■ THE NORDIC REGION is home to about 25 million people and covers around1.3 million square land miles—making it one of the most sparsely populated places to live in the world!

■ Although eight main languages are spoken, speakers of Danish, Norwegian,and Swedish (about 80 percent of the population) can usually understand one another because of similarities among the languages.

■ The region’s people first made contact with the rest of Europe when the Vikings—explorers, merchants, and pirates from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden—took to the seas between about the eighth and eleventh centuries.

■ Some companies from the Nordic region that you might know includeIkea (Sweden), LEGO® (Denmark), and Nokia (Finland).

■ The Sami (pronounced SAH-me) are native people who herd reindeer and live in the northernmost sections of Finland, Norway, and Sweden (and also Russia).

■ Icelandic folklore features rich stories of elves, trolls, dwarves, sorcerers, andother mystical creatures, and its strong creative and innovative traditioncontinues today especially with filmmaking and video game development.

■ Norway is home to about one-fifth of the world’s polar bears.

Quick Facts about the Nordic RegionQuick Facts about the Nordic Region

ICELAND SWEDEN

ÅLANDISLANDS

DENMARK

FAROE ISLANDS

NORWAY

FINLAND

GREENLAND

ATLANTIC OCEAN

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Let There Be (Amazing) Light

Welcome to Nordic Cool 2013, an event shedding light on the arts and diversecultures of northern Europe. And speaking of illumination, during the darknights in these nations surrounding the North Pole, nature turns on the lights—the northern lights (or in Latin, aurora borealis), that is.

This natural show of blues, purples, greens, and reds in the sky (pictured hereand on page 2 of your festival folder) actually begins with the sun. Whenparticles from the sun meet the Earth’s magnetic field, they are drawn to boththe North and South Poles. There, the particles react with the atmosphere torelease energy that causes the patterns of light and movement—anything fromflickering curtains to steady glows, from pulsing masses to dancing streaks.

For thousands of years, the northern lights have captured and inspired theimaginations of artists—writers, poets, musicians, performers, storytellers,painters, illustrators, and photographers—in their work. Among them, countDenmark’s most innovative lighting designer Jesper Kongshaug. He willrecreate the effects of the northern lights on all four sides of the KennedyCenter nightly during the festival from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. This special exhibit,commissioned by the Kennedy Center, is free.

But you don’t have to wait for the show. We invite you to let the aurora borealisinspire you to create your own artwork—try a drawing or painting, a story orpoem, or even a play or a dance. Have fun!

www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org© 2013 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

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