Nordic countries: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Oct. 27, 2026

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Photos

Map highlighting the Nordic countries and their territories in northern Europe and the North Atlantic. Denmark, including Greenland and the Faroe Islands, is marked in green and light blue; Iceland in dark blue; Norway in orange, including Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Sweden in yellow; and Finland in purple, including the Aland Islands. Country and territory names are labeled clearly.

Map of Northern Europe showing the distribution of Germanic languages, with color-coded regions for Swedish in Sweden, Norwegian in Norway, Danish in Denmark, Icelandic in Iceland, Faeroese in the Faeroe Islands, English in the United Kingdom and Ireland, German in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland, Netherlandic in the Netherlands and northern Belgium, and Frisian in small areas along the Dutch and German coasts. Mixed language areas are also indicated.

Map showing Viking travels, trading, and raiding routes from the 9th to 11th centuries across Europe, the North Atlantic, and into North America. Viking homelands in Scandinavia are shaded, with routes extending to Iceland, Greenland, the British Isles, France, Eastern Europe, and L'Anse aux Meadows in present-day Canada. Key settlements and areas of initial Viking presence are marked. An inset map in the lower left shows the 1000-year anniversary reenactment route of Leif Eriksson's voyage from

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