Sweden

Sweden Background

A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 by the global economic downturn, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Indecision over the country's role in the political and economic integration of Europe delayed Sweden's entry into the EU until 1995, and waived the introduction of the euro in 1999.

Sweden Information

• Population: 8,986,400 (July 2004 est.)
• Nationality: noun: Swede(s) adjective: Swedish
• Location:: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
• Religions:: Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist
• Ethnic Groups:: indigenous population: Swedes and Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
• Land Boundaries:: total: 2,233 km border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km
• Area: total: 449,964 sq km water: 39,030 sq km land: 410,934 sq km
• Coast Line: 3,218 km
• Climate: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
• Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
• Maritime Claims: territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas) exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
• Land Use: arable land: 6.54% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 93.45% (2001)
• Environmental Issues: acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
• Natural Resources: iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower
• Highways: total: 212,402 km paved: 166,523 km (including 1,499 km of expressways) unpaved: 45,879 km (2000)
• Railways: total: 11,481 km standard gauge: 11,481 km 1.435-m gauge (7,527 km electrified) (2003)
• Ports & Harbours: Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Hudiksvall, Kalmar, Karlshamn, Lulea, Malmo, Solvesborg, Stockholm, Sundsvall
• Airports: 255 (2003 est.)