Cultural
Background
The Vikings were Scandinavian warriors who lived in independent
communities. They were excellent shipbuilders and sailors and
survived by farming, fishing and hunting.
Vikings began learning to fight well and how to sail a boat when
they were small children. As adults they sailed far from home
to trade goods and conquer new lands in Europe and other continents.
They founded the first colony in America long before anyone else
in Europe thought that land existed that far west.
Time
Period: 793 AD 1000 AD.
Location:
The Vikings lived in Denmark, Norway and Sweden in northwestern Europe.
The Viking lands were bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and by
Russia on the east.
Geography:
The land of the Vikings was mostly mountains, fiords and fertile coasts.
A fiord is a narrow sea passage that comes in between the steep slopes
of mountains. The winters are mild and summers are normally cool. The
average temperature in January is 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average
in July is 66 degrees Fahrenheit. The are receives a lot of rainfall.
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