Nordic countries facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nordic countries Norden (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish) Nordę  (Elfdalian) Pohjoismaat  (Finnish) Norðurlöndin  (Icelandic) Norðurlond  (Faroese) Nunat Avannarliit  (Greenlandic) Davviriikkat  (Northern Sami) Nuorttarijkka  (Lule Sami) Tave-enâmeh  (Inari Sami) Noerhtelaanten  (Southern Sami) Tâʹvvjânnam  (Skolt Sami)
Land controlled by the Nordic countries shown in dark green. Bouvet Island and Antarctic claims not shown.
Capitals	Copenhagen Helsinki Reykjavík Oslo Stockholm Tórshavn Nuuk Mariehamn
Largest city	Stockholm
Official languages	Danish Finnish Icelandic Norwegian Swedish Faroese Greenlandic Sami
Recognised regional languages	Meänkieli Karelian Kven German Romani Tavringer Yiddish
Religion	Mainly Lutheranism
Composition	5 sovereign states  Denmark  Finland  Iceland  Norway  Sweden 2 autonomous territories  Faroe Islands  Greenland 1 autonomous region  Åland 2 unincorporated areas  Jan Mayen  Svalbard 1 dependency  Bouvet Island 2 Antarctic claims  Peter I Island  Queen Maud Land
Establishment
• Inauguration of the Nordic Council	12 February 1953
• Helsinki Treaty	23 March 1962
• Inauguration of the Nordic Council of Ministers	July 1971
Population
• 2021 estimate	27,562,156 (52nd)
• 2000 census	24,221,754
• Density	7.62/km2 (19.7/sq mi) (225th)
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	$1.6 trillion
• Per capita	$58,000 (13th)
GDP (nominal)	2021 estimate
• Total	$1.8 trillion (10th)
• Per capita	$66,900 (15th)
Currency	5 currencies Danish krone Euro Icelandic króna Norwegian krone Swedish krona
Driving side	right
Calling code	+45 (Denmark) +46 (Sweden) +47 (Norway) +298 (Faroe Islands) +299 (Greenland) +354 (Iceland) +358 (Finland) +358 18 (Åland)

The Nordic countries (also called the Nordics or Norden) are a special group of countries and areas in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic. They include five main countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. They also include the self-governing areas of the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland.

These countries share a lot, like their way of life, history, religion, and how their societies and economies work. They have a long history of working together and even forming political unions. Today, they don't form one single country, but they cooperate closely. This cooperation is based on the Helsinki Treaty from 1962, which guides groups like the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The Nordic countries are often ranked very high in many important areas. This includes things like education, how strong their economies are, how much freedom people have, and how good life is there. Even though each country has its own way of doing things, they all share parts of the "Nordic model." This means they have a mix of market economy and strong worker groups. They also have a good welfare system, which helps everyone and is paid for by taxes. This system helps people be independent and move up in society. They also have fair income distribution and respect for private ownership.

Most people in the Nordic region (over three-quarters) are North Germanic peoples. In Finland, most people are Baltic Finnic peoples. Other groups include the Greenlandic Inuit and the Sami people. Long ago, the main religion was Norse paganism. Later, people became Catholic, and after the Protestant Reformation, most became Lutheran. Lutheranism is still the main religion in several Nordic countries.

Even though people in the Nordic countries speak different languages, their shared language history helps create a Nordic identity. Most Nordic languages come from three main groups: North Germanic languages, Finno-Ugric languages, and Eskimo–Aleut languages. Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish are quite similar, so people speaking them can often understand each other. These three languages are used in the main political groups of the region. Learning Swedish is required in Finnish schools, and Danish is taught in Faroese and Icelandic schools.

The total area of the Nordic countries is huge, about 3.4 million square kilometers. About half of this area is covered by ice caps and glaciers, mostly in Greenland. In 2021, over 27 million people lived in the region. Sometimes, people use "Scandinavia" to mean the same as the Nordic countries. But "Scandinavia" usually refers only to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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  Nordic countries (orange and red) and Scandinavian countries (red)

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  The Barents Region

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  A satellite photograph of Northern Europe

Countries and Regions of the Nordics

Main Countries

Here are the five main countries that make up the Nordic region. You can see their flags, coats of arms, and some interesting facts about each one.

Sovereign state	Kingdom of Denmark	Republic of Finland	Iceland	Kingdom of Norway	Kingdom of Sweden
Flag
Coat of arms
Official local name	Kongeriget Danmark	Suomen tasavalta Republiken Finland	Ísland	Kongeriket Norge Kongeriket Noreg Norgga gonagasriika	Konungariket Sverige
Local common name	Danmark	Suomi Finland	Ísland	Norge Noreg Norga	Sverige
English common name	Denmark	Finland	Iceland	Norway	Sweden
Population (2021 estimate)	5,894,687	5,587,442	354,234	5,509,591	10,261,767
Area	43,094 km2	338,145 km2	103,000 km2	385,207 km2	450,295 km2
Population density (2015 estimate)	129.5/km2	16.2/km2	3.2/km2	13.5/km2	22.9/km2
Capital city	Copenhagen	Helsinki	Reykjavík	Oslo	Stockholm
Largest urban areas	Copenhagen – 2,135,634 Aarhus – 330,639 Odense – 213,558 Aalborg – 205,809 Esbjerg – 116,032	Helsinki – 1,576,438 Tampere – 370,084 Turku – 315,751 Oulu – 200,400 Jyväskylä – 140,812	Reykjavík – 247,590 Akureyri – 18,103 Reykjanesbær – 14,000 Akranes – 6,699 Selfoss – 6,512	Oslo – 1,546,706 Bergen – 265,470 Stavanger/Sandnes – 229,911 Trondheim – 191,771 Fredrikstad/Sarpsborg – 117,510	Stockholm – 2,415,139 Gothenburg – 1,015,974 Malmö – 707,120 Helsingborg – 272,873 Uppsala – 253,704
Form of government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy	Unitary parliamentary republic	Unitary parliamentary republic	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Current head of state and government	Frederik X (King) Mette Frederiksen (Prime Minister)	Alexander Stubb (President) Petteri Orpo (Prime Minister)	Halla Tómasdóttir (President) Bjarni Benediktsson (Prime Minister)	Harald V (King) Jonas Gahr Støre (Prime Minister)	Carl XVI Gustaf (King) Ulf Kristersson (Prime Minister)
Official languages	Danish	Finnish and Swedish	Icelandic	Norwegian and Sami	Swedish
Main religions	74.8% Lutheran 5.3% Islam 19.9% other, unspecified or no religion	67.8% Lutheran 1.1% Orthodox 1.7% other religion 29.4% unspecified or no religion	63.5% Lutheran 11.7% other Christian 3.3% other religion 21.5% unspecified or no religion	68.7% Lutheran 7.0% other Christian 3.4% Islam 0.8% other religion 20.2% no religion	60.2% Lutheran 8.5% other 31.3% no religion
Currency	Danish krone	Euro	Icelandic króna	Norwegian krone	Swedish krona
Human Development Index rank (2021 data, 2022 report)	6	11	3	2	7
Corruption Perceptions Index rank (2022)	1	2	14	4	5
Press Freedom Index rank (2022)	2	5	15	1	3
The figures in this table do not include the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Åland, Jan Mayen, Svalbard, Bouvet Island, Peter I Island, and Queen Maud Land.

Self-Governing Areas

Besides the five main countries, the Nordic region also includes several self-governing areas. These areas have their own governments but are still connected to one of the main Nordic countries.

Territory / Area	Faroe Islands	Greenland	Åland	Svalbard
Flag
Coat of arms
Official local name	Føroyar Færøerne	Kalaallit Nunaat Grønland	Landskapet Åland	Svalbard
Population (2016 estimate)	49,188	56,483	29,013	2,667
Area	1,393 km2	2,166,086 km2	1,580 km2	61,022 km2
Population density	35.5/km2	0.028/km2	18.36/km2	0.044/km2
Capital city	Tórshavn	Nuuk	Mariehamn	Longyearbyen
Largest urban areas	Tórshavn – 12,648 Klaksvík – 4,681 Hoyvík – 2,951 Argir – 1,907 Fuglafjørður – 1,542	Nuuk – 16,464 Sisimiut – 5,598 Ilulissat – 4,541 Qaqortoq – 3,229 Aasiaat – 3,142	Mariehamn – 11,521 Jomala – 4,646 Finström – 2,529 Lemland – 1,991 Saltvik – 1,827	Longyearbyen – 2,144 Barentsburg – 471 Ny-Ålesund – ~30–130 Isbjørnhamna – ~10–12
Sovereign state	Kingdom of Denmark		Republic of Finland	Kingdom of Norway
Status	Autonomous territory		Autonomous region	Unincorporated area
Form of government	Devolved parliamentary within a constitutional monarchy	Devolved parliamentary within a constitutional monarchy	Unitary parliamentary republic	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Current head of state and government	Frederik X (King) Aksel V. Johannesen (Premier)	Frederik X (King) Múte Bourup Egede (Premier)	Alexander Stubb (President) Katrin Sjögren (Lantråd)	Harald V (King) Jonas Gahr Støre (Prime Minister)
Main languages	Faroese, Danish	Greenlandic, Danish	Swedish	Norwegian
Main religions	89.3% Lutheran 6% unspecified 3.8% none	96.08% Lutheran 0.79% Inuit spiritual beliefs 2.48% atheist+agnostic	72.0% Lutheran 1.3% Other religion 26.7% No religion
Currency	Faroese króna Danish krone	Danish krone	Euro	Norwegian krone

Nordic History Timeline

This timeline shows how the different Nordic political areas have changed over the centuries.

Italics indicates a dependent territory.

National Symbols

Flags of the Nordic countries, its territories, and the Nordic Council from left to right: Finland, Åland, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Nordic Council

Many Nordic countries, including the Faroe Islands and Åland, have a similar flag design. They are all based on the Dannebrog, which is the Danish flag. These flags have a cross that is not in the very center, but closer to the side where the flag is attached to the pole. This is called the "Nordic cross" or "Scandinavian cross." Each flag has its own unique size and shape. Greenland and Sápmi (the Sami people's region) have flags without the Nordic cross. However, their flags both feature a circle that is also placed off-center, similar to the cross.

Geography of the Nordic Region

Satellite map of the European part of the Nordic countries, except for Jan Mayen and Svalbard

The Öresund Bridge between Malmö in Sweden and Copenhagen in Denmark

The Nordic countries and their self-governing regions have very different geographies. The total area is huge, covering about 3.5 million square kilometers. This large area means it spans five different time zones! To the east, the region shares a border with Russia. On a clear day, you can even see the Canadian coastline from Greenland in the west.

Even if you don't count Greenland and the Norwegian islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen, the rest of the Nordic countries still cover about 1.3 million square kilometers. This is roughly the same size as France, Germany, and Italy put together. To the south, the Nordic countries are close to the Baltic states, Poland, Germany, and the United Kingdom. To the north, you'll find the cold Arctic Ocean.

Some amazing natural features in the Nordic countries include the stunning Norwegian fjords (long, narrow inlets of the sea). There's also the Archipelago Sea between Finland and Sweden, which has thousands of islands. Iceland is famous for its many volcanoes and hot springs. And, of course, Greenland is the largest island in the entire world!

The southernmost point of the Nordic countries is Gedser in Denmark. The northernmost point is Kaffeklubben Island in Greenland, which is actually the northernmost piece of land on Earth! The biggest cities and capitals, like Helsinki, Oslo, and Stockholm, are mostly in the southern parts of the region. The only exception is Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, which is further north.

Population and Area Facts

Here's a quick look at the population, area, and how crowded each Nordic country and region is.

Denmark has the most people living per square kilometer. Sweden, Norway, and Finland have fewer people spread out over larger areas. Iceland has the smallest population and the lowest population density. This is because large parts of Finland, Norway, Sweden, and most of Iceland are not populated at all. Denmark, however, has no unpopulated areas.

Land and Water Areas

This table shows the land area, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and the continental shelf area for each Nordic country. The EEZ is the area of sea where a country has special rights to explore and use marine resources.

Share of total area in the Nordic countries in 2012

Denmark's Waters

The exclusive economic zones and territorial waters of the Kingdom of Denmark

The Kingdom of Denmark includes the self-governing areas of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. This table shows their water and land areas.

Images for kids

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  Nordic flags

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  Effigy of Queen Margaret, founder and ruler of the Kalmar Union

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  Nordic prime ministers at the Nordic Council meeting in 2014 in Stockholm

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  The Öresund Bridge between Malmö in Sweden and Copenhagen in Denmark

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  Share of total area in the Nordic countries in 2012

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  Average temperatures in the capitals of the Nordic countries in 2012

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  Copenhagen Central Station with S-Trains

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  Statfjord oil platform in Norway is owned and operated by Equinor, which is the largest company in the Nordic countries

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  The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in the Nordic countries.

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  During the recent years, Denmark has invested heavily in windfarms

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  Population density map of the Nordic countries (1996)

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  Historical reenactment of a farmer wedding in Jomala, Åland

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  Sami man at Honningsvåg, Norway, wearing the traditional Gákti

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  Faroese folk dancers in national costumes

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  ABBA is one of the best-selling music artists of all time

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  Søren Kierkegaard is considered to be the first existentialist philosopher

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  Swedish author Astrid Lindgren together with Finnish author Tove Jansson in Stockholm in 1958

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  Flag of Åland

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  The Barents Region

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  A satellite photograph of Northern Europe

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  The Finnic languages in Northern Europe

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  The Sami languages in Northern Europe

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  Share of total population of the Nordic countries by country in January 2013

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  Life expectancy at birth in the Nordic countries in 2012

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  Marriages and divorces in the Nordic countries in 2012

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  Immigrants in the Nordic countries in 2012

See also

In Spanish: Países nórdicos para niños