The Gothenburg region is a part of Scandinavia, which is the cultural and historic region of the Scandinavian Peninsula and some surrounding areas. The Scandinavian countries are in present day understood as Norway, Sweden and Denmark, even if the latter actually does not reside on the Scandinavian Peninsula. These countries have recognized each other as parts of political and cultural Scandinavia, since the golden days of the nationalist movements in respective countries in the middle of the 19th century. The collective label "Scandinavia" primarily reflects the linguistic similarity, but also the strong historical and social ties between these countries despite their current political independence.
The usage and meaning of the term 'Scandinavia' is somewhat ambiguous:
Finland, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland are still sometimes counted as parts of Scandinavia, as they share strong social and historical ties to Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
In a British mindset, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are usually included, often with the addition of Iceland, Finland, and sometimes even Greenland.
The term the Nordic Countries is used unambiguously for the Scandinavian kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the republics of Finland and Iceland.
