RYA Tactics
The perfect Tactical xmas present for your helm or crew
Personally signed by the author
RYA Tactics by Mark Rushall sheds a new light on the complexities of sailboat racing. No other sport requires the combination of so many elements – preparation, strategy, speed, tuning and most importantly tactics. However, it’s good tactics which can so often be that elusive missing skill.
As one of the sports top tacticians and coaches, and 2006 RYA Squad Coach of the Year, Mark’s book will help you sail better and improve your results. With easy to follow and logical diagrams, this book breaks new ground in presenting this essential and complex element of our sport.
“Covering almost every conceivable tactical situation, the book is a real tour de force by Rushall….yet comprises one of the easiest to read tactical situation books we have come across.” The Daily Sail, 1 May 07
“This book has come about from years of sailing and coaching at the highest level by an extremely analytical person. Mark …. is one of those annoying people who learnt from every sailing / coaching experience and has built an extensive memory bank of tactical scenarios and understanding.”
Chips Howarth, Fireball World Champion 2005
Tactics is the most comprehensive and accessible guide to racing yet. Providing an awesome and unique insight of sailboat tactics, it breaks down the race to tell you exactly what to think about, how and when to do it, and most importantly, why you should be doing it! No matter what your level of racing experience, you’ll have something to learn from Mark Rushall….”
Georgie Corlett, Editor, Dinghy Sailing Magazine
Start your 2008 season ready prepared and don’t go afloat without having read RYA Tactics.
Order your personally signed copy from www.rushall.net or for UK delivery send a cheque for £16 including P&P to:
Mark Rushall Tactics
Watermark Offices, 8 Lumley Gardens, Lumley Road, Emsworth, Hants, PO10 8AG, UK
International orders – please email tactics@rushall.net and postage rates will be advised.
Also available from www.rya.org.uk and most leading chandleries and book stores.
ENDS
Dinghy Sailing
On a Neilson dinghy sailing holiday, everyone is welcome, from complete beginners to enthusiastic improvers and accomplished experts looking for sunshine and the best conditions. Our approach to dinghy sailing tuition, and the type and quantity of equipment varies from club to club, ensuring that whatever your needs we have a holiday to suit your requirements perfectly.
Sailing means many things to different people. Some like to potter around over crystal clear waters while others crave the excitement of zooming across the waves on a high performance skiff.
Whatever your level of experience, the sense of freedom that comes from sailing is hard to beat. We offer the best boats, instructors and sailing areas together with free RYA training courses, enabling you to step aboard and take advantage of our 25 years of sailing experience.
Dinghy Sailing Tuition
National Sailing Scheme
We work closely with the RYA in developing the National Sailing Scheme. This progressive approach to tuition provides a tried-and-tested way to learn to sail. Holidays shouldn’t feel like school, so we endeavour to make everything from your first taster to high performance race techniques, as much fun as possible!
Start Sailing - Level 1
Great for those new to learn to sail holidays, Level 1 provides a comprehensive introduction to dinghy sailing. It is designed to get you on the water using modern, single-handed dinghies and requires no previous experience.
The course covers a wide variety of skills to enable you to sail confidently such as; wind awareness, rigging basics, knots and sailing theory.
Start Sailing is available in all of our centres.
Basic Skills - Level 2
Level 2 aims to fine-tune the skills and boat handling manoeuvres learnt at Level 1. The course sets out the foundations of sailing with the aim of producing competent light wind sailors who are able to sail and make informed decisions in good conditions.
You can expect to learn more advanced techniques in a variety of craft including; rigging according to weather conditions, coming alongside a moored boat, capsize recovery and essential safety background.
Try Finikounda – Great for the progressing beginner. Holiday sailing at it’s best!
Seamanship Skills
Moving on from Basic Skills, the main focus of this course is fine-tuning skills already learnt and boat handling manoeuvres, whilst increasing your self-reliance and decision making skills.
Day Sailing
We are able to endorse most sections of this course, enabling competent sailors to confidently plan and execute a safe day cruise, aspects covered include pilotage, interpretation of charts and use of GPS.
Finikounda is the main place to go for day sailing.
Sailing with Spinnakers
Sailing with Spinnakers teaches you how to sail a dinghy rigged with an asymmetric or symmetric spinnaker and some trapezing.
Try Porto Heli for a fantastic destination for a sailing holiday with tuition.
Start Racing
You will learn to race a variety of craft from single handers to performance boats. The aim is to gain a good understanding of the rules and techniques of racing, including the course and starting sequence, boat preparation, tactics and racing rules.
Performance Sailing
This is an advanced course for experienced sailors using high performance craft and covers a range of sessions including rigging, tuning, teamwork, trapezing, hiking, tacking and downwind sailing.
Porto Heli is the ideal place for performance sailing.
Dinghy Sailing Equipment
Advances in design and technology have continued to make dinghy sailing easier and more enjoyable than ever before. We've selected tghe best craft from leading British manufacturers Laser and RS, equipping our clubs with a range of kit to suit local wind and conditions.
Laser Funboats
Stable, safe and fun! Perfect for children. Available in all centres except Dahab
Laser Pico
A perfect beginners’ boat with easy-to-use controls. Available in all centres
Laser 1
The classic Olympic class single hander. Exciting sailing. Available in all centres except Vassiliki
Laser 2000
A popular boat for families and friends looking for a stable hull but no shortage of features.
Available in Halkidiki, Sivota, Ortakent, Finikounda and Porto Heli,
Laser 3000
A performance machine ideally suited to teenagers and lighter crews. Fast action with a spinnaker and trapeze. Available in Finikounda
Laser Bahia
A stable and spacious cockpit with space for up to 5 adults, together with a light hull and large gennaker makes a great day sail and cruising boat, with a performance edge.
Available in Lemnos and Lesvos
Laser 4000
Serious fun in the fast lane. A high performance skiff with adjustable racks and a large sail area. With tuition and practice, the 4000 flies. Available in Finikounda and Porto Heli
Laser Stratos
A good size family cruiser, the Stratos is ideal for day sailing, combining stability and performance features.Available in Lemnos, Lesvos, Halkidiki, Finikounda and Porto Heli
Laser Vago XD
Unmatched handling, versatility and exhilarating performance are harnessed by Laser in a unique modern design with high spec sails and trapeze. Available in Lemnos, Lesvos and Dahab
Dart 16
A popular catamaran equally at home pottering around on a day sail or on a trapezing joyride. The Dart 16 is a firm favourite in our centres. Available in all centres
Optimist
The definitive youth racer, the Optimist has traditionally been the first step on the road to success for competitive young sailors. Available in Porto Heli and Finikounda
RS Feva
A versatile dinghy, introducing several advanced features on a user friendly craft suited to younger sailors.Available in Finikounda, Porto Heli, Lemnos and Lesvos
RS 200
An easy to sail dinghy that brings the excitement of asymmetric sailing to everybody, including lighter sailors and youngsters. Available in Porto Heli
RS 400
LDC’s modern classic, a hiking asymmetric. The ultimate choice for the ambitious improver.
Available in Porto Heli
RS 500
Exciting performance with a simple user friendly layout and easy handling.Available in Porto Heli
RS 800
An exciting high performance skiff with twin trapeze that is remarkably easy for competent sailors to master.Available in Porto Heli and Finikounda
29er
A fast, exciting ride, the 29er is a high performance boat ideally suited to light weight sailors and youth racing.Available in Porto Heli
Children and Sailing Holidays
Hot Shots provides RYA tuition for 8-12 year olds whilst Starfish, Sea Urchins, Surfbusters and Sharksters provide fun for younger children and those less inclined to get out on the water.
Hot Shots
The water based activity club, for those that want it all: sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, snorkelling and plenty of sunshine, Hot Shots is the place to be.
Our fully qualified instructors help your youngsters master new skills and get first timers confident in no time at all. In-fact all our RYA qualified instructors will help your Hot Shots improve quickly, with the RYA Youth Sailing Awards, available to those who want to prove their skills.
When not out on the water, Hot Shots enjoy loads of land-based activities and making new friends has never been easier.
If your children are particularly interested in dinghy sailing, they will benefit from choosing a resort that specialises in that particular activity, such as Porto Heli
Hot Shots is open to all children ages 8-12 years and is available for a supplement of £80-£150 per week with the second week half price.
Where to go
Hot Shots is avilable in Lemnos, Finikounda, Vassiliki, Porto Heli and Dahab.
When not in our clubs, children under the age of 13 are welcome to windsurf with their parents. Children must be 13 years or over before they can join the adult windsurfing programme.
Flotilla Holidays
Flotilla Holidays - Another day. Another destination.
Explore hidden treasures every day; share your adventures in the evening with fellow sailors.
Life on flotilla is a holiday that just gets better every day.
Flotilla sailing holidays allow you to enjoy the independence of sailing your very own yacht from port to port during the day, but you also get to choose between pleasant evenings in the warm company of your fellow sailors, or spending them peacefully on your own deck.
On arrival
The Neilson Team will be there to greet you on arrival and show you to your yacht. Your lead crew will then join you on board to answer any questions you may have, show you where everything is and just check that everything is ship shape.
The remainder of the afternoon and evening is then yours to spend as you wish - enjoy a refreshing drink on deck, get to know some of your fellow sailors, explore the local area or stock up on any additional provisioning you require. You are then fully prepared for the start of your adventure the following day.
A day in the life…
As the morning sun peeps over your bow, your lead crew will join you for a chat about the day ahead, confirming the evening’s destination together with some great places to explore and idyllic lunch stops. Then as soon as everything’s ready, you’re free to slip your lines and set sail.
It’s entirely up to you and your crew how you reach your destination. You may want to race there before everybody else or meander there, anchoring for a lunch break and swim in a secluded bay. With the yacht to yourself, the day is yours to enjoy as you please. And if you wish to hook up with other parties on your flotilla they’re just a VHF radio call away - as is your lead crew, in case you need any help or advice.
As the afternoon drifts into evening and you glide into port, your lead crew will be waiting ashore to help you into your mooring, catch your lines and point out the location of shower facilities, bars and tavernas at your latest destination.
As the sun sets, you can settle in at one of the local tavernas, swapping stories with your fellow sailors over a bottle of wine and a hearty local meal. Of course, if all that sailing and sightseeing has taken it out of you, you can simply stay on your yacht and cook a meal in your own galley. That’s the beauty of flotilla holidays.
Your Yachting Experience
Our flotilla holidays in Greece and Croatia flotilla holidays require varying levels of confidence and experience due to the different routes and wind conditions in each area. It is important you select the right area for your party to ensure your safety and enjoyment.
The minimum experience we require on a flotilla holiday is that at least two people aboard each yacht are aged 18 years or over and must have had several day's active experience in charge of a yacht.
If this level of experience cannot be satisfied a Stay and Sail holiday, coupled with an Introduction to Yachting or Brush Up training course should be completed
Skippered Charter
If you want to regain your confidence afloat or just share the beginning of your flotilla with a like-minded sailor then you can pre book a member of the Neilson yacht team to join you on a skippered charter. They will spend the day with you, sailing from one place to another before retiring to the lead boat in the evening, allowing your party the privacy to enjoy some time alone. This option is available for one to three days for a supplement of £100 per yacht per day.
Please note, this option is not suitable for beginners who should complete an Introduction to Yachting course.
Bareboat Charter
Our Bareboat sailing holidays gives more experienced sailors the freedom to sail where, when and however they please. No itinerary, no set routes and no one to bother you. Bareboat holidays are the ultimate getaway.
Plot your own route around the many picturesque bays, lively little harbour towns and fishing villages scattered about the coastlines of our huge sailing areas. Spend as long as you like at any stop, return to your favourite places over and over, or keep on the move to discover something new around every point.
Of course, since you’re with Neilson you’ll still have the benefit of our expertise. Before you depart, our bareboat co-ordinator will go through the route you’ve planned, pointing out the highlights of your journey. And it’s always worth picking their brains, because they often have a nugget of advice that could really make your holiday. And naturally, they’ll also call or text you each morning to pass on weather conditions and check that everything on the yacht is as it should be.
All of our Bareboat holidays are provided with the following:
• Full tanks of diesel, water and gas
• Marine insurance
• Flights and transfers
• Comprehensive tools and spares
• A quick fix manual for everyday repair and maintenance
• Handheld GPS
• Additional charts and pilot book
• Mobile phone and charger
• Extra warps
• Starter pack
• No damage waiver or deposit to pay
Bareboat Holidays support Includes:
• A dedicated bareboat co-ordinator
• A full skipper and engineer’s briefing
• Details of all flotilla routes, staff and contact numbers
Experience Levels
When booking bareboat holidaywe ask that at least two people aboard are aged 18 years or over and have plenty of sailing knowledge and experience, having been in charge of a sailing vessel for several cruises, possibly on previous flotilla holidays. Both must be comfortable sailing in a range of conditions. If this level of experience cannot be satisfied, a flotilla holiday may be more appropriate.
Sail Training Courses
Yacht Training Courses
It’s not as hard as you might imagine to pick up the skills to navigate a yacht around the Mediterranean coastline. With our tried and tested courses and fantastic yacht trainers, you will be sailing with confidence in no time at all. We offer a number of courses to suit all ages and abilities.
Introduction to Yachting - four days
A course designed to be fun but informative, equipping complete beginners with the knowledge and skills necessary to skipper their own yacht on flotilla.
The syllabus we follow is based on the RYA Keelboat Level 2 certificate. After having completed the course, followed by a second week on flotilla, most new sailors will be awarded their RYA Level 2 certificate.
The skills needed can be learnt in four days with tuition from our Royal Yachting Association qualified instructors. Whilst covering the necessary manoeuvres you will be hopping from pontoon to quayside to bay to harbour. Occasionally stopping for picnics, taverna lunches or swimming, there will be time to digest all that you are learning at a relaxed but steady pace.
A maximum of five guests will train per yacht with an instructor.
At the end of your course you’ll feel confident and competent enough to skipper your own yacht within a flotilla environment. Your lead crew will be aware of your training and will be on hand to offer their full support during your week afloat.
Brush-Up Course - two days
Ideal for those with a basic or fading knowledge of sailing, or experienced dinghy sailors looking to make the step to big boat sailing. This course is tailored around your existing experience and looks to build your ability to sail confidently once more. You will spend two days with one of our RYA instructors who will assist you in practising and reviewing the skills you wish to improve.
The Brush-Up course can also be suitable for confident, advanced dinghy sailors who sail regularly at a high level. This course enables you to transfer your well-practised dinghy skills onto a larger class of boat. Beginner or intermediate dinghy sailors should book the Introduction to Yachting course.
Private Courses - Ideal for Families
Our Private Introduction to Yachting and Brush-Up courses are designed for groups or families who wish to learn together, on the same yacht, up to a maximum of five people. The course content is the same as detailed previously but you are guaranteed to be learning as one group without having to share your training yacht with another party.
The added advantage of a private course is that we can welcome 13 to 15 year olds aboard when accompanied by a parent. Younger sailors will relish the opportunity to learn with their family as a forerunner to the flotilla week of their holiday.
Private courses are priced per yacht at four times the cost of the individual course.
One Week Learn to Sail
If you can only get away on holiday for one week or spending two weeks learning to sail is not an option for you, then our One week Learn to Sail holiday is a perfect solution - half the week will be spent at one of our yacht bases living on your yacht whilst learning to sail on the Introduction to Yachting course. For the second part of the week, you will join your fellow sailors on flotilla.
Sailing Holidays
Sailing Holidays are great for those who like to remain active on their vacation.
Techniques
Here you will find articles on a variety of different sailing techniques
Plans to drop cats as a youth class
The RYA has recently made submissions to ISAF to remove the catamaran as a youth boat for 2009, and to remove the catamaran as an Olympic boat for 2012.
These submissions by the RYA were made without any consultation with the sailing community. We request that the submissions are withdrawn before the ISAF conference in early November and replaced by alternative submissions which support the use of catamarans both in future Olympics (2012 and beyond) and for youth training.
Sign the online petition here
CATAMARANS OUT OF OLYMPICS
Amazingly the ISAF Council voted the Multihull out after the Events Committee had recommended that the cats stay in.
With a drive towards making sailing more media and TV friendly this is surely a retrospective step, particularly as the so called experts were in favour.
starter Boat for 7 year old
My sister wants to get her seven year old into sailing, the Oppi would seem to be the obvious choice but waht about some of the newer designs like Tera, Taz, Open etc ?
Any real life experiences of these ?
Dinghy Sailing in the Midlands
OK a bit cold this time of year
, but I am looking for ideaas for presents for my partner.
He is now in to Dinghy Sailing after a Sailing Holiday, any suggestions for Sailing Clubs or Sailing Schools in the Midlands
Sailing Holidays
Ok help required, girl friend just arrived home for pile of holiday brochures. Usual girlie things of lying on the beach. I really want to do a sailing holiday, try out some new boats etc, can anyone help with experiences of Sunsail type holidays ?
New to Dinghy Sailing
I am looking to start Dinghy Sailing in the new year, will I learn anything by going to the boat show ?, or are there any good sailing magazines to read ?
Catamaran Sailing
Is catamaran sailing better than dinghy sailing?
Yacht Charter
Although I love dinghy sailing, thought I would try some yachting. Some friends are looking at bareboat charter.
Laser 4.7, Radial or Laser Standard
Thinking about a new sailing dinghy after my Topper Lasers seem to be the most popular, but am I best with 4.7 or Radial, what about the Olympic one
Sailing in Spain
Where is the best place for sailing in Spain
BBC Sport Personality of Year
Very disappointing not to see any sailors or any sailing action covered on last night's awards. Plenty of successes this year
Sailing Videos
We have now included videos of sailing action, these can be found at
Then click on a class
Enjoy
Winter Sailing Clothing
Gosh wasn't it cold this weekend, my hands were really frozen, any ideas of the best winter sailing gloves ?
I need something that will keep my hands warm but I can still use the sheets
NEW Boats for Sale and Gear For Sale Section
SailRacer now has a new For Sale section, here you will find 000s of items For Sale
You can advertsie for FREE, now is the time of year to clear out your garage of all those unused sailing items. There are sections for Boats, Sails, Gear, Clothing, Trailers and TrolleysWhy have the RYA decided to launch a race results
In the past, the RYA have asked clubs to send in their data at the end of every year. The data captured is limited and often open to subjectivity and goes through little validation by the RYA before being used in the statistical number crunching. After a very detailed review of the PYS by the RYA, it was highlighted that the data been captured by the RYA was become less and less meaningful, which was being reflected in the declining amount of returns being received by the RYA.
By launching the RYA Race results website, in collaboration with Simon Lovesey and SailRacer, the RYA are starting to increase the accuracy and meaningfulness of the data being collected by going straight to the source; individual race results. By asking clubs to upload their race results, the RYA are getting raw race data. The raw race data is also being subjected to an analysis in accordance with the RYA guidelines, which again increases the accuracy of the data being returned.
In summary, the RYA hope to collect more data, which is more meaningful to clubs as well as nationally, and start to increase the sailing publics confidence in the system and the numbers published by the RYA.
Problem with Race Dates
Using Sailwave, I've combined all the results from every series (some 40 races) and purged any duplicates, etc. and uploaded the file via Sailwave to the site.
When I try to import each race file I get the 'Enter Race Date' message. No matter what I try it gets rejected. The error messages shows any date either entered or chosen from the Calendar as 1/12/2010 for example 1-DEC-2009=1/12/2010.
I've tried to confuse the transformation by a date combination that might give me 12/1/2010 but with no success.
The dates of the races do not matter, but each race does need manual changes before benchmarking.
How do I get around this??
Barry McGibbon
Lyme Regis Sailing Club
Mods to Suggested Handicaps Page
Hi Simon,
i seem to have a problem and the first race of the 2010 season is rapidly approaching! Each year i dilengently input the race data and then extract to spreadsheet for "tweaking", such as removing highs / lows, recalculating the average and aligning around our "base class" in our case the fireball. However i now find that i have too much data and the extract to excel ends up with too many columns.
If i use the filters this does not seem to limit the size of the extract - any suggestions ?
Dave Gibbons
Brightlingsea Sailing club
Benchmarking – why have I never heard of it befo
I would like understand the arithmetic the website is using. Is it the same as the YR2 spreadsheet ? If I set the benchmark to a class, does it adjust the others in relation to the benchmark or does it use the SCT of the top 2/3 of the fleet as YR2 spreadsheet.
Does it ignore POOR PERFORMERS ?
Where is the manual you refer to.
Mike Swingler
Flushing Sailing Club
{{About
the country}} {{Infobox Country
native_name=''Konungariket Sverige''
conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Sweden
common_name=Sweden
image_flag=Flag of Sweden.svg
image_coat=Coat of Arms of Sweden.svg
image_map=EU-Sweden.svg
map_caption={{map caption
location_color=dark green
region=Europe
region_color=dark grey
subregion=the European Union
subregion_color=light green
legend=EU-Sweden.svg}}
national_motto=<span style="line-height:1.33em;">Royal mottos of Swedish monarchs
(Royal) "''{{lang
sv
För Sverige i tiden}}''"{{Ref label
aaa
a}} <br /><small>"For Sweden – With the Times" </small></span>
national_anthem={{lang
sv
''Du gamla, Du fria''}}{{Ref label
bbb
b}}<br /><small>''Thou ancient, thou free''</small>
royal_anthem={{lang
sv
''Kungssången''}}<br /><small>''The Song of the King''</small>
official_languages=Swedish language
Swedish{{Ref label
ccc
c}}
demonym=Swedish people
Swedish or Swedes
ethnic_groups=81.9% Swedish people
Swedes<ref name="SCB Bef">{{cite web
url=http://www.scb.se/Pages/Product____25785.aspx?produktkod=BE0101&displaypressrelease=true&pressreleaseid=257212
title=Befolkningsstatistik
publisher=www.scb.se
date=
accessdate=2009-06-16}}</ref>{{Ref label
ddd
d}}<br />~5% Finns<ref name="Finns">{{cite web
url=http://www.scb.se/Pages/PressRelease____255905.aspx
title=På lördag kan 440 000 flagga blått och vitt
publisher=www.scb.se
language=Swedish
date=2008-12-05
accessdate=2009-06-16}}</ref><br/> ~13% :Category:Ethnic groups in Sweden
other (2009)<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____26041.aspx
title=Summary of Population Statistics 1960 - 2008
publisher=www.scb.se
accessdate=2010-06-03}}</ref><ref>Note that Swedish-speaking Finns or other Swedish-speakers born outside Sweden might self-identify as ''Swedish'' despite being born abroad. Moreover, people born within Sweden may not be ethnic Swedes.</ref>
capital=Stockholm
latd=59
latm=21
latNS=N
longd=18
longm=4
longEW=E
largest_city=capital
government_type=Unitary state
Unitary parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
leader_title1=Monarch of Sweden
Monarch
leader_name1=Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
King Carl XVI Gustaf
leader_title2=Prime Minister of Sweden
Prime Minister
leader_name2=Fredrik Reinfeldt (Moderate Party
M)
leader_title3=Speaker of the Riksdag
Speaker of<br />the Riksdag
leader_name3=Per Westerberg (Moderate Party
M)
sovereignty_type=Consolidation of Sweden
Consolidation
sovereignty_note=
established_event1=Kalmar Union
Personal union w. Denmark and Norway
established_date1=17 June 1397
established_event2=''de facto'' independent kingdom
established_date2=6 June 1523
established_event3=end of Scandinavian union ratified
established_date3=1524
established_event4=Swedish-Norwegian Union begins
established_date4=4 November 1814
established_event5=Swedish-Norwegian Union ends
established_date5=13 August 1905
accessionEUdate=1 January 1995
EUseats=19
area_rank=57th
area_magnitude=1 E+11
area_km2=449,964
area_sq_mi=173,745
percent_water=8.7
population=
population_estimate_rank=88th
population_census=9,354,462<ref name="population">{{cite web
url=http://www.scb.se/Pages/Product____25799.aspx
title=Befolkningsstatistik
publisher=Statistiska centralbyrån
accessdate=2010-05-18}}</ref>
population_census_year=2009
population_density_km2=20.6
population_density_sq_mi=53.3
population_density_rank=192nd
GDP_PPP=$331.504 billion<ref name="imf2">{{cite web
url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2010&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=144&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=10&pr.y=12
title=Sweden
publisher=International Monetary Fund
accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref>
GDP_PPP_rank =
GDP_PPP_year=2009
GDP_PPP_per_capita=$35,965<ref name="imf2"/>
GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank=
GDP_nominal=$405.440 billion<ref name="imf2"/>
GDP_nominal_rank =
GDP_nominal_year=2009
GDP_nominal_per_capita=$43,986<ref name="imf2"/>
GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank=
Gini=23
Gini_year=2005
Gini_category=<span style="color:#090;">low</span>
HDI={{increase}} 0.963<ref>[http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf Human Development Report 2009]. The United Nations. Retrieved 5 October 2009.</ref>
HDI_rank=7th
HDI_year=2007
HDI_category=<span style="color:#090;">very high</span>
currency=Swedish krona
currency_code=SEK
country_code=SWE
time_zone=Central European Time
CET
utc_offset=+1
time_zone_DST=Central European Summer Time
CEST
utc_offset_DST=+2
date_format=yyyy-mm-dd
drives_on=right{{Ref label
eee
e}}
cctld=.se{{Ref label
fff
f}}
calling_code=Telephone numbers in Sweden
46
footnotes= a. {{note
aaa}} {{lang
sv
''För Sverige - I tiden''}} has been adopted by Carl XVI Gustaf as his personal motto.<br /> b. {{note
bbb}} {{lang
sv
''Du gamla, Du fria''}} has never been officially adopted as national anthem, but is so by convention.<br /> c. {{note
ccc}} Since 1 July 2009.<ref name="Swedish">{{cite web
url=http://www.sprakforsvaret.se/sf/fileadmin/PDF/spraklagen_200509.pdf
title=Språklagen
date=2009-07-01
work=Språkförsvaret
language=Swedish
accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref><ref name="Swedish2">{{cite web
url=http://www.thelocal.se/20404/20090701/
title=Swedish becomes official 'main language'
last=Landes
first=David
date=2009-07-01
work=The Local
publisher=thelocal.se
accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref> Five other languages are Minority languages of Sweden
officially recognized as minority languages.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.sprakradet.se/servlet/GetDoc?meta_id=2119#item100400
title=Är svenskan också officiellt språk i Sverige?
publisher=Språkrådet (Language Council of Sweden)
date=2008-02-01
accessdate=2008-06-22
language=Swedish}}</ref> They are: Finnish language
Finnish, Meänkieli, Romani language
Romani, Sami languages
Sami and Yiddish language
Yiddish. The Swedish Sign Language also has a special status.<br /> d. {{note
ddd}} As of 2008, 18% of the population had foreign origins (13% if excluding Finns and 9% if also excluding other Scandinavians), with 14% foreign-born and another 4% born in Sweden of two foreign-born parents.<ref>[http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____26041.aspx Summary of Population Statistics 1960 - 2008 - Statistics Sweden] (proportion of foreign background, including foreign-born and Swedish-born with two foreign-born parents)</ref><br /> e. {{note
eee}} Since 3 September 1967. f. {{note
fff}} The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. The .nu domain is another commonly used top-level domain ("nu" means "now" in Swedish). }} '''Sweden''' (pronounced {{Audio-IPA
en-us-Sweden.ogg
/'swi?d?n/}} {{respell
SWEE
d?n}}, {{lang-sv
Sverige}} {{IPA-sv
'sve?rij?
pron
Sv-Sverige.ogg}}), officially the '''Kingdom of Sweden''' (Swedish language
Swedish: {{Audio
Sv-Konungariket_Sverige.ogg
''Konungariket Sverige''}}), is a Nordic countries
Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and water borders with Denmark, Germany, and Poland to the south, and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia to the east. Sweden is also connected to Denmark by a Oresund Bridge
bridge-tunnel across the Öresund. At {{convert
450295
km2
sqmi}}, Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of about 9.4 million.<ref name="population"/> Sweden has a low population density of {{convert
21
PD/km2
PD/sqmi}} but a considerably higher density in the southern half of the country. About 85% of the population live in urban areas, and it is expected that these numbers will gradually rise as a part of the ongoing urbanization.<ref name="publikationer2007"> Statistics Sweden. ''Yearbook of Housing and Building Statistics 2007''. Statistics Sweden, Energy, Rents and Real Estate Statistics Unit, 2007. ISBN 978-91-618-1361-2. Available online in [http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BO0801_2007A01_BR_BO01SA0701.pdf PDF format]</ref> Sweden's capital (political)
capital is Stockholm, which is also the largest city in the country (population of 1.3 million in the urban area and with 2 million in the metropolitan area).<ref>{{cite web
title=Folkmängd i riket, län och kommuner 31 december 2009 och befolkningsförändringar 2009
publisher=Statistics Sweden
url=http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____287608.aspx}}</ref> Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages. In the 17th century, the country expanded its territories to form the Swedish Empire. The empire grew to be one of the great powers of Europe in the 17th and early 18th century. Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The eastern half of Sweden, present-day Finland, was lost to Russia in 1809. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military means forced Norway into a Union of Sweden and Norway
personal union which lasted until 1905. Since then, Sweden has been at peace, adopting a non-aligned foreign policy in peacetime and neutral country
neutrality in wartime.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2880.htm#foreign
title=''U.S. State Department Background Notes: Sweden''
publisher=State.gov
date=2010-03-22
accessdate=2010-08-25}}</ref> Today, Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy of government and a highly developed economy. It ranks first in the world in ''The Economist'''s Democracy Index and seventh in the United Nations' Human Development Index. Sweden has been a member of the European Union since 1 January 1995 and is a member of the OECD. ==Etymology== {{Main
Etymology of Sweden}} The modern name ''Sweden'' is derived through back-formation from Old English ''Sweoþeod'', which meant "people of the Swedes" (Old Norse ''Svíþjóð'', Latin ''Suetidi''). This word is derived from ''Sweon/Sweonas'' (Old Norse ''Sviar'', Latin S''uiones''). The Swedish name ''Sverige'' (a conjunction of the words ''Svea'' and ''Rike'' – the latter is still spelt with the letter ''g'', "rige", in modern Danish language
Danish) literally means "Kingdom of the Swedes (Germanic tribe)
Swedes", excluding the Geats in Götaland. Variations of the name ''Sweden'' are used in most languages, with the exception of Danish and Norwegian language
Norwegian using ''Sverige'', Icelandic language
Icelandic ''Svíþjóð'', and the more notable exception of some Finno-Ugric languages where ''Ruotsi'' (Finnish language
Finnish) and ''Rootsi'' (Estonian language
Estonian) are used, names commonly considered etymologically related to the English name for Russia, referring to the people, ''Rus (people)
Rus''', originally from the coastal areas of Roslagen, Uppland. The etymology of ''Swedes'', and thus ''Sweden'', is generally not agreed upon but may derive from Proto-Germanic ''Swihoniz'' meaning "one's own",<ref>{{cite book
last=Hellquist
first=Elof
title=Svensk etymologisk ordbok
year=1922
publisher=Gleerups förlag
location=Stockholm
page=915}}</ref> referring to one's own Germanic tribe. ==History== {{Main
History of Sweden}} ===Prehistory=== {{Main
Prehistoric Sweden}} Sweden's prehistory begins in the Allerød Oscillation
Allerød warm period c. 12,000 BC with Late Palaeolithic reindeer-hunting camps of the Bromme culture at the edge of the ice in what is now the country's southernmost province. This period was characterized by small bands of Hunter-gatherer
hunter-gatherer-fishers using flint technology. Farming and animal husbandry, along with monumental burial, polished flint axes and decorated pottery, arrived from the Continent with the Funnelbeaker culture in c. 4,000 BC. Sweden's southern third was part of the stock-keeping and agricultural Nordic Bronze Age Culture's area, most of it being peripheral to the culture's Danish centre. The period began in c. 1,700 BC with the start of bronze imports from Europe. Copper mining was never tried locally during this period, and Scandinavia has no tin deposits, so all metal had to be imported. The Nordic Bronze Age was entirely pre-urban, with people living in hamlets and on farmsteads with single-story wooden long houses. In the absence of any Ancient Rome
Roman occupation, Sweden's Iron Age is reckoned up to the introduction of stone architecture and monastic orders around the 12th century. Much of the period is proto-history
proto-historical, that is, there are written sources, but most are of low credibility. The scraps of written matter are either much later than the period in question, written in distant areas, or, while local and coeval, extremely brief. File:Ales stenar bred.jpg
right
thumb
300px
Ale's Stones in Scania, southern Sweden. This ship setting is a Germanic Iron Age burial monument, most likely from the 7th century, raised for the Denmark
Danish prince Ale the Strong. The climate took a turn for the worse, forcing farmers to keep cattle indoors over the winters, leading to an annual build-up of manure that could for the first time be used systematically for soil improvement. A Roman attempt to move the Imperial border forward from the Rhine to the Elbe was aborted in AD 9 when Germans under Roman-trained leadership defeated the legions of Varus by ambush in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. About this time, there was a major shift in the material culture of Scandinavia, reflecting increased contact with the Romans. Starting in the 2nd century, much of southern Sweden's agricultural land was parcelled out with low stone walls. They divided the land into permanent infields and meadows for winter fodder on one side of the wall, and wooded outland where the cattle grazed on the other side. This principle of landscape organization survived into the 19th century. The Roman Period also saw the first large-scale expansion of agricultural settlement up the Baltic coast of the country's northern two thirds. Sweden enters proto-history with the ''Germania (book)
Germania'' of Tacitus in AD 98. In s:Germania#XLIV
Germania 44, 45 he mentions the Swedes (''Swedes (Germanic tribe)
Suiones'') as a powerful tribe (''distinguished not merely for their arms and men, but for their powerful fleets'') with ships that had a prow in both ends (longships). Which kings (''kuningaz'') ruled these Suiones is unknown, but Norse mythology presents a long line of legendary and semi-legendary kings going back to the last centuries BC. As for literacy in Sweden itself, the runic alphabet
runic script was in use among the south Scandinavian elite by at least the 2nd century AD, but all that has come down to the present from the Roman Period is curt inscriptions on artefacts, mainly of male names, demonstrating that the people of south Scandinavia spoke Proto-Norse at the time, a language ancestral to Swedish and other North Germanic languages. In the 6th century Jordanes named two tribes he calls the ''Suehans'' and the ''Suetidi'' who lived in Scandza. These two names are both considered to refer to the same tribe. The ''Suehans'', he says, has very fine horses just as the "Thyringi" tribe (''alia vero gens ibi moratur Suehans, quae velud Thyringi equis utuntur eximiis''). Snorri Sturluson wrote that the contemporary Swedish king Adils (Eadgils) had the finest horses of his days. The Suehans were the suppliers of black fox skins for the Roman market. Then Jordanes names the ''Suetidi'' which is considered to be the Latin form of ''Svitjod''. He writes that the Suetidi are the tallest of men together with the Danes (Germanic tribe)
Dani who were of the same stock. Later he mentions other Scandinavian tribes for being of the same height. Originating in semi-legendary Scandza, believed to be somewhere in modern Götaland, Sweden, a Goths
Gothic population had crossed the Baltic Sea before the 2nd century AD, reaching Scythia at the coast of the Black Sea in modern Ukraine where Goths left their archaeological traces in the Chernyakhov culture. In the 5th and 6th centuries, they became divided as the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, and established powerful successor-states of the Roman Empire in the Iberian peninsula and Italy.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/239637/Goth Goth (people)]. Britannica Online Encyclopedia.</ref> Crimean Gothic communities appear to have survived intact in Crimea until the late 18th century.<ref>Ingemar Nordgren (2004). "''[http://books.google.com/books?id=-wZYqf3G45cC&pg=PA520&dq&hl=en#v=onepage&q=&f=false The Well Spring of the Goths: About the Gothic Peoples in the Nordic Countries and on the Continent]''". iUniverse. p.520. ISBN 0595336485</ref> ===Viking and Middle Ages=== {{See also
Early Swedish history
Foundation of Modern Sweden
Varangians}} The Swedish Viking Age lasted roughly between the eighth and eleventh centuries. During this period, it is believed that the Swedish people
Swedes expanded from eastern Sweden and incorporated the Geats to the south.<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/65/sw/Sweden.html The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001–05]{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref> It is believed that Swedish Vikings and Gutar mainly travelled east and south, going to Finland, the Baltic countries, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine the Black Sea and further as far as Baghdad. Their routes passed The Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks
through the Dnieper down south to Constantinople, on which they did numerous raids. The Byzantine Emperor Theophilos (emperor)
Theophilos noticed their great skills in war and invited them to serve as his personal bodyguard, known as the varangian guard. The Swedish Vikings, called "Rus (people)
Rus" are also believed to be the founding fathers of Kievan Rus. The Arabic traveller "Ibn Fadlan" described these Vikings as following: {{quote
I have seen the Rus as they came on their merchant journeys and encamped by the Volga
Itil. I have never seen more perfect physical specimens, tall as date palms, blond and ruddy; they wear neither tunics nor caftans, but the men wear a garment which covers one side of the body and leaves a hand free. Each man has an axe, a sword, and a knife, and keeps each by him at all times. The swords are broad and grooved, of Frankish sort.
<ref>Quoted from: Gwyn Jones. ''A History of the Vikings''. Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-19-280134-1. Page 164.</ref>}} The adventures of these Swedish Vikings are commemorated on many runestones in Sweden, such as the Greece Runestones and the Varangian Runestones. There was also considerable participation in expeditions westwards, which are commorated on stones such as the England Runestones. The last major Swedish Viking expedition appears to have been the ill-fated expedition of Ingvar the Far-Travelled to Serkland, the region south-east of the Caspian Sea. Its members are commemorated on the Ingvar Runestones, none of which mentions any survivor. What happened to the crew is unknown, but it is believed that they died of sickness. File:Suecia Gambla Ubsala högar.png
thumb
450px
Gamla Uppsala, a site of religious and political importance in the early days of Sweden. It is not known when and how the kingdom of Sweden was born, but the list of Swedish monarchs is drawn from the first kings who ruled Svealand (Sweden) and Götaland (Gothia) as one with Erik Segersäll
Erik the Victorious. Sweden and Gothia were two separate nations long before that. It is not known how long they existed, ''Beowulf'' described semi-legendary Swedish-Geatish wars in the 6th century. During the early stages of the Scandinavian Viking Age, Ystad in Scania and Paviken on Gotland, in present-day Sweden, were flourishing trade centres. Remains of what is believed to have been a large market have been found in Ystad dating from 600–700 AD.<ref name="Sawyer" /> In Paviken, an important centre of trade in the Baltic region during the ninth and tenth century, remains have been found of a large Viking Age harbour with shipbuilding yards and handicraft industries. Between 800 and 1000, trade brought an abundance of silver to Gotland, and according to some scholars, the Gotlanders of this era hoarded more silver than the rest of the population of Scandinavia combined.<ref name="Sawyer">Sawyer, Birgit and Peter Sawyer (1993). ''Medieval Scandinavia: from Conversion to Reformation, Circa 800–1500''. University of Minnesota Press, 1993. ISBN 0-8166-1739-2, pp. 150–153.</ref> St. Ansgar introduced Christianity in 829, but the new religion did not begin to fully replace paganism until the 12th century. During the 11th century, Christianity became the most prevalent religion, and from 1050 Sweden is counted as a Christian nation. The period between 1100 and 1400 was characterized by internal power struggles and competition among the Nordic kingdoms. Swedish kings also began to expand the Swedish-controlled territory in Finland, creating conflicts with the Rus who no longer had any connection with Sweden.<ref>Bagge, Sverre (2005) "The Scandinavian Kingdoms". In ''The New Cambridge Medieval History''. Eds. Rosamond McKitterick et al. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-521-36289-X, p. 724: "Swedish expansion in Finland led to conflicts with Rus', which were temporarily brought to an end by a peace treaty in 1323, dividing the Karelian peninsula and the northern areas between the two countries."</ref> Except for the province of Skane, on the southern most tip of Sweden which was under Danish control during this time, feudalism never developed in Sweden as it did in the rest of Europe.<ref>Franklin D. Scott, ''Sweden: The Nation's History'' (University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, 1977) p. 58.</ref> Therefore, the peasantry remained largely a class of free farmers throughout most of Swedish history. Slavery (also called thralldom) was not common in Sweden,<ref>[http://runeberg.org/nfcj/0106.html Träldom]. Nordisk familjebok / Uggleupplagan. 30. Tromsdalstind – Urakami /159–160, 1920. (In Swedish)</ref> and what slavery there was tended to be driven out of existence by the spread of Christianity, the difficulty in obtaining slaves from the lands east of the Baltic Sea, and by the development of cities before the 16th century<ref>Scott, p. 55.</ref> Indeed, both slavery and serfdom were abolished altogether by a decree of King Magnus Erickson in 1335. Former slaves tended to be absorbed into the peasantry and some were became laborers in the towns. Still, Sweden remained a poor and economically backward country in which barter was the means of exchange. For instance, the farmers of the province of Dalsland would transport their butter to the mining districts of Sweden and exchange it there for iron, which they would then take down to the coast and trade the iron for fish they needed for food while the iron would be shipped abroad.<ref>Scott, pp. 55-56.</ref> File:Valdemar Atterdag brandskattar Visby (1882).jpg
miniatyr
300px
right
thumb
Valdemar IV takes control over Swedish Gotland. The final fight outside the walls of Visby ended with a total massacre of 1,800 Gotlanders. In the 14th century, Sweden was struck by the Black Death. The population of Sweden was decimated.<ref>Scott, pp. 56-57.</ref> During this period the Swedish cities also began to acquire greater rights and were strongly influenced by German merchants of the Hanseatic League, active especially at Visby. In 1319, Sweden and Norway were united under King Magnus IV of Sweden
Magnus Eriksson, and in 1397 Queen Margaret I of Denmark effected the personal union of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark through the Kalmar Union. However, Margaret's successors, whose rule was also centred in Denmark, were unable to control the Swedish nobility. Real power was held for long periods by regents (notably those of the Sture family) chosen by the Swedish parliament. King Christian II of Denmark, who asserted his claim to Sweden by force of arms, ordered a massacre in 1520 of Swedish nobles at Stockholm. This came to be known as the “Stockholm blood bath” and stirred the Swedish nobility to new resistance and, on 6 June (now Sweden's national holiday) in 1523, they made Gustav Vasa their king.<ref>Scott, p. 121.</ref> This is sometimes considered as the foundation of modern Sweden. Shortly afterwards he rejected Catholicism and led Sweden into the Protestant Reformation. Economically, Gustav Vasa broke the monopoly of the Hanseatic League over Swedish Baltic Sea trade.<ref>Scott, p. 132.</ref> The Hanseatic League had been officially formed at Lubeck on the northern coast of Germany in 1356. The League sought privileges from the princes and royalty of the countries and cities along the coasts of the Baltic Sea.<ref>Robert S. Hoyt & Stanley Chodorow, ''Europe in the Middle Ages'' (Harcourt, Brace & Jovanovich, Inc.: New York, 1976) p. 628.</ref> In exchange they offered a certain amount of protection. Having their own navy the Hansa were able to sweep the Baltic Sea free of pirates.<ref>John B. Wolfe, ''The Emergence of European Civilization'' (Harper & Row Pub.: New York, 1962) pp. 50-51.</ref> The privileges obtained by the Hansa included assurances that only Hansa citizens would be allowed to trade from the ports where they were located. They also sought agreement to be free of all customs and taxes. With these concessions, Lubeck merchants flocked to Stockholm, Sweden and soon came to dominate the economic life of that city and made the port city of Stockholm into the leading commercial and industrial city of Sweden.<ref>Scott, p. 52.</ref> Under the Hanseatic trade 2/3rds of Stockholm's imports consisted of textiles and 1/3 of salt. Exports from Sweden consisted of iron and copper.<ref>Scott</ref> However, the Swedes began to resent the monopoly trading position of the Hansa (mostly German citizens) and to resent the income they felt they lost to the Hansa. Consequently, when Gustav Vasa or Gustav I broke the monopoly power of the Hanseatic League he was regarded as a hero to the Swedish people. History now views Gustav I as the father of the modern Swedish nation. The foundations laid by Gustave would take time to develop. Furthermore, when Sweden did develop, freed itself from the Hanseatic League and entered its golden era, the fact the peasantry had traditionally been free meant that more of the economic benefits flowed back to them rather than going to a feudal landowning class.<ref>Scott, pp. 156-157.</ref> This was not the case in other countries of Europe like Poland were the peasantry was still bound by serfdom and a strong feudalistic land owning system. ===Swedish Empire=== File:Sweden in 1658.PNG
thumb
150px
upright
The Swedish Empire following the Treaty of Roskilde of 1658. Dominions in Prussia, held from 1629 to 1635, do not appear on this map. ---- {{legend
#E6570C
Sweden proper}} {{legend
#007500
Kexholm County}} {{legend
#00FF00
Swedish Ingria}} {{legend
#000075
Swedish Estonia}} {{legend
#FF00FF
Livonia#Swedish Livonia 1629-1721
Livonia}} {{legend
#B9B9B9
Swedish Pomerania, Archbishopric of Bremen
Abp Bremen and Bishopric of Verden
Bp Verden}} {{legend
#757536
Scania, Blekinge, Halland, Gotland and Bohuslän}} {{legend
#0075FF
Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal}} {{legend
#75FFFF
Jämtland, Härjedalen, Idre & Särna}} {{See also
History of Sweden (1611–1648)
Swedish Empire
Swedish overseas colonies
Sweden and the Great Northern War
Absolute Monarchy in Sweden
Sweden-Finland
Union between Sweden and Norway}} During the 17th century Sweden emerged as a European Great Power
great power. Before the emergence of the Swedish Empire, Sweden was a very poor and scarcely populated country on the fringe of European civilization, with no significant power or reputation. Sweden rose to prominence on a continental scale during the tenure of king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus, seizing territories from Russia and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Poland–Lithuania in multiple conflicts, including the Thirty Years' War. During the Thirty Years' War, Sweden conquered approximately half of the Holy Roman states. Gustav Adolphus planned to become the new Holy Roman Emperor, ruling over a united Scandinavia and the Holy Roman states, but he died at the Battle of Lützen (1632)
Battle of Lützen in 1632. After the Battle of Nördlingen (1634)
Battle of Nördlingen, Sweden's only significant military defeat of the war, pro-Swedish sentiment among the German states faded. These German provinces excluded themselves from Swedish power one by one, leaving Sweden with only a few northern German territories: Swedish Pomerania, Bremen-Verden and Wismar. The Swedish armies may have destroyed up to 2,000 castles, 18,000 villages and 1,500 towns in Early Modern history of Germany
Germany, one-third of all German towns.<ref name="Population-HLS">{{cite web
url=http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/population_thirty_years_war.htm
title=Population
publisher=History Learningsite
accessdate=2008-05-24}}</ref> In the middle of the 17th century Sweden was the third largest country in Europe by land area, only surpassed by Russia and Spain. Sweden reached its largest territorial extent under the rule of Charles X of Sweden
Charles X after the treaty of Roskilde in 1658.<ref name="HayesPSH"> "A Political and Social History of Modern Europe V.1./Hayes..." Hayes, Carlton J. H. (1882–1964), ''Title: A Political and Social History of Modern Europe V.1.'', 2002-12-08, Project Gutenberg, webpage: [http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/etext04/7hsr110.htm Infomot-7hsr110]. </ref><ref>However, Sweden's largest territorial extent lasted from 1319 to 1343 with Magnus IV of Sweden
Magnus Eriksson ruling all of the Lands of Sweden
traditional lands of Sweden and Norway.</ref> The foundation of Sweden's success during this period is credited to Gustav I's major changes on the Swedish economy in the 16th century, and his introduction of Protestantism.<ref name="GusEB"> "Gustav I Vasa – Britannica Concise" (biography), ''Britannica Concise'', 2007, webpage: [http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9366349/Gustav-I-Vasa EBConcise-Gustav-I-Vasa]. </ref> In the 17th century, Sweden was engaged in many wars, for example with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with both sides competing for territories of today's Baltic states, with the disastrous Battle of Kircholm being one of the highlights.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/images/kircholm_27_sept.htm
title=Battle of Kircholm 1605
publisher=Kismeta.com
date=
accessdate=2010-08-25}}</ref> One-third of the Finnish population died in the devastating famine that struck the country in 1696.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/finland/9.htm Finland and the Swedish Empire]. Source: ''U.S. Library of Congress''</ref> Famine also hit Sweden,<ref>[http://www.algonet.se/~hogman/sljordbruk_eng.htm Agricultural Yields and Years of Famine - Sweden]. Hans Högman.</ref> killing roughly 10% of Sweden's population.<ref>"''[http://books.google.com/books?id=6oOCfHxQDtwC&pg=PA153&dq&hl=en#v=onepage&q=&f=false Finding the family in medieval and early modern Scotland]''". Elizabeth Ewan, Janay Nugent (2008). Ashgate Publishing. p.153. ISBN 0-7546-6049-4</ref> The Swedes conducted a series of invasions into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, known as the Deluge (history)
Deluge. After more than half a century of almost constant warfare, the Swedish economy had deteriorated. It became the lifetime task of Charles' son, Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI, to rebuild the economy and refit the army. His legacy to his son, the coming ruler of Sweden Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII, was one of the finest arsenals in the world, a large standing army and a great fleet. Sweden's largest threat at this time, Russia, had a larger army but was far behind in both equipment and training. File:Battle of Lutzen.jpg
300px
thumb
left
Death of Gustav II Adolf at the Battle of Lützen (1632)
Battle of Lützen. After the Battle of Narva (1700)
Battle of Narva in 1700, one of the first battles of the Great Northern War, the Russian army was so severely decimated that Sweden had an open chance to invade Russia. However, Charles did not pursue the Russian army, instead turning against Poland-Lithuania and defeating the Polish king Augustus II and his Saxon allies at the Battle of Kliszow in 1702. This gave Russia time to rebuild and modernize its army. After the success of invading Poland, Charles decided to make an invasion attempt of Russia which ended in a decisive Russian victory at the Battle of Poltava in 1709. After a long march exposed to cossack raids, Russian Tsar Peter the Great's scorched-earth techniques and the Russian Winter
cold Russian climate, the Swedes stood weakened with a shattered morale and enormously outnumbered against the Russian army at Poltava. The defeat meant the beginning of the end for the Swedish Empire. File:Marten's Poltava.jpg
thumb
330px
The Battle of Poltava in 1709. In the years following Poltava, Russia occupied all the Swedish annexations on the Baltic coast and even Finland. Charles XII attempted to invade Norway 1716; however, he was shot dead at Fredriksten
Fredriksten fortress in 1718. The Swedes were not militarily defeated at Fredriksten, but the whole structure and organization of the Norwegian campaign fell apart with the king's death, and the army withdrew. Forced to cede large areas of land in the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, Sweden also lost its place as an empire and as the dominant state on the Baltic Sea. With Sweden's lost influence, Russia emerged as an empire and became one of Europe's dominant nations. As the war finally ended in 1721, Sweden had lost an estimated 200,000 men, 150,000 of those from the area of present-day Sweden and 50,000 from the History of Finland#The 17th century – the Swedish Empire
Finnish part of Sweden.<ref>''[http://www.algonet.se/~hogman/slsoldat.htm#Mobilisering Losses statistics at Militaria].'' (Swedish)</ref> In the 18th century, Sweden did not have enough resources to maintain its territories outside Scandinavia, and most of them were lost, culminating with the 1809 loss of eastern Sweden to Russia which became the highly autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Principality of Finland in Imperial Russia. In interest of reestablishing Swedish dominance in the Baltic Sea, Sweden allied itself against its traditional ally and benefactor, France, in the Napoleonic Wars. Sweden's role in the Battle of Leipzig gave it the authority to force Denmark-Norway, an ally of France, to cede Norway to the King of Sweden on 14 January 1814 in exchange for northern German provinces, at the Treaty of Kiel. The Norwegian attempts to keep their status as a sovereign state were rejected by the Swedish king, Charles XIII. He launched a military campaign against Norway on 27 July 1814, ending in the Convention of Moss, which forced Norway into a Union between Sweden and Norway
personal union with Sweden under the Swedish crown, which was not dissolved until 1905. The 1814 campaign was the last war in which Sweden participated as a combatant. Swedish troops partake in peace-keeping missions and currently have forces deployed in Afghanistan and Kosovo. ===Modern history=== {{See also
Modernization of Sweden
Swedish emigration to the United States}} File:Farewell to home, Göteborg, 1905.jpg
thumb
250px
right
Swedish emigrants boarding ship in Gothenburg in 1905. There was a significant population increase during the 18th and 19th centuries, which the writer Esaias Tegnér in 1833 attributed to ''"the peace, the (smallpox) vaccine, and the potatoes"''.<ref>{{cite book
last=
first=
authorlink=
coauthors=Paul Robert Magocsi
year=1998
title=Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples
publisher=University of Minnesota Press
location=
isbn=0-8020-2938-8
page=1220
author=Paul Robert Magocsi, editor.}}</ref> Between 1750 and 1850, the population in Sweden doubled. According to some scholars, mass emigration to America became the only way to prevent famine and rebellion; over 1% of the population emigrated annually during the 1880s.<ref name="Einhorn"> Einhorn, Eric and John Logue (1989). ''Modern Welfare States: Politics and Policies in Social'' ''Democratic Scandinavia''. Praeger Publishers, p. 9: "Though Denmark, where industrialization had begun in the 1850s, was reasonably prosperous by the end of the nineteenth century, both Sweden and Norway were terribly poor. Only the safety valve of mass emigration to America prevented famine and rebellion. At the peak of emigration in the 1880s, over 1% of the total population of both countries emigrated annually." </ref> Nevertheless, Sweden remained poor, retaining a nearly entirely agricultural economy even as Denmark and Western European countries began to industrialize.<ref name=Einhorn/><ref>Koblik, Steven (1975). ''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970'', University of Minnesota Press, pp. 8–9, "In economic and social terms the eighteenth century was more a transitional than a revolutionary period. Sweden was, in light of contemporary Western European standards, a relatively poor but stable country. [...] It has been estimated that 75–80% of the population was involved in agricultural pursuits during the late eighteenth century. One hundred years later, the corresponding figure was still 72%." </ref> Many looked towards America for a better life during this time. It is believed that between 1850 and 1910 more than one million Swedes moved to the United States.<ref>Einhorn, Eric and John Logue (1989), p. 8.</ref> In the early 20th century, more Swedes lived in Chicago than in Gothenburg (Sweden's second largest city).<ref>Ulf Beijbom, [http://www.americanwest.com/swedemigr/pages/emigra.htm "European emigration"], The House of Emigrants, Växjö, Sweden.</ref> Most Swedish immigrants moved to the Midwestern United States, with a large population in Minnesota, with a few others moving to other parts of the United States and Canada. Despite the slow rate of industrialization into the 19th century, many important changes were taking place in the agrarian economy because of innovations and the large population growth.<ref name="Koblik9-10">Koblik, pp. 9–10.</ref> These innovations included government-sponsored programs of enclosure, aggressive exploitation of agricultural lands, and the introduction of new crops such as the potato.<ref name="Koblik9-10"/> Because the Swedish peasantry had never been enserfed as elsewhere in Europe,<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-29865/Sweden#403810.hook Sweden: Social and economic conditions] (2007). In'' Encyclopædia Britannica''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 19 February 2007.</ref> the Swedish farming culture began to take on a critical role in the Swedish political process, which has continued through modern times with modern Agrarian party (now called the Centre Party).<ref>Koblik, p. 11: "The agrarian revolution in Sweden is of fundamental importance for Sweden's modern development. Throughout Swedish history the countryside has taken an unusually important role in comparison with other European states."</ref> Between 1870 and 1914, Sweden began developing the industrialized economy that exists today.<ref>Koblik, p. 90. "It is usually suggested that between 1870 and 1914 Sweden emerged from its primarily agrarian economic system into a modern industrial economy."</ref> Strong grassroots movements sprung up in Sweden during the latter half of the nineteenth century (trade unions, temperance groups, and independent religious groups), creating a strong foundation of democratic principles. In 1889 The Swedish Social Democratic Party was founded. These movements precipitated Sweden's migration into a modern parliamentary democracy, achieved by the time of World War I. As the Industrial Revolution progressed during the twentieth century, people gradually began moving into cities to work in factories and became involved in socialism
socialist unions. A socialist revolution was avoided in 1917, following the re-introduction of parliamentarism, and the country was democratization
democratized. ===World Wars=== {{See also
Sweden during World War II}} File:Swedish soldier during ww2.JPG
right
250px
thumb
Swedish soldier during World War II. Sweden remained officially neutral during World War I and World War II, although its neutrality during World War II has been disputed.<ref name="Koblik303-313">Koblik, pp. 303–313.</ref><ref>Nordstrom, p. 315: "Sweden's government attempted to maintain at least a semblance of neutrality while it bent to the demands of the prevailing side in the struggle. Although effective in preserving the country's sovereignty, this approach generated criticism at home from many who believed the threat to Sweden was less serious than the government claimed, problems with the warring powers, ill feelings among its neighbours, and frequent criticism in the postwar period."</ref> Sweden was under German influence for much of the war, as ties to the rest of the world were cut off through blockades.<ref name="Koblik303-313"/><!---Koblik, pg. 307. "Through the blockade of foreign trade that culminated in the establishment of the Skagerrak blockade in connection with the German invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940, Swedish imports were reduced by approximately one-half and exports by about one-third in comparison with the average volume of 1936-1938."---> The Swedish government felt that it was in no position to openly contest Germany,<ref name="NB313-319"/><!---Nordstrom, pg. 315 "Charting a path that might ensure the survival of the state was the government's primary goal."---><!---Nordstrom, p. 319 "For a time virtually all of Sweden's production of industrial goods and raw materials went to Germany in exchange for necessary fuels, food stuffs, and manufactured goods."---> and therefore made some concessions.<ref>{{cite book
last=Zubicky
first=Sioma
year=1997
title=Med förintelsen i bagaget
language=Swedish language
Swedish
publisher=Bonnier Carlsen
location=Stockholm
isbn=91-638-3436-7
page=122}}</ref> Sweden also supplied steel and machined parts to Germany throughout the war. However, Sweden supported Norwegian resistance, and in 1943 helped rescue Danish Jews from deportation to concentration camps. Sweden also supported Finland in the Winter War and the Continuation War with volunteers and materiel. Toward the end of the war, Sweden began to play a role in humanitarian efforts and many refugees, among them many Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe, were saved partly because of the Swedish involvement in rescue missions at the internment camps and partly because Sweden served as a haven for refugees, primarily from the Nordic countries and the Baltic states.<ref name="NB313-319"/><!---Nordstrom, p. 317: "In the last year of the war, Sweden became a factor in humanitarian efforts and attempts to end the war. It also became a haven for refugees from ''Norden'' and the Baltic states, and Swedes were involved in rescuing Scandinavian victims of internment camps." --- Nordstrom, p. 318: "By late 1943 Sweden was a haven for some 11,000 refugees from Denmark, including over 7,000 Danish Jews, and about 30,000 Norwegians."---> Nevertheless, internal and external critics have argued that Sweden could have done more to resist the Nazi war effort, even if risking occupation.<ref name="NB313-319">Nordstrom, pp. 313–319.</ref> ===Cold War=== Sweden publicly claimed to be a neutral country and the image was forcefully maintained, but unofficially Sweden's leadership had strong ties with the United States. In the early 1960s Sweden and the United States agreed to deploy nuclear submarines off the Swedish west coast. In the same year Sweden made a defence pact with the United States{{Citation needed
date=August 2010}}. Following the war, Sweden took advantage of an intact industrial base, social stability and its natural resources to expand its industry to supply the rebuilding of Europe.<ref name="NB335-339">Nordstrom, pp. 335–339.</ref><!---Recovery from the material damage and economic shocks of the war was more rapid than many expected."---> Sweden was part of the Marshall Plan and participated in the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). During most of the post-war era, the country was governed by the Swedish Social Democratic Party (in Swedish language
Swedish: ''Socialdemokraterna''). Social democrats imposed corporatist policies: favouring big capitalist corporations and big unions, especially Swedish Trade Union Confederation, affiliated with Social Democrats.<ref name="svensteinmo">''Globalization and Taxation: Challenges to the Swedish Welfare State''. By Sven Steinmo.</ref> The number of bureaucrats rose from normal levels in the 1960s to very high levels by the 1980s.<ref name="svensteinmo"/> Sweden was open to trade and pursued an internationally competitive manufacturing sector. Growth was good until 1970s. Sweden, like countries around the globe, entered a period of economic decline and upheaval, following the oil embargoes of 1973–74 and 1978–79.<ref>Nordstrom, p. 344: "During the last twenty-five years of the century a host of problems plagued the economies of Norden and the West. Although many were present before, the 1973 and 1980 global oil crises acted as catalysts in bringing them to the fore."</ref> In the 1980s pillars of Swedish industry were massively restructured. Shipbuilding was discontinued, wood pulp was integrated into modernized paper production, the steel industry was concentrated and specialized, and mechanical engineering was robotized.<ref>Krantz, Olle and Lennart Schön. 2007. Swedish Historical National Accounts, 1800–2000. Lund: Almqvist and Wiksell International.</ref> Between 1970 and 1990 the overall tax burden rose by over 10%, and the growth was very low compared to most other countries in Western Europe. The marginal income tax for workers reached over 80%. Eventually government spent over half of the country's gross domestic product. Sweden steadily declined from its perennial top five GDP per capita ranking. Since the late 1970s, Sweden's economic policies were increasingly questioned by economists and Ministry of Finance officials.<ref name="svensteinmo"/> Carl XVI Gustaf has been Sweden's king and head of state since 1973. ===Recent history=== {{See also
History of Sweden (since 1989)}} File:Signing of the Maastricht Treaty.jpg
thumb
170px
right
The signing of the Maastricht Treaty. A bursting real estate bubble caused by inadequate controls on lending combined with an international recession and a policy switch from anti-unemployment policies to anti-inflationary policies resulted in a fiscal crisis in the early 1990s.<ref>Englund, P. 1990. "Financial deregulation in Sweden." European Economic Review 34 (2–3): 385–393. Korpi TBD. Meidner, R. 1997. "The Swedish model in an era of mass unemployment." Economic and Industrial Democracy 18 (1): 87–97. Olsen, Gregg M. 1999. "Half empty or half full? The Swedish welfare state in transition." Canadian Review of Sociology & Anthropology, 36 (2): 241–268.</ref> Sweden's GDP declined by around 5%. In 1992, there was a run on the currency, with the central bank briefly jacking up interest to 500%.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1025624.html
title=Sweden's `Crazy' 500% Interest Rate; Fails to Faze Most Citizens, Businesses; Hike Seen as Short-Term Move to Protect Krona From Devaluation
publisher=Highbeam.com
date=1992-09-18
accessdate=2010-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
url=http://books.google.com.au/books?id=NxFh9qk0wBYC&pg=PA44&dq=sweden+interest+rate+500%25&hl=en&ei=yaY3TLqzLIqOkQXeqdCxAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=sweden%20interest%20rate%20500%25&f=false
title=The Great Financial Crisis in Finland and Sweden
publisher=Books.google.com.au
date=
accessdate=2010-08-25}}</ref> The response of the government was to cut spending and institute a multitude of reforms to improve Sweden's competitiveness, among them reducing the welfare state and privatizing public services and goods. Much of the political establishment promoted EU membership, and the Swedish referendum passed with 52% in favour of joining the EU on 13 November 1994. Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995. Sweden remains non-aligned militarily, although it participates in some joint military exercises with NATO and some other countries, in addition to extensive cooperation with other European countries in the area of defence technology and defence industry. Among others, Swedish companies export weapons that are used by the American military in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=3013&date=20060207
title=New Swedish weapon in Iraq
author=The Local
accessdate=2007-06-23}}</ref> Sweden also has a long history of participating in international military operations, including most recently, Afghanistan, where Swedish troops are under NATO command, and in EU sponsored peacekeeping operations in UN protectorate Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Cyprus. Sweden held the chair of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December 2009. ==Geography and climate== {{Main
Geography of Sweden}} File:Suorvajaure in stora sjofallet park.jpg
thumb
left
280px
View of the Stora Sjöfallet National Park. Situated in Northern Europe
Northern Europe, Sweden lies west of the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia, providing a long coastline, and forms the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. To the west is the Scandinavian mountain chain (Skanderna), a range that separates Sweden from Norway. Finland is located to its northeast. It has maritime borders with Denmark, Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and it is also linked to Denmark (southwest) by the Öresund Bridge. At {{convert
449964
km2
sqmi
0
abbr=on}}, Sweden is the 55th largest country in the world,<ref>{{cite web
title=Country Comparison: Area
url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html?countryName=Sweden&countryCode=sw®ionCode=eu&rank=55#sw
work=Central Intelligence Agency
publisher=Cia.gov
accessdate=19 August 2010}}</ref> the 4th Area and population of European countries
largest in Europe (excluding European Russia), and the largest in Northern Europe. The lowest elevation in Sweden is in the bay of Lake Hammarsjön, near Kristianstad at {{convert
-2.41
m
ft
2
abbr=on}} below sea level. The highest point is Kebnekaise at {{convert
2111
m
ft
0
abbr=on}} Above mean sea level
above sea level. Sweden has 25 Provinces of Sweden
provinces or ''landskap'' (landscapes), based on culture, geography and history; Bohuslän, Blekinge, Dalarna, Dalsland, Gotland, Gästrikland, Halland, Hälsingland, Härjedalen, Jämtland, Lapland, Sweden
Lapland, Medelpad, Norrbotten, Närke, Scania
Skåne, Småland, Södermanland, Uppland, Värmland, Västmanland, Västerbotten, Västergötland, Ångermanland, Öland and Östergötland. While these provinces serve no political or administrative purpose, they play an important role for people's self-identification. The provinces are usually grouped together in three large ''lands of Sweden
lands'', parts, the northern Norrland, the central Svealand and southern Götaland. The sparsely populated Norrland encompasses almost 60% of the country. About 15% of Sweden lies north of the Arctic Circle. Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, with increasing forest coverage northward. Around 65% of Sweden's total land area is covered with forests. The highest population density is in the Øresund Region
Öresund Region in southern Sweden and in the valley of lake Mälaren and Stockholm. Gotland and Öland are Sweden's largest islands of Sweden
islands; Vänern and Vättern are its largest lakes. Vänern is the third largest in Europe, after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in Russia. ===Climate=== {{wide image
Kebnekaise Panorama.jpg
900px
The Scandinavian Mountains.}} Most of Sweden has a temperate climate, despite its northern latitude, with four distinct seasons and mild temperatures throughout the year. The country can be divided into three types of climate; the southernmost part has an oceanic climate, the central part has a humid continental climate and the northernmost part has a subarctic climate.<ref>{{cite web
author=Cesky
url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification
title=Climate classification
publisher=En.wikipedia.org
date=
accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref> However, Sweden is much warmer and drier than other places at a similar latitude, and even somewhat further south, mainly because of the Gulf Stream.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/climate/impact/gulf_stream.shtml
title=BBC Climate and the Gulf Stream
accessdate=2008-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/gs/
title=The Gulf Stream Myth
accessdate=2008-10-29}}</ref> For example, central and southern Sweden has much warmer winters than many parts of Russia, Canada, and the northern United States.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/SUSTDEV/EIdirect/climate/EIsp0002.htm
title=Global Climate Maps}}</ref> Because of its high latitude, the length of daylight varies greatly. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets for part of each summer, and it never rises for part of each winter. In the capital, Stockholm, daylight lasts for more than 18 hours in late June but only around 6 hours in late December. Sweden receives between 1,100 to 1,900 hours of sunshine annually.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7608&a=21429&l=sv
title=Number of hours with sunshine (map)
publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.smhi.se/klimatdata/meteorologi/stralning/1.3052
title=Normal solskenstid för ett år | SMHI
language={{sv icon}}
publisher=Smhi.se
date=
accessdate=2010-01-27}}</ref> Temperatures vary greatly from north to south. Southern and central parts of the country have warm summers and cold winters, with average high temperatures of {{convert
20
to
25
°C
F
0
abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7628&a=21614&l=sv
title=July average high temperature map
publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref> and lows of {{convert
12
to
15
°C
F
0
abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7628&a=21654&l=sv
title=July average low temperature map
publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref> in the summer, and average temperatures of {{convert
-4
to
2
°C
F
0
abbr=on}} in the winter,<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7628&a=21572&l=sv
title=January daily average temperature map
publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref> while the northern part of the country has shorter, cooler summers and longer, colder and snowier winters, with temperatures that often drop below freezing from September through May.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7628&a=21704&l=sv
title=Date of first autumn frost (map)
publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7628&a=21706&l=sv
title=Date of last spring frost (map)
publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref> Occasional heatwaves can occur a few times each year, and temperatures above 30 °C (82 °F) occur on many days during the summer, sometimes even in the north. The highest temperature ever recorded in Sweden was {{convert
38
°C
°F
abbr=on}} in Målilla in 1947, while the coldest temperature ever recorded was {{convert
-52.6
°C
1
abbr=on}} in Vuoggatjålme in 1966.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7522&a=20978&l=sv
title=Low temperature extremes
publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7522&a=20974&l=sv
title=High temperature extremes
publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref> On average, most of Sweden receives between 500 and 800 mm (20 and 31 in) of precipitation each year, making it considerably drier than the Precipitation (meteorology)
global average. The southwestern part of the country receives more precipitation, between 1000 and 1200 mm (39 and 47 in), and some mountain areas in the north are estimated to receive up to 2000 mm (79 in). Snowfall mainly occurs from December through March in southern Sweden, from November through April in central Sweden, and from October through May in northern Sweden. Despite northerly locations, southern and central Sweden tend to be virtually free of snow in some winters.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7618&a=21516&l=sv
title=Annual precipitation map
publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref><ref name="Sweden's climate">{{cite web
url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=5441
title=Sweden's climate
publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}{{Dead link
date=August 2010}} (in Swedish, see also the [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=sv&u=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp%3Fd%3D5441%26l%3Dsv&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp%253Fd%253D5441%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG Google-translated version])</ref> {
class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"
colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;background:#e8eafa;"
'''Average high and low temperatures in various cities in Sweden (°C)<ref>{{cite web
author=weather
url=http://www.msn.com/weather
archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080511023744/http://www.msn.com/weather
archivedate=2008-05-11
title=Local, National, and International Weather - Forecasts, Radar Maps, Video, and News
publisher=Msn.com
date=
accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref>
- ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black; height:17px;"
City ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
Jan ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
Feb ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
Mar ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
Apr ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
May ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
Jun ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
Jul ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
Aug ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
Sep ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
Oct ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
Nov ! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;"
Dec
- ! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:black; height:16px;"
Kiruna
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
-10/-16
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
-8/-15
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
-4/-13
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
2/-7
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
8/0
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
14/6
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
17/8
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
14/6
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
9/2
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
1/-4
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
-5/-10
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
-8/-15
- ! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:black; height:16px;"
Östersund
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
-5/-10
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
-3/-9
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
0/-6
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
5/-2
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
12/3
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
16/8
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
18/10
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
17/10
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
12/6
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
6/2
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
0/-3
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
-3/-8
- ! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:black; height:16px;"
Stockholm
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
1/-2
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
1/-3
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
4/-2
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
11/3
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
16/8
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
20/12
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
23/15
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
22/14
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
17/10
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
10/6
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
5/2
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
1/-1
- ! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:black; height:16px;"
Gothenburg ''(Göteborg)''
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
2/-1
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
4/-1
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
6/0
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
11/3
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
16/8
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
19/12
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
22/14
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
22/14
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
18/10
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
12/6
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
7/3
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
3/-1
- ! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:black; height:16px;"
Visby
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
1/-2
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
1/-3
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
3/-2
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
9/1
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
14/6
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
18/10
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
21/13
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
20/13
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
16/9
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
10/6
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
5/2
style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;"
2/0
- ! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:black; height:16px;"
Malmö
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
3/-1
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
3/-1
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
6/0
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
12/3
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
17/8
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
19/11
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
22/13
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
22/14
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
18/10
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
12/6
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
8/4
style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;"
4/1 ''
} ==Government== {{Main
Politics of Sweden}} Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, in which King Carl XVI Gustaf is head of state, but royal power has long been limited to official and ceremonial functions.<ref>{{cite news
url=http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/CommonPage____2713.aspx
archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070303012042/http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/CommonPage____2713.aspx
archivedate=2007-03-03
title=Sweden in Brief/A Political Society
publisher=Sweden.se
accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> The Economist Intelligence Unit, while acknowledging that democracy is difficult to measure, listed Sweden in first place in its index of democracy assessing 167 countries.<ref>{{cite news
url = http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/DEMOCRACY_TABLE_2007_v3.pdf
title=Economist Intelligence Unit democracy index 2006
accessdate=2007-10-09
year=2007
format=PDF
publisher=Economist Intelligence Unit }}</ref> The nation's legislative body is the Parliament of Sweden
Riksdag (Swedish Parliament), with 349 members, which chooses the Prime Minister of Sweden
Prime Minister. Parliamentary elections are held every four years, on the third Sunday of September. File:SWE-Map Kommuner2007.svg
thumb
upright
Sweden municipal borders ===Counties and municipalities=== {{Main
Counties of Sweden
Municipalities of Sweden}} Sweden is a unitary state, currently divided into Counties of Sweden
twenty-one counties ({{lang
sv
''län''}}): Stockholm County
Stockholm, Uppsala County
Uppsala, Södermanland County
Södermanland, Östergötland County
Östergötland, Jönköping County
Jönköping, Kronoberg County
Kronoberg, Kalmar County
Kalmar, Gotland County
Gotland, Blekinge County
Blekinge, Skåne County
Skåne, Halland County
Halland, Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland, Värmland County
Värmland, Örebro County
Örebro, Västmanland County
Västmanland, Dalarna County
Dalarna, Gävleborg County
Gävleborg, Västernorrland County
Västernorrland, Jämtland County
Jämtland, Västerbotten County
Västerbotten and Norrbotten County
Norrbotten. Each county has a County Administrative Boards of Sweden
County Administrative Board or ''länsstyrelse'', which is a Government appointed board. It is led by a Governor or ''Landshövding'' appointed for a term of six years and the list of succession, in most cases, stretches back to 1634 when the counties were created by the Swedish Lord High Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna. The main responsibilities of the County Administrative Board is to coordinate the development of the county in line with goals set in national politics. In each county there is also a County Councils of Sweden
County Council or ''landsting'' which is a policy-making assembly elected by the residents of the county. Each county further divides into a number of Municipalities of Sweden
municipalities or ''kommuner'', with a total of 290 municipalities in 2004. Municipality
Municipal government in Sweden is similar to city commission government and cabinet-style council
cabinet-style council government. A legislative municipal assembly ''(kommunfullmäktige)'' of between 31 and 101 members (always an uneven number) is elected from party-list proportional representation at municipal elections, held every four years in conjunction with the national parliamentary elections. The municipalities are divided into a total of 2,512 Parishes of Sweden
parishes, or ''församlingar''. These have traditionally been a subdivision of the Church of Sweden but still have importance as districts for census and elections. There are older historical divisions, primarily the Provinces of Sweden
twenty-five provinces and Lands of Sweden
three lands, which still retain cultural significance. {{See
Subdivisions of Sweden
National Areas of Sweden}} ===Political history=== File:Scandinavia-12th century.png
thumb
left
Kingdoms of Swedes (Germanic tribe)
Svear (Sweonas) and Götar (Geats) in the 12th century, with modern borders in grey The actual age of the kingdom of Sweden is unknown.<ref name="sh">Hadenius, Stig; Nilsson, Torbjörn; Åselius, Gunnar (1996) ''Sveriges historia: vad varje svensk bör veta''. Bonnier Alba, Borås. ISBN 91-34-51857-6 (in Swedish) (1996:13): {
-
Hur och när det svenska riket uppstod vet vi inte. Först under 1100-talet börjar skriftliga dokument produceras i Sverige i någon större omfattning [...]
How and when the Swedish kingdom appeared is not known. It is not until the 12th century that written document begin to be produced in Sweden in any larger extent [...]
}</ref> It depends mostly on whether Sweden should be considered a nation when the ''Swedes (Germanic tribe)
Svear'' (Sweonas) ruled Svealand or if the emergence of the nation started with the ''Svear'' and the ''Götar'' (Geats) of Götaland being united under one ruler. In the first case, Sweden was first mentioned as having one single ruler in the year 98 by Tacitus, but it is almost impossible to know for how long it had been this way. However, historians usually start the line of Swedish monarchs from when Svealand and Götaland were ruled under the same king, namely Eric VI of Sweden
Erik the Victorious (Geat) and his son Olof Skötkonung in the 10th century. These events are often described as the consolidation of Sweden, although substantial areas were conquered and incorporated later. Earlier kings, for which no reliable historical sources exist, can be read about in mythical kings of Sweden and semi-legendary kings of Sweden. Many of these kings are only mentioned in various Norse sagas
saga and blend with Norse mythology. The title ''Sveriges och Götes Konung'' was last used for Gustaf I of Sweden, after which the title became "Kings of Sweden
King of Sweden, King of the Goths
of the Goths and King of the Wends
of the Wends" (''Sveriges, Götes och Vendes Konung'') in official documentation. Up until the beginning of the 1920s, all laws in Sweden were introduced with the words, "We, the king of Sweden, of the Goths and Wends". This title was used up until 1973.<ref>[http://lagen.nu/1973:702 Kungl. Maj:ts kungörelse med anledning av konung Gustaf VI Adolfs frånfälle]. SFS 1973:702. Justitiedepartementet L6, 19 September 1973.</ref> The present King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, was the first monarch officially proclaimed "King of Sweden" (''Sveriges Konung'') with no additional peoples mentioned in his title. The term ''Riksdag'' was used for the first time in the 1540s, although the first meeting where representatives of different social groups were called to discuss and determine affairs affecting the country as a whole took place as early as 1435, in the town of Arboga.<ref name="Riksdagen">The Swedish Parliament. [http://www.riksdagen.se/templates/R_Page____798.aspx The history of the Riksdag]. Retrieved 13 February 2007.</ref> During the assemblies of 1527 and 1544, under King Gustav Vasa, representatives of all four estates of the realm (clergy, Swedish nobility
nobility, Bourgeoisie
townsmen and peasants) were called on to participate for the first time.<ref name="Riksdagen"/> The monarchy became hereditary in 1544. Executive power was historically shared between the King and a noble Privy Council until 1680, followed by the King's autocracy
autocratic rule initiated by the common estates of the Parliament. As a reaction to the failed Great Northern War, a parliamentary system was introduced in 1719, followed by three different flavours of constitutional monarchy in 1772, 1789 and 1809, Swedish constitution of 1809
the latter granting several civil liberties. The monarch remains as the formal, but merely symbolic, head of state with ceremony
ceremonial duties. The Riksdag of the Estates consisted of two chambers. In 1866 Sweden became a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament, with the First Chamber indirectly elected by local governments, and the Second Chamber directly elected in national elections every four years. In 1971 the Riksdag became unicameral. Legislative power was (symbolically) shared between king and parliament until 1975. Swedish taxation is controlled by the Parliament of Sweden
Riksdag (parliament). ===Modern political system=== File:Riksdagshus entre 2007 1.jpg
250px
thumb
right
Riksdag building Constitutionally, the 349-member Riksdag (Parliament) holds supreme authority in modern Sweden. The Riksdag is responsible for choosing the prime minister, who then appoints the government (the ministers). The legislative power is only exercised by the Riksdag. The executive power is exercised by the government, while the judiciary is independent. Sweden lacks compulsory judicial review (theory)
judicial review, although the non-compulsory review carried out by ''lagrådet'' (Law Council) is mostly respected in technical matters but less so in controversial political matters. Acts of the parliament and government decrees can be made inapplicable at every level if they are manifestly against constitutional laws. However, because of the restrictions in this form of judicial review and a weak judiciary, this has had little practical consequence. Legislation may be initiated by the cabinet or by members of Parliament. Members are elected on the basis of proportional representation for a four-year term. The Constitution of Sweden can be altered by the Riksdag, which requires a simple but absolute majority and two decisions with general elections in between. Sweden has three other constitutional laws: the Act of Royal Succession, the Freedom of Press Act and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression. File:King Carl XVI Gustaf at National Day 2009.jpg
200px
thumb
left
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf, the Monarchy of Sweden
King of Sweden and ceremonial head of state The Swedish Social Democratic Party has played a leading political role since 1917, after Reformists had confirmed their strength and the Left Party (Sweden)
revolutionaries left the party. After 1932, the cabinets have been dominated by the Social Democrats. Only four general elections (1976, 1979, 1991 and 2006) have given the centre-right bloc enough seats in Parliament to form a government. However, poor economic performance since the beginning of the 1970s, and especially the crisis at the beginning of the 1990s, have forced Sweden to reform its political system to become more like other European countries. In the Sweden general election, 2006
2006 general election the Moderate Party, allied with the Centre Party (Sweden)
Centre Party, Liberal People's Party (Sweden)
Liberal People's Party, and the Christian Democrats (Sweden)
Christian Democrats, with a common political platform, won a majority of the votes. Together they have formed a majority government under the leadership of the Moderate party's leader Fredrik Reinfeldt. The next elections will be held in Sweden general election, 2010
September 2010.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.val.se/val/val2006/slutlig/R/rike/roster.html
title=Val till riksdagen
author=The Official Website of the Swedish Election Authority }}</ref> File:Swedish palace 2008-07-18 1 denoised.jpg
300px
thumb
right
Stockholm Palace, the official seat of the Swedish King Election turnout in Sweden has always been high by international comparison, although it has declined in recent decades, and is currently around 80% (80.11 in Sweden general election, 2002
2002, and 81.99% in Sweden general election, 2006
2006). Swedish politicians enjoyed a high degree of confidence from the citizens in the 1960s but it has since declined steadily and has a markedly lower level of trust than its Scandinavian neighbours.<ref>{{cite book
editor=Pippa Norris
author=Sören Holmberg
title=Critical Citizens: Global Support for Democratic Government
publisher=Oxford University Press
year=1999
pages=103–123
isbn=0198295685}}</ref> Some Swedish political figures that have become known worldwide include Raoul Wallenberg, Folke Bernadotte, former United Nations Secretary-General
Secretary General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld, former Prime Minister Olof Palme, former Prime Minister and Foreign minister Carl Bildt, former President of the United Nations General Assembly
General Assembly of the United Nations Jan Eliasson, and former International Atomic Energy Agency Iraq inspector Hans Blix. ===Political movements=== Sweden has a history of strong political involvement by ordinary people through its "popular movements" (''Folkrörelser''), the most notable being trade unions, the independent Christian movement, the temperance movement, the women's movement and more recently the sports{{Clarify
date=April 2009}} and Pirate Party (Sweden)
intellectual property pirate movements. Sweden is currently leading the EU in statistics measuring equality of opportunity
equality in the political system and equality in the education system.<ref name=EUEqualityReport>European Commission Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs And Equal Opportunities, ''Report On The Equality Between Men And Women'',http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/publications/2006/keaj06001_en.pdf February 2006</ref> The ''Global Gender Gap Report 2006'' ranked Sweden as the number one country in terms of gender equality.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.norden.org/webb/news/news.asp?lang=6&id=6605
title=Nordic countries rank highest in gender equality
publisher=Norden.org
date=
accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref> ===Law, law enforcement, and judicial system=== {{Main
Judicial system of Sweden}} The Supreme Court of Sweden is the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, and with few exceptions, leave to appeal can be granted only when the case is of interest as a precedent. The Supreme Court consists of 16 Councillors of Justice or ''justitieråd'' which are appointed by the Government of Sweden
government, but the court as an institution is independent of the Parliament of Sweden
Riksdag, and the government is not able to interfere with the decisions of the court. Law enforcement in Sweden is carried out by several government entities. The Swedish Police Service is a Government agencies in Sweden
Government agency concerned with police matters. The National Task Force is a national SWAT unit within the Swedish National Criminal Investigation Department
National Criminal Investigation Department. Swedish Security Service's responsibilities are counter-espionage, anti-terrorism
terrorist activities, protection of the constitution and protection of sensitive objects and people. According to a victimization survey of 1,201 residents in 2005, Sweden has above average crime rates compared to other EU countries. Sweden has high or above average levels of assaults, sexual assaults, hate crimes, and consumer fraud. Sweden has low levels of burglary, car theft and drug problems. Bribe seeking is rare.<ref name="burdenofcrime2005">{{cite web
url=http://www.gallup-europe.be/downloads/EUICS%20-%20The%20Burden%20of%20Crime%20in%20the%20EU.pdf
format=PDF
title=EUICS report, The Burden of Crime in the EU, A Comparative Analysis of the
last=van Dijk
first=Jan
coauthors=Robert Manchin, John van Kesteren, Sami Nevala, Gergely Hideg
year=2005}}</ref> ===Foreign policy=== {{Main
Foreign relations of Sweden}} Throughout the twentieth century, Swedish foreign policy was based on the principle of non-alignment in peacetime and neutral country
neutrality in wartime.<ref name="NB335-339"/><!---Nordstrom, p. 335---> "Sweden's government was left to pursue an independent course based on a foreign policy defined as nonalignment in times of peace so that neutrality would be possible in the event of war." Sweden's doctrine of neutrality is often traced back to the 19th century as the country has not been in a war
state of war since the end of the Swedish campaign against Norway (1814)
Swedish campaign against Norway in 1814. During World War II Sweden joined neither the Allies (World War II)
allied nor Axis Powers
axis powers. This has sometimes been disputed since in effect Sweden allowed in select cases the Nazi regime to use its railroad system to transport troops and goods,<ref name="Koblik303-313" /><!---Koblik, p. 313---><ref name="NB313-319"/> especially iron ore from mines in northern Sweden, which was vital to the German war machine.<ref name="NB313-319"/><ref>Nordstrom p. 302: "In fact, the plans were mostly a ruse to establish control of the crucial Norwegian port of Narvik and the iron mines of northern Sweden, which were vitally important to the German war efforts."</ref> However, Sweden also indirectly contributed to the defence of Finland in the Winter War, and permitted the training of Norwegian and Danish troops in Sweden after 1943. During the early Cold War era, Sweden combined its policy of non-alignment with a low profile in international affairs, although it also pursued a security policy based on strong national defence to deter attack.<ref>Nordstrom, p 336: "As a corollary, a security policy based on strong national defences designed to discourage, but not prevent, attack was pursued. For the next several decades, the Swedish poured an annual average of about 5% of GDP into making their defenses credible."</ref> At the same time, the country maintained relatively close informal connections with the Western bloc, especially in the realm of intelligence exchange. In 1952, a Swedish DC-3 was Catalina affair
shot down over the Baltic Sea by a Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
MiG-15 jet aircraft
jet fighter aircraft
fighter. Later investigations revealed that the plane was actually gathering information for NATO.<ref>National Geographical News, web article, ''Cold War Spy Plane Found in Baltic Sea''[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/10/1010_031010_swedishspyplane.html] 10 November 2003.</ref> Another plane, a PBY Catalina
Catalina search and rescue plane, was sent out a few days later and shot down by the Soviets as well. Olof Palme, the former prime minister of Sweden, visited Cuba during the 1970s and showed his support for Cuba in his speech. Beginning in the late 1960s, Sweden for a period attempted to play a more significant and independent role in international relations. This involved significant activity in international peace efforts, especially through the United Nations, and in support to the Third World. Since the assassination of Olof Palme in 1986 and the end of the Cold War, this has been significantly toned down, although Sweden remains comparatively active in peace keeping missions and maintains a generous foreign aid budget. In 1981 a Soviet Whiskey class submarine ran aground close to the Swedish naval base at Karlskrona in the southern part of the country. It has never been clearly established whether the submarine ended up on the shoals through a navigational mistake or if it was a matter of espionage against Swedish military potential. The incident triggered a diplomatic crisis between Sweden and the Soviet Union. Since 1995 Sweden has been a member of the European Union, and as a consequence of a new world security situation the country's foreign policy doctrine has been partly modified, with Sweden playing a more active role in European security co-operation. ===Military=== {{Main
Swedish Armed Forces}} File:Swedish JAS-39 Gripen landing.jpg
thumb
The JAS 39 Gripen is an advanced Swedish multi-role fighter aircraft of the Swedish Air Force. ''Försvarsmakten'' (Swedish Armed Forces) is a government agency reporting to the Swedish Ministry of Defence (Sweden)
Ministry of Defence and responsible for the peacetime operation of the armed forces of Sweden. The primary task of the agency is to train and deploy peace support forces abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to refocus on the defence of Sweden in the event of war. The armed forces are divided into Army, Air Force and Navy. The head of the armed forces is the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces
Supreme Commander (''Överbefälhavaren'', ÖB), the most senior officer in the country. Up to 1974 the head of state (=the King) was ''pro forma'' Commander-in-Chief, but in reality it was clearly understood all through the 20th century that the Monarch would have no ''active'' role as a military leader. When King Gustav V asserted his right to decide and bypass the government in military matters just before the First World War (''"borggårdskrisen"'', the Castle Court Crisis) it was seen as a deliberate provocation against established terms of how the country would be ruled. The office of an appointed Supreme Commander was set up in 1939; before that date, from the late 19th century onwards, the leading men of the army and navy would report directly to the cabinet (and the king), and no fully unified command existed in the professional military sphere itself. File:Swedish CV9040.JPG
thumb
left
200px
The Infantry fighting vehicle Strf 90 produced and used by Sweden. Until the end of the Cold War, nearly all males reaching the age of military service were conscription
conscripted. In recent years, the number of conscripted males has shrunk dramatically, while the number of female volunteers has increased slightly. Recruitment has generally shifted towards finding the most motivated recruits, rather than solely those otherwise most fit for service. All soldiers serving abroad must by law be volunteers. In 1975 the total number of conscripts was 45,000. By 2003 it was down to 15,000. On 1 July 2010 Sweden stopped routine conscription, switching to an all volunteer force unless otherwise required for defence readiness.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/Rekrytering/Varnplikt/
title=Värnplikt [Conscription]
accessdate=2010-04-21}}{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
url=http://svt.se/2.22620/1.1595556/allmanna_varnplikten_skrotas?lid=puff_1597044&lpos=extra_0
title=Allmänna värnplikten skrotas [General conscription scrapped
accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.thelocal.se/21494/20090816/
title=Military conscription phase out under fire
accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref> The need to recruit only the soldiers later prepared to volunteer for international service will be emphasized. The total forces gathered would consist of about 60,000 men. This could be compared with the 80s before the fall of the Soviet Union, when Sweden could gather up to 1,000,000 men. Swedish units have taken part in peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Liberia, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Chad. Currently, one of the most important tasks for the Swedish Armed Forces has been to form a Swedish-led European Union Battlegroups
EU Battle Group to which Norway, Finland, Ireland and Estonia will also contribute.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/9133/a/82276
title=The EU Battlegroup Concept and the Nordic Battlegroup
accessdate=2008-01-19
author=Swedish Ministry of Defence
last=
first=
authorlink=
coauthors=
date=2008-01-08
work=
publisher=Government Offices of Sweden
archiveurl=
archivedate=
quote=}}</ref> The Nordic Battle Group (NBG) had a 10-day deployment readiness during the first half of 2008 and, although Swedish-led, had its Operational Headquarters (OHQ) in Northwood, London
Northwood, outside London. ==Economy== {{Main
Economy of Sweden}} File:Sweden GRP per Capita2004.svg
thumb
upright
Gross Regional Product (GRP) per capita in thousands of kronor (2004). Sweden is an export-oriented mixed economy featuring a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled Workforce
labour force. Timber, hydropower and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Sweden's engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Telecommunications, the automotive industry and the pharmaceutical industries are also of great importance. Agriculture accounts for 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product
GDP and employment. In terms of structure, the Swedish economy is characterized by a large, knowledge-intensive and export-oriented manufacturing sector, an increasing, but comparatively small, business service sector, and by international standards, a large public service sector. Large organizations both in manufacturing and services dominate the Swedish economy.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.infoexport.gc.ca/science/nordics_sweden_report-en.htm
archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20061004050916/http://www.infoexport.gc.ca/science/nordics_sweden_report-en.htm
archivedate=2006-10-04
title=Doing Business Abroad - Innovation, Science and Technology
publisher=Infoexport.gc.ca
date=
accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref> The 20 largest (by turnover in 2007) companies registered in Sweden are Volvo, Ericsson, Vattenfall, Skanska, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget, Electrolux, Volvo Personvagnar, TeliaSonera, Sandvik, Scania AB
Scania, ICA AB
ICA, Hennes & Mauritz, Nordea, Preem, Atlas Copco, Securitas AB
Securitas, Nordstjernan and SKF.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.largestcompanies.com/default$/lev2-TopList/lev2Desc-The_largest_companies_in_the_Nordic_countries_by%A0turnover%A0%28excl._national_subsidiaries%29/AdPageId-102/list-2/cc-SE/
title=20 largest companies in Sweden
publisher=Largestcompanies.com
date=2009-10-06
accessdate=2010-08-25}}</ref> Sweden's industry is overwhelmingly in private sector
private control; unlike some other industrialized Western countries, such as Austria and Italy, publicly owned enterprises have always been of minor importance. File:Sw real gdp growth.svg
thumb
right
Real GDP growth in Sweden, 1996–2006. Some 4.5 million residents are working, out of which around a third has tertiary education. List of countries by GDP (PPP) per hour worked
GDP per hour worked is the world's 9th highest at 31 USD in 2006, compared to 22 USD in Spain and 35 USD in United States.<ref name="oecd2007"/> GDP per hour worked is growing 2½ per cent per year for the economy as a whole and the trade-terms-balanced productivity growth is 2%.<ref name="oecd2007"/> According to OECD, deregulation, globalization, and technology sector growth have been key productivity drivers.<ref name="oecd2007"/> Sweden is a world leader in privatized pensions and pension funding problems are relatively small compared to many other Western European countries.<ref>[http://www.heritage.org/Research/SocialSecurity/bg1381.cfm Pension Reform in Sweden: Lessons for American Policymakers] by Goran Normann, Ph.D. and Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D. June 29, 2000.</ref> The typical worker receives 40% of his income after the tax wedge. The slowly declining overall taxation, 51.1% of GDP in 2007, is still nearly double of that in the United States or Ireland. The share of employment financed via tax income amounts to a third of Swedish workforce, a substantially higher proportion than in most other countries. Overall, GDP growth has been fast since reforms in the early 1990s, especially in manufacturing.<ref name="oecd2005">OECD Economic Surveys: Sweden - Volume 2005 Issue 9 by OECD Publishing</ref> The World Economic Forum 2009-2010 competitiveness index ranks Sweden the 4th most competitive economy in the world.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Report/index.htm
title=World Economic Forum - Global Competitiveness Report
publisher=Weforum.org
date=2009-11-25
accessdate=2009-11-25}}</ref> Sweden is ranked 6th in the IMD Competitiveness Yearbook 2009, scoring high in private sector efficiency.<ref name="imd">{{cite web
url=http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/index.cfm
title=IMD Competitiveness Yearbook 2008
publisher=Imd.ch
date=2007-01-23
accessdate=2010-08-25}}</ref> According to the book, ''The Flight of the Creative Class'', by the U.S. economist, Professor Richard Florida of the University of Toronto, Sweden is ranked as having the best creativity in Europe for business and is predicted to become a talent magnet for the world's most purposeful workers. The book compiled an index to measure the kind of creativity it claims is most useful to business—talent, technology and tolerance.<ref>"[http://www.isa.se/templates/News____59355.aspx ''Sweden most creative country in Europe & top talent hotspot'']{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}, Invest in Sweden Agency, 25 June 2005.</ref> Sweden maintains its own currency, the Swedish krona (SEK), a result of the Swedes having rejected the euro in a referendum. The Swedish Sveriges Riksbank
Riksbank—founded in 1668 and thus making it the oldest central bank in the world—is currently focusing on price stability with an inflation target of 2%. According to the ''Economic Survey of Sweden 2007'' by the OECD, the average inflation in Sweden has been one of the lowest among European countries since the mid-1990s, largely because of deregulation and quick utilization of globalization.<ref name="oecd2007">{{cite web
url=http://www.oecd.org/document/37/0,3343,en_2649_34569_38048997_1_1_1_1,00.html
title=Economic survey of Sweden 2007
publisher=Oecd.org
date=1970-01-01
accessdate=2010-08-25}}</ref> The largest trade flows are with Germany, the United States, Norway, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Finland. ==Energy and transport infrastructure== {{Main
Transport in Sweden}} {{See also
Nordic energy market
Nuclear power phase-out in Sweden
Oil phase-out in Sweden}} File:Ny pendeltag stockholm.jpg
left
thumb
Commuter train in Stockholm. Sweden's energy market is largely privatized. The Nordic energy market is one of the first liberalized energy markets in Europe and it is traded in Nord Pool and Nord Pool Spot. In 2006, out of a total electricity production of 139 TWh, electricity from hydropower accounted for 61 TWh (44%), and nuclear power delivered 65 TWh (47%). At the same time, the use of biofuels, peat etc. produced 13 TWh (9%) of electricity, while wind power produced 1 TWh (1%). Sweden was a net importer of electricity by a margin of 6 TWh.<ref>[http://www.svenskenergi.se/upload/Statistik/Tidigare%20statistik/Kraftl%C3%A4get%20i%20%C3%A5r/ve_07-01.pdf Kraftläget i Sverige, Vattensituationen]{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}</ref> Biomass is mainly used to produce heat for district heating and central heating and industry processes. At the same time, Sweden has proposed banning gasoline fossil fuel-driven vehicles by 2025.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.trollhattansaab.net/archives/2008/11/sweden-ban-gasoline-driven-vehicles-by-2025.html
title=Sweden: ban gasoline fossil fuel-driven vehicles by 2025
publisher=Trollhattansaab.net
date=
accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref> The 1973 oil crisis strengthened Sweden's commitment to decrease dependence on imported fossil fuels. Since then, electricity has been generated mostly from hydropower and nuclear power. The use of nuclear power has been limited, however. Among other things, the accident of Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station (United States
US) prompted the Swedish parliament to ban new nuclear plants. In March 2005, an opinion poll showed that 83% supported maintaining or increasing nuclear power.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://world-nuclear.org/info/inf42.html
title=Nuclear Power in Sweden
publisher=World Nuclear Association
date=September 2009
accessdate=2010-01-29}}</ref> Politicians have made announcements about oil phase-out in Sweden, decrease of nuclear power, and multi-billion dollar investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.<ref name="Agenda21"/><ref name="Vidal">Vidal, John. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/oil/story/0,,1704954,00.html Sweden plans to be world's first oil-free economy]. The Guardian, 2/8/06. Retrieved 2/13/07.</ref> The country has for many years pursued a strategy of indirect taxation as an instrument of environmental policy, including energy taxes in general and carbon dioxide taxes in particular.<ref name="Agenda21">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden. ''[http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/sweden/natur.htm Agenda 21 - Natural Resource Aspects - Sweden]''. 5th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997.</ref> File:Öresundsbron.JPG
thumb
The Öresund Bridge between Malmö and Copenhagen in Denmark. Sweden has {{convert
162707
km
mi
abbr=on}} of paved road and {{convert
1428
km
mi
abbr=on}} of expressways. List of motorways in Sweden
Motorways run through Sweden, Denmark and over the Öresund Bridge to Stockholm, Gothenburg, Uppsala and Uddevalla. The system of motorways is still under construction and a new motorway from Uppsala to Gävle was finished on 17 October 2007. Sweden had left-hand traffic (Vänstertrafik in Swedish) from approximately 1736 and continued to do so well into the 20th century. Voters rejected right-hand traffic in 1955, but after the Riksdag passed legislation in 1963 changeover took place in 1967, known in Swedish as Dagen H. The rail transport market is privatized, but while there are many privately owned enterprises, many operators are still owned by state or municipalities. Operators include SJ AB
SJ, Veolia Transport, Connex Group, Green Cargo, Tågkompaniet, Inlandsbanan, and a number of Counties of Sweden
regional companies. Most of the railways are owned and operated by Banverket. The largest airports include Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (17.91 million passengers in 2007) {{convert
40
km
mi
abbr=on}} north of Stockholm, Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport (4.3 million passengers in 2006), and Stockholm-Skavsta Airport (2.0 million passengers). Sweden hosts the two largest port companies in Scandinavia, Port of Göteborg
Port of Göteborg AB (Gothenburg) and the transnational company Copenhagen Malmö Port
Copenhagen Malmö Port AB. ==Public policy== {{See also
Nordic model
Swedish welfare}} Sweden has one of the most highly developed welfare states in the world. The country has a higher level of social spending to GDP than any other nation. This results in the country having some of the lowest levels of both relative and absolute poverty, and one of the most equal income distributions. Additionally it provides equal as well as comprehensive access to education and health care. Historically, Sweden provided solid support for free trade (except agriculture) and mostly relatively strong and stable property rights (both private and public), though some economists have pointed out that Sweden promoted industries with tariffs and used publicly subsidied R&D during the country's early critical years of industrialisation.<ref name="H-J.C-Sweden">Kicking Away The Ladder, pp. 39-42, Ha-Joon Chang.</ref> After World War II a succession of governments expanded the welfare state by raising the tax level. During this period Sweden's economic growth was also one of the highest in the industrial world. A series of successive social reforms transformed the country into one of the most equal and developed on earth. The consistent growth of the welfare state led to Swedes achieving unprecedented levels of social mobility and quality of life—to this day Sweden consistently ranks at the top of league tables for health, literacy and Human Development—far ahead of some much wealthier countries (for example the United States).<ref name = "Equal Societies">[http://www.health.gov.au/internet/nhhrc/publishing.nsf/Content/135-interim/$FILE/135%20-%20Submission%20-%20Childrens%20Hospitals%20Australasia%20(Attachment%20C).pdf], Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett</ref> However, from the 70s and onwards Sweden's GDP growth fell behind other industrialized countries and the country's per capita ranking fell from the 4th to 14th place in a few decades.<ref name="eu-usa">[http://www.timbro.se/bokhandel/pdf/9175665646.pdf EU versus USA], Fredrik Bergström & Robert Gidehag</ref> Most economists believe that this slowdown in economic growth was due to highly interventionist and aggressive Keynesian economics
Keynesian policies. From the mid 90s until today Sweden's economic growth has once again accelerated and has been higher than in most other industrialized countries (including the US) during the last 15 years.<ref name="growth-Swe">[http://www.ekonomifakta.se/en/Facts-and-figures/Economy/Economic-growth/GDP-per-capita-/ Sweden's GDP per capita] Ekonomifakta</ref> Sweden started to move away from the expanding welfare state in the 1980s, and according to the OECD and McKinsey, Sweden has recently been relatively fast in liberalization compared to countries such as France. Deregulation-induced competition helped Sweden to halt the economic decline and restore strong growth rates in the 2000s.<ref name="oecd2007"/><ref>[http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/mginews/businessweek/swedenbalance.asp Sweden's balancing lessons for Europe], McKinsey IMG institute 2006</ref> The current Swedish government is continuing the trend to pursue moderate reforms.<ref name="oecd2007"/><ref>[http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9803876 Moderate revolution], The Economist September 13th 2007</ref> Growth has been higher than in many other EU-15 countries. Sweden even adopted market-oriented agricultural policies in 1990. Since the 1930s, the agricultural sector had been controlled by an "iron triangle" of special interest farming organizations, politicians, and bureaucrats. This coalition formed a top-down administration that controlled prices and restricted competition, consequently hurting consumers. In the 1980s, a group of economists managed to get agricultural policy on the public agenda. Two prominent publications, ''The Political Economy of the Food Sector: The Case of Sweden'' and ''War Preparedness or Protectionism?'', fueled the debate. An alliance with the Ministry of Finance and public choice analysis exposed the "iron triangle". In June 1990, the Parliament voted for a new agricultural policy marking a significant shift to a freer price system coordinated by competition. As a result, food prices fell somewhat. However, the liberalizations soon became moot because EU agricultural controls supervened.”<ref>Lindberg, Henrik. "The Role of Economists in Liberalizing Swedish Agriculture" (May 2007). [http://econjwatch.org/issues/volume-4-number-1-may-2007]</ref> Since the late 1960s, Sweden has had the highest tax quota (as percentage of GDP) in the industrialized world, although today the gap has narrowed and Denmark has surpassed Sweden as the most heavily taxed country among developed countries. Sweden has a two step progressive tax scale with a municipal income tax of about 30% and an additional high-income state tax of 20–25% when a salary exceeds roughly 320,000 SEK per year. Payroll taxes amount to 32%. In addition, a national Value added tax
VAT of 25% is added to many things bought by private citizens, with the exception of food (12% VAT), transportation, and books (6% VAT). Certain items are subject to additional taxes, e.g. electricity, petrol/diesel and alcoholic beverages. {{As of
2007}}, total tax revenue was 47.8% of GDP, the second highest tax burden among developed countries, down from 49.1% 2006.<ref>{{cite news
first=Kenneth
last=Westerlund
title=Danmark har högsta skattetrycket
url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=3130&a=750879
publisher=DN
date=2008-03-11
accessdate=2008-03-11 }}</ref> Sweden's inverted tax wedge – the amount going to the service worker's wallet – is approximately 15% compared to 10% in Belgium, 30% in Ireland, and 50% in United States.<ref name="eu-usa"/> Public sector spending amounts to 53% of the GDP. State and municipal employees total around a third of the workforce, much more than in most Western countries. Only Denmark has a larger public sector (38% of Danish workforce). Spending on transfers is also high. Eighty percent of the workforce is organized in trade-unions which also have the right to elect two representatives to the board in all Swedish companies with more than 25 employees.<ref>[http://www.samhallsguiden.riksdagen.se/default____56.aspx The Swedish Parliament]</ref> Sweden have a relatively high amount of sick leave per worker in OECD: the average worker loses 24 days due to sickness.<ref name="oecd2005"/> In December 2008, the number employed in age group 16–64 was 75.0%. The employment tendency was very strong in 2007. The positive trend continued during the first half of 2008, but the rate of increase slackened. According to Statistics Sweden, the unemployment rate in December 2008 was at 6.4%.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.scb.se/Pages/PressArchive____259760.aspx?PressReleaseID=258940
title=Unemployment rate in December 2008 (SCB, Statistics Sweden, central government authority for official statistics)
publisher=Scb.se
date=
accessdate=2010-08-25}}</ref> ==Education== {{Main
Education in Sweden}} File:Entrance hall of Uppsala University main building.jpg
thumb
150px
Uppsala University (est. 1477) Children aged 1–5 years old are guaranteed a place in a public kindergarten (Swedish language
Swedish: ''förskola'' or, colloquially, ''dagis''). Between the ages of 6 and 16, children attend compulsory comprehensive school. In the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Swedish 15-year-old pupils score close to the OECD average.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/42/8/39700724.pdf
title=PISA results for Sweden
format=PDF
date=
accessdate=2010-08-25}}</ref> After completing the 9th grade, about 90% of the students continue with a three-year upper secondary school (''gymnasium''), which can lead to both a job qualification or entrance eligibility to university. The school system is largely financed by taxes. The Swedish government treats public and independent schools equally<ref name="swedishmodeleconomist">[http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11535645 The Swedish model], The Economist</ref> by introducing education vouchers in 1992 as one of the first countries in the world after The Netherlands. Anyone can establish a for-profit school and the municipality must pay new schools the same amount as municipal schools get. School lunch is free for all students in Sweden, which usually includes one or two different kinds of hot meals, a meal for vegetarians, salad bar, fruit, bread, and milk and/or water for drink. Some schools, especially kindergartens and middle schools, even serve breakfast for free to those who want to eat before school starts. There are a number of different List of universities in Sweden
universities and colleges in Sweden, the oldest and largest of which are situated in Uppsala University
Uppsala, Lund University
Lund, University of Gothenburg
Gothenburg and Stockholm University
Stockholm. Only a few countries such as Canada, the United States, Japan and South Korea have higher levels of tertiary education degree holders.{{Citation needed
date=September 2009}}<!-- and what about non-oecd countries such as Russia and Israel? --> Along with several other European countries, the government also subsidizes tuition of international students pursuing a degree at Swedish institutions, although a recent bill passed in the Swedish parliament will limit this subsidy to students from EEA countries and Switzerland.<ref>{{cite web
author=by: Studyinsweden.se
url=http://www.studyinsweden.se/Home/News-archive/2010/Tuition-fees-from-2011/
title=Sweden introduces tuition fees and offers scholarships for students from outside EU – Study in Sweden – SWEDEN.SE
publisher=Studyinsweden.se
date=2010-04-21
accessdate=2010-08-03}}</ref> ==Demographics== {{Main
Demographics of Sweden
Swedish people}} File:Stockholm old town 2002.jpg
thumb
350px
right
Stockholm is the capital and largest city in Sweden. {{As of
2009}}, the total population of Sweden was estimated to be 9,325,429.<ref>Statistics Sweden.[http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____25897.aspx Preliminary Population Statistics, by month, 2004–2006]. ''Population statistics'', 1 January 2007. Retrieved 14 February 2007.</ref> The population exceeded 9 million for the first time on approximately 12 August 2004 according to Statistics Sweden. The population density is only 20.6 people per km² (53.3 per square mile) and it is substantially higher in the south than in the north. About 85% of the population live in urban areas.<ref name="publikationer2007"/> The capital city Stockholm has a population of about 800,000 (with 1.3 million in the urban area and 2 million in the metropolitan area). The second and third largest cities are Gothenburg and Malmö. Of the 2007 population, 13.4% (1.23 million) were born abroad.<ref>Statistics Sweden. [http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____26040.aspx] Befolkningsstatistik i sammandrag 1960-2007. Retrieved 9 February 2009.</ref> This reflects the inter-Nordic migrations, earlier periods of labour immigration, and later decades of refugee and family immigration. Sweden has been transformed from a nation of emigration ending after World War I to a nation of immigration from World War II onwards. In 2008, immigration reached its highest level since records began with 101,171 people moving to Sweden.<ref>Statistics Sweden. [http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____26046.aspx] Befolkningsutveckling; födda, döda, in- och utvandring, gifta, skilda 1749 - 2007</ref> {{As of
2008}}, the largest immigrant groups living in Sweden consists of people born in Finland (175,113), Iraq (109,446), the former Yugoslavia (72,285), Poland (63,822), Iran (57,663), Bosnia and Herzegovina (55,960), Denmark (44,310), Norway (44,310), Chile (28,118), Thailand (25,858), Somalia (25,159) and Lebanon (23,291). In the last decade most immigrants have come from Iraq, Poland, Thailand, Somalia and China.<ref>Statistics Sweden. ''Utrikes födda efter region, ålder i tioårsklasser och kön. År 2001-2007''.[http://www.ssd.scb.se/databaser/makro/Visavar.asp?yp=tansss&xu=C9233001&huvudtabell=UtrikesFoddaR&deltabell=02&deltabellnamn=Utrikes+f%F6dda+i+riket+efter+f%F6delseland+och+k%F6n%2E+%C5r&omradekod=BE&omradetext=Befolkning&preskat=O&innehall=UtrikesFodda&starttid=2000&stopptid=2007&Prodid=BE0101&fromSok=&Fromwhere=S&lang=1&langdb=1]. Retrieved 7 February 2009.</ref> Immigration from the Nordic countries reached a peak of more than 40,000 per year in 1969–70 when immigration law introduced in 1967 had made it more difficult for immigrants from outside the Nordic region to settle in Sweden for labour market policy reasons. Immigration by refugees and immigrating relatives of refugees from outside the Nordic region increased drastically during the late 1980s, with many of the immigrants arriving from Asia and the Americas, especially from Iran and Chile. File:Map of Sweden Cities (polar stereographic).svg
thumb
right
150px
Map of Sweden showing the largest urban areas, as well as roads, lakes, rivers and mountains During the 1990s and onwards another large immigrant group came from former Yugoslavia and the Middle East.<ref>Nordstrom, p. 353. (Lists Former Yugoslavia and Iran as top two countries in terms of immigration beside "Other Nordic Countries," based on Nordic Council of Ministers ''Yearbook of Nordic Statistics'', 1996, 46–47)</ref> On 15 December 2008 new labour immigration rules came into effect making it easier to immigrate from outside of the European Union for labour market reasons. Most labour-market immigrants so far are IT specialists and engineers from India, China and the United States.<ref>Migrationsverket.[http://www.migrationsverket.se/index.jsp?news/getArticle.do?ldid=15&id=67011]{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}. ''Many IT specialists and engineers among the new labour immigrants'', 6 February 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.</ref> During the period between 1820–1930 approximately 1.3 million Swedes, a third of the country's population, Swedish emigration to North America
emigrated to North America and most of them to the United States. There are more than 4.4 million Swedish Americans according to a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimate.<ref>{{cite web
url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-ds_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-_caller=geoselect&-format=
title = U.S. Census
publisher = U.S. Census Bureau
accessdate = 2008-04-13}}</ref> In Canada, the community of Swedish Canadian
Swedish ancestry is 330,000 strong.<ref>{{cite web
url = http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Data=Count&Table=2&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000
title = Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada Highlight Tables, 2006 Census
accessdate = 2008-06-30}}</ref> ===Language=== {{Main
Swedish language
Languages of Sweden}} {{See also
Swedish dialects}} File:Distribution-sv.png
thumb
left
Distribution of speakers of the Swedish language The official language of Sweden is Swedish language
Swedish,<ref name="Swedish"/><ref name="Swedish2"/> a north Germanic languages
North Germanic language, related and very similar to Danish language
Danish and Norwegian language
Norwegian, but differing in pronunciation and orthography. Norwegians have little difficulty understanding Swedish, and Danes can also understand it, with slightly more difficulty than the Norwegians. The Scanian dialects
dialects of Swedish spoken in Scania, the southmost part of the country, are influenced by Danish because Skåneland
the region has been a part of Denmark and is nowadays situated closely to it. Sweden Finns are Sweden's largest linguistic minority, comprising about 5% of Sweden's population,<ref name="Finns" /> and Finnish language
Finnish is recognized as a minority language.<ref name="Swedish2" /> Along with Finnish, Minority languages of Sweden
four other minority languages are also recognized: Meänkieli, Sami languages
Sami, Romany language
Romani and Yiddish language
Yiddish. Swedish became Sweden's official language on 1 July 2009, when a new language law was implemented.<ref name="Swedish2" /> The issue of whether Swedish should be declared the official language has been raised in the past, and the parliament voted on the matter in 2005—but the proposal narrowly failed.<ref>[http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=22620&a=500469 Svenskan blir inte officiellt språk], ''Sveriges Television'', 2005-12-07. Retrieved on July 23, 2006. (in Swedish)</ref> In varying degrees, depending largely on frequency of interaction with English, a majority of Swedes, especially those born after World War II, understand and speak English language
English due to trade links, the popularity of overseas travel, a strong Anglo-American influence and the tradition of subtitle (captioning)
subtitling rather than dubbing foreign television shows and films, and the Germanic languages
relative similarity of the two languages which makes learning English easier. English became a compulsory subject for secondary education
secondary school students studying natural sciences as early as 1849, and has been a compulsory subject for all Swedish students since the late 1940s.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www3.lu.se/info/lum/LUM_07_99/01_engelska.html
title=English spoken - fast ibland hellre än bra
publisher=Lund University newsletter 7/1999
language=Swedish}}</ref> Depending on the local school authorities, English is currently a compulsory subject between first grade and ninth grade, with all students continuing in secondary school studying English for at least another year. Most students also study one and sometimes two additional languages. These include (but are not limited to) German language
German, French language
French and Spanish language
Spanish. Some Danish language
Danish and Norwegian language
Norwegian is at times also taught as part of Swedish courses for native speakers. ===Religion=== {{Main
Religion in Sweden}} File:Uppsala Cathedral.JPG
thumb
right
Uppsala Cathedral Before the 11th century, Swedes adhered to Norse paganism, worshiping Æsir gods, with its centre at the temple at Uppsala
Temple in Uppsala. With Christianization in the 11th century, the laws of the country were changed, forbidding worship of other deities into the late 19th century. After the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s, a change led by Martin Luther's Swedish associate Olaus Petri, the authority of the Roman Catholic Church was abolished. The church and state were separated, allowing Lutheranism to prevail. This process was completed by the Uppsala Synod of 1593. Lutheranism became Sweden's official religion. During the era following the Protestant Reformation
Reformation, usually known as the period of Lutheran Orthodoxy, small groups of non-Lutherans, especially Calvinism
Calvinist Dutch people
Dutchmen, the Moravian Church and Walloons or French Huguenots from Belgium, played a significant role in trade and industry, and were quietly tolerated as long as they kept a low religious profile. The Sami people
Sami originally had their own shamanistic religion, but they converted to Lutheranism by the work of Swedish missionaries in the 17th and 18th centuries. {
cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" rules="all" style="width:250px; float:left; margin:1em; background:#fff; border:2px solid #aaa; font-size:100%;"
- style="background:#ddd;"
colspan="8" style="text-align:center;"
'''Church of Sweden<ref>{{sv}} [http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/default.aspx?di=23758&refdi=23673 Svenska Kyrkan Statistiek pagina Medlemmar 1972-2008 excel file]</ref><ref>{{sv}} [http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/default.aspx?id=100243&did=340397 Svenska kyrkans medlemsutveckling år 1972-2009</ref>''' <br />
- style="background:#f0f0f0; text-align:center;" ! Year ! Population ! Church members ! Percentage
- style="text-align:center;"
1972
8,146,000
7,754,784
95.2 %
- style="text-align:center;"
1980
8,278,000
7,690,636
92.9 %
- style="text-align:center;"
1990
8,573,000
7,630,350
89.0 %
- style="text-align:center;"
2000
8,880,000
7,360,825
82.9 %
- style="text-align:center;"
2005
9,048,000
6,967,498
77.0 %
- style="text-align:center;"
2006
9,119,000
6,893,901
75.6 %
- style="text-align:center;"
2007
9,179,000
6,820,161
74.3 %
- style="text-align:center;"
2008
9,262,000
6,751,952
72.9 %
- style="text-align:center;"
2009
-
6,664,064
71.3 % <ref name="Swedes depart church in droves">{{cite web
url=http://www.thelocal.se/26878/20100527/
title=Swedes depart church in droves
publisher=Thelocal.se
date=
accessdate=2010-08-25}}</ref>
} With religious liberalizations in the late 18th century believers of other faiths, including Judaism and Roman Catholicism, were allowed to openly live and work in the country. However, until 1860 it remained illegal for Lutheran Swedes to convert to another religion. The 19th century saw the arrival of various Low church
evangelical free churches, and, towards the end of the century, secularism, leading many to distance themselves from Church rituals. Leaving the Church of Sweden became legal with the so-called dissenter law of 1860, but only under the provision of entering another Christian denomination. The right to stand outside any religious denomination was formally established in the Law on Freedom of Religion in 1951. In 2000 the Church of Sweden was separated from the state and Sweden ceased to have any official church. At the end of 2009, 71.3% of Swedes belonged to the Church of Sweden (Lutheran); this number has been decreasing by about 1% a year for the last two decades.<ref name="Swedes depart church in droves"/> Church of Sweden services are sparsely attended (hovering in the single digit percentages of the population).<ref>[http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/ Church of Sweden], [http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/statistik/xls/medlem_diagram.xls Members 1972–2006, Excel document in Swedish]</ref> The reason for the large number of inactive members is partly that until 1996, children automatically became members at birth if at least one of the parents was a member. Since 1996, only children that are christened become members. Some 275,000 Swedes are today members of various free churches (where congregation attendance is much higher), and, in addition, immigration has meant that there are now some 92,000 Roman Catholics and 100,000 Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Christians living in Sweden.<ref>:sv:Frikyrka
Statistics about free churches and immigration churches from Swedish Wikipedia - in Swedish</ref> Because of immigration, Sweden also has a significant Muslim population. They number about 500,000, but only approximately 5% (25,000) of these actively practice Islam (in the sense of attending Friday prayer and praying five times a day).<ref>{{cite web
url=http://sydsvenskan.se/sverige/article140868.ece
title=Sydsvenskan (a Swedish newspaper) - in Swedish
publisher=Sydsvenskan.se
date=2006-02-08
accessdate=2010-08-25}}</ref> Åke Sander stated in 2004 that "we do not think it unreasonable to put the figure of religious Islam in Europe
Muslims in Sweden at the time of writing at close to 150 000".<ref>Åke Sander (2004), “Muslims in Sweden”, in Muhammad Anwar, Jochen Blaschke and Åke Sander, [http://www.emz-berlin.de/projekte/pdf/MusPol_Buch.pdf ''State Policies Towards Muslim Minorities: Sweden, Great Britain and Germany'']{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}, Berlin : Parabolis; p.218</ref> (See ''Islam in Sweden''.) Despite a high formal membership rate in the Church of Sweden, several studies have found Sweden to be one of the least religious countries in the world, with one of the highest levels of atheism. According to different studies, between 46% and 85% of Swedes do not believe in God.<ref>Zuckerman [http://web.archive.org/web/20070610084208/http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/zuckerman/atheism.html pitzer.edu]</ref> In the Eurostat survey, 23% of Swedish citizens responded that "they believe there is a God", whereas 53% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 23% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force". ===Health=== {{See also
Healthcare in Sweden
Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare}} Healthcare in Sweden is similar in quality to other developed nations. Sweden ranks in the top five countries with respect to low infant mortality. It also ranks high in life expectancy and in safe drinking water. A person seeking care first contacts a clinic for a doctor's appointment, and may then be referred to a specialist by the clinic physician, who may in turn recommend either in-patient or out-patient treatment, or an elective care option. The health care is governed by the 21 County Councils of Sweden
landsting of Sweden and is mainly funded by taxes, with nominal fees for patients. ==Science and technology== Being an advanced industrial nation, research and development plays a key role for economic growth as well as for society at large. Altogether, the public and the private sector in Sweden allocate nearly four per cent of GDP to research & development (R&D) per year, which makes Sweden one of the countries that invest most in R&D in terms of percentage of GDP. The standard of Swedish research is high and Sweden is a world leader in a number of fields. Sweden tops Europe in comparative statistics both in terms of research investments as a percentage of GDP as well as in the number of published scientific works per capita.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.swedenabroad.se/Page____50008.aspx
title=Embassy of Sweden New Delhi - Science & Technology
publisher=Swedenabroad.se
date=
accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref> Though a relatively small country, Sweden has long been at the forefront of research and development. For several decades the Swedish government has prioritized scientific and R&D activities. This strong engagement has helped make Sweden a leading country in terms of innovation. For many years, Sweden has been a leading player among OECD countries in terms of its investments in and use of advanced technology. In international comparison, high-technology manufacturing is relatively large in all high-technology segments, and particularly in telecommunications and pharmaceuticals.{{Citation needed
date=August 2010}} Statistics show that during the entire period 1970–2003, the Swedish national innovation system was among the leading countries in the OECD in terms of generating technological inventions, measured as international patenting in relation to population size. The statistics evaluating countries in terms of triadic patenting, i.e. patents assigned in the three patenting areas USA, EU and Japan, were even more outstanding. Only Switzerland reported a higher rate of triadic patenting.{{Citation needed
date=August 2010}} Furthermore, Sweden ranked either as the first or second country publishing the highest number of scientific publications in the fields of medical science, natural science and engineering in 2001. Sweden was world-leading in medical science and second only to Switzerland in natural science and engineering in terms of the number of publications per capita. ===Inventions=== {{Main
Swedish inventions}} File:AlfredNobel adjusted.jpg
thumb
160px
Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite and institutor of the Nobel Prize. In the 18th century Sweden's scientific revolution took off. Previously, technical progress had mainly come from mainland Europe. In 1739, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was founded, with people such as Carolus Linnaeus and Anders Celsius as early members. From the 1870s, engineering companies were created at an unmatched rate and engineers became heroes of the age. Many of the companies founded by early pioneers are still remain major international brands. Gustaf Dalén founded AGA AB
AGA, and received the Nobel Prize for his sun valve. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite and instituted the Nobel Prizes. Lars Magnus Ericsson started the company bearing his name, Ericsson, still one of the largest telecom companies in the world. Jonas Wenström was an early pioneer in alternating current and is along with Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla
Tesla credited as one of the inventors of the three-phase electrical system.<ref name="si91e"/> The traditional engineering industry is still a major source of Swedish inventions, but pharmaceuticals, electronics and other high-tech industries are gaining ground. Tetra Pak was an invention for storing liquid foods, invented by Erik Wallenberg. Losec, an ulcer medicine, was the world's best-selling drug in the 1990s and was developed by AstraZeneca. More recently Håkan Lans invented the Automatic Identification System, a worldwide standard for shipping and civil aviation navigation. A large portion of the Swedish economy is to this day based on the export of technical inventions, and many large multinational corporations from Sweden have their origins in the ingenuity of Swedish inventors.<ref name="si91e">{{cite web
url = http://www.sweden.se/upload/Sweden_se/english/factsheets/SI/SI_FS91e_Swedish_inventions_and_discoveries/Swedish_inventions_and_discoveries_FS91e_Hires.pdf
archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071029030823/http://www.sweden.se/upload/Sweden_se/english/factsheets/SI/SI_FS91e_Swedish_inventions_and_discoveries/Swedish_inventions_and_discoveries_FS91e_Hires.pdf
archivedate = 2007-10-29
format=PDF
title=Swedish inventions and discoveries
accessdate=2007-10-28
year=2007
month=January
work=Fact Sheet FS 91 e
publisher=Swedish Institute}}</ref> Swedish inventors hold a total of 33,523 patents in the United States as of 2007, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. As a nation, only ten other countries hold more patents than Sweden.<ref>Patents By Country, State, and Year - All Patent Types (December 2007)[http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/cst_all.htm]</ref> ==Culture== {{Main
Culture of Sweden}} File:Redswedenred.sommar.jpg
thumb
right
Traditional Swedish rural house, painted in the traditional Swedish Falu red. Sweden has many authors of worldwide recognition including August Strindberg, Astrid Lindgren, and Nobel Prize winners Selma Lagerlöf and Harry Martinson. In total seven Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded to Swedes. The nation's most well-known artists are painters such as Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn, and the sculptors Tobias Sergel and Carl Milles. Swedish twentieth-century culture is noted by pioneering works in the early days of Film
cinema, with Mauritz Stiller and Victor Sjöström. In the 1920s–1980s, the filmmaker Ingmar Bergman and actors Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman became internationally noted people within cinema. More recently, the films of Lukas Moodysson and Lasse Hallström have received international recognition. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Sweden was seen as an international leader in what is now referred to as the "sexual revolution", with gender equality having particularly been promoted.<ref>{{cite news
url=http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/Article____12355.aspx
archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070221075752/http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/Article____12355.aspx
archivedate=2007-02-21
title=The Swedish Myths: True, False, or Somewhere In Between?
publisher=Sweden.se
accessdate=2007-02-14 }}</ref> At the present time, the number of single people is one of the highest in the world. The early Swedish film ''I Am Curious (Yellow)'' (1967) reflected a liberal view of sexuality, including scenes of love making that caught international attention, and introduced the concept of the "Swedish sin". Sweden has also become very liberal towards homosexuality, as is reflected in the popular acceptance of films such as ''Fucking Åmål
Show Me Love'', which is about two young lesbians in the small Swedish town of Åmål. Since 1 May 2009, Sweden repealed its "registered partnership" laws and fully replaced them with gender-neutral marriage, <ref>{{cite news
title = Sweden passes new gay marriage law
publisher = The Local
date = 2009-04-02
url = http://www.thelocal.se/18608/20090402/
accessdate = 2009-05-05 }}</ref> Sweden also offers domestic partnerships for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Cohabitation (''sammanboende'') by couples of all ages, including teenagers as well as elderly couples, is widespread. Recently, Sweden is experiencing a baby boom.<ref> {{cite web
title = Babyboom i Sverige?
url=http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____231102.aspx
accessdate = 2009-05-05}}</ref> ===Music=== <!-- NOTE: Please do not insert your own favorite band into a list here. The examples given are meant to be examples, not an exhaustive list of all Swedish bands which has had some international success. The place for that is Music of Sweden or some other more detailed article.--> {{Main
Music of Sweden}} File:Midsommardans av Anders Zorn 1897, sharp.jpg
thumb
right
''Midsummer's Eve'' by Anders Zorn. Sweden has a rich musical tradition, ranging from mediaeval folk ballads to Swedish hip hop
hip hop music. The music of the pre-Christian Norse has been lost to history, although historical re-creations have been attempted based on instruments found in Viking sites. The instruments used were the ''lur'' (a sort of trumpet), simple string instruments, wooden flutes and drums. It is possible that the Viking musical legacy lives on in some of the old Swedish folk music. Sweden has a significant Music of Sweden
folk-music scene, both in the traditional style as well as more modern interpretations which often mix in elements of rock and jazz. Väsen is more of a traditionalist group, using a unique, traditional Swedish instrument called the ''nyckelharpa'' while Garmarna, Nordman and Hedningarna have more modern elements. There is also Sami people
Sami music, called the ''joik'', which is actually a type of chant which is part of the traditional Saami animistic spirituality but has gained recognition in the international world of folk music. Sweden has a major market for new age and ecology
ecologically or environmentalism
environmentally aware music, as well a large portion of pop and rock music having liberalism
liberal and left-wing political messages.{{Citation needed
date=October 2009}} File:Abba 28011977 15 200.jpg
thumb
left
Agnetha Fältskog of Swedish band ABBA performing in 1977. Sweden also has a prominent choral music tradition, deriving in part from the cultural importance of Swedish folk songs. In fact, out of a population of 9.2 million, it is estimated that five to six hundred thousand people sing in choirs.<ref>Durant, Colin (2003). ''Choral Conducting: philosophy and practice'', Routledge, pp. 46–47. ISBN 0-415-94356-6: "Sweden has a strong and enviable choral singing tradition. [..] All those interviewed placed great emphasis on the social identification through singing and also referred to the importance of Swedish folk song in the maintenance of the choral singing tradition and national identity."</ref> Sweden is the third largest music exporter in the world,<ref name="export music">{{cite web
url=http://www.swedenabroad.com/Page____59218.aspx
archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080615001724/http://www.swedenabroad.com/Page____59218.aspx
archivedate=2010-05-05
title=Consulate General of Sweden Los Angeles - Export Music Sweden at MuseExpo
publisher=Swedenabroad.com
date=
accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref> with over 800 million dollars in 2007 years revenue, surpassed only by the US and the UK.<ref name="export music" /> ABBA was one of the first internationally well-known popular music bands from Sweden, and still ranks among the List of best-selling music artists
most prominent bands in the world, with about 370 million records sold. With ABBA, Sweden entered into a new era, in which Swedish pop music gained international prominence. There have been many other internationally successful bands since, such as Roxette, Ace of Base, Europe (band)
Europe, A-teens, The Cardigans and The Hives, to name some of the biggest, and recently there has been a surge of Swedish Indie pop bands such as Loney, Dear, Shout Out Louds, The Radio Dept. and Dungen, a group which incorporates many elements of Swedish traditional folk music in their sound. One of the biggest bands in Sweden is the rock band Kent (band)
Kent. Sweden has also become known for a large number of heavy metal music
heavy metal (mostly death metal and melodic death metal) as well as progressive metal
progressive- and power metal bands. Some of the most popular being In Flames, HammerFall, Pain of Salvation, Opeth and Meshuggah. The renowned Neo-classical metal
neoclassical power metal guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen is also from Sweden. Sweden has a rather lively jazz scene. During the last sixty years or so it has attained a remarkably high artistic standard, stimulated by domestic as well as external influences and experiences. The Centre for Swedish Folk Music and Jazz Research has published an overview of jazz in Sweden by Lars Westin.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.visarkiv.se/en/jazz/index.htm
title=Lars Westin: Jazz in Sweden - an overview
publisher=Visarkiv.se
date=
accessdate=2010-08-25}}</ref> ===Media=== {{Main
Media in Sweden}} Swedes are among the greatest consumers of newspapers in the world, and nearly every town is served by a local paper. The country's main quality morning papers are Dagens Nyheter (liberal), Göteborgs-Posten (liberal), Svenska Dagbladet (liberal conservative) and Sydsvenska Dagbladet (liberal). The two largest evening tabloids are Aftonbladet (social democratic) and Expressen (liberal). The ad-financed, free international morning paper, Metro International, was originally founded in Stockholm, Sweden. The country's news is reported in English by, among others, The Local (liberal). The public broadcasting companies held a monopoly on radio and television for a long time in Sweden. Licence funded radio broadcasts started in 1925. A second radio network was started in 1954 and a third opened 1962 in response to pirate radio stations. Non-profit community radio was allowed in 1979 and in 1993 commercial local radio started. The licence funded television service was officially launched in 1956. A second channel, SVT2
TV2, was launched in 1969. These two channels (operated by Sveriges Television since the late '70s) held a monopoly until the 1980s when cable and satellite television became available. The first Swedish language satellite service was TV3 (Sweden)
TV3 which started broadcasting from London in 1987. It was followed by Kanal 5 (Sweden)
Kanal 5 in 1989 (then known as Nordic Channel) and TV4 (Sweden)
TV4 in 1990. In 1991 the government announced it would begin taking applications from private television companies wishing to broadcast on the terrestrial television
terrestrial network. TV4, which had previously been broadcasting via satellite, was granted a permit and began its terrestrial broadcasts in 1992, becoming the first private channel to broadcast television content from within the country. Around half the population are connected to cable television. Digital terrestrial television in Sweden started in 1999 and the last analogue terrestrial broadcasts were terminated in 2007. ===Literature=== {{Main
Swedish literature}} The first literary text from Sweden is the Rök Runestone, carved during the Viking Age circa 800 AD. With the conversion of the land to Christianity around 1100 AD, Sweden entered the Middle Ages, during which monastic writers preferred to use Latin. Therefore there are only a few texts in the Swedish language#Old Swedish
Old Swedish from that period. Swedish literature only flourished when the Swedish language was standardized in the 16th century, a standardization largely due to the full translation of the Bible into Swedish in 1541. This translation is the so-called Gustav Vasa Bible. File:Portrait of August Strindberg by Richard Bergh 1905.jpg
thumb
Writer and playwright August Strindberg. With improved education and the freedom brought by secularization, the 17th century saw several notable authors develop the Swedish language further. Some key figures include Georg Stiernhielm (17th century), who was the first to write classical poetry in Swedish; Johan Henric Kellgren (18th century), the first to write fluent Swedish prose; Carl Michael Bellman (late 18th century), the first writer of burlesque ballads; and August Strindberg (late 19th century), a socio-realistic writer and playwright who won worldwide fame. The early 20th century continued to produce notable authors, such as Selma Lagerlöf, (Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel laureate 1909), Verner von Heidenstam (Nobel laureate 1916) and Pär Lagerkvist (Nobel laureate 1951). In recent decades, a handful of Swedish writers have established themselves internationally, including the detective novelist Henning Mankell and the writer of spy fiction Jan Guillou. The Swedish writer to have made the most lasting impression on world literature is the children's book writer Astrid Lindgren, and her books about Pippi Longstocking, Emil i Lönneberga
Emil, and others. In 2008, the second best-selling fiction author in the world was Stieg Larsson, whose ''Millennium'' series of crime novels is being published posthumously to critical acclaim.<ref>[http://www.abebooks.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/15/bestselling-fiction-authors-in-the-world-for-2008/ Bestselling fiction authors in the world for 2008], 15 January 2009, www.abebooks.com. Retrieved on 5 August 2009.</ref> Larsson drew heavily on the work of Lindgren by basing his central character, Lisbeth Salander, on Longstocking.<ref>[http://www.buzzle.com/articles/289825.html Poisoned Legacy Left By The King Of Thrillers], www.buzzle.com. Retrieved on 5 September 2009.</ref> ===Holidays=== {{Main
Public holidays in Sweden}} File:Valborgsbrasa-1.jpg
thumb
left
Walpurgis Night bonfire in Sweden. Apart from traditional Protestant Liturgical year
Christian holidays, Sweden also celebrates some unique holidays, some of a pre-Christian tradition. They include Midsummer celebrating the summer solstice; Walpurgis Night (''Valborgsmässoafton'') on 30 April lighting bonfires; and Labour Day or Mayday on 1 May is dedicated to socialist demonstrations. The day of giver-of-light Saint Lucy
Saint Lucia, 13 December, is widely acknowledged in elaborate celebrations which betoken its Italian origin and commence the month-long Christmas season. 6 June is the National holiday of Sweden
National Day of Sweden and, as of 2005, a public holiday. Furthermore, there are Flag days in Sweden
official flag day observances and a Namesdays in Sweden calendar. In August many Swedes have ''kräftskivor'' (crayfish dinner parties). Martin of Tours Eve is celebrated in Scania in November with ''Mårten Gås'' parties, where roast goose and ''svartsoppa'' ('black soup', made of goose stock, fruit, spices, spirits and goose blood) are served. The Sami people
Sami, one of Sweden's indigenous minorities, have their holiday on 6 February and Scania celebrate their Scanian Flag day on the third Sunday in July. ===Cuisine=== {{Main
Swedish cuisine}} File:Knaeckebroed.jpg
thumb
Swedish knäckebröd (crisp bread). Swedish cuisine, like that of the other Scandinavian countries (Cuisine of Denmark
Denmark, Cuisine of Norway
Norway and Cuisine of Finland
Finland), was traditionally simple. Fish (particularly herring), meat and potatoes played prominent roles. Spices were sparse. Famous dishes include Swedish meatballs, traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam; pancakes, ''lutefisk
lutfisk'', and Smörgåsbord, or lavish buffet. ''Akvavit'' is a popular alcoholic distilled beverage, and the drinking of ''snaps'' is of cultural importance. The traditional flat and dry crisp bread has developed into several contemporary variants. Regionally important foods are the ''surströmming'' (a fermented fish) in Northern Sweden and eel in Scania in Southern Sweden. ===Film=== {{Main
Cinema of Sweden}} Swedes have been fairly prominent in the film area through the years, several successful Swedish Hollywood actors can be mentioned: Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Max von Sydow, Dolph Lundgren, Lena Olin, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams, Stellan Skarsgård, Peter Stormare, Izabella Scorupco, Pernilla August, Ann-Margret, Anita Ekberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Harriet Andersson, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Malin Åkerman and Gunnar Björnstrand. Amongst several directors who have made internationally successful films can be mentioned: Ingmar Bergman, Lukas Moodysson and Lasse Hallström. ===Fashion=== Interest in fashion is big in Sweden and the country is headquartering famous brands like H&M
Hennes & Mauritz (operating as H&M), J. Lindeberg (operating as JL), Acne Jeans
Acne, Gina Tricot, Lindex, Tiger of Sweden, Odd Molly, Cheap Monday, Dr. Denim, Gant U.S.A.
Gant, Resteröds, Nudie Jeans, WESC, WAX (clothing)
WAX, Uniforms for the Dedicated, Filippa K, Nakkna and Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair within its borders. These companies, however, are comprised largely of buyers who import fashionable goods from throughout Europe and America, continuing the trend of Swedish business toward multinational economic dependency like many of its neighbours. ===Sports=== {{Main
Sport in Sweden}} File:Stockholms Olympiastadion, 070310.JPG
thumb
left
Stockholm's Olympiastadion Sport activities are a national movement with half of the population actively participating, much thanks to the heavy government subsidies of sport associations (''föreningsstöd''). The two main spectator sports are Association football
football and ice hockey. Second to football, Horse#Horses in sport today
horse sports have the highest number of practitioners, mostly women. Thereafter follow golf, track and field athletics
athletics, and the team sports of Team handball
handball, floorball, basketball and bandy. File:Tobjornen.jpg
thumb
Åre (ski area)
Åre ski resort The Swedish ice hockey team Swedish national men's ice hockey team
Tre Kronor is regarded as one of the best in the world. The team has won the Ice Hockey World Championships
World Championships eight times, placing them third in the all-time medal count. Tre Kronor also won Olympic gold medals in 1994 and 2006. In 2006, Tre Kronor became the first national hockey team to win both the Olympic and world championships in the same year. The Sweden national football team
Swedish national football team has seen some success at the World Cup in the past, finishing second when they hosted the tournament in 1958, and third twice, in 1950 and 1994. File:Ullevi stadium in gothenburg 20060510.jpg
thumb
left
Ullevi is a stadium in Gothenburg. The stadium is also the biggest in Scandinavia. Track and field athletics
Athletics has enjoyed a surge in popularity due to several successful athletes in recent years, such as Carolina Klüft, Stefan Holm, Christian Olsson, Patrik Sjöberg, Johan Wissman and Kajsa Bergqvist. Sweden is also the All-time Olympic Games medal table
seventh most successful country in the Olympic Games, as of 2010. In schools, on meadows and in parks, the game brännboll, a sport similar to baseball, is commonly played for fun. Other leisure sports are the historical game of kubb, and boules among the older generation. Sweden hosted the 1912 Summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in 1958 FIFA World Cup
1958. Other big sports events held here include 1992 UEFA European Football Championship, FIFA Women's World Cup 1995, and several championships of ice hockey, curling, track and field athletics
athletics, skiing, bandy, figure skating and swimming (sport)
swimming. ==See also== {{Portal box
Sweden
European Union}} {{Main
Outline of Sweden}} *List of Sweden-related topics ==References== ===Footnotes=== {{Reflist
colwidth=30em}} ===Bibliography=== {{Refbegin
2}} *Bagge, Sverre (2005). "The Scandinavian Kingdoms". In ''The New Cambridge Medieval History''. Eds. Rosamond McKitterick et al. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-521-36289-X. *{{cite web
url=http://lawfam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/4/2/154
title=Radical principles and the legal institution of marriage: domestic relations law and social democracy in Sweden—BRADLEY 4 (2): 154—International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family
accessdate=2007-06-13
work=}} * {{CIA World Factbook link
sw
Sweden}} *[http://www.scb.se/Pages/Product____25799.aspx Council for Official Statistics. "Preliminär befolkningsstatistik 2006"][http://www.scb.se/templates/Listning1____44032.asp Statistics Sweden]{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}. *Durant, Colin (2003). ''Choral Conducting: philosophy and practice'', Routledge, pp. 46–47. ISBN 0-415-94356-6. *Einhorn, Eric and John Logue (1989). ''Modern Welfare States: Politics and Policies in Social Democratic Scandinavia''. Praeger Publishers, 1989. ISBN 0-275-93188-9. *Invest in Sweden Agency (ISA) (2005). [http://www.isa.se/templates/News____59355.aspx Sweden most creative country in Europe and top talent hotspot]{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}. Press release, 25 June 2005. *Koblik, Steven (1975). ''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970''. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-0757-5. *Magocsi, Paul Robert (1998). ''Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples''. University of Minnesota Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8020-2938-8. *[http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/sweden/natur.htm Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden] Agenda 21 – Natural Resource Aspects - Sweden. 5th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997. *Nordstrom, Byron J. (2000). ''Scandinavia since 1500''. University of Minnesota Press, 2000. ISBN 0-8166-2098-9. *Sawyer, Birgit and Peter Sawyer (1993). ''Medieval Scandinavia: from Conversion to Reformation, Circa 800–1500''. University of Minnesota Press, 1993. ISBN 0-8166-1739-2. *Ståhl, Solveig. (1999). [http://www3.lu.se/info/lum/LUM_07_99/01_engelska.html "English spoken – fast ibland hellre än bra"]. ''LUM, Lunds universitet med''delar, 7:1999, 3 September 1999. In Swedish. *Statistics Sweden. [http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____193256.aspx 2006 census]. *Statistics Sweden. [http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____25897.aspx Preliminary Population Statistics, by month, 2004–2006]. ''Population statistics'', 1 January 2007. *Statistics Sweden. ''Yearbook of Housing and Building Statistics 2007''. Statistics Sweden, Energy, Rents and Real Estate Statistics Unit, 2007. ISBN 978-91-618-1361-2. Available online in [http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BO0801_2007A01_BR_BO01SA0701.pdf pdf format]. *[http://www.bartleby.com/65/sw/Sweden.html "Sweden"]{{Dead link
date=August 2010}}. In ''The Columbia Encyclopedia'', Sixth Edition, 2001–05. *[http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Sweden ''Sweden'']. In ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 1911. *[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-29865/Sweden#403810.hook Sweden: Social and economic conditions] (2007). In ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. *[https://www.riksgalden.se/ Swedish National Debt Office] *[http://www.samhallsguiden.riksdagen.se/templates/R_Page____8382.aspx The Swedish Parliament: Laws] *Uddhammar, Emil (1993). ''Partierna och den stora staten: en analys av statsteorier och svensk politik under 1900-talet''. Stockholm, City University Press. *United States Department of State – [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2880.htm Sweden] *Zuckerman, Phil (2007), Atheism: Contemporary Rates and Patterns PDF i Cambridge Companion to Atheism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-60367-6 {{Refend}} ==External links== {{Sister project links
Sweden}} ;Government *[http://www.sweden.se/ The Official Gateway to Sweden] *[http://www.sweden.gov.se/ The Swedish Government] – Official site *[http://www.riksdagen.se/default____56.aspx The Swedish Parliament] – Official site *[http://www.royalcourt.se/ The Swedish Royal Court] – Official website of the Swedish Royal House *[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-s/sweden.html Chief of State and Cabinet Members] ;General information *{{CIA World Factbook link
sw
Sweden}} *[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/576478/Sweden Sweden] entry at ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' *[http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/sweden.htm Sweden] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs'' *{{dmoz
Regional/Europe/Sweden}} *{{wikiatlas
Sweden}} ;News media *[http://www.radiosweden.org/ Radio Sweden] {{en icon}} – Public service *[http://www.dn.se/ Dagens Nyheter] {{sv icon}} *[http://www.svt.se/ Svergies Television] {{sv icon}} *[http://www.svd.se/ Svenska Dagbladet] {{sv icon}} *[http://www.thelocal.se/ The Local - Sweden's news in English] – Independent English language news site ;Travel *[http://www.visitsweden.com/ VisitSweden.com] – Official travel and tourism website for Sweden *{{Wikitravel}} ;Other *[http://www.studyinsweden.se/ Study in Sweden] – Official guide to studying in Sweden *[http://www.swedishtrade.se/english/ Swedish Trade Council] *[http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/schon.sweden Sweden – Economic Growth and Structural Change, 1800–2000]—EH.Net Encyclopedia *[http://www.vifanord.de/index.php?id=1&L=1&rd=243343734 vifanord] – a digital library that provides scientific information on the Nordic and Baltic countries as well as the Baltic region as a whole {{Template group
title=Articles related to Sweden
list= {{Sweden topics
state=expanded}} {{Template group
title=File:Gnome-globe.svg
25px{{nbsp}}Geographic locale
list= {{Countries of Europe}} {{Countries bordering the Baltic Sea}} }} }} {{Europe topic
Climate of}} <!-- Please keep Sweden at the TOP of its category list --> <!-- Languages --> Category:Sweden
Category:Year of establishment unknown Category:European countries Category:European Union member states Category:Nordic countries Category:Countries bordering the Baltic Sea Category:Countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean Category:Scandinavia Category:Northern Europe Category:Constitutional monarchies Category:Liberal democracies Category:Member states of the Union for the Mediterranean {{Link GA
eo}} {{Link GA
es}} {{Link GA
no}} {{Link GA
zh}} {{Link FA
af}} <!-- Interwikis --> ace:Swèdia af:Swede als:Schweden am:???? ang:S?eoland ar:?????? an:Suecia arc:???? frp:Suède ast:Suecia gn:Suesia az:Isveç bm:Swedi bn:?????? zh-min-nan:Sverige be:?????? be-x-old:?????? bcl:Suesya bi:Sweden bar:Schwedn bo:?????????? bs:Švedska br:Sveden bg:?????? ca:Suècia cv:????? ceb:Sweden cs:Švédsko co:Svezia cy:Sweden da:Sverige de:Schweden dv:???????? dsb:Šwedska dz:???????? et:Rootsi el:S???d?a myv:?????? ?????? es:Suecia eo:Svedio ext:Suécia eu:Suedia ee:Sweden fa:???? hif:Sweden fo:Svøríki fr:Suède fy:Sweden fur:Svezie ga:An tSualainn gv:Yn Toolynn gd:An t-Suain gl:Suecia - Sverige frr:Sweeden gan:?? gu:?????? got:?????????????????? hak:Shuì-tién xal:?????? ???? ko:??? haw:Kuekene hy:?????? hi:?????? hsb:Šwedska hr:Švedska io:Suedia ilo:Sweden bpy:?????? id:Swedia ia:Svedia ie:Svedia iu:????/svuriki os:????? zu:ISwidi is:Svíþjóð it:Svezia he:????? jv:Swédia kl:Sverige kn:??????? pam:Sweden ka:??????? csb:Szwedzkô kk:?????? kw:Swedherwyk ky:?????? sw:Uswidi kv:?????? ht:Syèd ku:Swêd lad:Suesia krc:?????? la:Suecia lv:Zviedrija lb:Schweden lt:Švedija lij:Sveçia li:Zwaede ln:Swési jbo:sueriges lg:Swiiden lmo:Svezia hu:Svédország mk:??????? mg:Soeda ml:?????? mt:Zvezja mi:Huitene mr:?????? arz:?????? mzn:???? ms:Sweden mdf:?????????? mn:???? nah:Suecia na:Sweden nl:Zweden nds-nl:Sveden ne:??????? new:??????? ja:?????? nap:Sguezia ce:????? pih:Swiiden no:Sverige nn:Sverige nrm:Suède nov:Suedia oc:Suècia mhr:?????? uz:Shvetsiya pnb:????? pap:Suecia ps:????? pms:Svessia tpi:Suwidan nds:Sweden pl:Szwecja pnt:S???d?a pt:Suécia kaa:Shvetsiya crh:Isveç ksh:Shvede (Europa) ro:Suedia rm:Svezia qu:Suwidsuyu ru:?????? sah:?????? se:Ruotta sm:Sweden sa:?????? sc:Isvetzia sco:Swaden stq:Sweden sq:Suedia scn:Svezzia simple:Sweden ss:ISwideni sk:Švédsko cu:???´????? sl:Švedska szl:Szwecyjo so:Iswiidhan ckb:???? sr:??????? sh:Švedska su:Swédia fi:Ruotsi sv:Sverige tl:Suwesya ta:??????? tt:?????? te:??????? tet:Suésia th:???????????? tg:??????? tr:Isveç udm:?????? uk:?????? ur:????? ug:???????? vec:Svèsia vi:Th?y Ði?n vo:Svedän fiu-vro:Roodsi wa:Suwedwesse zh-classical:?? vls:Zweedn war:Suecia wo:Suweed wuu:?? yi:?????? yo:Swídìn zh-yue:?? diq:Iswec zea:Zweden bat-smg:Švedeje zh:??