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?
Waterfront, Stockholm, Sweden
Buy this Art Print Here
Framed Mounted
Sweden
