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Countries Settled by Vikings

Can you guess the modern-day countries that were settled by the Vikings?
According to this map
Includes Normans!
Does not include areas that were raided but not settled
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: August 8, 2020
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First submittedSeptember 5, 2014
Times taken106,765
Average score85.7%
Rating4.93
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Before 800 A.D.
Denmark
Estonia
Finland (Åland Islands)
Germany
Norway
Sweden
800 A.D. - 900 A.D.
Iceland
Ireland
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Russia
United Kingdom
900 A.D. - 1000 A.D.
Belarus
France
Ukraine
After 1000 A.D.
Canada
Italy
Malta
Tunisia
Turkey / Bulgaria
69 Comments
+21
Level 86
Sep 5, 2014
I wonder if there's a difference between saying "A was settled by B" and saying that "B settled in A".
+31
Level 90
Sep 29, 2014
It's just passive voice and active voice.
+33
Level 37
Sep 29, 2014
"Was settled by" is generally taken to mean "founded". I agree that "settled in" presents a more accurate picture. If that is what you were indicating.
+7
Level 76
Sep 18, 2016
If not founded, then it at least implies some sort of conquering, I agree
+1
Level 57
Aug 16, 2022
Agreed!
+12
Level 66
Dec 23, 2016
One suggests that there was no one living in A, so B set up there, while the other would imply that B set up there, but there may have been other people already there.
+9
Level 41
Oct 12, 2017
well there were definitely people living here in UK when the Vikings invaded
+5
Level 76
Feb 27, 2018
How often (in the last ten thousand or so years) have settlers ever actually found terra nullius?
+2
Level 66
Sep 6, 2024
The Vikings were the first humans in Iceland, as I recall. All the other places they went to were inhabited already (Newfoundland, UK, Normandy, Sicily...).
+5
Level 49
Apr 27, 2019
Antarctica, but I think that's about it. (And no one has settled there permanently anyway!)
+4
Level 83
Aug 8, 2020
Quite a few were settled even in the last 2 thousand years (meaning absence of proof of earlier settlement of course): https://www.jetpunk.com/quizzes/most-recently-settled-countries
+5
Level 74
Aug 11, 2020
I believe that both Madeira and the Azores were absent any people at the time of Portuguese colonization. There are other examples, but most are remote or semi-remote islands.
+11
Level 47
Sep 8, 2020
Iceland, Madagascar, and New Zealand were all settled within the last 1,000 or so years.
+4
Level 70
Nov 21, 2021
Cape Verde too
+2
Level 87
Sep 24, 2014
It's strange that they did not settle at all in Finland. The Black Sea spot probably overlaps the modern frontier, both Bulgaria and Turkey would be correct answers.
+7
Level 33
Sep 29, 2014
They definitely did settle in Finland. I've seen Viking castles n stuff while I was there. Not sure why it's not counted.
+17
Level 57
Sep 29, 2014
The castles you mention were built during the Swedish administration well after the Viking age was over. As for why they didn't settle in the area of modern day Finland - it's probably because there wasn't much reason for them to do so.
+2
Level 59
Feb 27, 2018
Well, there is plenty of viking stuff (graves, weapons, jewellery) found in Finland, but apparently they just co-existed, traded etc.
+1
Level 70
Sep 7, 2020
Ouch. Doesn't say a whole lot for Finland. The Vikings would make perilous transoceanic voyages into terra incognito, sail thousands miles down inland rivers into hostile lands, but wasn't really interested in Finland just around the corner.
+3
Level ∞
Jun 30, 2022
Nothing worth looting and pillaging.
+36
Level ∞
Jun 18, 2016
Finland has been added, but only because of the Åland islands, not because of castles n stuff.
+35
Level 88
Aug 8, 2020
"Castles n stuff" would be a good quiz name.
+1
Level 47
Jan 18, 2023
I have lived in Finland and definitively can tell you that Finland has been settled by Vikings, that map is garbage.
+3
Level 92
Sep 29, 2014
What map?
+2
Level 56
Sep 29, 2014
I'm pretty sure that's Turkey, not Bulgaria. Eastern Belarus is definitely orange. I can also say that a bit of orange is on the Belgian coast. Compare the map given with a political map of Europe and you'll see what I mean.
+7
Level ∞
Jun 18, 2016
Having stared at the map for awhile, it's difficult to say. It's probable that the yellow area includes parts of both countries. I simply combined the two answers.
+1
Level 21
Sep 29, 2014
1 - Howcome Greenland is not on the list?

2 - Not completely acurate as I'm portuguese and we had two diferent clans of vikings ruling over us. The wiped the romans and kept there for 300years give or take

+17
Level 51
Sep 29, 2014
Greenland isn't on the list because it is a territory of Denmark. While Portugal was subjected to frequent Viking raids, they never actually settled there. The Portuguese were ruled over by two Germanic barbarian tribes, not Vikings, after the fall of the Romans and then the Moors after them.
+14
Level 57
Sep 30, 2014
I think you mean the Moops.
+4
Level 72
Sep 5, 2019
what on earth is a moop? (makes me think of muppets or some sort of invented name)
+2
Level 83
Aug 12, 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0uYJjDHeDU

"Some sort of invented name" is spot on. :-)

+1
Level 86
Feb 28, 2022
Not to be confused with names that grow on trees.
+1
Level 66
Sep 29, 2014
Just missed Canada :(

I've never seen the Vikings at the school.

+2
Level 69
Mar 29, 2015
Finland (via Aland), Belarus, Turkey and Belgium need to go on, maybe Bulgaria come off.
+2
Level ∞
Jun 18, 2016
Added Finland and Belarus. Combined Bulgaria and Turkey. Not sure about Belgium.
+1
Level 52
Sep 6, 2024
On the map, Åland is not shown though.
+2
Level 43
Jul 12, 2016
nice quizz !
+1
Level 55
Sep 18, 2016
Perhaps adding Spain and/or Greece? I don't know much if they settled there but I could provide evidence that they did.
+5
Level 38
Mar 25, 2019
The Normans attacked the Byzantine Empire in the Balkans and - briefly - occupied Corfu so Greece should be one here.
+2
Level 45
Sep 22, 2016
Did it by fluke! After filling in the obvious ones, I started guessing randomly and got the last one (Malta) with just 7 seconds left!
+1
Level 73
Nov 5, 2016
Great quiz!
+1
Level 40
Dec 23, 2016
Oooh I didn't realise they went that far south just missed the 1
+2
Level 67
Dec 23, 2016
Ragnar Lothbrook!
+1
Level 60
Dec 23, 2016
good quiz! got lucky with Malta
+1
Level 64
Feb 15, 2017
100%!!!!!

Malta for the win!

+1
Level 66
Sep 28, 2017
For whatever reason Germany didn't work when I typed it in (I know I spelled it right), so I missed one. Took the quiz again and it worked fine. I have no idea what happened.
+2
Level 72
Sep 5, 2019
maybe a key on your kb didnt take. I know mine doesnt take the i's like 2 % of the time
+6
Level 66
Feb 27, 2018
Looking at the map, it seems like Tunisia could be included and maybe Algeria too.
+4
Level 70
Feb 27, 2018
Definitely Tunisia anyway.
+1
Level ∞
Aug 8, 2020
Added Tunisia
+4
Level 56
Jul 17, 2018
Um .....

So just who are we defining as Vikings? Vikings are those Scandinavians that travelled WESTWARDS from (mainly) Denmark and Norway. Varangians are those Scandinavians who travelled mostly EASTWARDS AND SOUTHWARDS from (mostly) Sweden. I am not certain that the term Viking or Varangian has any basis in historical nomenclature. I did however get most of the answers - although not Malta

The Northmen who settled in Byzantium were definitely Varangians and not Vikings cf Varangian Guard.

Still an interesting one

+1
Level 56
Jul 17, 2018
OK - I've re-read the blurb and you are using a map. Doesn't make it correct tho'
+5
Level 76
Oct 22, 2018
Viking is not a nationality. It's a lifestyle of going from bay to bay, inlet to inlet ... in other words from vik to vik a.k.a. viking. ;)

Based on DNA, the Nordics are the homelands of the Vikings. If you go by the common haplotype, West Finland has the most of it, today, right behind being Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Close behind the Baltic states. A noticeable amount elsewhere in Europe esp. West/more Northern parts. Then again, there are many traces of Vikings picking up spouses from wherever (e.g. see Iceland where there are many genetic markers from Scotland and Ireland), settling here and there, mixing with locals, even continuing all the way to Georgia to settle, Canada to attempt and many other places incl. in Islamic Levant, North Africa... and then many Vikings simply disappearing from history due to who knows what reason, maybe just settling in wherever you might find blue eyes these days.

So, in the lack of full evidence: you define who is a Viking.

+4
Level 36
Apr 27, 2019
Strange that they went to Denmark, Germany and Norway, but overlooked the Netherlands and Belgium. Also, didn't realize that they ventured as far south as Malta and Turkey.
+2
Level 44
Jun 11, 2022
They most definitely raided the Frisian coasts, they just did not settle there. And keep in mind that area was just a big swamp.
+1
Level 75
Apr 27, 2019
missed Sweden.

WHY!!!!!!!!!

+1
Level 36
Apr 27, 2019
So close to getting them all first try... but I forgot about Malta.
+1
Level 72
Sep 5, 2019
wow I had no idea about italy, malta, turkey/bulgaria. I tried netherlands, belgium, ireland and usa. They seemed to make the most sense, coastal, northern and neighbours of countries allready on the list.
+1
Level 65
Jul 5, 2022
friesland is a dutch province which was once controlled by vikings so it should be on here
+1
Level 51
Feb 3, 2020
I missed Norway. HOW LOL.
+4
Level 70
Aug 8, 2020
As a viking I`m happy with 19. Nice quiz. Missed Finland. And I have no idea what we were doing down in Tunisia.
+13
Level 71
Aug 10, 2020
Needed some sun.
+8
Level 81
Sep 8, 2020
You are a seafaring person who goes from port to port raiding and pillaging?
+1
Level 63
Jan 19, 2021
I tried Morocco and Algeria first. I knew they were somewhere in North Africa because of the TV series Vikings. But since they did not settle Spain or Portugal they probably went through France or Italy.
+3
Level 82
Mar 26, 2021
There is a dearth of navigable rivers in the Iberian peninsula.
+4
Level 68
May 13, 2022
Looking closely at the map and cross-checking with Google Maps, I'm fairly sure Algeria should be included. The western point of the yellow area appears to be the small peninsula where the Cap Rosa lighthouse is, which is within Algeria.
+1
Level 65
Jul 5, 2022
friesland a dutch province once had vikings ruling it so i suggest adding the netherlands
+1
Level 63
Aug 13, 2022
Almost missed Tunisia.
+1
Level 55
Aug 16, 2022
It is not on the map, but if tunisia is included because of the kingdom of africa, the conquest by the normans of sicily, it should also include libya