Is the Netherlands a Nordic country?

[Meticulous Man]

Do you think Finland is a Nordic country, then?

[Monk]

Aivo,

I'm not sure if you're addressing me or Kropp, but I don't think there's any general confusion on that issue. Finland is part of Norden. I looked it up at Encyclopedia Britannica online, and Finland is included in this group of countries having affinities with one another and a distinctness from the rest of continental Europe.

[Kropotkin]

Norden, the nordic countries: Scandinavia including Finland
Scandinavia: Excluding Finland

[Winston]

This is silly. IMO, countries like Estonia and Latvia could more easily be considered Nordic than The Netherlands. They share more with us in terms of geography, history, culture and political aspirations than the Dutch could ever hope for, no matter how hard they try.

Plus, they don't grow tulips to an extent where it would become a serious concern for their partners.

[Locutus]

What a load of bull The Dutch are neither Nordic nor Anglican, in spite of a few similarities. The links with the French are probably closer than with either of those. The Netherlands are basically just an autonomous German province, in language, history, culture and politics.

But don't ever tell the Dutch that, at the risk of your own health

[MrFun]

The Dutch are Martians in disguise.

[Monk]

Originally posted by Winston
This is silly. IMO, countries like Estonia and Latvia could more easily be considered Nordic than The Netherlands. They share more with us in terms of geography, history, culture and political aspirations than the Dutch could ever hope for, no matter how hard they try.

I see what you mean about the tulip thing, but are you sure that we share that much on cultural matters? I visited Vilnius two years ago and I regarded the people there as culturally very, very far away from us.

The Dutch, on the other hand, came to our rescue when obnoxious Swedes had conquered just about the entire country and besieged Copenhagen (from their camp in Brønshøj, no less). Had the Dutchmen not intervened, we'd chew tobacco all day long and be forced to buy our booze at Systembolaget.

[Winston]

Yes Monk, that's why I specifically excluded Lithuania, mentioning only the other two without a carnival coloured flag.

By the way, the Swedish camp at Brønshøj in the 1600's was at the time the second most populous Swedish town after Stockholm! Must've been almost as bad as present day Elsinore on a summer Friday night.

[Al B. Sure!]

5 nordic countries? but there's only three... Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. maybe Finland because of its proximity but never Iceland. thats what we're taught in america.

[Winston]

Iceland was Danish until 1944 and is therefore by definition a Nordic country. Consider also that the interparliamentary Nordic Council consists of the 5 already mentioned, plus representatives from 3 partly autonomous countries: Greenland, The Faroes and Ã…land.

[Boris Godunov]

Iceland was settled by the Scandinavians...so why wouldn't it be considered Nordic?

And I was taught in school that Iceland is indeed part of the Nordic culture.

[Monk]

Originally posted by Winston
By the way, the Swedish camp at Brønshøj in the 1600's was at the time the second most populous Swedish town after Stockholm! Must've been almost as bad as present day Elsinore on a summer Friday night.

Just when you thought Brønshøj couldn't be any worse

[Al B. Sure!]

Iceland is nordic but it is hundreds of miles away from the scandanavian peninsula.

[Boris Godunov]

What does distance have to do with it? Nordic is describing cultural affinity, not location.

Australia is thousands of mile from Europe, but it's still culturally European.

[Seeker]

Only the Frisians deserve to be classfied as 'Nordic'.

Why? The movie 'the Warlord' with Charlton Heston.