A Scandinavia Quiz

Answer: Denmark, Norway, Sweden

For us Norwegians, Scandinavia is definitely Denmark, Norway and Sweden, although Denmark is not on the Scandinavian peninsula, unlike the other two. These three belong to a larger region which we call "Norden" ("the North", "the Northlands" or something similar).

This also includes Finland, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Several of the Nordic countries also have, or claim, territories or possessions overseas. Thus, the Faroes and Greenland belong to Denmark, but have autonomy in many fields. Norway claims sovereignty over the Svalbard Islands and some other islands in the north, as well as over a sizeable portion of Antarctica (and a couple of islands down there).

The Åland Islands in the Bay of Bothnia are legally part of Finland, but have close cultural ties to both Sweden and Finland, and a fair bit of autonomy.

Answer: Finnish

Danish, Norwegian and Swedish are closely related, and together with Faroese and Icelandic, they make up the group of Nordic languages. These all share an ancestor; Old Norse. Finnish, like the Sami languages, belongs to the Finno-Ugric Family, and Greenlandic to the Eskimo-Aleut (Eskaleut) family. So if you happen to know Dutch or German, or even English, you will recognize quite a few words in, say, Norwegian, but it won't help you much when faced with Greenlandic.

There are also some varieties which may be called distinct languages, or possibly blends or dialects, such as Kvääni or Meänkieli (Tornedalsfinsk) and some others.

Not least, various immigrant communities have made linguistic contributions to the languages in the Nordic countries, with loanwords and in other ways.

Answer: Danes

In present day Britain and Ireland, Vikings from what is today Denmark dominated, hence the term "Danes", and derived words like "Danelagen" (the "Danelaw", a region of England where the Viking conquerors kept their own laws). A number of Norwegians also travelled and settled in the West, but they tended to concentrate on the islands, such as Iceland, the Shetlands, the Orkneys, and the Hebrides. On the mainland, Norwegians could be found in Western Scotland, and there were quite a few of them in the Dublin area and other places along the Irish coast, too. Swedish Vikings are more famous for travelling in the East, although some Norwegians and Danes went there as well.

For example, the Norwegian queen Ellisiv (Elisaveta Yaroslavna; 1025 - c. 1067) came from Russia (Kiev).

She was the daughter of a Swedish princess and a Grand Prince of Rus. Berserkers were Norse warriors who worked themselves into a frenzy before entering a battle. According to myth, they did this by eating "funny" mushrooms, but that is doubtful. Geats were a people in what is present-day Sweden.

Answer: The Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle actually moves about a bit. According to Wikipedia, this is due to the shifts in Earth's axial tilt, and over a cycle of some 40,000 years, the Circle will shift around two degrees, before starting a new cycle. In January 2016, it was at 66 degrees 34 minutes North (plus a little bit).

It is the northernmost point where the sun can be seen over the horizon every day of the year. To the north of the Circle, there is a period during the winter when it never gets over the horizon, and a period in the summer when it never dips under the horizon. How long these periods last, depends on how far north you are.

It is not a limit for the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), which can sometimes be seen quite a bit south of the Circle. It is more frequently visible up north, though, and that's mostly where it gets spectacular at times.

There are no wild polar bears on the mainland in any of the Nordic countries, except in eastern Greenland. The Yngling kings are mythical.

Answer: The Welfare State

Talk to enough people up here in our region, and you are likely to find some who might prefer any of these as the best answer. Very roughly, key benefits of the Scandinavian systems include free or heavily subsidised medical care, sick pay, benefits for the unemployed and disabled, childcare benefits, paid holidays (vacations) and a number of others. Obviously, this all costs a lot, and the sustainability of it is much debated. I myself spent four days in hospital in early 2014, for an appendectomy.

This cost me around USD $300. The hospital stay was free, however, and the cost was for two visits to my doctor before and after, as well as prescription painkillers. Also, I stupidly drove my own car to the hospital and left it in the parking garage for the duration. That alone cost nigh on 150 dollars. Silly boy!

Answer: Sweden

Sweden has long been the largest by far (in terms of population), while Denmark, Finland and Norway are fairly close to each other. All three Scandinavian countries have strong traditions for population statistics, and the figures in early 2016 were (to the nearest 50,000):

Sweden: 9.85 million
Denmark: 5.70 million
Finland: 5.48 million
Norway: 5.20 million

This is taken from the official statistical agencies of the countries, whose names in English are: "Statistics Denmark", "Statistics Norway", and (you'll never guess) "Statistics Sweden".

Answer: Norway, for the winter games

Please note that I said "an all time leader", not "the". Throughout the first 22 winter games, Norway accumulated 329 medals, and led over all, as well as for each of the three categories (gold, silver, bronze). In the summer games, however, Norway has been less strong.

Answer: True

This is Scandinavian Airlines, also known as SAS. The abbreviation used to stand for Scandinavian Airlines System, which still is part of the company's legal name. The airline has over the years been in financial difficulties on several occasions, and there have been speculations about takeovers, fissions or other strong measures. SAS is a founding member of the global network Star Alliance.

Answer: Brothers

Christian X of Denmark was king from 1912 until 1947, while his younger brother came on the Norwegian throne as Haakon VII in 1905 shortly before his and Christian's father, Frederik VIII, became king of Denmark. Norway and Denmark were both attacked by the Germans in April of 1940, and were occupied until the end of the war.

The Germans wanted king Haakon to appoint a new collaborator cabinet, which he flatly refused to do. In June of 1940, he left the country, and remained in exile in Britain until the end of the war.

He was a strong symbol of resistance, and especially his radio speeches from London are famous. Christian, too, was seen as a national rallying point, not least for his daily unaccompanied horseback rides through the streets of Copenhagen, where he would meet and greet the people.

Answer: False

Iceland and Denmark agreed in 1918 to enter into a union for the next 25 years. At the end of 1943, this expired, and Iceland (at the time under American occupation) held a plebiscite in 1944. This gave a majority of 97% for ending the union with Denmark, and 95% voted in favour of a republic.

The republic was formally established in June 1944. Incidentally, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark was given an Icelandic name at her birth as heiress presumptive in 1940. Her full name is Margrethe Alexandrine Žorhildur Ingrid. That third one is Icelandic.