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Those countries are obviously western although Finland the least so. Scandinavia is Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The other countries mentioned are Nordic but not Scandinavian countries which you should anyway know.
I`m a little unsure of that as they are very often described as Scandinavian, as are Iceland and the Faroe islands. Also I always thought Nordic was a description of language and not region.
edit; Just done a quick search and Scandinavia seems to be a `coverall` term for the region, even used by it`s own tourist board...
Last edited by LINCOLNSHIRE; 02-22-2008 at 01:18 PM..
North Germanic, not Nordic languages, is a valid term of linguistics. The North Germanic languages (in modern times) are Danish, Norwegian, Sweden, Icelandic and Faroese. The Nordic countries refers to Scandinavian (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), Iceland and Finland. Faroese Islands, Greenland (both autonomous parts of Denmark) and Ă…land (Swedish-speaking population but part of Finland) are associated territories. The 5 Nordic countries (with the 3 autonomous regions mentioned above) co-operate in the Nordic Council.
The Finns are the odd ones out. They speak a Finno-Ugric language and are not a Germanic people. Their population history is derived from south-east. They are anthropologically closer to Finnic tribes in northwestern and interior parts of Russia. The Finns have some Germanic influence (and a Swedish-speaking minority reside in southern and western Finland) from Swedes in mainly western Finland which was once Ă–sterlandet or Finland proper).
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Originally Posted by LINCOLNSHIRE
I`m a little unsure of that as they are very often described as Scandinavian, as are Iceland and the Faroe islands. Also I always thought Nordic was a description of language and not region.
It would be a simplified way of explaining the situation to foreigners. Scandinavia is considered a part of the Nordic countries. The term Nordic countries is not an established term outside the Nordic countries. That is why Scandinavia is sometimes mistakenly used synonymously with Nordic. Britain is not the same as United Kingdom. It is the same with Scandinavian and Nordic countries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LINCOLNSHIRE
edit; Just done a quick search and Scandinavia seems to be a `coverall` term for the region, even used by it`s own tourist board...
It does make things easier. Scandinavia is a land mass. Saying Scandinavian peninsula does not help much either because Denmark is not part of it but part of Northwestern Finland is yet it is culturally and linguistically more distant to Sweden than Norway than Denmark.
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Originally Posted by LINCOLNSHIRE
I suppose it just makes life easier to refer to them all as Scandinavian...
You guys also need a history lesson.
Where is Greece and Italy on your lists? Thats where the west got started.
There is nothing more western than the Acropolis and its culture that exists til this day!
Of course Italy and Greece are Western. I included any NATO member in Europe during the Cold War which certinaly includes Greece and Italy!!!! Turkey however is not a western country because of its Islamic religion and Third World economy and outlook.
Eastern Europe, esp. Russia and the former Soviet republics are also very backwards and non-western in their culture and outlook, at least compared to the United States and Britain.
More speficially, where is the East-West line drawn in Europe today? I still don't consider Poland a Western country, for example, but the Czech Republic MAYBE. I think history has left a mark on mentality just like the Mason-Dixon Line in the U.S. I'll never consider Russia or Ukraine to be Western countries no matter what kind of democracy or economic development they may have in the future, just like North Carolina will always be a southern state no matter how much the culture is changing.
How manyt people agree with the poster who said that Argentina and Chile are Western nations? What about Brazil, Mexico, and the rest of Latin America? I don't see Latin America as part of the West, but they aren't exactly "eastern" either. Is South Africa a Western country?
How manyt people agree with the poster who said that Argentina and Chile are Western nations? What about Brazil, Mexico, and the rest of Latin America? I don't see Latin America as part of the West, but they aren't exactly "eastern" either. Is South Africa a Western country?
Based on my definition of basically being of European Christiandom, be it people or culture, Argentina is 85% white. Chile is about 50%, but has a culture and lifestyle more on par with Western nations. Brazil is a little more iffy as they've got a huge disparity gap, but the more advanced parts of it share a lot of similarities with the rest of the Western world.
South Africa? Hmm... I've always heard of white South Africa as being "1st World", but now that it's intergrated maybe not so much. Like Brazil there's a pretty big gap, but parts of it share a culture and lifestyle with the rest of the West. So maybe the title doesn't cover the whole country...
Ok, guys, I'm sorry. I typed wrong. Scandinavia = Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The Nordic countries = Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.
(I was talking to mom while typing that post so I wasn't really "thinking". I'm just hoping no one rats on me to my geography teacher)
The term "west" is outdated, plus its misleading to think you can simplify it geographically in east and west. I think it once served a purpose to mean communist and the free world but those days are gone.
Like someone else said, its all about development and the only barrier imo is 1st world and 3rd world.
1st world nations have a high standard of living, equal (or at least better than 3rd world) rights for women, are not in constant turmoil, and have lower birth rates.
The 3rd world only has a high standard of living for its small upper class, women and minorities tend to be held down, much of the population struggles to be fed yet they still breed like rabbits. A bit hard to feel sympothy but that is another topic.
Now, there are some countries like China and Brazil that are in transition between 3rd and 1st so you will see elements of both.
Some will say that a 2nd world exists but I don't think its true. They would include all the countries that sided with the Soviet Union in this and are now getting on their feet economically, as well as China and India.
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Oops, I meant Nordic, not Scandinavia...
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