Northern Europe consists of 10 countries. The subregion has a population of about 106 million, which makes it the least populous of the European subregions. More than half of this population resides in one country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK is the mother country of the once mighty British Empire, one of the most powerful empires in human history. At one time, people used to say that the sun never sets on the British Empire, because the British had possessions in every corner of the world. The UK is no longer the juggernaut that it once was, but it is still the most populous country in Northern Europe, with a population of nearly 68 million. It also has the subregion’s largest economy, which is also the fifth largest in the world.
The other countries of Northern Europe include the countries of Scandinavia, Finland, the Baltic States, Ireland, and Iceland. The countries of Scandinavia are well-known for their cradle-to-grave welfare states. Sweden is very famous for its many lakes, and Norway for its many fjords. Iceland is home to the world’s oldest parliament, the Althing. It is also Europe’s least populous country. Only about 343,000 people live in Iceland. The Baltic States, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, are Northern Europe’s newest countries, having regained their independence upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. All the countries of Northern Europe, except the UK, Iceland, and Norway, are now part of the EU. Most are also members of NATO.
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