Encyclopedia
The
Kingdom of Sweden is a
Nordic country in
Scandinavia. It is bordered by
Norway in the west,
Finland in the northeast, the
Skagerrak Strait and the
Kattegat Strait in the southwest, and the
Baltic Sea and the
Gulf of Bothnia in the east. It is connected to
Denmark in the southwest by the
Oresund Bridge.
Sweden has a low
population density except in its , with most of the inland consisting of
forests. The country has large natural resources of water, timber, and iron ore. Its citizens enjoy a high standard of living in a country that is generally perceived as modern and liberal.
Following the end of the
Viking Age, Sweden became part of the
Kalmar Union together with
Denmark and
Norway . Sweden left the union in the beginning of the 16th century, and more or less constantly battled its neighbours for many years, especially Russia and the still united
Denmark-Norway, which never completely accepted Sweden leaving the union. In the 17th century Sweden extended its territory through
warfare and became a
Great Power, twice its current size. By 1814 Sweden had lost its empire as well as Finland, previously an integral part of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1814, Sweden has been at peace, adopting a
non-aligned foreign policy in peacetime and
neutrality in wartime.
Sweden has been a major European exporter of iron, copper and timber since the Middle Ages. However,
improved transportation and communication allowed it to utilize natural assets from different parts of the country on a far larger scale, most notably
timber and
iron ore. Economic liberalization as well as universal schooling contributed to the rapid industrialization and by the 1890s the country had begun to develop an advanced manufacturing industry. In the 20th century a welfare state emerged. Today, the country is defined by
social-liberal tendencies and a strong national quest for equality, and usually ranks among the top nations in the
UN Human Development Index.
History
Prehistory
Soon after the end of the last ice age, Sweden became populated by hunters and gatherers and then farmers during the
Stone Age . This was followed by the
Bronze Age and
Iron Age . Societies in Sweden remained on the preliterate tribal and chiefdom levels to the 1st millennium AD.
Sweden was first mentioned in the 1st century, by Roman historian
Tacitus, who wrote that the
Suiones tribe lived out in the sea and were powerful in both arms and ships. This referred to the inhabitants of eastern Sweden:
Svealand, primarily around lake
Mälaren. From this tribe, Sweden derived its name . The southern parts, on the other hand, were inhabited by the Götar in the
Götaland territory. The northern part,
Norrland, was sparsely populated by sami, kvens and different tribes/people related to the
Finns.
During the
Viking Age of the 9th and 10th century,
Swedish vikings travelled east setting their mark on the
Baltic countries and
Russia, whose name probably comes from the Slavic name for these Vikings:
Rus. This name is probably derived from Roslagen, and is also reflected in the modern Finnish and Estonian name for Sweden: and , respectively. Their routes passed the rivers of Russia down south to
Constantinople and southern Europe.
Middle Ages
With
Christianization in the 12th century, the country became
consolidated, with its centre in the agricultural regions of Östergötland and Västergötland and later on also in the water-ways of the northern Baltic and the
Gulf of Finland. In the 14th century Sweden, like the rest of Europe, was struck by the
Black Death , with all its effect.
During the
Middle Ages, the expansion of Sweden into the northern wilderness of
Laplandia and
Norrbotten, the Scandinavian
peninsula, and present-day
Finland continued. Area of present day
Finland was a part of Sweden proper from the early thirteenth century until 1809.
In 1389,
Norway,
Denmark and Sweden were united under a single monarch in a treaty known as the
Kalmar Union. After several wars and disputes between these nations, King
Gustav I of Sweden broke free in 1521 and established a nation state, considered the
foundation of modern Sweden. Shortly afterwards he rejected Catholicism and led Sweden to the
Protestant Reformation. Gustav I is considered to be Sweden's "
Father of the Nation".
Great power
The 17th century saw
the rise of Sweden as one of the
Great Powers in Europe, because of successful participation, initiated by King
Gustav II Adolph, in the
Thirty Years' War and by
Charles X Gustav of Sweden in the The Deluge of
Poland. During this time Sweden was a power of some importance in northern Europe, but its overall standing was not comparable to that of Europe's leading nations. Sweden also acquired several mighty enemies and the great power status crumbled in the 18th century.
Imperial Russia took the reins of northern Europe in the
Great Northern War, and finally in 1809 when the autonomous
Grand Duchy of Finland was created out of the
eastern half of Sweden.
After Denmark was defeated in the
Napoleonic wars, Norway was ceded to Sweden in the Treaty of Kiel. Norway had meanwhile declared itself independent and this led to the Campaign against Norway, which was fought in 1814. It ended with the
Convention of Moss, which forced Norway into a union with Sweden that was not dissolved until 1905. But the campaign also signified the last of the Swedish wars and its 200 years of peace are arguably unique in the world today.
Modern history
The 18th and 19th centuries saw a significant population increase, which the writer
Esaias Tegnér in 1833 famously attributed to
"the peace, the vaccine, and the potatoes" , with the population doubling between 1750 and 1850. Many looked towards America for a better life, and although not affluent, many Swedes had sufficiently high incomes to be able to afford the boat tickets necessary to make the journey across the Atlantic. It is believed that between 1850 and 1910 more than one million Swedes moved to the
United States. In the early 20th century, more Swedes lived in
Chicago than in
Gothenburg . Most Swedish immigrants moved to the Midwest United States, with a large population in
Minnesota. Some Swedes also moved to
Canada.
Sweden was traditionally less developed than
Western Europe ; industrialization began in earnest after 1870. During the late 19th century, Sweden was influenced by Protestant
temperance movements, mainly of American origin. As a result of their intense propaganda, it is often claimed that alcohol consumption was unusually high in Sweden at this time. However, there is no factual ground for believing that alcohol consumption was higher than in other comparable countries.
Strong grassroots movements sprung up during the latter half of the 19th century . They were all based on democratic principles and built a strong base for Sweden's migration into a modern parliamentary democracy, achieved by the time of
World War I. As the
Industrial Revolution progressed during the century, people gradually began moving into
cities to work in
factories, and became involved in
Socialist unions. A
Socialist revolution was avoided in 1917, following the re-introduction of
Parliamentarism, and the country was democratized.
Recent history
By the 1930s Sweden had achieved one of Europe's highest living standards.
Sweden remained neutral during
World War I and
World War II, although its neutrality during World War II has been debated. Sweden was forcibly under German influence for most of the war, as ties to the rest of the world were cut off through blockades. The Swedish government felt that it was in no position to openly disagree with Germany, but it did attempt to help the Allies in secret. Many refugees were saved partly because of Sweden's neutrality, among them many Jews.
Following the war, Sweden took advantage of intact industrial base, social stability and its natural resources, making it possible to expand its industry to supply the rebuilding of Europe, leading it to be one of the richest countries in the world by 1960. Sweden was part of the
Marshall Plan but continued to stay non-aligned during the
Cold War, and is still not a member of any military alliance. During most of the post-war era, the country was ruled by the
Swedish Social Democratic Party and established a welfare state, striving for a "well being for all"-policy.
Sweden joined the
European Union in 1995. During the Cold War, Europe's non-aligned Western countries, except Ireland, had considered membership unwise as the then European Community, although not involved in military co-operation, was strongly associated with NATO countries; following the end of the Cold War, Sweden, Austria and Finland soon joined. However, in a 2003 consultative referendum, Swedish citizens declined to adopt the
Euro. Sweden remains neutral in international affairs, and has not joined NATO like its other Scandinavian neighbours.
Sweden's economic performance worsened beginning in the 1970s. Following a recession in the early 1990s as a result of global economic slowdown, measures were taken to liberalize the economy. The current government has attempted to maintain the welfare state while improving the economy. The economic situation has significantly improved since then. Today, Sweden has a standard of living comparable to that of other advanced Western European nations, but it is no longer at the very top.
Sweden has had two political murders in recent history. Prime Minister
Olof Palme in 1986, and foreign-minister
Anna Lindh in 2003.
Geography
At 449,964 km² , Sweden is the 55
th largest country in the world and the 5
th largest in Europe. The country is somewhat larger than the
U.S. state of
California, and in 2006 it had a population of 9 million people.
East of Sweden lies the
Baltic Sea and the
Gulf of Bothnia, providing a long coastline, and mellowing the climate. To the west is the Scandinavian mountain chain, a range that separates Sweden from
Norway.
The southern part of the country is predominantly agricultural, with forests covering a larger percentage of the land the further north one goes. Population density is also higher in southern Sweden, with centres being in the valley of lake
Mälaren and the Öresund region.
Gotland and
Öland are the largest islands of Sweden.
Sweden enjoys a mostly temperate climate despite its northern
latitude, mainly because of the
Gulf Stream. In the south of Sweden, leaf-bearing
trees are prolific, further north
pines,
spruces and in the very north hardy
birches dominate the landscape. In the mountains of northern Sweden a sub-Arctic climate predominates. North of the
Arctic Circle, the sun never sets for part of each summer, and in the winter, night is unending for a corresponding period.
Administrative divisions
Sweden is divided into 21
counties or . They are
Stockholm County,
Uppsala County,
Södermanland County,
Östergötland County,
Jönköping County,
Kronoberg County,
Kalmar County,
Gotland County,
Blekinge County,
Skåne County,
Halland County,
Västra Götaland County,
Värmland County,
Örebro County,
Västmanland County,
Dalarna County,
Gävleborg County,
Västernorrland County,
Jämtland County,
Västerbotten County and
Norrbotten County.
Each has a County Administrative Board or
länsstyrelse, which is appointed by the Government. In each county there is also a separate County Council or
landsting, which is the municipal representation appointed by the county electorate. Each county further divides into a number of
municipalities or
kommuner, making a total of 290 municipalities, in 2004. There are also older historical divisions of Sweden, primarily into the 25
provinces and three
lands. These divisions are still significant.
Largest municipalities
Denotes inhabitants in the municipality area. Area is in km². The figures are as of March 31, 2006.
| Rank | Municipality | Population | Land Area | Density | 1 | Stockholm | 774,411 | 187.74 | 4,124.91 | 2 | Göteborg | 487,028 | 450.71 | 1,080.58 | 3 | Malmö | 272,634 | 155.56 | 1,752.60 | 4 | Uppsala | 183,911 | 2,189.10 | 84.01 | 5 | Linköping | 137,949 | 1,435.80 | 96.08 | 6 | Västerås | 132,344 | 962.78 | 137.46 | 7 | Örebro | 128,170 | 1,380.11 | 92.87 | 8 | Norrköping | 124,729 | 1,503.61 | 82.95 | 9 | Helsingborg | 122,349 | 346.25 | 353.35 | 10 | Jönköping | 121,229 | 1,488.75 | 81.43 | 11 | Umeå | 110,919 | 2,331.39 | 47.58 | 12 | Lund | 102,452 | 430.27 | 238.11 | 13 | Borås | 99,645 | 915.22 | 108.88 | 14 | Sundsvall | 94,121 | 3,208.70 | 29.33 | 15 | Gävle | 92,257 | 1,615.07 | 57.12 |
Demographics
Sweden has one of the world's highest
life expectancies. As of approximately August 12 2004, the total population of Sweden for the first time exceeded 9,000,000, according to the SCB. As of February 2006, the population was 9,060,430. About 86.7% of the population is
ethnic Swedish. The largest non-ethnically Swedish groups are the
Finns, who make up about 2% of the population. Other significant ethnic groups are from the other
Scandinavian countries, the
former Yugoslavia, and the
Middle East. An additional group that has a strong say based on tradition is the
indigenous Sami people, living in northern Sweden and amounting to about 17,000 people.
Sweden has been transformed from a nation of
emigration ending after
World War I to a nation of immigration from
World War II onwards. Currently, almost 12% of the residents were born abroad, and about one fifth of Sweden's population are either immigrants or the children of immigrants. The largest immigrant groups are from
Finland, the
former Yugoslavia, the
Middle East and other
Nordic Countries, in that order. This reflects the inter-Nordic migrations, earlier periods of labour immigration, and later decades of refugee and family immigration.
Soviet intervention against the
1956 Hungarian Revolution and the
1968 Czechoslovak liberalization resulted in the first surges of intellectual
political refugees. Some
American deserters from the
Vietnam War also found refuge among the Swedes, who in international politics took a clear stand against what they typically viewed as
imperialism executed by both the Soviet Union and the United States. After the
1973 coup in Chile, and the following military dictatorships in
Chile and other
South American countries, political refugees came to dominate the image of immigration to Sweden, including refugees from
Iran,
Iraq and
Palestine 
