Scandinavia - Use of Nordic Countries Vs. Scandinavia

Use of Nordic Countries Vs. Scandinavia

While the term Scandinavia is commonly used for Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the term the Nordic countries is used unambiguously for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland, including their associated territories (Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Åland Islands). Scandinavia can thus be considered a subset of the Nordic countries. Furthermore, the term Fennoscandia refers to Scandinavia, Finland and Karelia, excluding Denmark and overseas territories; however, the usage of this term is restricted to geology, when speaking of the Fennoscandian Shield (Baltic Shield).

In addition to the mainland Scandinavian countries of:

• Denmark (Constitutional monarchy with a Parliamentary system)
• Norway (Constitutional monarchy with a Parliamentary system, independent since 1905)
• Sweden (Constitutional monarchy with a Parliamentary system)

the Nordic countries consist of:

• Faroe Islands (an autonomous country within the Danish Realm, self-governed since 1948)
• Finland (Parliamentary republic, independent since 1917)
  • Åland Islands (an autonomous province of Finland since 1920)
• Greenland (an autonomous country within the Danish Realm, self-governed since 1979)
• Iceland (Parliamentary republic, independent since 1918, but in union with Denmark until 1944)
• Svalbard, which is under Norwegian sovereignty, is not considered part of Scandinavia as a cultural-historical region, but as a part of the Kingdom of Norway (since 1925), it is part of the Nordic countries (Norden).

Estonia has applied for membership in the Nordic Council, referring to its cultural heritage and close linguistic links to Finland, although normally Estonia is regarded as one of the Baltic countries. It is similar to the situation of Finland around 1920s as Finland was considered to be one of the Baltic States as well, as it too had emerged from Russian domination along with the other three countries under similar circumstances. While Finnish and Estonian are Finnic languages, Latvian and Lithuanian are Baltic languages. The Baltic states have shared many events and situations with Scandinavia over the centuries; today the flags of the three countries can often be seen along-side Nordic flags, paralleling recent friendship and cooperation since the fall of the Soviet Union.