In the academic world, “Viking” is used for people of Scandinavian origin or with Scandinavian connections who were active in trading and settlement as well as piracy and raiding, both within and outside Scandinavia in the period 750-1100.

The Sound, Danish Øresund, Swedish Öresund, strait between Zealand (Sjælland), Denmark, and Skåne, Sweden, connecting the Kattegat strait (northwest) with the Baltic Sea (south). The Sound is one of the busiest sea lanes in the world.

Øresund

The Scandinavian mountain range generally defines the border between Norway and Sweden. The peninsula is bordered by several bodies of water including: the Barents Sea to the north. the Norwegian Sea to the west.

Scandinavian means belonging or relating to a group of northern European countries that includes Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, or to the people, languages, or culture of those countries.

Nordic people are often seen as a bit more beautiful than average in European-dominated cultures, but it is not necessarily a global perception. In much of Africa and East Asia, Nordic people are seen as too strange and exotic to be truly beautiful. But among “white” people they are often prized for their beauty.

Scandinavians, Finns and Swedes do not have smaller than Ethiopian or Chinese noses for example. Almost the whole of humanity has small noses. If “large hook noses” are an adaptation to climate (as opposed to just a genetic fluke), it may have to do with a combination of temperature and low humidity.

Norway

Icelandic is beautiful but also can be hard to listen to due to its complexity, the same with Faroese. So Norwegian wins for me, a very clear language (most of the time) that has pretty words and nice pitch accent.

Denmark

Sweden

Norway is a very expensive country to visit, but if you have the money, it is well worth the trip. Finland is also a Scandinavian country, and is relatively expensive when compared to the rest of Europe. It is generally more affordable than Norway though, so if you’re short on funds, Finland may be a better option.

Bulgaria

Pakistan

On the subarctic island, consumer prices were on average 56 per cent higher than the rest of Europe in 2018, making Iceland the single most expensive country, ahead of Switzerland (52 per cent), Norway (48 per cent) and Denmark (38 per cent), according to Eurostat data.

The average cost of living in Norway ($1922) is 20% less expensive than in Switzerland ($2417)….Prices in Norway vs Switzerland – Cost of Living Comparison.

Switzerland has (in my judgement) more spectacular mountains than Norway does, but in contrast, Norway has a very long and scenic coast and Switzerland has no coastline at all. Similarly, Norway is a very large country with hardly any people in it, so we’ve got huge areas of nearly undisturbed wilderness.

Norway is much more beautiful for me, more peaceful, less commercialized, and with much friendlier and smiling people. Are you planning to rent a car or doing trip by public transport? If public transport, then Switzerland would be better as they have very well connected train/cable car links everywhere.

Well, good salary is a big word! For a single family generally 30–45,000 NOK per month (pretax) is considered as good salary. Remember the taxation in Norway is way too high, and the country is expensive too. A good salary (gross; namely before tax) would be around one million kroner per year.

Switzerland. Tucked away in the Alps, Switzerland is easily one of the most beautiful countries in the world, no matter when you’re visiting. Come wintertime though, it becomes a veritable wonderland, with powdery ski slopes and frozen lakes galore.

Switzerland

Geneva

The Most Expensive Cities of Europe

• Zurich.
• Geneva.
• London.
• Basel.
• Lausanne.
• Reykjavik.
• Oslo.
• Lugano.

Top 10 cheapest cities in Europe

• Warsaw, Poland. Average daily cost on a budget: €30.45.
• Kraków, Poland. Average daily cost on a budget: €24.03.
• Český Krumlov, Czech Republic. Average daily cost on a budget: €28.61.
• Bratislava, Slovakia.
• Budapest, Hungary.
• Zagreb, Croatia.
• Belgrade, Serbia.
• Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.