Why is Denmark considered a Scandinavian country, even if it is not part of the Scandinavian peninsula?
by 
Doggie S
ANSWERS: 3
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I've wondered the same thing a few times, but I think it's got something to with the fact that the whole Scandinavia used to be under Danish rule (back in the beginning of the middle ages) - it wasn't until the beginning of the 20th century that Norway gained independence
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Because they belong to the Nordic branch of the Germanic language family. They have this as well as a lot of customs and culture in common with Swedish and Norwegian countries. If you include Greenland and exclude Russia, then Denmark would be the largest European country in terms of land mass.
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Back when Scandinavia was named overland travel was extreemely cumbersome. Moving goods and even people through wild woods is a bitch. so trade and organized civilisation were pretty much limited to coastal areas. Sailing is a lot easier, so the sea was the center of civilization here, and the Baltic and North-sea are nice and (reasonably) calm seas that encourage sailing to connect the area and maintain a reasonably uniform language and culture. PS: If you look back to the Mediterranean civilizations you will notice it was the same there. Once they developed ships good enough for the Mediterranean the whole area quickly gained a common (phonician/greek) culture. regards JakobA
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