The Kingdom of Sweden is located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in the Northern part of Europe. It has land borders with Finland and Norway, and is connected to Denmark by the Oresund Bridge; it also has maritime borders with Russia, Poland, Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Sweden covers a total area of 450,000 sq km and it the third biggest country in the EU. Stockholm is the capital of Sweden; Swedish is its official language, although five other languages are recognized as minority languages.
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The Coat of Arms |
The Swedish Flag |
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, which has adopted a parliamentary system political model. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the country has followed a non-aligned, peace foreign policy, remaining neutral during wars.
Sweden has a highly developed economy and is highly ranked in international democracy and human development indexes. It is a member of several international organizations. Sweden has a developed export-oriented industrial economy. The country possesses highly developed telecommunications technology, as well as skilled labour. Timber, hydropower and iron ore are its natural resources. Engineering sector is well developed, as well as automotive and pharmaceutical industries are. Agricultural activities bring only 2% to the GDP. Publicly owned enterprises have little importance, main industries and large companies are under a private control.
The Swedish Krona (SEK) is the national currency.
Geography
Sweden is located to the West of the Baltic Sea and is separated from Norway by Scanderna - the Scandinavian Mountain Chain. Kebnekaise is the highest point of Sweden, which rises at 2,111 metres above the sea level. Gotland and Oland are largest islands of the country. Sweden is rich with numerous lakes, its Southern part is engaged in agricultural activities, with significant territories covered by forests. Approximately 15% of the country’s territory is located to the North of the Arctic Circle.
The country has a temperate climate in general, however, three parts of Sweden are characterized with slightly different climates. Its Southern part has an oceanic climate, the central part has a humid continental climate and the Northern part is a subarctic climate territory. Tanks to the Gulf Stream the climate of Sweden is drier and warmer than that of other territories in the same latitude. Daylight length varies significantly during the year. There is a significant temperature amplitude between Northern and Southern parts of the country, as well as among seasons.
