Sweden - Tourism and Travel

The Kingdom of Sweden is a country in northern Europe, on the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula.

Sweden has an area of 173,732 square miles (449,964 square kilometers).

It has borders on the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is connected to the North Sea by the bay of Kattegat and the Skagerrak strait.

Part of northern Sweden lies within the Arctic Circle.

The landscape of Sweden, as it exists today, was formed by the movement of glaciers over the country during the last Ice Age. During the Ice Age, the land of Scandinavia was depressed by 2,000 feet (600 meters.) The land is gradually being uplifted, in a process known as isostatic rebound.

The northern half of Sweden is full of mountains that are covered with coniferous forests.

Sweden north of the Arctic Circle is part of Lapland, which also includes the northernmost regions of Norway and Finland.

Lapland is covered with tundra. The subsoil is always frozen.

Southern Sweden is a lowland region with many lakes. At one time, the terrain was completely flooded. The land rose when ice that covered the area melted. Lakes were left in shallow depressions that were scoured with ice.

Sweden has more than 90,000 lakes.

Lake Vänern is the largest lake in Sweden, and the largest lake in Scandinavia. It is 2,080 square miles (5,390 square kilometers) in area.

There are low ridges, known as eskers, all over southern Sweden. They were formed when the glaciers retreated, leaving deposits of gravel and sand.

Gotland, off the coast of the Swedish mainland, in the Baltic Sea, is the largest island in Sweden. Gotland and the islands around it are covered with limestone pillars that have been eroded by the action of the sea.

Summers are warm and winters are cold. In the north, winters are more severe. The North Atlantic Drift current moderates the climate along the coast.

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden.

9,249,000 people live in Sweden. Most of them live in the south, where most agricultural production takes place.

86% of the people are Swedish and 2% are Finnish or Sami (Lapp).

Swedish is the official language. Finnish and Sami are also spoken.

The Sami live in Lapland where they maintain a traditional lifestyle.

82% of the people in Sweden are Evangelical Lutheran, 2% are Roman Catholic, 2% are Muslim and 1% are Christian Orthodox.

Sweden has deposits of iron ore, copper, lead, gold and zinc.

Important exports are wood, pulp, furniture, chemicals, machinery, transport equipment and telecommunications equipment.

Sweden is one of the largest exporters of wood and wood products in the world.

The production of hydro-electric power is an important industry. Iron and steel production are also important.

Shipbuilding has been an important industry in the city of Gothenburg, but it is declining in favor of other industries, such as automobile manufacture.

Sweden has a parliamentary system of government. Although there is a monarchy, the parliament has control of the government.

Although Sweden is a member of the European Union, it does not use the euro. The official currency of Sweden is the krona, which is equal to 100 öre.