"anorak222 <listen@w...>" <listen@w...> wrote:

> Scandinavia as a geographic entity (the peninsula attached to the

North of mainland Europe): Finland, Norway, Sweden (parts of Russia
even).

> Scandinavia as a cultural entity (the set of Nordic countries who

share common traditions and cultural bonds): Finland, Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, Iceland

> Scandinavia as a linguistic entity (those countries that speak a

North Germanic language): Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland

Good summary, I think. But in the last point you may include also
the Swedish-speaking population of Finland, or at least its Aland
Autonomous Province. And don't forget the Feroes and the Danish
minority in Greenland, both places kind of dependencies of Denmark,
however.
But concerning the first point (Scandinavia as a geographic entity)
it depends on where you set the isthmus of the Scandinavian
Peninsula: between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Arctic Sea (Barents
Sea); or between the Gulf of Finland and the White Sea?

The Microsoft Encarta Atlas gives yet another option, which I don't
agree:
"Scandinavia is the name applied collectively to three countries of
Northern Europe Norway and Sweden, which together form the
Scandinavian Peninsula, and Denmark. © 1988-2000 Microsoft and/or
its suppliers. All rights reserved."

Francisco,
Portugal