The Vikings were warrior tribes in southern Norden. Between about 800 to 1050, they sailed from the fjords of their land to raid parts of Western Europe. They explored much of the region and set up trading routes and colonies in new nations.

In 1397, the Queen of Denmark united the five Nordic nations under a single crown. This unification lasted until 1523 when Sweden, which at that time included Finland, withdrew. Denmark, Norway, and Iceland remained together under one crown for several more centuries. Sweden and Finland stayed united until the 1800s when in Russia took control of Finland.

The Reformation that created Protestantism in the United Kingdom brought the Lutheranism to people in the Nordic countries.

Nordic languages have a common route with the exception of Finnish. Most people in Finland speak Swedish as well as Finnish. Schools in the Nordic countries require students to learn English.