Nordic Europe is a European region north of the Baltic Sea. At almost 1.2 million square kilometres (463,000 square miles) it's the largest region in Europe, but home to only around 24 million people, accounting for a mere 4% of the population.
The name comes from the Scandinavian Skandage lake, which lies sandwiched between Norway, Sweden and the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. Strictly speaking, this term covers only those three countries, but here we use it in a broader sense to cover all the Nordic countries (Nord).
The Nordic nations share many cultural traits, including similar flags and many related languages. This region is famous for its natural beauty and, more recently, his liberalism. Denmark, Finland and Sweden are EU members. Oil and gas-rich Norway and Iceland are not.
In the Nordic countries all have relatively strong economies. Norway and Iceland, in particular, income from the abundance of natural resources. Sweden and Finland also have their share of natural resources, but also in the international market mainly known as a strong brand, Volvo, Saab, Ericsson (Sony Ericsson) and Nokia. Alhough Denmark have developed a complex business in a number of industries, it is above all the leading agricultural countries of Scandinavia. A strong economy and relatively small social differences lead to higher prices for visitors.
To develop the welfare state are the common characteristic of the Nordic countries. Most things in general, highly organized tourists, and expect everything to proceed in accordance with the plans, rules and deadlines. According to Transparency International, the Nordic countries have the least corrupt in the world (corresponding to only a handful of countries, including Canada, New Zealand and Singapore).