The Vikings originally came from Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Norway is the most western land of Scandinavia with a land area of 324,220 sq km. Only 3% of the land is fertile, the coastline is deeply cut by fjords and mountains, some covered with large glaciers cover more than half the land mass. It is very long and narrow (500 km lies north of the Arctic Circle) and shares borders with Finland, Sweden and Russia. Norway's west coast is scattered with small islands.

See map of Viking settlements in Norway and Sweden.

Denmark The most southerly country of Scandinavia, Denmark is small with a land area of 42,930 sq km. It consists of about 500 islands, only 100 of which are inhabited. Apart from a small border with Germany, it is surrounded by the North and Baltic seas. It is a flat and fertile land.

Read about the history of the Danish Vikings.

See Images of life in Ribe, a Danish Viking town.

See map of Viking settlements in Denmark.

Sweden Situated largely east of Norway, Sweden covers an area of 450,000 sq km and has a north-south length of 1500 km. It has a rocky coast in the south-west, a lakeland area with approx. 100,000 lakes, a open flatland area in the south and many heavily forested areas in the north. Ecology is an important part of the Swedish culture and hence there are many national parks.

See map of Viking settlements in Norway and Sweden.

Read about Vikings in Gotland Sweden