An archipelago is a group of islands, and Scandinavia has a lot of them! In fact, Stockholm, Sweden’s capital, is on an island located within a 14-island archipelago! Scandinavia is home to many islands, many of which are uninhabited by humans. Some places, like Svalbard, are home to both people and a large population of polar bears! Visitors to Scandinavia can island-hop or enjoy staying on the mainland for all kinds of fun adventures (polar bears optional).

Two thirds of Sweden’s land area is covered by forest, making it one of Europe’s most heavily forested countries. This forested area is made up of boreal forests, or forests where freezing temperatures occur throughout the year, and the trees are capable of reaching 16 feet (five meters). The vast taiga of Asia goes across Russia and northern China and extends all the way into Europe through Finland, Sweden, and Norway. These types of forests are much larger than the Amazon rainforest and convert carbon dioxide into oxygen on such a massive scale that they are protected in many countries.

The Scandinavian seaside offers a variety of views for adventurers to explore. From the rocky beaches of Sweden to the sandy shores of Denmark, the coast offers something for everyone! The coastline of Sweden is around 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers), while Denmark boasts 4,600 miles (7,400 kilometers). However, Norway holds the title of having the second longest shoreline after Canada, with over 51,000 miles (83,281 kilometers).

A fjord is a deep and narrow valley that is surrounded by steep land on three sides. Glaciers form fjords over time, and the water in a fjord often consists of salt water from the ocean and freshwater from nearby glaciers and rivers. The steep land surrounding a fjord is often covered in lush greenery, creating a beautiful contrast to the bright blue water. Norway is famous for its fjords and is known to have thousands of them, but it is not the only country with these valleys. You can find fjords in New Zealand, Canada, and even Iceland!

A glacier is a large collection of ice, snow, rock, and sediment, and Norway is home to roughly 2,534 of them! Glaciers can be thousands of years old and give us a historical record of events on Earth. About 10% of the Earth’s land area is covered by glaciers, and many are considered remains of the last ice age. Many of Norway’s summer ski centers are situated on glaciers, where people can enjoy cold-weather sports all year long.

Nearly half of Scandinavia’s landscape is covered by mountainous and rugged terrain. The Scandes, or the Scandinavian Mountains, form a majority of the Scandinavian Peninsula and are found in Norway, Sweden, and northeastern Finland. Though the mountain range is not very high, it is Europe’s longest mountain range, at about 1,100 miles from the southern foothills to the northern peak. These mountains hold a history of their own, as they have been the dividing line between Sweden and Norway for hundreds of years; some of the rocks that make up the mountain range are actually much older than the mountains themselves.