Northern Europe

Categories: Northern Europe

Northern Europe is a name of the northern part of the European continent. At different times this region has been defined differently but today it is generally seen to include:

• the Nordic countries, i.e. Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland
• the Baltic states, i.e. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
• The United Kingdom, i.e. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
• The Republic of Ireland
• others, e.g. Northern Russia, Northern Germany, Northern Poland, Belgium and The Netherlands

Before the 19th century, the term 'Nordic' or 'Northern' was commonly used to mean Northern Europe in a sense that included the Nordic countries, European Russia, the Baltic countries (at that time Livonia and Courland) and Greenland.

In earlier eras, when Europe was dominated by the Mediterranean region, everything not near this sea was termed Northern Europe, including Germany, the Low Countries, and Austria. This meaning is still used today in some contexts, such as in discussions of the Northern Renaissance.

In a European Union context, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands are often seen as belonging to a Northern group.

Remarks

1. The Baltic sea countries, as a related term, also include Germany, Poland and Russia
2. The Baltic States were during the Cold War and before that during the height of the Russian Empire considered to be part of Eastern Europe, although the peoples are not Slavonics, and the Baltic States share much history and many common traits with the Nordic countries.
3. Scandinavia is a somewhat ambiguous concept covering some or all of the Nordic countries.

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