Historically, when Europe was dominated by the Mediterranean region (i.e., the Roman Empire), everything not near this sea was termed northern Europe, including Germany, the Low Countries, and Austria. This meaning is still used today in some contexts, such as in discussions of the Northern Renaissance. In medieval times, the term (Ultima) Thule was used to mean a mythical place in the extreme northern reaches of the continent.
Northern Europe consists of the Scandinavian peninsula, the peninsula of Jutland, the Baltic plain that lies to the east and the many islands that lie offshore from mainland northern Europe, Greenland, and the main European continent. The area is defined by the volcanic islands of the far northwest, notably Iceland and Jan Mayen, the mountainous western seaboard, extending from the mountainous sections of Great Britain and Ireland to the Scandinavian mountains peaking in Norway, the central north mountains and hills of Sweden (which are the foothills of the Scandinavian mountains) and the large eastern plain, which contains, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland.
With the exception of the UK and Ireland, northern European countries are known for harsh winters. For example, the Winter of 2010-2011 in Europe began in November throughout Northern Europe. Temperatures can reach as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius in some parts of northern Europe.[1]
Countries in northern Europe are known to have large, developed economies and some of the highest standards of living in the world.[citation needed] They score highly on surveys measuring quality-of-life, such as the Human Development Index.
