Fennoscandia

Fennoscandia is a geographic and geological region of Northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula, Finland, Karelia and the Kola Peninsula. The term denotes a shared Precambrian bedrock and similar physiographic elements across parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and northwestern Russia.

Landscape types within Fennoscandia range from coastal fjords and alpine mountains in the west to boreal forests and low-lying glacially scoured terrain in the east. The region contains Arctic and sub-Arctic environments in its northern reaches and is noted for extensive forests, lakes and northern tundra.

Geologically the area is underlain by ancient crystalline rocks known as the Baltic Shield, which have shaped mineral occurrences and the region’s topography over geological time. The region spans international boundaries across several nations in Northern Europe and extends from the North Atlantic into the Arctic Circle.

• Extent: Encompasses the Scandinavian Peninsula, Finland, the Kola Peninsula and parts of northwestern Russia as a distinct geological and geographic unit of Northern Europe.

What to See #

• Scandinavian Mountains: The Scandinavian Mountains that run along the western side of the Fennoscandian region and include high plateaus and fjord-cut valleys.
• Baltic Shield: The Baltic Shield or Precambrian bedrock area that underlies much of the region and shapes its geology and mineral distribution.
• Lapland and tundra: Northern Lapland and the tundra and boreal forest zones that stretch across northern Norway, Sweden and Finland into the Kola Peninsula.