What is Nordic countries?
'''Nordic countries''' are a group of countries in Northern [[Europe]]. These countries include [[Denmark]], [[Finland]], [[Iceland]], [[Sweden]], [[Norway]], and the territories of [[Greenland]], Svalbard, the Åland Islands and the [[Faroe Islands]]. Though often confused as such, [[Scandinavia]] is not equivalent to the Nordic countries. Scandinavia is a [[peninsula]] while the Nordic countries are recognized states. [[Sweden]] and [[Norway]] (and a small part of Finland) rest on the Scandinavian peninsula. [[Scandinavia]] and [[Finland]] together belong to a larger peninsula, [[Fennoscandia]]. Finns speak a non-Germanic language. Nordic countries have similar state, law and culture. Historically, Nordic countries have maintained close connections. Nordic countries are primarily [[socialist]] democracies and [[welfare state]]s. Nordic countries have some [[political]] co-operation, such as the [[Nordic council]]. Cooperation with a larger group, the [[European Union]], makes the Nordic cooperation even smaller. Nordic countries have long, cold [[winter]]s with warm days in the summer, but only a small part of Northern [[Norway]] and approximately half of Iceland is [[arctic]], although Iceland lies below the Arctic Circle except for one small island. == References == [[Category:Nordic countries| ]] {{Europe-stub}}