Scandia

Scandinavia is a geographical term which generally includes Norway and Sweden as well as some combination of Iceland, Denmark, and Finland. We will be using the ancient literary term Scandia to refer to Denmark as a whole but only the southern lands of Norway, Sweden, and especially Finland. We will also include, for geographical and cultural reasons, Estonia and Latvia. Beyond Scandia, one more geocultural province in our fabled land of Olympia, lies the rest of Scandinavia which will remain part of Incognito.

Provincial Boundaries of Scandia within Olympia
North:
Imaginary line from Bergen (Norway) east to Lillestrøm on Øyeren Lake near Oslo,
Lillestrøm to Gävle (Sweden),
Gävle to Turku (Finland),
Turku via Tampere, Lahti, and Kouvola to Lappeenranta (Finland near Russia).

To the north: Incognito (Scandinavia).

East:
Lappeenranta to Virolahti on the Gulf of Finland,
Virolahti across the Gulf of Finland to Narva River (Estonia),
Narva River, Lake Peipsi, Velikaya River, Sinyaya River (tributary of Velikaya south of Ostrov, Russia), to the Daugava River. 

This boundary separates Protestant Estonia and Latvia from Orthodox Russia. Pskov is on the Russian side of the Velikaya River.

Geocultural province to the east: Slavia.

South:
Daugava River west to Gulf of Finland and Baltic Sea,
Baltic Sea southwest to the old Eider Canal at Kiel (Germany),
Kiel west to Tönning (Germany) on the North Sea.

To the south: Germania and Polonia.
 
West: North Sea from Tönning to Bergen.

To the west: the Celtic Isles.

District boundaries within Scandia
Viken (southern Norway): broadened name of area around the Oslo fjord during the Viking Age.
North: imaginary line from Bergen to Lillestrøm,
Northeast to southwest: Lillestrøm, Øyeren Lake, Glomma River, Skagerrak Strait (North Sea),
Southeast to northwest: North Sea coast to Bergen.
 
Götaland (JARE-te-land): traditional name for this area of Sweden.
North: Øyeren Lake at Lillestrøm (Norway) east to Gävle (Sweden),
East: Gävle south along the Baltic Sea coast to Karlskrona,
South: Karlskrona, southwest along Baltic Sea to Ystad then northwest along the Øresund to Helsingborg,
West: Helsingborg northwest to Glomma River and Øyeren Lake to Lillestrøm.
 
Finlandia, “land of the Finns,” the name for the very southern tip of Finland based on the most important ethnic group living there when Christianity reached the area.
North: Turku on the Gulf of Bothnia east via Tampere, Lahti, and Kouvola to Lappeenranta.
East: Lappeenranta south to Virolahti on the Gulf of Finland.
South: Virolahti west to Hanko.
West: Hanko north to Turku.
 
Livonia, medieval name for Estonia and Latvia when Christianity arrived there.
North: Tallinn east to mouth of Narva River,
East: Mouth of Narva River, Lake Peipsi, Velikaya River, Sinyaya River (tributary of Velikaya south of Ostrov, Russia), to the Daugava River.
South: Mouth of Daugava River in Gulf of Riga west to Kolka
West: Baltic Sea at Kolka then north, to the west of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa islands, to Tallinn.
 
Jutlandia: the Jutland peninsula plus the larger islands of Zealand (where Copenhagen is located), Funan, Lolland, and Falster and several hundred smaller ones.
 
South: The old Eider Canal between Tönning and Kiel (Germany).

Copyright © 2022 by Steven Farsaci.
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