Sweden: general data, economy, culture, history –

Sweden, also called the Kingdom of Sweden, is a European country located in the north of the continent. It is part of the Scandinavia region, where it borders Norway and Finland. It is a country with cold and temperate climates, in addition to hilly terrain. It currently has more than 10 million inhabitants, most of whom live in urban areas. Stockholm, its capital, is also its most populous city. Sweden is known for its citizens’ high quality of life and average income, as well as a highly developed economy centered on the service sector and precision industry.

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Summary about Sweden

• Sweden is a European country in the Scandinavia region.

• Its capital is the city of Stockholm.

• It is bathed by the Baltic and borders Norway and Finland.

• Its predominant climates are temperate and subarctic.

• Its relief is formed predominantly by hills and hills.

• It has numerous rivers, lakes and glaciers.

• More than 10.1 million people live there, most of them concentrated in the southern region.

• It is an urbanized country. The largest city is the capital, with 1.6 million inhabitants.

• Its economy is one of the most developed in the world. It is based on tertiary sector and precision industry.

• It is a member of the European Union, but does not adopt the euro as its official currency.

• It presents excellent indexes of quality of life.

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Sweden general data:

• Official name: kingdom of sweden

• Gentile: Swedish

• Territorial extension: 438,574 km²

• Location: northern europe

• Capital: Stockholm

• Climate: continental temperate, oceanic temperate and subarctic

• Government: parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Administrative division: 21 counties

• Language: Swedish

• Religions:

  • Lutheran Church of Sweden: 57.6%;

  • other: 8.9%;

  • none or not specified: 33.5%.

• Population: 10,160,000 inhabitants (UN, 2021)

• Demographic density: 24.8 inhabitants/km²

• Human Development Index (HDI): 0.945

• Coin: swedish krona

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US$ 660.92 billion (IMF, 2022)

• GDP per capita: US$ 61,680 (IMF, 2022)

• Gini: 0.288

• Time zone: GMT+1

• Foreign relations:

map of sweden

swedish geography

Sweden is a European country located in the north of the continent. Its capital is the city of Stockholm. O country is part of the geographical and historical region known as Scandinaviaalso formed by Norway and Denmark.

The country establishes territorial borders with Norway and also with Finland, respectively to the west and northeast, in addition to being bathed by the Baltic Sea in the regions of the Gulf of Bothnia, formed between the Swedish and Finnish territories, and the straits of Kattegat and Skagerrak , which separate the Scandinavian peninsula (geographical region) from the Jutland peninsula, where Denmark is located.

Several islands are found along the Swedish coast, of which the Stockholm archipelago, the largest in the Baltic, stands out.

The climates in Sweden vary from subarcticin the north, a region located immediately above the Arctic Circle, the temperate continentalin most of the territory, and temperate oceanicin the south.

In general, summers are rainy and mild, with average temperatures of 15ºC, while winters are dry and very cold. Thermometers at this station range from 0 to -5 ºC on average, with lows reaching -30 ºC in cities in the extreme north of Sweden. In addition, precipitation in the form of snow and the freezing of surface water in rivers and lakes are common.

The relief of Sweden is mostly composed of hills and hills, with an average altitude of 320 meters. The embedded mountains and valleys are predominant in the north and west range of the country, representing a physical border between the Swedish and Norwegian territories. The plains and lowlands make up the relief of the southern region of the country.

Temperate forests and vegetation characteristic of the taiga biome (coniferous forest) are the predominant formations in Sweden. With 68.7% of its land covered by forests, Sweden is currently the country with the largest forested area in all of Europe.

Sweden is known for its dense hydrographic network, made up of several rivers and lakes, in addition to the numerous glaciers (or glaciers) that form in the coldest regions of the country. The Torne River is the longest in the country, running approximately 324 km between Sweden and Finland. Also noteworthy are the rivers Dalälven, Ume and Kalix.

Read more: European countries — divided into regions, according to geographic and economic aspects; in all there are 50

sweden demography

Sweden is the Scandinavia’s most populous country and the 15th on the European continent, with 10,160,000 inhabitants. Due mainly to the climate, the Swedish population is not homogeneously distributed across the territory, with a large concentration in cities located along the coast and also in the south, a pattern favored by the pleasant climate in these areas and by the greater proximity to continental Europe.

We can say that Sweden is a country urbanized, since its urbanization rate is currently 88.5%. The country’s capital, Stockholm, is its most populous city. It has 1,608,000 inhabitants, almost 16% of all residents of Sweden. The city is bathed by the Baltic, and is located on the southeastern coast. Other major Swedish cities are Gothenburg, Malmoe and Uppsala.

Swedish territory receives a significant number of migrants every year, 22nd highest migration rate worldwide. Since the mid-1980s, the country has been known for receiving migrants and refugees from countries immersed in political or economic crises, civil wars and other conflicts, coming mainly from the Middle East, North Africa and South America. Considering migration and natural growth, Sweden has an annual population growth of 0.74%.

economy of Sweden

Sweden has a modern economy with a high degree of competitiveness that combines the private actors that make up the market with the State, which characterizes it as mixed. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country is 660 billion dollars, and its per capita value, which is 68 thousand dollars, is among the highest in the world. The country has been a member of the European Union since 1995. Despite this, not part of the Eurozonewhich means that Sweden has its own national currency, which is the Swedish krona.

The tertiary sector, commerce and services, accounts for 65.4% of GDP and employs more than 85% of the Swedish workforce. Tourism stands out, with more than seven million visitors arriving in the country per year.

A industry of Sweden is responsible for 33% of GDP and also for a large part of exports destined mainly to other European countries (Germany, Netherlands, Finland, United Kingdom), the United States and China. Sweden is a major producer of:

A farming represents 1.6% of GDP, with the production of:

• wheat;

• potato;

• barley;

• cereals;

• milk;

• meat.

The main activity developed by the Swedish primary sector is the forestrywhich corresponds to the management and extraction of forest resources, especially, in the case of Sweden, wood and cellulose.

Read more: Volvism — way of organizing production that emerged in Sweden in the 1960s

swedish culture

Sweden’s culture is quite rich and diverse, influenced by the customs and traditions of the native peoples of Scandinavia, from other European countries and also from immigrants from different parts of the world who live there. In addition to the Swedes, the country’s population is made up of Syrians, Iraqis, Finns and people of other nationalities. Swedish is the official language spoken in all regions, while Finnish, Romany, Yiddish, Meänkieli and Sámi are considered official minority languages.

Among the traditional celebrations are the summer festival (Midsummer), the Walpurgisof pagan origin and which celebrates the arrival of spring, Christmas and swedish national day, which takes place every year on June 6. Music is an important cultural manifestation in Sweden, which features names of great international recognition, the most famous being the group ABBA, formed in the 1970s, as well as styles and rhythms characteristic of the country, such as folk and metal with its subgenres. Sweden also has a wide tradition in dance, theater and literature.

Sweden’s infrastructure

Sweden is one of the most developed countries in the world, an aspect that can be seen by its HDI, currently 0.945 (very high). The quality of life in the country is higher than in many OECD nations, and its performance stands out in some areas, such as education, which receives 7.6% of investments derived from GDP, health (life expectancy in the country is 82.6 years), safety, and, above all, environmental protection.

Access to basic services is broad and covers almost the entire urban population and around 91% of the rural population, according to UN data. The electricity consumed in Swedish homes and establishments comes mainly from renewable sources, which make up 74% of the energy matrix, with a greater share of hydroelectric plants. Thermal and nuclear power plants also play an important role in the generation and distribution of energy in the country.

As for transport, Sweden uses all modes: rail, road, waterway and waterway, having the 13th largest road network in the world (573,000 km).

Read more: Energy sources — divided into renewable, such as solar, and non-renewable, such as fossil fuels

government of sweden

Sweden is one parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The role of head of state is performed by the monarch. The succession to the position in this case occurs through family ties, that is, hereditarily. Sweden’s head of government is its prime minister, usually the leader of the parliament’s majority party or coalition. The Swedish parliament is called the Riksdag, and it is a unicameral body composed of 349 deputies elected by direct vote.

history of sweden

The region of Scandinavia, where Sweden is located, began to be inhabited at least 10,000 years before the common era. The peoples and cultures were already well established in the south of the Swedish territory around the year 2000 BC, gradually expanding also to the lands further north. You swiss peoplealready in the first century of the current era, were recognized for their military power and their maritime fleets.

The subsequent period is known…