Sweden vs Norway

Why people mix them up

Sweden and Norway share the Scandinavian Peninsula and one of the longest land borders in Europe, so on a small map they can look like a single country split down the middle. Both are Nordic kingdoms with a cross on the flag, their languages are close enough that speakers can usually understand each other, and both currencies are called the "crown". People also often search which of the two is bigger, since Norway's long coastline makes it look larger than it is.

How to tell them apart

• Norway faces the Atlantic; Sweden faces east, onto the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia.
• Sweden's flag is a yellow cross on blue; Norway's is a blue cross edged in white on a red field.
• Sweden is the larger and more populous country, a broad block, while Norway is long and narrow with deep fjords.
• Norway reaches Russia in the far north; Sweden borders Finland but never touches Russia.
• Sweden is a member of the EU; Norway is not, although both take part in the Schengen area.
• The capitals are Stockholm (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway). Stockholm sits on the east coast among islands; Oslo lies at the head of the Oslofjord in the south.

Memory hook

Norway is the North-and-West coat draped over Sweden's shoulders; Sweden is the body underneath, looking out to the eastern sea.

On the map

Find the long peninsula above Denmark. The thin western strip that runs along the Atlantic, curls over the top and touches Russia is Norway. The wider country between Norway and the Gulf of Bothnia, opposite Finland, is Sweden. If the country you are tapping has a Baltic coastline facing Finland and Estonia, it is Sweden; if it is all fjords and open ocean, it is Norway.