Fennoscandia
 | Sápmi A region across four countries that is home to the Sámi people. | ||
 | Sámi Described in 555 A.D. as 'Skridfins' for their innovative use of wooden blanks. | ||
 | Sweden IKEA, meatballs and Tennis: Välkommen! to The Kingdom of Sweden. Learn more | ||
 | Finland Saunas, Nokia and Lakes: Mieluinen! to The Republic of Finland. Learn more | ||
 | Norway Skiing, Fiords and Lefse: Velkommen! to the Kingdom of Norway. Learn more |
A thousand years ago, in the 10th century, Arabian historians would tell of a strange community somewhere in the far north. This was in the region of Fennoscandia among the Sámi people of Sápmi.
GoNorth! Fennoscandia 2008 will have us travel through the region of Sápmi - the expedition route setting out in Sweden, heading east to Finland then north through the Boreal Forest to the coast of the Arctic Ocean in Norway to head back inland across taiga and onto the Swedish mountain tundra.
Technically, Fennoscandia and Fenno-Scandinavia are geographic terms used to describe the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula, Karelia and Finland.
Geologically, the term also alludes to the underlying Fennoscandian Shield of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Northern Denmark, which is the exposed portion of the Baltic Shield that makes up the bulk of Europe. The Fennoscandian Shield in Scandinavia is over 3.1 billion years old!
In a cultural sense, Fennoscandia describes the historically close contact between Sami, Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian peoples and cultures.
