How do Norway, Sweden, and Denmark compare to Scotland, England, and Wales?
It is NO, SE and DK (a.k.a Scandinavia) to the Great Britain..All are monarchiesAll are seafaring powerhouseAll has mercantilism historyAll are rich nations in EuropeAll were superpower in European warfare historyDifferences:Great Britain has 60mio inhabitants, Scandinavian nations has 21mioScandinavian loves beer, the Brits loves whiskeyGreat Britain has more global-recognition and -leverage than ScandinaviaGreat Britain has more colonies than any Scandinavian nations
What are some differences between Norway, Sweden, and Finland?
Assume that every nation has a group that dominates it, defines its culture, and becomes normative.Denmark has the merchants in Copenhagen:This means a culture where you value the ability to do business. Remember: After shaking hands with a Dane, count your fingers.Hard work is important but it is preferred to do it at an office: After work you can relax in a restaurant or at a café where you eat Danish pastries.Norway has poor subsistence fishermen, super-rich shipowners and, lately, oil drilling.Most nations are shaped by agriculture. Norway is shaped by fishing, shipping, and oil drilling. Those activities are about handling risk. A fisherman looks at the weather, considers the season, considers the fish market, and makes a decision: to stay at home or to go out fishing. The brave man makes more money, but the bravest dies in the sea. Worst case: the skipper not only dies, he also loses his ship (starvation and death for his family). This means that Norwegians are less interested in planning; they adore people who are brave and able to take decisions fast. They also admire outdoor activities and people who do things alone. Recreation should thus be done in nature, preferably at some place that is a little bit dangerous. What you eat isn't important. Sweden has industry owners and workers:Industry has a long history. Way back in mediaeval times, industry was important. Industry demands planning. Patience. Organisation. Cooperation. Mutual trust.What is a Swede: A German in a human form. So Swedes like planning ahead. Risk should be taken care of in advance. Recreation should be a planned activity. Food is important, but even more important is that it does not take to much time to prepare. People who disturb the harmony are not appreciated.Finland has the poor farmers who are also soldiers.Sometimes, the Russians attack. Nobody knows why. It is just a fact of life. Something you have to learn to live with. To survive, you have to prepare and when the time comes, act. Be brave. Never complain. Work hard. As recreation, sauna and alcohol work. Alcohol should be concentrated, like vodka. Only homosexuals drink wine. There is no homosexuals in Finland. If there ever were any, they have long emigrated to Sweden.
Why are Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden so wealthy?
For different reasons, but a lot of them have to do with sensible use of each nation’s natural resources—i.e. keeping them for the public rather than letting private enterprise collect all that money into private hands—and having a fairly small population to spread their wealth among.Norway has a massive sovereign wealth fund that it has built up through the sale of its North Sea oil. The Norwegian oil company Statoil is 67% owned by the Norwegian government.Iceland only has 334,000 people, yet it is one of the biggest fishers of cod in the world. As it also sits on several volcanoes, it makes use of nearly free geothermal energy to refine ore. Some countries ship their raw ore all the way to Iceland, where it’s refined and shipped back. This is actually less expensive than doing it in the country of origin.Sweden is a big exporter of arms, wood products, and heavy equipment. They make Volvo cars, trucks, construction equipment, and marine engines. Saab-Scania makes Scania trucks. As Sweden is neutral, it can sell arms to anyone. They’ve also gone into high technology in a big way. And they weren’t hammered by World War II, because they weren’t in it.Finland is also very into high technology and wood products. They’re the home of Nokia, the mobile phone manufacturer. They also do a lot of shipbuilding, and make huge ship engines that are used by ships all over the world. Here’s one. The crankshaft alone weighs 300 tons.Denmark is home to the world’s largest shipping company, Maersk, which also does other kinds of transport and logistics. Denmark is also a net exporter of food (especially pork), energy, and medicines. Denmark has one of the lowest levels of wealth inequality in the world.All these nations are pretty heavily unionized, which ensures that profits go to the workers and not just to the owners.