SCANDINAVIA

Scandinavia is the cultural and historic region in Northern Europe consisting of the greater part of the Scandinavian and Jutland peninsulas and the islands in between. The region encompasses three sovereign states:

Denmark
Norway
Sweden

The culture of these countries are very close and the languages mutually intelligible. The difference between Danish and Norwegian language are not much bigger than the difference between English and American English, even though Swedish is slightly different.

The name Scandinavia come from the Skandage body of water sandwiched between Norway, Sweden, and Jutland.

Note: Since I adore Sweden, that country will have special place on Travel MicroSite. Here is a story about Denmark and Norway.

The Kingdom of Denmark is the geographically smallest and southernmost Nordic country and is also the oldest. Located north of Germany (its only land neighbour), southwest of Sweden, and south of Norway, it lies in Scandinavia which is in northern Europe, but not on the Scandinavian Peninsula.

Denmark borders the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, and consists of a peninsula named Jutland (Jylland) attached to Northern Germany, the islands Funen (Fyn), Zealand (Sjalland), Bornholm (Bornholm) and many smaller islands, the waters of which are often referred to as the Danish Archipelago.

IN SHORT:
Capital Copenhagen
Area total: 43,094 sq km
water: 700 sq km
Land: 42,394 sq km
Population 5,411,405 (Fourth quarter, 2004)
Currency Danish krone (DKK)
Country Calling Code +45
Internet TLD .dk

REGIONS
Zealand (Sjalland)
Jutland (Jylland)
Funen (Fyn)
Mon (Mon)
Falster
Lolland
Bornholm

CITIES
These are the four major cities in Denmark:

Copenhagen (Kobenhavn)
Aarhus (Arhus)
Odense
Aalborg
All of them will get their place on this site as I visit them.

Tourism in Denmark is characterized by the friendly, relaxed atmosphere found throughout the little land, and a closeness to nature. For Danes, the people who live in the land of Denmark, a key self-identifying concept is "hygge" (Danish meaning approx. "coziness"). This term means spending quality time with family and friends, in a relaxed atmosphere. Danes are friendly, outgoing, beautiful and very well-educated. The majority of Danes speak English, and are glad to do so; thus, travelling in Denmark is easy for many people because of the large common language base and the traditional hospitality.

ACCOMODATIONS:

Budget Hotels: Danhostel, CAB INN, Zleep hotels
Medium: Best Western, Scandic-Hilton
Top Class: Radisson-SAS

Capital: Oslo
It will be described when I visit it.

Subdivisions
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called fylker (singular fylke) and 431 kommuner (singular kommune). However, the 19 fylker might be replaced with 5 - 9 larger regions by 2010.

Geography
The landscape is generally rugged and mountainous, topped by glaciers, and its coastline of over 83,000 km is punctuated by steep-sloped inlets known as fjords, as well as a multitude of islands and islets.
The Northern part of the country is also known as the Land of the Midnight Sun because of its northern location, north of the Arctic Circle, where for part of each summer the sun does not set, and in winter much of its land remains dark for long periods. The southern part is not known for this, however in summertime, the sun is only away for a few hours.

Climate:
The Norwegian climate is fairly temperate, especially along the coast under the influence of the Gulf Stream. The inland climate can be more severe and to the north more subarctic conditions are found, especially in Finnmark.

Tourism
Norway is a country of impressive and varied landscapes that extends far north across the Arctic Circle. It is famous for its fjord-indented coastline and its mountains, ski resorts, lakes and woods. Famous cities in Norway include the capital Oslo with its castle, its cathedral, its picturesque landscape and interesting architecture. On the west coast there are the cities of Bergen (the Hanseatic city) and Stavanger, each of them set alongside a fjord. Preikestolen is located in Lysefjorden right outside Stavanger. It is a cliff hanging 604 metres directly above the water.