Welcome back folks, Bryan here, and today we continue our tour through northern Europe
and the nations of Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. So to begin today's lesson
I'm going to ask you a difficult question related to today's lesson objectives. Today
we are going to take a comprehensive look at the peoples and cultures of Northern Europe;
including population and statistics, ethnicity, religion, language, and political and economic
structures. So are you ready for that question? Here goes. What do the flags
of the nations of Northern Europe all have in common? The answer in just a moment.
So how'd you do on that question? Ah come on, it was really easy.
If I show you the flags for each country, and what if we do this? Now you see it.
The cross embedded into each nation's flag which tells you a lot about the religious affiliation.
Although the peoples of each nation are predominantly Christian, at least 67%,
each country's inhabitants are also largely followers of a geographically specific church
as you can see here. For example, most people in Denmark attend the church of Denmark. These
state-centric denominations are similar in that all are, like those in Finland, Evangelical
Lutheran churches, which are Protestant Religions based on the teachings of Martin Luther.
Ethnicity. The ethnic composition of each nation is also largely central to that country.
Although the peoples of each nation identify their ethnicity with their home country, all but one are
of Northern Germanic Heritage. And that would be the Finnish, who are of Baltic ancestry. It may
surprise many to learn that the nations are also home to several indigenous inhabitants. In fact,
the vast majority of Greenland's population are Inuit. You remember them from a previous lesson on
North America, right? While approximately 90,000 Sami, a group of people indigenous to Norway,
Sweden, and Finland, still live there today in the northern parts of each
nation. Language. Speaking of the Sami people, theirs is one of the official languages of Norway.
Actually, Sami is a group of languages spoken by the indigenous peoples. Like Finnish, it is
Uralic, originating in Northern Eurasia, while other European countries are Germanic in origin.
It's worth noting that the official language in Greenland is Inuit-based.
Population. While you know that most of these nations are among Europe's largest
in area, that is not the case regarding the population. Looking at this data you
can see that Sweden has the most people of the Nordic nations with about 10.4 million,
which ranks it 15th among European countries. Denmark, Norway, and Finland all have less than
6 million; while Iceland is home to a mere 370,000 people. Correlate those numbers with the area of
each nation provided in an earlier lesson and we get a look at population density. Denmark may
seem high at 349 people per square mile but, that number ranks only 88th in the world. To give you
an idea of just how sparse the population is in these countries, compare it to the U.S. with 92
people per square mile. And check out Greenland, which averages only 1 person per 10 square miles.
Apparently the open spaces and moderate climates we discussed in an earlier lesson
are helpful to health as these Nordic Nations are among world leaders in life expectancy.
All are well above world averages as you can see here.
The capitals of each nation are also the largest cities for each country. Stockholm, the capital of
Sweden, is the largest in Scandinavia and all of the northern region with about 2.4 million
people in its metropolitan area. Oslo, Norway, is the next largest with about 1.7 million residents
in the metro area. Copenhagen, Denmark, is home to roughly 2 million in the metropolitan area
and is connected by road and rail to Sweden by the Oresund Bridge. In Iceland,
Reykjavik is home to about 130,000 people, well over a third of the population of their nation.
It also holds the distinction of being the world's most northernmost national capital.
Like many European nations, much of Northern Europe employs governments with royalty as the
official head of state but, with limited powers. Those constitutional monarchies include elected
leaders called prime ministers, who are the heads of government, along with elected legislatures.
Meanwhile, both Finland and Iceland are unitary parliamentary republics.
Unlike some nations with republics, like the U.S., Finland and Iceland each elect both a president
and a prime minister. Culture. Ever heard of the Vikings? Sure you have! Well,
Northern Europe was the land of the Vikings and cultural links abound to North America's first
European visitors. Denmark maintains strong ties to Sweden and Norway and that trio, along with
Iceland, are among the most progressive nations in the world. All 4 have adopted legislation and
policies to support rights and equality for women, minorities, and LGBT. The nations of Northern
Europe are noted for literature. Denmark's Hans Christian Anderson is noted for fairy tales,
while Soren Kierkegaard is considered the first existentialist philosopher.
The annual Nobel Prize awards are held in Stockholm each year and are named for
Alfred Nobel, a Swede who invented dynamite. Norway is noted for cinema, music, literature,
and art. You've probably seen the Scream, Edvard Munch's 1893 painting that has become
a cultural icon around the world. Finland's cultural staples include
the dichotomy of ice hockey and saunas. Finnish folks love their dry steam baths.
In Iceland, literary sagas and eddas are as ingrained into the cultural fabric as
the northern lights. Another important cultural trait is independence. In a recent survey, more
than 85% of Icelanders believe independence and self-sufficiency are important personal traits.
Greenland's culture is a unique blend of Inuit and Scandinavian heritages.
Music, in particular drums, plays a large role in festivities and celebrations there. As you might
expect, fish and other food from the sea plays a large role in the diet of Northern Europeans.
The national dish in Greenland is suicide, a soup made from seal meat. More appealing
perhaps are cinnamon rolls and smorgasbords, or buffets, both of which originated in Sweden.
Economics. By any measure, the 5 nations of this region are among the most
developed and economically successful and stable in the world. All feature mixed market economies
with some of the world's highest standards of living. Looking at this data, you can see that
all 5 countries are above the European average GDP per capita of about $34,000 US dollars,
well above the European average in every nation. Norway actually ranks ahead of the
US in GDP per capita, while the other nations of Northern Europe are just below the US.
Interestingly, these nations are split on membership in the European Union.
Sweden and Finland joined in 1995 while Denmark has been a member since 1973.
Iceland and Norway have chosen not to join the EU. Despite EU membership, Denmark and Sweden
use their own currency, and not the euro. The crone, or krona, is actually the term for the
currency used in Iceland and Norway as well. Only Finland uses the euro as its national currency.
Finland is Europe's largest producer of timber, while mining also is a source of revenue for the
nation. Norway possesses an enviable amount of natural resources, including petroleum,
which accounts for more than 20% of the GDP and about half of the nation's exports. Norway is also
the world's second-largest exporter of fish behind only China. Iceland was, until the 20th century,
a fairly poor nation and much growth has come from diversification of the economy.
Fishing is still important, as is exporting aluminum, but manufacturing and service
industries have strengthened Iceland's economy greatly since 2000. Denmark possesses one of
the highest ratios of tertiary degree holders in the entire world. A fact that partially explains
how services accounted for 75% of the nation's GDP. The economic structure of Sweden includes
a large public service sector with a great deal of export-oriented manufacturing. Recognizable
worldwide corporate icons, such as Volvo, Eriksson, Ikea, and Electrolux are all registered
in Sweden. In Greenland, fishing accounts for more than 90% of the island's exports.
Conclusion. We began today's lesson by asking you a question about the
flags of the nations of Northern Europe. We leave now with loads of information
about those countries and a reminder that they, like those in any region,
have several commonalities and just as many differences. Until next time, keep exploring!