Facts, Emblems and Map
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facts about sweden | Sweden in brief sweden.se Pho T o: M A gnu S Mård I ng/L I nkI MA ge 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 norway’s west coast. extensive forests and numerous lakes. summer, the sun stays in the sky Scandinavia has been completely cov- It is one of the world’s 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. Sweden’s (59°n) 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 Sweden’s 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 Pho T o: Joh did you know? A • People in Sweden have a lot of room to • If you travel the equivalent of the length n A LP move, with only about 24 inhabitants per of Sweden south from the country’s /Johnér square kilometre. For the EU, the average southernmost point, you end up in is more than 100 people per square kilo- naples, Italy. metre. facts about sweden | Sweden in brief sweden.se facts and fiGures Varied scenery with a rich wildlife Pho T o: Je with its variety of landscapes, sweden has everything from bears PP and wolves in the north to roe deer and wild boar in the south. e W I k the country also has a wealth of flora and aquatic life, which ST rö M contribute to its biological diversity. /Johnér Much of the Swedish landscape is domi- Pho T o: nated by coniferous forests such as pine k en and spruce, with large forests of deciduous T S T trees such as birch and aspen in the south. or M Because of their limestone-rich bedrock and /Johnér favourable climate, the islands of gotland and öland 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: 9.85 million, about numbers of moose (elk), roe deer, foxes and In 1910, Sweden became the first euro- 0.13% of the world’s 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 80.3 years, women 84 years regulated, and many species of animal are norrland. This helped save part of eu- Foreign-born inhabitants: 17% completely protected. Winter bird life in rope’s last wilderness from exploitation. Religion: The Church of Sweden is Sweden is dominated by a few species, but evangelical Lutheran. There are also numerous nature reserves and cultural 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 landowner’s 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 to the three-year upper secondary school. Around one-third go on to national emblems of sweden 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. r e The oldest recorded images of a blue Since 1916, 6 June has been celebrat- P Labour force participation: rodu Men: 68.8% Women: 64.1% flag with a yellow cross date from the ed as Swedish Flag day. This finally also CTI Longest north-south distance: 16th century. The yellow cross was became Sweden’s national day in 1983 S on: always borne on Swedish battle stand- and a public holiday from 2005. 1,574 km W ards and banners, because the Swed- The date was chosen for two reasons: ed Longest east-west distance: IS h 499 km ish coat of arms was blue divided by a the election of gustav Vasa as Sweden’s Nati The Total area: 528,447 sq. km, the third- cross of gold. king on 6 June 1523 laid the foundation on Lesser AL largest country in Western europe The triple crown device has been of Sweden as an independent state; and Ar Coat after France and Spain C used as the emblem of Sweden at on the same date in 1809, Sweden h of Arms. IV Urban and industrial land: 3% e least since 1336, when it had long adopted a new constitution that included S Agricultural land: 8% been a familiar symbol of the ‘Three the establishment of civil rights and liber- Forests: 53% Wise kings’. ties. n 2 | facts about sweden | Sweden in brief sweden.se Pho T o: Davi d S C hre I ner/Fo LI o Traditional Midsummer celebrations. Marshland: 9% Grasslands: 7% Bare rocks and mountains: 12% Lakes and rivers: 9% the swedish national anthem Highest mountain: kebnekaise (2,106 m) The lyrics of Du Gamla, Du Fria of Västmanland in the mid-19th century. Biggest lake: Vänern were written by folklorist and ballad Around 1900, people began to sing it more (5,650 sq. km) writer richard dybeck (1811–77) 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 öre Thou ancient, thou freeborn, thou mountainous North, In beauty and peace our hearts beguiling, GDP per capita (PPP): SEK 404,100 I greet thee, thou loveliest land on the earth, Thy sun, thy skies, thy verdant meadows smiling. Most important export goods: Thy sun, thy skies, thy verdant meadows smiling. Machinery and transport equip- Thy throne rests on mem’ries from great days of yore, when worldwide renown was valour’s ment, wood and paper products, guerdon. I know to thy name thou art true as before. chemicals and plastic products, in- dustrial machinery, electronics and In thee I’ll live, in thee I’ll die, thou North Land, in thee I’ll live, in thee I’ll die, thou North Land. telecommunications equipment, minerals, road vehicles Most important imported goods: Machinery and transport equip- ment, chemicals and plastic and rubber products, electronics and telecommunications equipment, energy products, industrial machin- ery, road vehicles, minerals, food- stuffs useful links Population in major cities (including suburbs): government.se Swedish government Stockholm: 2.2 million The Swedish mapping, cadastre and land registration authority gothenburg: 970,000 lantmateriet.se Malmö: 687,000 riksarkivet.se National Archives and the regional state archives of Sweden scb.se Statistics Sweden smhi.se Swedish Meteorological and hydrological Institute swedishepa.se Swedish environmental Protection Agency SEK 1 (Swedish krona) = uSd 0.12 or EUR 0.11 visitsweden.se Visit Sweden Copyright: Published by the Swedish Institute. February 2016 FS 15. All content is protected by Swedish copyright law. The text may be reproduced, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast in any media with reference to sweden.se. however, no photographs or illustrations may be used. The Swedish Institute (SI) is a public agency that promotes interest and confidence in Sweden around the world.