About Scandinavia

The map shows Scandinavia—actually, Fennoscandia—a region in Northern Europe comprising the Scandinavian Peninsula (Norway and Sweden), Finland, Karelia (a region in eastern Finland and the Republic of Karelia in northwestern Russia), and the Kola Peninsula, with its main city, Murmansk, the largest city north of the Arctic Circle.

Scandinavia is a historical and cultural-linguistic region that comprises the three kingdoms of Norway and Sweden, located on the Scandinavian Peninsula, and Denmark, which is situated on the Jutland Peninsula and its main islands of Zealand and Funen, to the north of Germany and to the west of Sweden, between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The term 'Scandinavia' originally referred to Scania (Skåne), a region that was formerly Danish and is now part of Southern Sweden. In a broader sense, the name 'Scandinavia' is also used to refer to the northern countries, including Finland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

Scandinavia occupies an area of 878,435 km², is about 2.5 time the size of Germany or roughly three times the size of the U.S. state of Arizona. The three countries have a combined population of 22 million people (in 2024).

More about Scandinavia


Scandinavian Peninsula


The Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe is the largest peninsula in Europe and stretches over 1,850 km (1,150 mi) from Norway's Cape Nordkinn on the Barents Sea in the north, to Sweden's Skåne County in the Baltic Sea in the south.

The peninsula is occupied by Norway and Sweden, as well as by a portion of northwestern Finland.
The peninsula is bounded to the west by the Norwegian Sea and to the east by the Gulf of Bothnia, an arm of the Baltic Sea.
About one third of the Scandinavian Peninsula lies north of the Arctic Circle.

The terrain along the long Norwegian-Swedish border is dominated by mountain ranges, the Scandinavian Mountains and several of its sub-ranges. The mountainous areas offer high peaks, deep valleys and extensive glaciers. The western coastline of Norway is characterized by spectacular fjords, deep, narrow, and elongated inlets of the sea, bounded by towering cliffs. The fjords and valleys have been created by glacial erosion over the course of tens of thousands of years and multiple ice ages. Vast forests, particularly in Sweden and Finland, cover large portions of the landscape, creating huge, biodiverse ecosystems. In addition to the mountains, the landscape of the peninsula features numerous rivers, lakes, and lowlands, especially in the south of Sweden, creating a varied and dramatic natural environment.


Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural and historical region in Northern Europe, traditionally consisting of three countries: Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Geographically, Scandinavia refers to the Scandinavian Peninsula (Norway and Sweden), but culturally and politically, it includes Denmark as well, due to historical ties and linguistic similarities. The region is known for its rugged landscapes, including fjords, mountains, and forests. The Scandinavian countries are located between the North Sea to the west, the Baltic Sea to the south, and the Arctic Ocean to the north.

The highest points in Scandinavia are Galdhøpiggen, the highest mountain in Norway at 2,469 m, Sweden's Kebnekaise at 2,097 m, and Halti, Finland's highest point at 1,365 m. Located in northern Norway is Hammerfest, the northernmost city in continental Europe with a population of more than 10,000 people.

The northernmost point of the European continent is located at Cape Nordkinn on the Nordkinn peninsula in Norway.


Fennoscandia
The term Fennoscandia refers to a large geographical region in Northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula with Norway and Sweden, neighboring Finland and the Kola Peninsula in Russia.

The region is characterized by the ancient bedrock of the Baltic Shield, also known as the Fennoscandia Shield and features a variety of landscapes, including vast boreal forests, numerous lakes, tundra and rugged mountain ranges. Fennoscandia extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Baltic Sea in the south, and is bordered by the Gulf of Bothnia, the Barents Sea, and the White Sea.