The countries of Northern Europe. general characteristics

The territory of the countries of the Scandinavian Peninsula andThe Baltic, the Jutland peninsula, the plains of Fennoscandia, the islands of Iceland and Spitsbergen make up the northern part of Europe. The living population in these parts is 4% of the inhabitants of the whole European composition, and the area of ​​the territory is 20% of the whole Europe.

8 small states located on thesethe countries of Northern Europe. The biggest country of the eight is Sweden, and the smallest is Iceland. According to the state system, only three countries are constitutional monarchies - Sweden, Norway and Denmark, the rest are republics.

Northern Europe. Member countries of the European Union:

• Estonia;
• Denmark;
• Latvia;
• Finland;
• Lithuania;
• Sweden.

The Nordic countries - NATO members - Iceland and Norway.

The countries of Northern Europe. Population

Throughout Northern Europe, menlives 52%, and women - 48%. In these parts, the population density is considered to be the lowest in Europe and in the densely populated southern regions no more than 22 people per 1 m2 (in Iceland - 3 people / m2). This contributes to the severe northern climatic zone. More evenly settled territory of Denmark. The urban part of the northern European population is mainly concentrated in the metropolitan areas. The natural growth rate of this area is considered low and is about 4%. Most of the inhabitants profess Christianity - Catholicism or Protestantism.

Northern countries of Europe. Natural resources

Northern European countries have large reservesdeposits of natural resources. In the Scandinavian Peninsula, iron, copper, molybdenum ores are mined, in the Norwegian and North Seas - natural gas and oil, in the Spitsbergen archipelago - coal. Scandinavian countries have rich hydro resources. NPPs and HPPs play an important role here. Iceland uses thermal waters as a source of electricity.

The countries of Northern Europe. Agricultural complex

Agro-industrial complex of Northern European countriesis fishing, farming and livestock. Mainly meat - dairy direction prevails (in Iceland - sheep breeding). Among the crops grown cereals - rye, potatoes, wheat, sugar beet, barley.

Economy

Many indicators of economic developmentprove that the Nordic countries are leading in the entire world economy. The level of unemployment and inflation, public finances and growth dynamics are significantly different from other European areas. It's not for nothing that the North European model of economic growth is recognized as the most attractive in the world community. Many indicators were influenced by the effectiveness of the use of national resources and foreign policy. The economy of this model is based on high-quality exported products. This applies to the production of metal products and goods from the pulp and paper industry, timber processing industry, machine-building industry, and also ore deposits. The main trading partners of the Nordic countries in foreign trade are Western European countries and the United States. Three quarters of the structure of Iceland's exports is the fishing industry.