Scandinavia is Western Europe’s least populated, most literate, most prosperous, most demographically homogeneous, most highly taxed, most socialistic, and least churchgoing corner. For the visitor, it’s a land of Viking ships, brooding castles, salty harbors, deep green fjords, stave churches, and farmhouses—juxtaposed with the sleek modernism of its people-friendly cities.
Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are Scandinavia’s core. They share a common linguistic heritage with Iceland, and a common history, religion, and culture with Finland and the Baltic nation of Estonia (both former Swedish colonies).
Emerging only slowly from under the glacial ice sheets, Scandinavia was the last part of Europe to be settled (its land mass is still rising from the ocean, rebounding from the press of the glaciers). Later, it was almost the last part of Europe to accept Christianity, and it’s never quite forgotten its pagan roots, which live on in literature, place names, and the ancient runic alphabet. (For more background, see the Scandinavian History chapter.)
Scandinavia is blessed with natural beauty. The cavernous fjords of Norway’s west coast are famous. Much of the region has mountains, lakes, green forests, and waterfalls. By contrast, low-lying Denmark has its rugged islands, salty harbors, and windswept, sandy coasts.
Climate-wise, Scandinavia has four distinct seasons. With Alaska-like latitudes, it’s the “land of the midnight sun” in summer (18 hours of daylight) and of mid-afternoon darkness in winter (when there are just six hours between sunrise and sunset).
Most of Scandinavia is sparsely populated and very big. Sweden is the size of California, but has only a quarter the people (9.5 million). Just over five million Norwegians stretch out in Norway, where Oslo is as far from the northern tip of the country as it is from Rome. The exception is Denmark, which packs 5.5 million fun-loving Danes into a flat land the size of Switzerland.
Though each of the Scandinavian countries has its own language, there are some common threads. Danes and Norwegians can read each other’s newspapers and can converse somewhat (but with difficulty because of thick accents). Swedes (whose written language is different) have a hard time with printed Danish and Norwegian, but can carry on simple conversations in those languages. Finns (whose language is not related at all) learn Swedish in school, thanks to Sweden’s long historical presence in Finland. Estonian is similar to Finnish. Despite these common denominators, communication can be difficult due to one more factor—national pride. A Dane may simply pretend not to understand a Swede’s request, and vice versa. If there’s ever a language barrier, though, most Scandinavians can easily revert to their common second language—English.
It’s not easy (and probably unwise) to make sweeping generalizations about a region’s people, but here goes: In general, Scandinavians are confident, happy, healthy, and tall. They speak their minds frankly, even about taboo subjects like sex. They’re strong individualists who cut others slack for their own eccentricities. They don’t fawn on the rich and famous or look down on the down and out. At work, they’re efficient and conscientious. They don’t take cuts in line. They’re well-educated, well-traveled, and worldly. Though reserved and super-polite at first, they have a good sense of humor and don’t take life or themselves too seriously.
Scandinavians work hard, but they guard their leisure time fiercely. They like the out-of-doors, perhaps in keeping with the still-rural landscape they live in. For many, a weekend with the family at a (well-furnished) country cottage is all they need. Cycling, boating, and fishing are popular. Internationally, they’re known for skiing, speed skating, hockey, and other winter sports. And, as with the rest of Europe, they’re wild about football (soccer).
The region is a leader in progressive lifestyles, including recognizing same-sex partnerships. More than half the heterosexual couples in Denmark are “married” only because they’ve lived together for so long and have children. Wives and mothers generally have a job outside the home. While the state religion is Lutheran, only a small percentage of Scandinavians actually attend church other than at Easter or Christmas. Most are either indifferent or assertively secular.
Scandinavia is rich, with a very high standard of living (as American tourists learn the hard way). Norway has been blessed with offshore oil, Denmark with farmland, and Sweden and Finland with lush forests. They are all rich in fish. Alternative energy sources are important, especially hydroelectric and wind power. Given such pristine natural surroundings, the Scandinavians are environmentalists, committed to preserving their resources for future generations (except for the Norwegians’ stubborn appetite for whaling).
Scandinavian society, carefully organized to maximize prosperity and happiness for everyone, is the home of cradle-to-grave security. Residents pay hefty taxes but get a hefty return. Children are educated. The old and sick are cared for. Cities are carefully planned to be clean, green, crime-free, and built on a human scale—with parks, fountains, public art, and pedestrian zones.
Generally speaking, citizens willingly share the burden for the common good. High taxes mean there’s less of a gap between the very rich and the very poor, resulting in a less class-oriented society. Scandinavians are proud of this. If they seem a bit smug, you can’t fault them, because statistics verify that they live longer, healthier, happier lives.
Scandinavia is also on the high-tech edge of the global economy. They practice a mix of free-market capitalism and enlightened socialism. In international business, they make their mark with telecommunications (Nokia from Finland, Ericsson from Sweden), Ikea furniture (originally from Sweden), Electrolux appliances (Sweden), and Lego toys (Denmark).
Politically, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are constitutional monarchies with a figurehead monarch who cuts ribbons, works with parliament and a prime minister, and tries to stay out of the tabloids. Finland and Estonia have democratically elected presidents. The Scandinavian nations maintain close ties with each other. To some degree or other, they all participate in the European Union (though Norway is not a member, and only Finland and Estonia use the euro). Every election brings another debate about how closely they want to tie themselves to the rest of Europe. The Scandinavian nations have a reputation for international cooperation, exemplified by their leading role in the United Nations, and Sweden and Norway’s Nobel Peace Prize.
All of Scandinavia’s monarchs are descended from Oscar I, King of Sweden and Norway (and son of King Karl Johan XIV), through the House of Bernadotte: Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II and Crown Prince Frederik (b. 1968), Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria (b. 1977), and Norway’s King Harald V and Crown Prince Håkon (b. 1973).
Artistically, Scandinavia is known for its serious playwrights (Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg), brooding filmmakers (Ingmar Bergman), and gloomy painters (Edvard Munch), and more recently for its popular crime-thriller authors, Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbø. Nordic mythology is familiar to the English-speaking world for its Lord of the Rings-style roots. Hans Christian Andersen, Astrid Lindgren, and Tove Jansson brought us children’s tales. Less familiar are Scandinavia’s people-friendly sculptors—Bertel Thorvaldsen, Gustav Vigeland, and Carl Milles—whose noble, realistic statues evoke the human spirit. Architecturally, Scandinavia continues to lead the way, with sleek modern buildings that fit in with the natural landscape. Late-20th-century Modernism (or Functionalism) had several Scandinavian champions, including Eero Saarinen and Alvar Aalto (Finland) and Arne Jacobsen (Denmark). Musically, Scandinavia is known for classical composers like Grieg (Norway) and Sibelius (Finland) who celebrate the region’s nature and folk tunes. Scandinavia’s cities have thriving jazz scenes that rival America’s. Oh yes, and then there’s Scandinavia’s biggest musical export—the ’70s pop band from Sweden named ABBA.
The Scandinavian flair for art shines best in the design of everyday objects. They fashion chairs, lamps, and coffeemakers to be both functional and beautiful: sleek, with no frills, where the “beauty” comes from how well it works. In their homes, Scandinavians strive for a coziness that mixes modern practicality with traditional designs—carved wood and old flower-and-vine patterns.
Despite its ultra-modern, progressive outlook, Scandinavia still honors its traditions. Parents tell kids the old folk tales about grumpy, clever trolls, and gardeners dot their yards with friendly garden gnomes. At midsummer, you’ll see locals in traditional clothes dancing around a maypole to the tunes of a folk band. At winter solstice and Christmas, they enjoy Yule cakes and winter beer. Scandinavia is sailing into the high-tech future on the hardy ship of its Viking past.
