Scandinavia

Scandinavia has the Scandinavian Peninsula, to which the states of Norway and Sweden, and much of northern Finland are in a geographical sense. Under the cultural, historical and linguistic point of view, however, Scandinavia is formed from the three countries Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Finland, which is historically and politically associated with these three countries is perceived depending on the term view as Scandinavian country, even if the Finnish language has no common roots with the languages ​​of the original three Scandinavian countries. However, it is also spoken Swedish in Finland. In an even broader term are sometimes Iceland, which was settled by Scandinavians in the Middle Ages, and the two politically bound Denmark Faroe Islands and Greenland countries expected to Scandinavia.

Geographical demarcation

From the geographical term Scandinavia, the Nordic countries are to be distinguished, which are Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Åland, Greenland and the Faroe counted. The Scandinavian peninsula can be summarized in Finland, Karelia and the Kola Peninsula to the term Fennoscandia. As an umbrella term for those countries and the Baltic and the North -West of Russia Northern Europe is needed.

Topography and Geodesy

The Scandinavian peninsula was covered by ice during the last ice age. The pressure and the movement of the ice, the landscape major role in shaping in many parts. A still more important factor is the Postglacial land uplift. The melting of the ice sheets that had depressed the crust has ( about 10,000 BC) since the last ice age to a land elevation of 800 m. Today, the land uplift is 10-11 mm per year.

On the flat coasts, the appearance new seabed makes it particularly noticeable: Older beach or fishing huts, jetties, etc. are sometimes even far inland. Questions of ownership associated with it.

In geodesy these and other oceanographic phenomena have contributed much to the development of geodesy. Thus the doctrine of isostasy goes on Fennoscandian surveyors and geophysicists back, the specifics of the Baltic Sea have encouraged the cooperation of several Earth Sciences, and the Baltic Sea ring represents the first truly international survey network dar.

Etymology

Scandinavia was known in Greco -Roman antiquity as Scandza. The term Scandinavia is etymologically related to Skåne ( Scandia ) and the place Skanör. Scadinauia is the oldest Latin name for Skåne. Thus, the Romans referred to all that lay north of Germania. Others see the word originated with the Germanic goddess Skadi.

The term Scandinavia comes from the Latin form of the term urnordischen Skaðinaujō (Latin Scadinauia, Pliny the Elder, 23-79 ). Here, skaðin " danger" or "damage" ( Old Norse Skan ) and aujō "island" or " peninsula " ( Old Norse ey ). The name Scandinavia is so dangerous about the peninsula, which probably refers to dangerous sea currents around the Scanian peninsula Skanör / Falsterbo.

Another interpretation of skaðin ( loss ) refers to the North Wind ( Skadi ). Consequently, Scandinavia is derived from " Skadinavia ", the island of the North Wind ( Elard Hugo Meyer, " Mythology of Germanics", Phaidon Food, 1903, ISBN 3-88851-206-9, p 236).

The Latin term Terra Terra Scania Scaniae or designated in the Middle Ages the regions of Skåne, Blekinge, Halland and Bornholm, today in the vernacular languages, Swedish and Danish called Skåneland.

History

The history of Scandinavia is by no means uniform, but can be represented separately as History of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Nevertheless, there are long time close political contexts.

In addition to these general similarities, there were also times when several of the Scandinavian countries were united under one rule, as already under Knut the Great from 1028 to 1035 Denmark, Norway and ( loose ) Sweden as well as England were united in a North Sea empire. Denmark and Norway were soon afterwards from 1042 to 1046 under the joint reign of Magnus the Good. But the main time of the common political development lies in the Kalmar Union, the countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden from 1397-1523 in personal union. During this period, Norway was a significant decline of political independence, so that practically after leaving Sweden from the Kalmar Union with the Danish- Norwegian personal union until 1814 was a Danish supremacy, which was in 1814 replaced by the Swedish- Norwegian Union, which lasted until 1905.

Historically, since the Swedish conquest also includes Finland by King Erik IX. 1154 to the loss to Russia in the Treaty of Fredrikshamn 1809 Scandinavia.

Scandinavian flags

Known for the Nordic countries are the style similar to the Dannebrog cross flags, which has every modern state of Scandinavia. Also Scandinavian provinces and other regions have cross flags (for example, Skåne, Småland and Åland ).