10 Fun Facts About Scandinavia

Scandinavia's Top 10 Fun Facts!

Looking for fun facts about Scandinavia? Here they are...

1. The world's largest population of arctic reindeer herders can be found in Norway!

2. The most popular souvenir in Sweden is the commonly seen "moose-crossing" warning sign along roads in Sweden. Swedes replace thousands of these traffic signs each year.

3. Norway is just a little bit larger than the US state New Mexico - and two thirds of Norway are mountain regions.

4. While Finland is called "The Land of the 1,000 lakes", the country has more than 188,000 lakes with 98,000 islands!

5. Now known world-wide, the inventors of Lego® toys got started in Billund, Denmark in 1932 manufacturing not Lego blocks but stepladders! Billund is now the home of Legoland Theme Park.

6. During Easter in Sweden, which is a well-known holiday here, children dress up and go from home to home asking for candy, similar to Halloween!

7. Sweden is known for innovation and inventions. It is the country that first offered the perfected zipper, the marine propeller, the fridge, the heart pace maker and even created your computer mouse. Not to forget IKEA and H&M merchandise.

8. Rekjavik, the capital of Iceland, has sidewalks that are heated by geothermal heat in the winter. Maybe this takes care of snow-shoveling...

9. In Denmark, a flag is flown outside when it's someone's birthday. If you're not married when you turn 30, you will get a pepper shaker as a gift and men are called a Pepperman (in Danish: "pebersvend") while females will be a Peppermaid ("pebermø").

10. In Norway's dark winter during the Polar Nights, the sun is up for only 3 hours a day in some parts, a phenomena which affects and slows pregnancies of Norwegian women!

If you have any more fun facts about Scandinavia, send them in via email to goscandinavia.guide@about.com, with the subject "Fun Facts About Scandinavia" - thanks!