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Learn about Sweden

Facts & Figures

Total area: 449,964 sq km (this makes Sweden the 54th largest country in world)

Border countries:
Finland and Norway

Population
8,878,085 (July 2003 est.)
This ranks Sweden as the 84th most populous country in the world

Religion
The majority of Swedes are Lutheran Christians though there are small communities of Catholics, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists also present.

Until 1996 the Lutheran church and the Swedish government were linked. Up to this point every child born in Sweden automatically became a member of the national church. Although this tie was officially broken quite recently, Sweden is not an overly religious nation.

Language
Swedish is the official and most common language in Sweden

Swedish is closely related to 3 of the other Scandinavian languages – Danish, Icelandic and Norwegian, though is significantly different from Finnish.

Sami is one of the largest minority languages found in Sweden and is still used extensively by the Sami population.

English is taught as a compulsory second language from the 4th grade on in schools in Sweden. Many Swedes also speak German and French.

For more information and to learn some Swedish, check out our Language section.

States & Territories - Click Here for Lonely Planet Map
There are 3 main ways of dividing Sweden: the counties, the provinces and the regions. Each method of dividing the country has it’s own purpose and the different systems do not necessarily correlate with one another.

There are 3 regions known as Norrland, Svealand and Götaland. The regions break the country up from south to north and are often used in weather reports. Check out our Geography section for more information on these regions.

Sweden is currently divided into 21 counties (län) that are political divisions dealing with local administration, mainly health, dental and medical care, education and culture. The counties have changed over time since their inception in 1634. The counties are:
Blekinge, Dalarnas, Gävleborgs, Gottlands, Hallands, Jämtlands, Jönköpings, Kalmar, Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Örebro, Östergötlands, Skåne, Södermanlands, Stockholms, Uppsala, Värmlands, Västerbottens, Västernorrlands, Västmanlands, Västra Götalands

Sweden is also divided into 27 provinces, which do not directly correlate with the counties. The provinces are historical divisions which have remained unchanged since medieval times.
27 provinces:
Blekinge, Bohuslän, Dalarna, Dalsland, Gotland, Gästrickland, Göteberg, Halland, Härjedelan, Hälsingland, Jämtland, Lappland, Medelpad, Närke, Norrbotten, Skåne, Småland, Stockholm, Södermanland, Uppland, Västerbotten, Västmanland, Värmland, Ångermanland, Öland, Östergötland
Capital: Stockholm
Population: 679,000

Government
Sweden has a Constitutional Monarchy. The current king is Carl XVI Gustaf and the crown princess is Princess Victoria but today the monarchy is only a figurehead with no political power. The Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, is appointed in national elections.

Flag
Blue with a golden yellow cross extending to the edges of the flag. The history of the flag extends back to the 16th Century and is modeled from the State Arms of Sweden and the Danish Flag.

Sweden has a number of flag days on which state authorities are required to fly the flag. Many businesses and homes fly the flag on these days as well as on special days individual to the family or business (such as birthdays and namedays).

Swedish Flag Days:
January 1, New Years Day
January 28, Nameday [Carl] of the King [Carl XVI Gustaf]
March 12, Nameday [Victoria] of the Crown Princess
Easter Day
April 30, Birthday of the King, [Carl XVI Gustaf was born in 1946]
1 May Labour Day
Whit Sunday
June 6, Sweden's National Day and Day of the Swedish Flag (Svenska flaggans dag)
Midsummer's Day [in Sweden always celebrated on the Saturday before the first Sunday after the summer solstice]
July 14, Birthday of the Crown Princess, [Victoria was born in 1977]
August 8, Nameday [Sylvia / Silvia] of the Queen [Silvia],
Day for general election to the parliament [the third Sunday of September every fourth year; an extra election can be held on another date, but always on a Sunday]
October 24, UN Day,
November 6 Gustavus Adolphus Day, [on this day in 1632, King Gustavus Adolphus the Great was killed in the battle of Lützen in the 30 Year's War]
December 10, Nobel Day [death day of Alfred Nobel; on this day every year the Nobel prize laureates receive their prizes]
December 23, Queen's birthday, [Silvia was born in 1944]
December 25 Christmas Day

Industry & Agriculture
As one of the modern industrial nations of the world, Sweden has one of the highest standards of living. The engineering sector accounts for 50% of exports and agriculture accounts for just 2% of the jobs.

The major industries of Sweden include:
Iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles (including Volvo and Saab); the service industry is by far the biggest industry

The major agricultural products include:
Barley, wheat, sugar beets, meat, milk & dairy products

What can you find in your house or local store that was made or grown in Sweden?

Currency
Swedish Crown (Krona)

One Canadian dollar is worth about 5.95 Krona. One American dollar is worth about 7.87 Krona.

One crown is made up of 100 öre and coins come in denominations of:
50 öre, 1 krona, 5 kronor (plural of krona) and 10 kronor
The paper money comes in denominations of:
20 kronor, 50 kronor, 100 kronor, 500 kronor and 1000 kronor

If you were to convert the money in your piggy bank or savings account into krona, how much would you have? How much would it cost to buy your favourite treat? How about your favourite toy or a new CD?