Europe
CITE
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Northern Europe. (2022). In Q-files Encyclopedia, Geography, Europe. Retrieved from
https://www.q-files.com/geography/europe/northern-europe
"Northern Europe." Geography, Europe, Q-files Encyclopedia, 10 Feb. 2022.
https://www.q-files.com/geography/europe/northern-europe.
Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Northern Europe 2022. Geography, Europe. Retrieved 19 March 2024, from
https://www.q-files.com/geography/europe/northern-europe
Geography, Europe, s.v. "Northern Europe," accessed March 19, 2024.
https://www.q-files.com/geography/europe/northern-europe
Northern Europe
Europe's northern seas, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, lap the shores of its northernmost countries: the Scandinavian nations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden; the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; and Finland, with its long eastern border with Russia. The Faroe Islands and Iceland, first settled by seafarers from Scandinavia—the Vikings—more than 1000 years ago, lie out to the northwest, across the Norwegian Sea from Norway. Norway, Sweden and Denmark are together known as Scandinavia. Together with Finland and Iceland, they form the Nordic countries. Very cold temperatures are recorded in the far north tundra regions, but the coast of Norway is warmed by currents from tropical waters, and is quite mild in winter.
The Nordic countries
High mountains run down the spine of the Scandinavian peninsula and broaden to fill nearly all of southern Norway. On the west coast, long, deep arms of the sea called fjords fill mountain valleys carved out by glaciers. To the east, forested slopes run down to the Gulf of Bothnia. In both Sweden and Finland, also covered with dense coniferous forest, tens of thousands of lakes have formed where glaciers have scooped out valleys or hollows in the land and the ice has later melted.
The best farmland in Scandinavia is found in Denmark and the southern tip of Sweden. Cattle, pigs and poultry are raised and cereal crops grown. Fishing is important to the Icelanders and Norwegians, while timber is an important industry, especially in Sweden and Finland.
The Nordic countries are also world leaders in manufacturing. The steel industry in Sweden produces machinery, tools, aircraft and cars. Finland's factories produce goods such as electronics, machinery and chemicals. Norway has large reserves of oil and natural gas and a very important petroleum industry, but nearly all its electrical power comes from hydro-electric plants. Denmark's major exports are manufactured items (such as machinery and instruments) and agricultural products (such as meat and fish). Many people in Iceland are employed in services such as finance and tourism.
The Baltic states
Sandwiched between Russia and the Baltic Sea are the three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. They became independent from the former Soviet Union in 1991. The land they occupy is mostly low-lying, with forests and many lakes. All three countries have since become modern industrial nations with their historic capitals, Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, attracting many tourists. Between 2000 and 2007, these states were called the Baltic Tigers ("tiger" being the name given to states that are experiencing high economic growth).
Consultant: Lloyd Jenkins