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Quick Facts about the Nordic Region
GREENLAND
ICELAND
SWEDEN FAROE ISLANDS
FINLAND NORWAY
ATLANTIC OCEAN
ÅLAND ISLANDS
DENMARK
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THE NORDIC REGION is home to about 25 million people and covers around 1.3 million square land miles—making it one of the most sparsely populated places to live in the world!
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Although eight main languages are spoken, speakers of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish (about 80 percent of the population) can usually understand one another because of similarities among the languages. ■
The region’s people first made contact with the rest of Europe when the Vikings—explorers, merchants, and pirates from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden—took to the seas between about the eighth and eleventh centuries.
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Some companies from the Nordic region that you might know include Ikea (Sweden), LEGO® (Denmark), and Nokia (Finland).
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The Sami (pronounced SAH-me) are native people who herd reindeer and live in the northernmost sections of Finland, Norway, and Sweden (and also Russia).
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Icelandic folklore features rich stories of elves, trolls, dwarves, sorcerers, and other mystical creatures, and its strong creative and innovative tradition continues today especially with filmmaking and video game development.
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Norway is home to about one-fifth of the world’s polar bears.
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Let There Be (Amazing) Light Welcome to Nordic Cool 2013, an event shedding light on the arts and diverse cultures of northern Europe. And speaking of illumination, during the dark nights in these nations surrounding the North Pole, nature turns on the lights— the northern lights (or in Latin, aurora borealis), that is. This natural show of blues, purples, greens, and reds in the sky (pictured here and on page 2 of your festival folder) actually begins with the sun. When particles from the sun meet the Earth’s magnetic field, they are drawn to both the North and South Poles. There, the particles react with the atmosphere to release energy that causes the patterns of light and movement—anything from flickering curtains to steady glows, from pulsing masses to dancing streaks. For thousands of years, the northern lights have captured and inspired the imaginations of artists—writers, poets, musicians, performers, storytellers, painters, illustrators, and photographers—in their work. Among them, count Denmark’s most innovative lighting designer Jesper Kongshaug. He will recreate the effects of the northern lights on all four sides of the Kennedy Center nightly during the festival from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. This special exhibit, commissioned by the Kennedy Center, is free. But you don’t have to wait for the show. We invite you to let the aurora borealis inspire you to create your own artwork—try a drawing or painting, a story or poem, or even a play or a dance. Have fun!
www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org © 2013 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts