Page "Scandinavian Peninsula" Paragraph 1

The name of the peninsula is derived from the term Scandinavia, the cultural region of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

That cultural name is in turn derived from the name of Scania, the region at the southern extremity of the peninsula that has during periods been part of Denmark, that is the ancestral home of the Danes, and that is now part of Sweden.

The derived term " Scandinavian " also refers to the North Germanic peoples who speak Scandinavian languages, considered to be a dialect continuum derived from Old Norse.

These languages are Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Faroese, and Icelandic, with the latter two being closest to Old Norse.