Looking for facts about Scandinavia? Here they are…
Swedish people recycle so much that the Waste-to-Power plants actually import waste from Norway.
Norway is one of the largest oil exporters in the world, yet has one of the highest prices of gasoline ($9.79/gallon as of this writing).
Danish pastries aren’t Danish, but Viennese.
Good Swedish drivers can take part in a lottery funded by bad driving fines.
It’s illegal to buy sex, but it’s ok to sell it in Norway.
There’s a 100% tax on gasoline in Denmark.
In 1628, the Swedish nation was so proud it created a huge warship (the Vasa) to reflect the country’s power. The boat sank a mile from shore within 20 minutes.
Many Norwegians claim Leif Erikson as their explorer, although he was actually born in Greenland.
In Denmark it’s illegal to burn any foreign flag, but it’s ok to burn a Danish flag.
Snus (snoose) is incredibly popular in Sweden. The trendier brands come in something which looks like a teabag to tuck into your mouth.
Norway has spent millions on a ‘Doomsday Vault’ on an island that is designed as a seed preserve for plants from all over the world. International millionaires have also donated funds to support it.
Dane Niels Bohr won the Nobel Prize in 1922 and to reward him, the Carlsberg Brewery bought him a house with a direct pipeline into the brewery.
Men in Sweden are strongly encouraged to take 2 months of (paid) paternity leave. Daycare is based on a family’s income.
A Norwegian non-working pregnant woman’s entitlement money runs at about $5,500-6,500.
Denmark’s highest mountain is a paltry 170m.
Famous Swedes include actress Greta Garbo, tennis player Bjorn Borg and inventor Alfred Nobel (of the Nobel prize). Interesting Swedish inventions are dynamite, the Celsius thermometer and the pacemaker.
Norwegian police stations run on office hours and are often closed for the weekend.
Legos were invented in Denmark as was the fiberscope. The drummer Lars Ulrich, the actor Mads Mikkleson and author Hans Christian Andersen are a few famous Danes.
Photo by Moviestore Collection / Rex Features (1579080a)
Mata Hari, Greta Garbo Film and Television
Norway’s current Crown-Prince married a single mother with a dodgy past.
Scandinavian countries take Eurovision extremely seriously.
The border trade between Norway and Sweden (Sweden’s much, much cheaper for basics like meat and milk products) is around $2 billion a year.
Scandinavians skied over 6,000 years ago, and also worshiped a ski god: Ullr.
You can be put in prison for speeding in Norway. Just ten miles over the speed limit can cost you $500+. Compare that to being caught with heroin: $250 fine or so.
Scandinavians believe most in evolution and they also publish more books (per capita) yearly than any other area.
If you want to upset a Norwegian, ask them about whale hunting. It’s an insult to their heritage.
Krakens, trolls, dwarves, elves and ‘Nisse’ (the trickster version of Santa Claus) are very much a part of Scandinavian cultures.
Famous Norwegians include play-write Henrik Ibsen, explorer Roald Amundsen and painter Edvard Munch. Norwegians are also behind the beta invention of the spray can and the cheese slicer, but not paperclips.
Lutefisk is a popular Norwegian fish dish but beware: it’s slightly rotted and then put into lye (used in soaps and such) to cure it.
Strange Facts about Scandinavia, collected by Admin