The term “Scandinavia” generally refers to Norway, Sweden and Denmark.  Here are some fast facts about each of these Scandinavian countries.  Maybe they will come in handy for trivia night!

NORWAY:

National animal – moose

National flower – pyramidal saxifrage, or some believe it is heather

National dish – mutton and cabbage stew

National sport (doing) – skiing

National sport (watching) – futbol (soccer)

National fruit – cloudberries

National berry – lingonberry

National tree – Norway spruce

National bird – white throated dipper

Official languages – Norwegian (dialects Bokmål and Nynorsk) and Sámi  

Nickname – Land of the Midnight Sun

Motto – Alt for Norge (All for Norway) 

SWEDEN:

National animal – Eurasian elk

National flower – Campanula rotundifolia

National dish – meatballs and lingonberries

National sport (doing) – bandy (like ice hockey but with a ball)

National sport (watching) – futbol (soccer)

National fruit – apple

National berry – lingonberry

National tree – Ornås birch

National bird – common blackbird

Official languages – Swedish with five minor languages (Finnish, Meänkieli, Romani, Sami languages, Yiddish)

Nickname – The Elongated Country or Land of the Sea

Motto – För Sverige – i tiden (For Sweden – with the times) 

DENMARK:

National animal – mute swan

National flower – Marguerite daisy

National dish – stegt flæsk (crispy pork with boiled potatoes and parsley sauce)

National sport (doing) – running

National sport (watching) – futbol (soccer)

National fruit – strawberry

National berry – strawberry

National tree – European beech

National bird – mute swan

Official languages – Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic

Nickname – The World’s Oldest Monarchy or The Happiest Country in the World

Motto – Guds hjælp, folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke (God's Help, the People's Love, Denmark's Strength)

Some interesting information here that bears further exploration in future posts!