The Vikings lived primarily in Scandinavia, which includes the modern-day countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. During the Viking Age (approximately 800 to 1050 AD), these Norse seafaring people originated from these regions and settled in various parts of Europe as well, including the British Isles, Iceland, Greenland, and parts of Eastern Europe. They established distinct settlements and kingdoms in these areas, such as the Danelaw in England and the Norse colonies in places like Normandy and the Baltic coast. In Scandinavia itself, the geography varied widely, influencing their ways of life. For example, Denmark had flat and fertile agricultural land, while Norway had a mountainous terrain with a coastline warmed by the Gulf Stream. These homelands were the cultural and geographic base from which the Vikings launched their raids and expeditions across Europe and beyond. The Vikings lived in family-based communities in longhouses, and their society was organized into provinces ruled by local leaders called Jarls. Overall, the Viking homelands were the Scandinavian Peninsula and the surrounding regions that today form Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, from which they expanded their influence by raiding, trading, and settling far and wide.