Sweden Location:
Physical. Sweden is located in Northern Europe, bordering Norway, Finland, the Gulf of Bothnia, and the Baltic Sea. It covers an area slightly larger than California. The climate is temperate in the south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers. Conditions in the north are subarctic. The terrain is mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands with mountains in the west. Natural resources include zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, and hydropower.
Sweden Geography:
Geography
Area: 449,964 sq km
Capital: Stockholm (774,000)
Environmental concerns: acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
Geographical features: although there are some mountains in the west, mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands
Climate: temperate in the south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in the north
Sweden People:
People. Over 9 million people live in Sweden. Swedish is the primary language although there are additional Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities. The population is composed of indigenous Swedes, ethnic Lapps (Sami), ethnic Finns, and foreign-born or first-generation immigrants (Danes, Finns, Norwegians, Bosnians, Greeks, Turks and Syrians). The predominant religion is Evangelical Lutheran (87%). There are also Roman Catholics, Pentecostals and others.
9,016,600 (July 2006 est.) indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants are Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
Annual growth rate: 0.16% (2006 est.)
Major language is Swedish with small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Religions: Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist
Sweden Government:
Government. The country is officially known as the Kingdom of Sweden. Its capital, Stockholm, lies in the southeastern region of the country. Sweden celebrates its independence on June 6, 1523, commemorating the election of Gustav Vasa as king. On June 6, 1809, a constitutional monarchy was established. The current constitution was put into effect on January 1, 1975. The king is the constitutional monarch and the prime minister is elected to office by the parliament. Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries.
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy.
The chief of state is King Carl XVI Gustaf (since 19 September 1973). The head of government is Prime
Minister Goran Persson (since 21 March 1996).
Universal suffrage 18 years of age
Sweden Communication:
Communication and transportation
6.447 million (2004) main telephone lines in use
6.8 million (2005) Internet users
424,981 km of roadways
11,481 km railroads
255 (2005) airports
4.04 million motor vehicles (2004)
Sweden Economy:
Economy. Remaining peaceful and neutral for the entire twentieth century has allowed Sweden to achieve a highly successful mixed system of high-technology capitalism and extensive welfare. The nation boasts an impressive standard of living, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Though this standard was challenged by high unemployment and the global economic between the 1990s and early 2000-02, fiscal discipline allowed the country to meet the challenge. Privately owned firms constitute 90% of industrial output in an economy oriented largely toward foreign trade. Sweden joined the European Union (EU) in 1995, but declined membership in the European Monetary Union. Sweden's gross domestic product (GDP) is comprised of: agriculture (1.8%), industry (28.6%), and services (69.7%).
Currency: Swedish krona
Per capita GDP: $29,800 (2005 est.)
GDP: $268 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 2.7% (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 0.5% (2005 est.)
Labor force: agriculture (2%), industry (24%) services (74%) (2001 est.)
Sweden More Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sweden | 
