Northern Europe is the northern part of the European continent. At
various times this region has been defined variously, but today it is
generally seen to include:
The Nordic countries, including Denmark,
Finland,
Iceland,
Norway and
Sweden, as well as
Åland, the
Faroe Islands and occasionally Karelia, Kola
Peninsula and Svalbard
The Republic of Ireland, the
United Kingdom, the
Isle of Man and the
Channel Islands (but see also Western Europe)
The Baltic states, i.e. Estonia,
Latvia, and
Lithuania
Areas bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, e.g. north-western
Russia, northern Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and
northern Germany.
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
(i.e. the Roman Empire), 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 medieval times, the term (Ultima) Thule was used to mean a
semi-mythical place in the extreme northern reaches of the continent.
In a European Union context, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Belgium
and the Netherlands are often seen as belonging to a Northern group.
Danevirke
and the English Channel are often considered dividing lines between the
North and South of Europe, since at least in the west, much below them was
once ruled by the Franks under Charlemagne and much above it was once
ruled by the Kingdom of England under Canute the Great.
Today the term is of subjective nature with its meaning usually determined
by the geo-political outlook of the speaker. This also means that the
definition of the term is largely socio-political as there is no rationale
to include England as being part of Northern Europe while excluding the
Netherlands.
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Danevirke
and the English Channel are often considered dividing lines between the
North and South of Europe, since at least in the west, much below them was
once ruled by the Franks under Charlemagne and much above it was once
ruled by the Kingdom of England under Canute the Great.
