North Europe
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[edit] North Europe
The ten nations (and three smaller island chains) of the north may be small, but their contributions to global politics, economics and missions are substantial.
Far enough north that ice can impede maritime traffic, rare and precious metals can be found in the region, as can fish, timber and arable land. Petroleum and natural gas are found in small quantities, but these will likely be depleted in the near future.
Northern Europe is the least populated region in Europe, and one of the least populated in the world. It is also one of the slowest growing: at 300,00 per year, it will likely increase from 94 million in AD 2000 to 101 million in 2025. Heavily urbanized, over 83% of its population live in cities, of which 181 have more than 1 million residents. Northern Europe has the third highest concentration of elderly in the world: 20% are over 65.
Still, though they have many rich resources, most of the nations are dependent on trade with other nearby countries for certain key items. In this they have been successful. The people of Northern Europe are very wealthy--some more so than others. The region accounts for one-fifth of Europe's total GNP with economies that are a modernized mix of capitalism and extensive welfare systems. All have benefited from globalization and low defense requirements. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia lag behind, while Norway, Sweden and Finland are among the best economies in the world. Iceland is pursuing hydrogen energy, and Sweden and Finland have highly advanced telecommunications companies.
All have stable governments. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuana have ongoing thorny issues with ethnic minorities (particularly Russians). Britain and Ireland have cemented a peace agreement which is being implemented, though slowly and not without difficulty.
Problems with AIDS are isolated: Estonia has a significant but declining epidemic. Britain has a growing drug problem: Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and synthetic drugs are all consumed here.
Northern Europe has a long, rich Christian heritage. Christianity first came to the north through missionaries to Britain and Ireland. Today, the vast majority of residents profess Christianity. Church attendance, however, is markedly low and apathy is often commented upon. Nevertheless, the churches of Northern Europe have sent a substantial number of missionaries abroad, and many European mission agencies have their global headquarters in England, Sweden and Norway.
[edit] Statistics for the Ten Countries of Northern Europe
| Name | P ‘00 | P ‘25 | C ‘00 | % | C ‘25 | % | 75-00 | 00-25 | Issues affecting the future | |
| Britain | 58.7 | 63.7 | 48.2 | 82% | 50.3 | 79% | + - | + - | Stable government, strong economy, large mission-sending base. | |
| Denmark | 5.3 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 89% | 4.8 | 84% | + - | + - | Stable, wealthy, aging. | |
| Estonia | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 64% | 1.0 | 77% | - + | - + | Stable, growing economy, moderate unemployment. | |
| Finland | 5.2 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 91% | 4.8 | 88% | + - | + - | Stable, wealthy, unemployment. | |
| Iceland | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 97% | 0.3 | 95% | + - | + - | Stable, wealthy. | |
| Ireland | 3.8 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 97% | 4.8 | 95% | + - | + - | Peace agreement, poverty, Christian heritage, sporadic violence. | |
| Latvia | 2.4 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 66% | 1.6 | 76% | - + | - + | Stable, ethnic tensions with Russian minority, unemployment, crime. | |
| Lithuania | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 87% | 2.9 | 93% | + + | - + | Stable, poverty, unemployment, openness. | |
| Norway | 4.5 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 95% | 4.7 | 93% | + - | + - | Stable, oil-dependent, high quality of life, strong mission base. | |
| Sweden | 8.9 | 9.7 | 6.0 | 68% | 6.4 | 66% | + - | + - | Stable, wealthy, strong mission base. |
[edit] Key to the above chart:
P’00 - Population, AD 2000 P’25 - Population, AD2025 C’00 - Christianity, AD 2000 (followed by the percentage of the overall population) C’25 - Christianity, AD2025 projection, World Christian Database (followed by percentage of overall population) 75-00 - Growth rate. The first (+/-) indicates whether Christianity is growing or declining; the second (+/-) indicates whether it is growing faster or slower than the population (thus whether Christianity’s influence is growing or declining). (+-) means Christianity is growing, but not as fast as the population, and so is declining as a share of the country. 00-25 - Growth rate projected for AD2000-2025 Issues - A brief encapsulation of the issues affecting the growth of Christianity in the nation.
