Nordic landscapes: Oslo, Norway and Iceland
Oslo, the capital of Norway, and Iceland, located in the North Atlantic Ocean, illustrate contrasting yet interconnected Nordic environments shaped by climate and geology. Oslo lies at the head of the Oslofjord, where urban development meets forested hills, while Iceland is defined by active volcanos, extensive lava fields, and Europe’s largest ice masses.
In the Copernicus Sentinel-2 image on the left, acquired on 26 January 2026, Oslo appears largely snow-covered, while the dark waters of the fjord clearly outline the city and its harbour. On the right, a Sentinel-2 mosaic of Iceland, produced using data from spring 2025, shows broad expanses of bare soil in brown and vegetation in green, with areas covered in snow and ice, including the Vatnajökull ice cap in the southeast.
Today, the European Union has signed an Agreement with Norway and Iceland allowing both countries to join GOVSATCOM and the Secure Connectivity Programme, IRIS². The Agreement highlights the EU’s commitment to cooperation with those countries.
