Terminology and Use
In English, Scandinavia usually refers to Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Some experts argue for the inclusion of Finland and Iceland, though that broader region is usually known by the countries concerned as Norden, or the Nordic countries.
The use of the name Scandinavia as a convenient general term for the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden is fairly recent; according to some historians, it was adopted and introduced in the eighteenth century, at a time when the ideas about a common heritage started to appear and develop into early literary and linguistic Scandinavism. Before this time, the term Scandinavia was familiar mainly to classical scholars through Pliny the Elder's writings, and was used vaguely for Scania and the southern region of the peninsula.
As a political term, "Scandinavia" was first used by students agitating for Pan-Scandinavianism in the 1830s. The popular usage of the term in Sweden, Denmark and Norway as a unifying concept became established in the nineteenth century through poems such as Hans Christian Andersen's "I am a Scandinavian" of 1839. After a visit to Sweden, Andersen became a supporter of early political Scandinavism and in a letter describing the poem to a friend, he wrote: "All at once I understood how related the Swedes, the Danes and the Norwegians are, and with this feeling I wrote the poem immediately after my return: 'We are one people, we are called Scandinavians!'". The historic popular use is also reflected in the name chosen for the shared, multigovernmental airline, Scandinavian Airlines, a carrier originally owned jointly by the governments of the three countries, along with private investors.
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