Scandinavia

Scandinavia

Proper noun · /ˌskændɪˈneɪviə/ · the northern European peninsula and cultural region comprising Norway, Sweden, and Denmark

Definition

Scandinavia refers to the cultural and historical region of northern Europe centred on the Scandinavian Peninsula, which is occupied by Norway and Sweden. In its most precise geographical sense the term covers only those two countries plus Denmark, which shares the Scandinavian cultural and linguistic heritage despite sitting on a separate peninsula. In broader everyday usage — especially outside Europe — Scandinavia is often used interchangeably with the Nordic countries, which additionally include Finland, Iceland, and sometimes the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Origin

From Latin Scandinavia, which appears in the writings of the Roman author Pliny the Elder in the first century AD. Pliny described it as a large island of unknown size in the far north. The name is thought to derive from a Proto-Germanic root *skaðin-awjō, meaning "dangerous island" or "island of darkness" — a reference to the long polar nights of the region. The Old Norse form Skáney referred to the southernmost tip of what is now Sweden, and the name gradually extended to the whole region.