Sweden
FAST FACTS
OFFICIAL NAME: Kingdom of Sweden
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional monarchy
CAPITAL: Stockholm
AREA: 173,860 square miles (450,295 square kilometres)
POPULATION:9,723,809
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Swedish
MONEY: Swedish krona
HISTORY
The name Sweden comes from the warlike Svea tribe that became powerful around 500 A.D. Swedes call their land Sverige, which means "land of the Svea."The Svea began to make raids along the coasts of northern Europe and became known as Vikings, which means "pirate" in an Old Norse.
GEOGRAPHY
Sweden is in the geographical region known as Scandinavia in northern Europe. Lush, large forests cover half of the country and over 100,000 lakes dot the landscape. The lakes, and over 24,000 islands, are all open to the public through Sweden's tradition of right to public access.
Sweden is 977 miles (1,572 kilometres) long and is bordered byNorwayon the west and Finland to the east. Three stretches of water separate Sweden fromDenmark.Sweden's Arctic north has been called the "land of the midnight sun," because during the summer months the sun never sets.
NATURE
Ancient forests, broadleaved woodlands, mountains, and wetlands provide rich habitats for many endangered animals and birds. Swedes love the countryside and Sweden was the first country in Europe to create national parks. Today, there are 29 national parks and many nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries.Carl Von Linne, known as Carolus Linnaeus, was a well-known Swedish botanist, born in the 1700s. Linnaeus invented the method for naming plants and animals which is used today. Every living thing has a Latin name that is divided into two parts. The first part gives its group, or genus, and the second part of the name gives its kind, or species.
PEOPLE & CULTURE
Sweden is one of the least populated countries in Europe, with a population of less than 10 million people. Most people used to live in the countryside, but as the country became industrialized in the 1900s, many moved to the cities of Malmö, Goteborg, and Stockholm. During the 1930s, Sweden developed the welfare system, known as "the Swedish model." Under their system, all Swedes have access to publicly financed health care, help for the unemployed, child care, schools, elder care, and at least five weeks of paid vacation per year.
GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY
Sweden is a member of the European Union, but does not use the euro as currency. They have kept their own currency, the Swedish krona, as a way to keep their identity. Sweden prides itself on being a neutral country. Since the mid-1800s and during the two World Wars, Sweden remained neutral, not fighting for one side or the other.