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( Nordic countries)
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe called the Nordic region, consisting of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories which include the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. Scandinavia is sometimes used as a synonym for the Nordic countries,[1] although within the Nordic countries the terms are considered distinct. The region's five nation-states and three autonomous regions share much common history as well as common traits in their respective societies, such as political systems and the Nordic model. Politically, Nordic countries do not form a separate entity, but they co-operate in the Nordic Council. Linguistically, the area is heterogeneous, with three unrelated language groups, the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages and the Baltic-Finnic and Sami branches of Uralic languages as well as the Eskimo-Aleut language Kalaallisut spoken in Greenland. The Nordic countries have a combined population of approximately 25 million spread over a land area of 3.5 million km² (Greenland accounts for 60% of the total area). Recently, Estonia has also projected itself as a Nordic country, although it is widely considered to be a Baltic state. Estonia has close linguistic, ethnic and cultural ties with Finland, was part of the Danish and Swedish empires for many centuries, has cultural ties with Sweden and Denmark, and most of its investment and trade is with the Nordic countries. The term 'Nordic Countries' is derived from the French term Pays Nordiques as an equivalent of the local terms Norden (Scandinavian languages), Pohjola / Pohjoismaat (Finnish language), Põhjamaad (Estonian language), Norðurlönd (Icelandic), Norðurlond (Faroese) and Davveriikkat (North Sámi) with the meaning of "The North(ern lands)".
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