Northern Europe is the northern part of the European continent. Most people see the following states as part of it:
- The Nordic countries, including
Denmark, 
Finland, 
Iceland, 
Norway and 
Sweden, as well as 
Åland, the 
Faroe Islands and occasionally 
Karelia and the Kola Peninsula. 
Ireland, the 
United Kingdom, the 
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands (but see also Western Europe)- The Baltic states, i.e.
Estonia, 
Latvia, and 
Lithuania - Areas bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, e.g. north-western
Russia, northern 
Poland (most often referred to as Eastern Europe), 
Netherlands, 
Belgium, 
Luxembourg, and northern 
Germany.
Europe, the planet's 6th largest continent, includes 47 countries and assorted dependencies, islands and territories.
Before the 19th century, the term 'Nordic' or 'Northern' was commonly used to mean Northern Europe in a sense that included the Nordic countries, European Russia, the Baltic countries (at that time Livonia and Courland) and 
Greenland.
In earlier eras, 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. In medieval times, the term (Ultima) Thule was used to mean a semi-mythical place in the extreme northern reaches of the continent.
In a European Union context, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are often seen as belonging to a Northern group.
