facts about sweden | Sweden in Brief sweden.

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Photo: Magnus Mrding/LinkImage

The Swedish flag with a yellow cross on a blue background, dates back at least to the 16th century.

Sweden in Brief:

Facts, emblems and map

Sweden is one of the largest countries in Europe, with great diversity in its nature and climate.
Its distinctive yellow and blue flag is one of the national emblems that reflect centuries
of history between Sweden and its Nordic neighbours.
Sweden is a sparsely populated coun- between its long summer days and Stream, a warm ocean current that flows
try, characterized by its long coastline, equally long winter nights. In the off Norways west coast.
extensive forests and numerous lakes. summer, the sun stays in the sky Scandinavia has been completely cov-
It is one of the worlds northernmost around the clock in the parts of ered by ice during several periods of his-
countries. In terms of surface area it is Sweden north of the Arctic Circle, tory. The most recent Ice Age ended only
comparable to Spain, Thailand or the but even as far south as Stockholm about 10,000 years ago, and the weight and
American state of California. Swedens (59N) the June nights have only a movement of the ice sheet had a profound
borders have been unchanged since few hours of semi-darkness. effect on the landscape.
1905 and the country has not been at The hard outcrops of underlying rock
war since 1814. The Gulf Stream were polished into the rounded shapes
Considering its geographic location, characteristic of Swedens archipelagos,
Extreme contrasts Sweden enjoys a favourable climate. and hollows were deepened into valleys
Sweden experiences extreme contrasts This is mainly because of the Gulf and lakes. n
Photo: Johan Alp/Johnr

Did you know?

People in Sweden have a lot of room to
move, with only about 23 inhabitants per
square kilometre. For the EU, the average
is more than 100 people per square kilo-
metre.
If you travel the equivalent of the length
of Sweden south from the countrys
southernmost point, you end up in
Naples, Italy.

facts about sweden | Sweden in Brief sweden.se

Facts and figures

Varied scenery with a rich wildlife
With its variety of landscapes, Sweden has everything from bears

Photo: Jeppe Wikstrm/Johnr

and wolves in the north to roe deer and wild boar in the south.
The country also has a wealth of flora and aquatic life, which
contribute to its biological diversity.

Much of the Swedish landscape is domi-

Photo: Kent Storm/Johnr

nated by coniferous forests such as pine
and spruce, with large forests of deciduous
trees such as birch and aspen in the south.
Because of their limestone-rich bedrock and
favourable climate, the islands of Gotland
and land and parts of the Scandinavian
mountain range have an interesting flora
that includes numerous varieties of orchid.

Numbers increasing There are between 300,000 and

Along with its beautiful scenery, Sweden 400,000 moose in Sweden.
The symbolic three crowns
adorn the top of the Stock-
has a rich and varied wildlife. The wolf for
holm City Hall. example is expanding its habitat across tant staple food, but today are seen more
northern and central Sweden. Bear, lynx as delicacies.
and wild-boar populations are also increas-
Capital: Stockholm
ing. Throughout the country there are large National parks
Population: 9.7 million, about 0.13%
numbers of moose (elk), roe deer, foxes and In 1910, Sweden became the first Euro-
of the worlds population
hares. The moose is a great prize for hunters pean country to establish national parks,
Life expectancy:
but is also a traffic hazard. Hunting is closely mainly in the mountainous districts of
Men 80.1 years, women 83.7 years
regulated, and many species of animal are Norrland. This helped save part of Eu-
Foreign-born inhabitants: 15%
completely protected. Winter bird life in ropes last wilderness from exploitation.
Religion: The Church of Sweden is
Sweden is dominated by a few species, but Numerous nature reserves and cultural
Evangelical Lutheran. There are also
many other religions and denomina- summer brings large numbers of migratory heritage areas have also been estab-
tions birds from the south. lished across the country.
Language: Swedish With its long coasts and many lakes, Swe- Under the Right of Public Access, any-
Form of government: Constitutional den also has a rich variety of aquatic life. one is entitled to hike through forests
monarchy, with parliamentary de- Fish species vary from the cod and mackerel and fields and pick berries and mush-
mocracy of the salty Atlantic to the salmon and pike rooms, without asking the landowners
Parliament: The Riksdag, with 349 found in the far less saline Gulf of Bothnia permission, but this right also carries
members in a single chamber and in lakes and rivers. Herring and the with it an obligation to respect the natu-
National Day: 6 June smaller Baltic herring used to be an impor- ral environment and private property. n
Education: Nine years of compulsory
schooling, but most pupils continue

National emblems of Sweden

to the three-year upper secondary
school. Around one-third go on to
higher education at universities and
colleges throughout Sweden Among the Swedish national emblems are the blue and yellow
Working hours: Standard work week flag, two coats of arms, Three Crowns and the national anthem.
is 40 hours, minimum paid vacation
is 5 weeks
The oldest recorded images of a blue Since 1916, 6 June has been celebrat-
Reproduction: Swedish National Archives

Labour force participation:

Men: 68.6% Women: 63.7% flag with a yellow cross date from the
Longest north-south distance: 16th century. The yellow cross was
1,574 km always borne on Swedish battle stand-
Longest east-west distance: ards and banners, because the Swed-
499 km ish coat of arms was blue divided by a
The
Total area: 528,447 sq. km, the third- cross of gold.
Lesser
largest country in Western Europe The triple crown device has been
after France and Spain Coat
used as the emblem of Sweden at
of Arms.
Urban and industrial land: 3% least since 1336, when it had long
Agricultural land: 8% been a familiar symbol of the Three
Forests: 53% Wise Kings.
2|
ed as Swedish Flag Day. This finally also
became Swedens National Day in 1983
and a public holiday from 2005.
The date was chosen for two reasons:
the election of Gustav Vasa as Swedens
king on 6 June 1523 laid the foundation
of Sweden as an independent state; and
on the same date in 1809, Sweden
adopted a new constitution that included
the establishment of civil rights and liber-
ties. n
facts about sweden | Sweden in Brief sweden.se

Photo: David Schreiner/Folio

Traditional Midsummer
celebrations.

Marshland: 9%
Grasslands: 7%
Bare rocks and mountains: 12%
Lakes and rivers: 9%
Highest mountain: Kebnekaise
The Swedish national anthem
(2,103 m)
The lyrics of Du Gamla, Du Fria of Vstmanland in the mid-19th century.
Biggest lake: Vnern
were written by folklorist and ballad Around 1900, people began to sing it more
(5,650 sq. km)
writer Richard Dybeck (181177) and frequently, and over time it came to be
Calling code: +46
set to a folk melody from the province regarded as the Swedish national anthem.
Internet code: .se
Time zone: GMT +1 Translation of the Swedish national anthem
Currency: 1 krona (SEK) = 100 re Thou ancient, thou freeborn, thou mountainous North, In beauty and peace our hearts beguiling,
GDP per capita (PPP): SEK 372,800 I greet thee, thou loveliest land on the earth, Thy sun, thy skies, thy verdant meadows smiling.
GNI per capita: SEK 381,100 Thy sun, thy skies, thy verdant meadows smiling.
Most important export goods: Thy throne rests on memries from great days of yore, when worldwide renown was valours
Machinery and transport equip- guerdon. I know to thy name thou art true as before.
ment, wood and paper products, In thee Ill live, in thee Ill die, thou North Land, in thee Ill live, in thee Ill die, thou North Land.
chemicals and plastic products, in-
dustrial machinery, electronics and
telecommunications equipment,
minerals, road vehicles
Most important imported goods:
Machinery and transport equip-
ment, chemicals and plastic and
rubber products, electronics and
telecommunications equipment,
Useful links
energy products, industrial machin-
ery, road vehicles, minerals, food- government.se Swedish Government
stuffs humangeo.su.se Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University
Population in major cities
keg.lu.se Department of Social and Economic Geography, Lund University
(including suburbs):
Stockholm: 2,123,300 lantmateriet.se The Swedish Mapping, Cadastre and Land Registration Authority
Gothenburg: 928,600
Malm: 656,400 riksarkivet.se National Archives and the regional state archives of Sweden
scb.se Statistics Sweden
Source: Statistics Sweden
smhi.se Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute
swedishepa.se Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
SEK 1 (Swedish krona) =
USD 0.15 or EUR 0.11 visitsweden.se Visit Sweden

Copyright: Published by the Swedish Institute. May 2014 FS 15.

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Further information about Sweden: sweden.se, the Swedish embassy or consulate in your country,
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 SVERIGE
SWEDEN
Scale 1:2,500,000 Narvik
0 50 100 150 km

0 25 50 75 100 miles

Bod

Sweden in the world

AN

le
Arctic Circ
Arctic Circle
CE
O

Mo i Rana
IC
NT
LA
AT

Kokkola

Trondheim

NORWAY Vaasa
A

Rros
NI
TH

FINLAND
GULF OF BO

Pori

Legende
Settlement with more than
50,000 inhabitants
Hamar
Settlement with 25,00050,000
inhabitants
Settlement with 10,00025,000
inhabitants
Turku
Settlement with 20010,000
inhabitants
Settlement with fewer than 200
land inhabitants

E4 Major highway and its number

Oslo Other public road

Railway

International boundary
Moss

Provincial boundary
Sarpsborg
Fredrikstad
Relief
Metres Feet

2,100 6,888

1,500 4,928

900 2,952

600 1,968

300 984

100 328

0 Sea level

50 164

200 656

600 1,968
A

Ventspils
S E
IC
T

K a t t ega t t
L

A
B
Liepja

Helsingr
Hillerd

Klaipda
Kpenhamn
Roskilde

DEN- Kge

MARK
Nstved
NORSTEDTS 2009 www.norstedts.se/kartor