1952. This resulted in a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for

1617-506: Is now known as the " cultural turn ." The definition of culture areas is enjoying a resurgence of practical and theoretical interest as social scientists conduct more research on processes of cultural globalization. Allen Noble gave a summary of the concept development of cultural regions using terms such as: Cultural "spheres of influence" may also overlap or form concentric structures of macrocultures encompassing smaller local cultures. Different boundaries may also be drawn depending on

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1694-477: Is primarily associated with Carl O. Sauer and his colleagues. Sauer viewed culture as "an agent within a natural area that was a medium to be cultivated to produce the cultural landscape." Sauer's concept was later criticized as deterministic , and geographer Yi-Fu Tuan and others proposed versions that enabled scholars to account for phenomenological experience as well. This revision became known as humanistic geography. The period within which humanistic geography

1771-485: Is reputed to be the oldest working parliament in the world. However, it was dissolved for much of the first half of the 19th century. In Denmark, Iceland and Sweden elections are held at least once every four years. Finland, Åland and Norway have fixed four-year election periods. Elections in the Faroe Islands and Greenland follow the Danish system of elections. The Danish Folketing has 179 seats, including two seats each for

1848-523: Is so vast that it covers five time zones . To the east the region borders Russia, and on the west the Canadian coastline can be seen from Greenland on a clear day. Even excluding Greenland and the Norwegian islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen , the remaining part of the Nordic countries covers around 1.3 million square kilometres. This is about the same area as France, Germany and Italy together. To

1925-531: Is the political agreement which sets the framework for Nordic cooperation. 23 March is celebrated as the "Nordic Day" as the treaty is sometimes referred to as the constitution of the Nordic cooperation. Several aspects of the common market as in the EU have been implemented decades before the EU implemented them. Intra-Nordic trade is not covered by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for

2002-759: The Baltic Finnic Peoples , who comprise the majority in Finland; other ethnic groups are the Greenlandic Inuit , the Sami people and recent immigrants and their descendants. Historically, the main religion in the region was Norse paganism . This gave way first to Roman Catholicism after the Christianisation of Scandinavia . Then, following the Protestant Reformation , the main religion became Lutheran Christianity ,

2079-601: The European Free Trade Association (EFTA). All the Nordic countries are however members of the European Economic Area (EEA). Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Nordic countries began partnerships with newly liberated neighbouring Baltic states ( Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania ) by opening Nordic council of ministers' offices in the three countries. The Baltic Assembly started to work together with

2156-709: The Germanic people that would later relate to the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe . However, these acquired the Latin culture of Rome . The Nordic countries first came into more permanent contact with the rest of Europe during the Viking Age . Southern Finland and northern parts of Sweden and Norway were areas where the Vikings mostly only traded and had raids, whilst

2233-444: The Nordic Council of Ministers . The Nordic countries cluster near the top in numerous metrics of national performance, including education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life and human development. Each country has its own economic and social model, sometimes with large differences from its neighbours. Still, they share aspects of the Nordic model of economy and social structure to varying degrees. This includes

2310-523: The Schengen Area 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. When traveling to other countries than the Nordics, public officials in the foreign services of any of the Nordic countries are to assist citizens of another Nordic country if that country

2387-533: The Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645 Denmark–Norway had to cede some of their territories, including Norwegian territories Jemtland , Herjedalen and Idre and Serna , as well as the Danish Baltic Sea islands of Gotland and Ösel . The Thirty Years' War thus began the rise of Sweden as a great power , while it marked the start of decline for the Danish. To some extent in the 16th century and certainly in

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2464-427: The autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland ; and the autonomous region of Åland . The Nordic countries have much in common in their way of life, history , religion and social and economic model . They have a long history of political unions and other close relations but do not form a singular entity today. The Scandinavist movement sought to unite Denmark, Norway and Sweden into one country in

2541-423: The state religion of several Nordic countries. Although the area is linguistically heterogeneous, with three unrelated language groups, the common linguistic heritage is one factor that makes up the Nordic identity. Most Nordic languages belong to North Germanic languages , Finno-Ugric languages and Eskimo–Aleut languages . Danish , Norwegian and Swedish are considered mutually intelligible , and they are

2618-491: The 11th century, three northern kingdoms emerged in the region: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Iceland first became a commonwealth before it came under Norwegian rule in the early 13th century. There were several secular powers who aimed to bring Finland under their rule, but through the Second and Third Swedish Crusade in the latter part of 13th and through the colonisation of some coastal areas of Finland with Christian Swedes,

2695-543: The 17th, the Nordic region played a major role in European politics at the highest level. The struggle for dominion over the Baltic Sea and its trading opportunities raged between Denmark–Norway and Sweden, which began to impact upon the neighbouring nations. Sweden prevailed in the long term and became a major European power as it extended its reach into coastal tracts in modern-day Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and – following

2772-468: The 19th century. With the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden (Norwegian independence), the independence of Finland in the early 20th century and the 1944 Icelandic constitutional referendum , this movement expanded into the modern organised Nordic cooperation. Since 1962, this cooperation has been based on the Helsinki Treaty that sets the framework for the Nordic Council and

2849-596: The Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream the colder it gets during the winters. Finland, most of Sweden and the south-eastern part of Norway are influenced by the vast continent to the east which results in warm and long summers and clear and cold winters, often with snow. For example, Bergen at the west coast of Norway normally has a temperature above zero in February while Helsinki in Finland normally will have

2926-774: The Axis/Allies conflict and avoided direct hostilities, but in practice it adapted to the wishes of the dominant power – first Germany, later the Allies. However, during the Winter War between Finland and Russia in 1939–1940, Sweden did support Finland and declared itself "non combatant" rather than neutral. Compared with large parts of Europe, the Nordic region got off lightly during the World War II, which partially explains its strong post-war economic development. The labour movement – both trade unions and political parties –

3003-437: The Faroe Islands and Greenland, which had been re-colonised in the 18th century, became Danish. Population growth and industrialisation brought change to the Nordic countries during the 19th century and new social classes steered political systems towards democracy. International politics and nationalism also created the preconditions for the later independence of Norway in 1905 , Finland in 1917 and Iceland in 1944 . During

3080-703: The Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Finnish Eduskunta has 200 seats, including one seat for Åland. The Icelandic Althing has 63 seats, the Norwegian Storting 169 seats and the Swedish Riksdag 349 seats. The Faroese Løgting has 32 seats, Greenland's Inatsisartut 31 seats and Åland's Lagtinget 30 seats. Nordic citizens – and in the three member countries of the EU also EU citizens – living in another Nordic country are normally entitled to vote in local government elections after three months of residence, while other foreign citizens have to reside in

3157-546: The International Sale of Goods (CISG), but by local law. The Nordic countries have cooperated closely in the administrative and consular fields since the Nordic Passport Union was established and the Helsinki Treaty concluded. According to the Helsinki Treaty, public officials in the foreign services of any of the Nordic countries are to assist citizens of another Nordic country if that country

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3234-650: The Nordic Council to form the Nordic-Baltic Eight in 1992, while big Baltic companies were bought by Nordic companies in sectors such as banking or telecommunications. In 1999, Estonia started to promote its Nordic heritage (see Nordic identity in Estonia ) while government of Sweden expressed regrets regarding the deportation of Estonian and Latvian soldiers to USSR in 1946. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine , Finland joined NATO in 2023 as did Sweden

3311-522: The Nordic countries are members of NATO. The Nordic foreign and security policy cooperation became closer and expanded its scope in 2014. The Nordic Council of Ministers is responsible for inter-governmental cooperation. Prime ministers have ultimate responsibility, but this is usually delegated to the Minister for Nordic Cooperation and the Nordic Committee for Co-operation, which coordinates

3388-488: The Nordic countries for being a bowl-formed highland. Despite their northern location, the Nordic countries generally have a mild climate compared with other countries that share globally the same latitudes. The climate in the Nordic countries is mainly influenced by their northern location, but remedied by the vicinity to the ocean and the Gulf Stream which brings warm ocean currents from the tip of Florida. Even far to

3465-497: The Nordic countries for three to four years before they are eligible to vote. In Denmark and the Faroe Islands, the percentage turn-out at elections is close to 90% per cent, but it is only about 67% in Åland and Finland. Men are more often elected to the national assembly compared to women. The biggest bias between the two sexes is seen in the Faroe Islands and Åland, while in Sweden men and women are close to being equally represented in

3542-463: The Nordic countries is Gedser , on the island of Falster in Denmark. The northernmost point is Kaffeklubben Island in Greenland, which is also the northernmost point of land on Earth. The largest cities and capitals of the Nordic countries are situated on the southern parts of the region, with the exception of Reykjavík , the capital of Iceland. Helsinki , Oslo and Stockholm are all close to

3619-644: The Nordic countries of the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, or the Iron Age with the exception of a limited numbers of tools created from stone, bronze and iron, some jewelry and ornaments and stone burial cairns. However, one important collection that exists is a widespread and rich collection of stone drawings known as petroglyphs . The Goths , who originated in southern Scandinavia and would later divide into Visigoths and Ostrogoths , are known to have been one of

3696-537: The Nordic countries' borders without having their passport checked, but still have to carry some sort of approved travel identification documents. During the 2015 European migrant crisis , temporary border controls were set up between Denmark and Sweden to control the movement of refugees into Sweden. 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

3773-499: The Nordic region was politically united in the loose Kalmar Union . Diverging interests and especially Sweden's dissatisfaction over the Danish dominance gave rise to a conflict that hampered the union from the 1430s onward until its final dissolution in 1523. After the dissolution Denmark and Norway, including Iceland, formed a personal union of the two kingdoms called Denmark–Norway whilst the successful period of Vasa Kings began in Sweden and Finland. The Lutheran Reformation played

3850-587: The Swedish rule was gradually established in the region. During the Middle Ages , increased trade meant that the Nordic countries became increasingly integrated into Europe and Nordic society became more Continental . The monarchies strengthened their positions in the 12th and 13th centuries through imposing taxes on peasants and a class of nobles also emerged. By the Late Middle Ages, the whole of

3927-621: The Thirty Years' War – also into Pomerania and other North German areas. Sweden also conquered vast areas from Denmark–Norway during the Northern Wars in the middle of the 17th century. Sweden also had several conflicts with Russia over Finland and other eastern areas of the country and after the Great Northern War (1700–1721) Sweden lost most of its territories outside the old Swedish border to Russia which then became

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4004-516: The advent of Foreningen Norden . The term is derived indirectly from the local term Norden , used in the North Germanic (Scandinavian) languages , which means 'The North(ern lands)'. Unlike the Nordic countries , the term Norden is in the singular. The demonym is nordbo , literally meaning 'northern dweller'. Similar or related regional terms include: Norga Italics indicates a dependent territory . Little evidence remains in

4081-478: The concept on the premise that cultural areas represent longstanding cultural divisions. This iteration of the concept is sometimes criticized as arbitrary, but the organization of human communities into cultural areas remains a common practice throughout the social sciences . Cultural geography also utilizes the concept of culture areas. Cultural geography originated within the Berkeley School, and

4158-590: The countries are among the wealthiest worldwide and there is little social unrest. In 2015, Save the Children ranked the Nordic countries as number 1–5 of countries where mothers and children fare the best (among 179 countries studied). Nordic parliaments are all based on a one-chamber system . The Norwegian parliament, the Storting , did actually function as two separate chambers until 2009 when dealing with certain issues. The Icelandic Althing , founded in 930 AD,

4235-507: The countries' citizens. In 1971, the Nordic Council of Ministers, an intergovernmental forum, was established to complement the council. The Nordic Council and the Council of Ministers have their headquarters in Copenhagen and various installations in each separate country, as well as many offices in neighbouring countries. The headquarters are located at Ved Stranden No. 18, close to Slotsholmen. The Nordic Council consists of 87 representatives, elected from its members' parliaments and reflecting

4312-480: The day-to-day work. The autonomous territories have the same representation as states. The Nordic countries share an economic and social model, which involves the combination of a market economy with a welfare state financed with heavy taxes. The welfare states were largely developed by strong social democrat parties and in Finland with cooperation with the Agrarian League . Although the specifics differ between countries and there are ongoing political arguments, there

4389-488: The entire ice cap and will follow the downward slopes of the land. Ice caps have been used as indicators of global warming, as increasing temperatures cause ice caps to melt and lose mass faster than they accumulate mass. Ice cap size can be monitored through different remote-sensing methods such as aircraft and satellite data. Ice caps accumulate snow on their upper surfaces, and ablate snow on their lower surfaces. An ice cap in equilibrium accumulates and ablates snow at

4466-442: The glacier's retreat. Many lakes, such as the Great Lakes in North America, as well as numerous valleys have been formed by glacial action over hundreds of thousands of years. The Antarctic and Greenland contain 99% of the ice volume on earth, about 33 million cubic kilometres (7.9 million cubic miles) of total ice mass. Ice caps are formed when snow is deposited during the cold season and fails to completely melt during

4543-402: The hot season. Over time, the snow builds up and becomes dense, well-bonded snow known as perennial firn . Finally, the air passages between snow particles close off and transforms into ice. The shape of an ice cap is determined by the landscape it lies on, as melting patterns can vary with terrain. For example, the lower portions of an ice cap are forced to flow outwards under the weight of

4620-428: The largest plain in the Nordic countries. The Scandinavian Mountains dominate the landscape of Norway. The southern part of the Scandinavian Mountains is broader than the northern one and contains higher peaks. The southern part contains also a series of plateaux and gently undulating plains . The western parts of the mountains are cut by fjords, producing a dramatic landscape. The landscape of Sweden can be described as

4697-485: The life of everybody: education is free, healthcare has zero or nominal fees in most cases, most children go to municipal day care, etc. The Nordic model is distinguished from other types of welfare states by its emphasis on maximising labour force participation, promoting gender equality, egalitarian and extensive benefit levels, the large magnitude of income redistribution and liberal use of expansionary fiscal policy. Trade unions are strong. The model has been successful:

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4774-412: The long term, the AAR of glaciers has been about 0.57. In contrast, data from the most recent years of 1997–2006 yields an AAR of only 0.44. In other words, glaciers and ice caps are accumulating less snow and are out of equilibrium, causing melting and contributing to sea level rises. Assuming the climate continues to be in the same state as it was in 2006, it is estimated that ice caps will contribute

4851-407: The maximum area specified in the definition above), are called polar ice caps ; the usage of this designation is widespread in the mass media and arguably recognized by experts. Vatnajökull is an example of an ice cap in Iceland . Plateau glaciers are glaciers that overlie a generally flat highland area. Usually, the ice overflows as hanging glaciers in the lower parts of the edges. An example

4928-471: The national assembly. The Nordic Passport Union, created in 1954 and implemented on 1 May 1958, allows citizens of the Nordic countries: Denmark (Faroe Islands included since 1 January 1966, Greenland not included), Sweden, Norway (Svalbard, Bouvet Island and Queen Maud Land not included), Finland and Iceland (since 24 September 1965) to cross approved border districts without carrying and having their passport checked. Other citizens can also travel between

5005-434: The new major power in Northern Europe. After the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), the political map of the Nordic countries altered again. In 1809, Finland was conquered by Russian Empire from Sweden in the Finnish War , after which Finland became the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland . In turn, Sweden captured Norway from Denmark in 1814 in the Swedish–Norwegian War and started a Union between Sweden and Norway . Iceland,

5082-444: The north, the winters can be quite mild, though north of the Polar Circle the climate zone is mostly subarctic with harsh winters and short summers. In Greenland and Svalbard the climate is polar. The sea has a heavy influence on the weather in the western coastal zones of Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The precipitation is high and snow cover during winters is rare. Summers are generally cool. The further away that one gets from

5159-411: The particular aspect of interest, such as religion and folklore vs dress, or architecture vs language. Another version of cultural area typology divides cultural areas into three forms: A cultural boundary (also cultural border) in ethnology is a geographical boundary between two identifiable ethnic or ethnolinguistic cultures. A language border is necessarily also a cultural border, as language

5236-414: The permanent settlements of Vikings in the Nordic region were in southern Norway and Sweden, Denmark and Faroes as well as parts of Iceland, Greenland and Estonia . Christian Europe responded to the raids and conquest of Vikings with intensive missionary work. The missionaries wanted the new territories to be ruled by Christian kings who would help to strengthen the church. After conversion to Christianity in

5313-411: The region had over 27 million people. Especially in English, 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. Geologically, the Scandinavian Peninsula comprises the mainland of Norway and Sweden and the northernmost part of Finland. The term Nordic countries found mainstream use after

5390-549: The relative representation of the political parties in those parliaments. It holds its main session in the autumn, while a so-called "theme session" is arranged in the spring. Each of the national delegations has its own secretariat in the national parliament. The autonomous territories – Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland – also have Nordic secretariats. The Council does not have any formal power on its own, but each government has to implement any decisions through its country's legislative assembly. All of

5467-436: The same latitude as the southernmost point of Greenland, Egger Island ( Itilleq ): about 60°N . All of Denmark and most of Finland lie below 200 m and the topography of both is relatively flat. In Denmark, moraines and tunnel valleys add some relief to the landscape while in Finland the surroundings of lakes Pielinen and Päijänne display some moderate relief. The Finnish area just east of Bothnian Bay stands out as

5544-423: The same rate. The AAR is the ratio between the accumulation area and the total area of the ice cap, which is used to indicate the health of the glacier. Depending on their shape and mass, healthy glaciers in equilibrium typically have an AAR of approximately 0.4 to 0.8. The AAR is impacted by environmental conditions such as temperature and precipitation. Data from 86 mountain glaciers and ice caps shows that over

5621-651: The south, the countries neighbor the Baltic states , Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom, while to the north there is the Arctic Ocean . Notable natural features of the Nordic countries include the Norwegian fjords , the Archipelago Sea between Finland and Sweden, the extensive volcanic and geothermal activity of Iceland , and Greenland, which is the largest island in the world. The southernmost point of

5698-472: The top of mountains). By contrast, ice masses of similar size that are constrained by topographical features are known as ice fields . The dome of an ice cap is usually centred on the highest point of a massif . Ice flows away from this high point (the ice divide ) towards the ice cap's periphery. Ice caps significantly affect the geomorphology of the area they occupy. Plastic moulding, gouging and other glacial erosional features become present upon

5775-554: The two world wars and the Cold War , the five small Nordic states were forced into difficult balancing acts, but retained their independence and developed peaceful democracies. The Nordic states had been neutral during World War I , but during World War II they could no longer stand apart from world politics. The Soviet Union attacked Finland in 1939 and Finland ceded territory following the Winter War . In 1941, Finland launched

5852-513: The working languages of the region's two political bodies. Swedish is a mandatory subject in Finnish schools and Danish in Faroese schools. Danish is also taught in schools in Iceland. The combined area of the Nordic countries is 3,425,804 square kilometres (1,322,710 sq mi). Uninhabitable ice caps and glaciers comprise about half of this area, mainly Greenland. In September 2021,

5929-660: Was an important political presence throughout the Nordic countries in the 20th century. The big social democratic parties became dominant and after World War II the Nordic countries began to serve as a model for the welfare state. Economically, the five Nordic countries were strongly dependent on foreign trade and so they positioned themselves alongside the big trading blocks. Denmark was the first to join European Economic Community (EEC) in 1972 and after it became European Union (EU) in 1993 Finland and Sweden also joined in 1995. Norway and Iceland are members of

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