Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Although no definitive borders or definition exist for the term, geographically speaking, northern Europe can be said to consist of (from west to east): Iceland, Ireland, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Northern Germany, Finland, the Baltic States and Northwest Russia. Greenland, a constituent country of Kingdom of Denmark, geographically a part of North America, is politically a part of the Northern Europe because of its strong historic ties to the European mainland, and is sometimes included depending on the context.

History

Historically, when Europe was dominated by the Mediterranean region (i.e., the Roman Empire), everything not near this sea was termed northern Europe, including Germany, the Low Countries, and Austria. This meaning is still used today in some contexts, such as in discussions of the Northern Renaissance. In medieval times, the term (Ultima) Thule was used to mean a mythical place in the extreme northern reaches of the continent.