Vågå
Encyclopedia
Vågå (ˈʋoːɡoː) is a municipality
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...

 in Oppland
Oppland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....

 county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...

, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. It is part of the traditional region
Districts of Norway
The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...

 of Gudbrandsdal
Gudbrandsdal
The Gudbrandsdalen is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Oppland. The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer at Mjøsa, extending 230 km toward Romsdal...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo
Vågåmo
Vågåmo is the administrative centre of Vågå municipality, in Oppland county. Norway. Its population is 1,463. The village is located at the outlet of Lake Vågåvatn in the Otta valley...

.

The parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 of Vaage was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...

). The areas of Sel
Sel
Sel is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Otta....

 and Heidal
Heidal
Heidal is a valley and parish within Gudbrandsdalen valley, in the county of Oppland, Norway.-History:Heidal parish was separated from Vågå as a separate municipality of its own on January 1, 1908. It was merged with the municipality of Sel on January 1, 1965.Heidal is a side valley of Gudbrandsdalen...

 were separated from the municipality of Vågå to become separate municipalities of their own on 1 January 1908.

Name

Two origins have been suggested for the name Vågå:
  • The name Vågå may come from the Old Norse
    Old Norse
    Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

     word vega meaning "travel
    Travel
    Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...

    ". The area lies on an ancient east-west route mentioned in the Heimskringla
    Heimskringla
    Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...

    .
  • The Old Norse form of the name may come from Vaga (accusative
    Accusative case
    The accusative case of a noun is the grammatical case used to mark the direct object of a transitive verb. The same case is used in many languages for the objects of prepositions...

     and dative
    Dative case
    The dative case is a grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given, as in "George gave Jamie a drink"....

     cases) from the word Vagi (nominative case). It was probably originally the name of the lake Vågåvatn
    Vågåvatn
    The Vågåvatn lake is located in Lom and Vågå municipalities, Oppland county, Norway. The river Otta, which begins in Skjåk municipality, flows into lake Vågåvatn...

    , but the meaning is unknown. (Maybe derived from vage which means "sleigh
    Sled
    A sled, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle with a smooth underside or possessing a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners that travels by sliding across a surface. Most sleds are used on surfaces with low friction, such as snow or ice. In some cases,...

     runner" since the shape of the lake has some similarity of form with a sleigh runner.)


Prior to 1918, the name was written "Vaage". In 1918, it was changed to "Vaagaa" and in 1921 the spelling was again changed to "Vågå". The letter å
Å
Å represents various sounds in several languages. Å is part of the alphabets used for the Alemannic and the Bavarian-Austrian dialects of German...

 is a long vowel similar to "oh" or "aw", like in the American pronunciation of "cold" or "oar."

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 is from modern times. They were granted on 23 August 1985. The arms show a gold reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...

 on a red background. They are based on a character in Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...

's book Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...

, who rides on a reindeer bull over the Besseggen
Besseggen
Besseggen, or Besseggi, is a mountain ridge in Vågå kommune in Oppland county. Besseggen lies east in Jotunheimen, between the lakes Gjende and Bessvatnet....

 mountains. Ibsen got the idea for this book from a local story.

Geography

Vågå is bordered on the north by the municipality of Lesja
Lesja
Lesja is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lesja....

, in the east by Dovre
Dovre
Dovre is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Dovre. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dovre....

 and Sel
Sel
Sel is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Otta....

, in the southeast by Nord-Fron
Nord-Fron
Nord-Fron is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vinstra. The old municipality of Fron was divided into Nord-Fron and Sør-Fron in 1851...

, in the south by Vang and Øystre Slidre
Øystre Slidre
Øystre Slidre is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of...

, and in the West by Lom
Lom, Norway
Lom is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fossbergom....

.

The Vågå municipality lies in a mountainous region just to the north of Norway's Jotunheimen National Park, west of Rondane National Park
Rondane National Park
Rondane National Park is the oldest national park in Norway, established on 21 December 1962. The park contains ten peaks above , with the highest being Rondslottet at an altitude of . The park is an important habitat for herds of wild reindeer....

, and south of the Dovrefjell mountains. The highest peak is the Surtningsuen with a height of 2368 metres (7,769 ft). Vågå includes a mountain road to the top of the1618 metres (5,308.4 ft) tall Jetta mountain which provides an unobstructed view of both the Gudbrandsdal
Gudbrandsdal
The Gudbrandsdalen is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Oppland. The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer at Mjøsa, extending 230 km toward Romsdal...

 Valley and the surrounding national parks.

The river Otta begins in Skjåk
Skjåk
Skjåk is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bismo...

 municipality and flows into Vågåvatn
Vågåvatn
The Vågåvatn lake is located in Lom and Vågå municipalities, Oppland county, Norway. The river Otta, which begins in Skjåk municipality, flows into lake Vågåvatn...

 Lake. Exiting Vågåvatn at Vågåmo, the river continues its journey through the Ottadalen valley leaving Vågå municipality to meet the Gudbrandsdalslågen
Gudbrandsdalslågen
The Gudbrandsdalslågen river flows through the Gudbrandsdal of Norway.The Gudbrandsdalslågen begins in the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet , which lies in Lesja municipality in Oppland. Lesjavatn is the only lake in Norway which has two outlets; they flow into two of Norway’s more famous rivers...

 at Otta
Otta
Otta may refer to:* A preliminary name of the yotta SI unit prefix.* In Norse mythology, Hildisvini, also known as "Otta the Simple", who was Freya's lover.* Otta, Norway, a Norwegian town in Gudbrandsdal.* The Otta River in Norway....

 in the municipality of Sel. Lakes in the region include Flatningen
Flatningen
Flatningen is a lake in the municipality of Vågå in Oppland county, Norway....

.

The urban areas in Vågå are the villages of Vågåmo
Vågåmo
Vågåmo is the administrative centre of Vågå municipality, in Oppland county. Norway. Its population is 1,463. The village is located at the outlet of Lake Vågåvatn in the Otta valley...

 and Lalm
Lalm
Lalm is a village in the municipality of Vågå, Norway. It is located in Ottadalen, at the southern end of Lalmsvatnet, and has a population of 316.-The name:In the Middle Ages the place was known as Ladalm...

.

Climate

Vågå lies in the rain shadow
Rain shadow
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them. As shown by the diagram to the right, the warm moist air is "pulled" by the prevailing winds over a mountain...

 from the Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen is a mountainous area of roughly 3,500 km² in Southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all in Jotunheimen, including the very highest - Galdhøpiggen...

 mountains which separate Eastern and Western Norway. The climate is hence characterized by a continental climate
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...

. Warm summers and cold winters dominate, and the precipitation is very low. In fact some years it is less than 300 millimetres (11.8 in) of precipitation.

This dry continental climate makes Vågå the obvious place for the national hang glider
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....

 and para glider
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...

 centre of Norway.

Physical geography

Although being affected by the ice-sheet history spanning the Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...

 period of the last 2.5 million years, much of the landscape are moderately imprinted by ice-sheet erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...

 except from in the main valleys. Even these valleys including Sjodalen
Sjodalen
Sjodalen is a wide, gently sloping valley in Southern Norway, draining the eastern parts of Jotunheimen. The river Sjoa gives its name to the valley. Sjodalen is generally accepted to start at the outlet from the deep mountain-lake Gjende. The valley's lower end-point is, however less defined as...

 and Ottadalen are of pre-Quaternary origin, and were originally sculptured by fluvial rather than glacial erosion. The numerous lakes does remind us of the glacial history, although being much more limited than in the more dramatic [fiord]s of western Norway.

This limited glacial erosion also means that Vågå had limited glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

 erosion during the last glacial period. Many findings of Mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...

 pre-dating the last glacial maximum
Last Glacial Maximum
The Last Glacial Maximum refers to a period in the Earth's climate history when ice sheets were at their maximum extension, between 26,500 and 19,000–20,000 years ago, marking the peak of the last glacial period. During this time, vast ice sheets covered much of North America, northern Europe and...

 (LGM) have been found, being evidence of the conservative nature of the LGM in the region.

History

Vågå is mentioned in the Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...

 (The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway) by Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...

. The old Norse saga
Saga
Sagas, are stories in Old Norse about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, etc.Saga may also refer to:Business*Saga DAB radio, a British radio station*Saga Airlines, a Turkish airline*Saga Falabella, a department store chain in Peru...

 (Conversion of Dale-Gudbrand) relates that after King Olaf
Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. Enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral...

 stayed several nights in Lesja
Lesja
Lesja is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lesja....

, he proceeded south across the uplands to the Ottadal
Ottadal
Ottadalen is a valley in the municipalities of Skjåk, Lom, Vågå and Sel in the county of Oppland, Norway.Ottadalen is one of the lateral valleys of Gudbrandsdalen. Others include Gausdal, Heidal, and Vinstradal. It lies on the northern edge of Jotunheimen National Park...

, and the beautiful hamlet lying there on both sides of the Otta
Otta
Otta may refer to:* A preliminary name of the yotta SI unit prefix.* In Norse mythology, Hildisvini, also known as "Otta the Simple", who was Freya's lover.* Otta, Norway, a Norwegian town in Gudbrandsdal.* The Otta River in Norway....

 river. King Olaf remained there five days, summoning the residents of Vågå, Lom, and Heidal
Heidal
Heidal is a valley and parish within Gudbrandsdalen valley, in the county of Oppland, Norway.-History:Heidal parish was separated from Vågå as a separate municipality of its own on January 1, 1908. It was merged with the municipality of Sel on January 1, 1965.Heidal is a side valley of Gudbrandsdalen...

 to a meeting (ting
Thing (assembly)
A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...

). They were advised they must either receive Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 and give their sons as hostages, or see their habitations burnt. Many submitted to his demands.

Vågå stave church
Vågå stave church
Vågå Church Vågå Church Vågå Church ( is a historic stave church located in Vågå in Oppland county, Norway.-History:Vågå Stave Church, which was constructed around 1150, is one of the older stave churches in Norway. It was originally dedicated to St. Peter. The prior rectory was formerly called...

 is the second oldest stave church
Stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing. The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. The load-bearing posts have lent their name to the building technique...

 in the country, which was constructed around 1150 and originally dedicated to St. Peter. It was converted to a cruciform church in 1625; the carved portal and wall planks are original. The baptismal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...

 dates from the original church and a Gothic
Gothic art
Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...

 crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....

 from the 13th century can be seen there as well.

In 1130, Ivar Gjesling
Gjesling
Gjesling was an old family at Vågå in Oppland, Norway.In 1130 Ivar Gjesling was the earliest-known owner of the farm Sandbu in Vågå. He served as King Magnus IV's lendmann for the Opplands. Ivar Gjesling, allied himself with the Birchlegs — who chose Sverre as their king at Øreting in 1177...

 was the earliest-known owner of Sandbu (just north of Vågåmo) in Vågå. He was also King Magnus IV
Magnus IV of Norway
Magnus IV Sigurdsson , also known as Magnus the Blind, was King of Norway from 1130 to 1135 and again from 1137 to 1139. His period as king marked the beginning of the civil war era in Norway, which lasted until 1240....

's lendmann
Lendmann
Lendmann , was a title in medieval Norway. Lendmann was the highest rank attainable in the hird of the Norwegian king, and a lendmann stood beneath only earls and kings...

 for the Opplands. Sigrid Undset
Sigrid Undset
Sigrid Undset was a Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928.-Biography:Undset was born in Kalundborg, Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was two years old. In 1924, she converted to Catholicism and became a lay Dominican...

's fictional Lady Ragnfrid, wife of Lavrans, was created a Gjesling from Sandbu. Ivar Gjesling, allied himself with the Birchlegs (Birkebeiner
Birkebeiner
The Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar was the name for a rebellious party in Norway, formed in 1174 around the pretender to the Norwegian throne, Eystein Meyla...

ne) — who chose Sverre as their king at Øreting in 1177. Sverre granted him the valley of Heidal
Heidal
Heidal is a valley and parish within Gudbrandsdalen valley, in the county of Oppland, Norway.-History:Heidal parish was separated from Vågå as a separate municipality of its own on January 1, 1908. It was merged with the municipality of Sel on January 1, 1965.Heidal is a side valley of Gudbrandsdalen...

 as a reward.

Farmers from Vågå participated in the successful attack on Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 mercenary troops journeying to join Swedish forces in 1612. The legends of the Battle of Kringen
Battle of Kringen
The Battle of Kringen was a battle perpetrated by a Norwegian peasant militia against Scottish mercenary soldiers who were on their way to enlist in the Swedish army for the Kalmar War....

 lives on to this day, including the story of how the peasant girl Prillar-Guri
Prillar-Guri
Pillar-Guri or Pillarguri is a semi legendary figure who according to oral tradition was a woman from Sel, Norway who played a key role in the Battle of Kringen in August 1612.-Background:...

lured the Scots into an ambush by playing of the traditional ram's horn.

Ole Paulssøn Haagenstad
Ole Paulssøn Haagenstad
Ole Paulssøn Haagenstad was a Norwegian politician.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 1814, 1815, 1818, 1824, 1827, 1833, 1836, 1839 and 1842, representing the rural constituency of Christians Amt . He worked as a farmer.-References:...

 (1775–1866) was in 1814 summoned by Christian-Frederick
Christian VIII of Denmark
Christian VIII , was king of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, king of Norway in 1814. He was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born in 1786 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen...

 to plan the defense of Gudbrandsdal
Gudbrandsdal
The Gudbrandsdalen is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Oppland. The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer at Mjøsa, extending 230 km toward Romsdal...

en in the event of a Swedish attack.
Over 150 houses in the municipality are designated as historic landmarks.

Notable residents

  • Benjamin Blessum
    Benjamin Blessum
    Benjamin Blessum was an American painter, graphic artist and illustrator. He was primarily known for his Norwegian landscapes.-Background:...

     (1877–1954) Norwegian-American painter and illustrator
  • Arne Brimi
    Arne Brimi
    Arne Brimi, born 1957, is a famous Norwegian chef and food writer. He is also known for his appearance on the TV-series "Gutta på tur" with Olympic gold medalists Vegard Ulvang, Bjørn Dæhlie, and host Arne Hjeltnes....

     (1957–) cook
  • Knut Hamsun
    Knut Hamsun
    Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....

     (1859–1952) Nobel Prize
    Nobel Prize
    The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...

     winning author
  • Ivar Kleiven
    Ivar Kleiven
    Ivar Kleiven was a Norwegian politician, historian and poet. He is most remembered as a collector of local folklore.-Background:...

      (1854–1934), local historian
  • Kristian Prestgard
    Kristian Prestgard
    Kristian Prestgard was an author and the editor of Decorah-Posten from 1923 until 1946.-Background:Kristian Prestgard was born in Heidal in Kristians Amt, Norway. His parents were Gudbrand Kristensen Harelstad and Marit Prestgard . When his father died early, Kristian moved with his mother back...

     (1866–1946) editor of the Decorah-Posten
  • Ragnvald Skrede
    Ragnvald Skrede
    Ragnvald Skrede was a Norwegian author, journalist, literature critic and translator.-Biography:Ragnvald Skrede was born in Vågå in Oppland county, Norway. Skrede was the youngest seven children. He was a student at Elverum teacher school . In 1928, he was hired as a teacher and sexton in...

     (1904–1983) poet
  • Edvard Storm
    Edvard Storm
    Edvard Storm , was a poet from Vågå, Oppland, Norway. He was the son of Johan Storm, the priest in Vågå, and his second wife, Ingeborg Birgitta Røring. The first 12 years of his life were spent in the Vågå rectory, until he began school in 1756 in Christiania...

     (1749–1794) poet
    Poet
    A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...


Sister cities

The following cities are twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with Vågå: - Tierps
Tierp Municipality
Tierp Municipality is a municipality in Uppsala County in east central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Tierp.-External links:* - Official site...

, Uppsala County
Uppsala County
Uppsala County is a county or län on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea.- Province :For History, Geography and Culture see: Uppland...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....


External links

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