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{{Refimprove|date=May 2008}}
:''"Sverige" redirects here. For other uses, see ] and ].'' ''
{{Infobox Country
|native_name = {{lang|sv|''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_location_SWE.png
|map_caption = {{map caption|country=]|region=]|subregion=the ]|legend=European location legend en.png}}
|national_motto = <span style="line-height:1.33em;">]&nbsp;{{lang|sv|''"För Sverige i tiden"''}}&nbsp;<sup>1</sup><br/><small>"For Sweden &ndash; With the Times"&nbsp;</small></span>
|national_anthem = {{lang|sv|'']''}}<sup>2</sup><br/><small>''Thou ancient, thou free''</small>
|royal_anthem = {{lang|sv|'']''}}<br/><small>''The Song of the King''</small>
|official_languages = None (] ''de facto'')<sup>3</sup>
|ethnic_groups = 85% ], 5% ], 0.2% ], ~15% others.
|demonym = ] or ]
|capital = ]
|latd=59 |latm=21 |latNS=N
|longd=18 |longm=4 |longEW=E
|largest_city = capital
|government_type = ] and ]
|leader_title1 = ]
|leader_name1 = ]
|leader_title2 = ]
|leader_name2 = ]
|leader_title3 = ]
|leader_name3 = <br/>]
|sovereignty_type = ]
|sovereignty_note =
|accessionEUdate = 1 January 1995
|EUseats = 19
|area_rank = 55th
|area_magnitude = 1 E11
|area_km2 = 449,964
|area_sq_mi = 173,732
|percent_water = 8.7
|population =
|population_estimate_rank = 88th
|population_census = 9,234,209<sup>4</sup>
|population_census_year = 2008
|population_density_km2 = 20
|population_density_sq_mi = 52
|population_density_rank = 194th
|GDP_PPP = $335.405 billion<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2004&ey=2008&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=144&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=33&pr.y=11|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref>
|GDP_PPP_rank = 30th
|GDP_PPP_year = 2008
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $37,525<ref name="autogenerated1" /> (IMF)
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 16th
|GDP_nominal = $454.839 billion<ref name="autogenerated1" />
|GDP_nominal_rank = 18th
|GDP_nominal_year = 2008
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $55,623<ref name="autogenerated1" /> (IMF)
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 8th
|Gini = 23
|Gini_year = 2005
|Gini_category = <font color="#009900">low</font>
|HDI = {{increase}} 0.958
|HDI_rank = 7th
|HDI_year = 2006
|HDI_category = <font color="#009900">high</font>
|currency = ]
|currency_code = SEK
|country_code = SWE
|time_zone = ]
|utc_offset = +1
|time_zone_DST = ]
|utc_offset_DST = +2
|date_format = yyyy-mm-dd; <br />also d/m yyyy
|drives_on = right
|drives_on = right
|cctld = ]<sup>5</sup>
|calling_code = 46
|footnote1 = {{lang|sv|''För Sverige - I tiden''}} has been adopted by Carl XVI Gustaf as his personal motto.
|footnote2 = {{lang|sv|'']''}} has never been officially adopted as national anthem, but is so by convention.
|footnote3 = The ] is the '']'' national language, but it is not an ''official'' language in Sweden. However, the main goal of the Swedish parliament is to keep the Swedish language the ''main'' language (''huvudspråk''). Five other languages are 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>
<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.sr.se/webbradio/?Type=db&Id=1104493 | title = Huvudspråk | language = English | publisher = ] | accessdate = 2008-06-22}}</ref>
|footnote4 = {{cite web |url=http://www.scb.se/templates/pressinfo____227515.asp |title=Population in the country, counties and municipalities on 31/12/2007 and Population Change in 2007 |publisher=Statistiska centralbyrån |accessdate=2008-02-19}}
|footnote5 = The ] domain is also used, as it is shared with other ] member states. The ] domain is another commonly used TLD ("nu" means "now" in Swedish).
}}
'''Sweden''' (pronounced {{Audio-IPA|en-us-Sweden.ogg|/ˈswiːdən/}}), officially the '''Kingdom of Sweden''' (]: {{Audio|Sv-Konungariket_Sverige.ogg|''Konungariket Sverige''}}), is a ] on the ] in ]. Sweden has land borders with ] to the west and ] to the northeast, and it is connected to ] by the ] in the southwest. At 450,000 km² (174,000 sq mi), Sweden is the third largest country in the ] in terms of area, with a population of over 9.2 million. Its ] and largest city is ] with a population of nearly 2 million in the metropolitan area, making it the largest city and metropolitan area among the ] countries.


], Sweden (December, 2005)]]
Sweden is a ] with a ] of government and a highly developed economy. It ranks first in the world in ]'s ] and 7:th in the ]'s ].
An '''ice hotel''' is a temporary ] made up entirely of ] and sculpted blocks of ]. They are promoted by their sponsors and have special features for travelers who are interested in novelties and unusual environments, and thus are in the class of ]s. Their lobbies are often filled with ]s, and food and beverages are specially chosen for the circumstances.


All of the ice hotels are reconstructed every year, and are dependent upon constant sub-zero temperatures during construction and operation. The walls, fixtures, and fittings are made entirely of ice, and are held together using a substance known as ], which takes the place of mortar in a traditional brick-built hotel.
Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages. It received a modern centralized administration beginning with King ] in the 16th century. In the 17th century the country expanded its territories to form the ]. Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The eastern half of Sweden, present-day ], was lost to ] in 1809. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military means forced ] into a ] with Sweden, a union which lasted until 1905. Since 1814, Sweden has been at peace, adopting a non-aligned foreign policy in peacetime and ] in wartime.<ref> </ref> It has been a member of the ] since 1995.
==Norway==


===Kirkenes Snow Hotel===
==Etymology==
Kirkenes Snow Hotel is situated in the eastmost town of Norway, close to the Norwegian-Russian border. The hotel had its first season during winter 2006/2007, the hotel had 20 rooms and the largest snow dome in Norway (8 metres high and 12 metres in diameter). All the rooms were individually decorated by the ice artists from Finland and Japan. The west Snow Hall was decorated by a local sculptor ]. A night in the snow hotel is combined with a special dinner prepared on an open fire, the visitors can also get a sauna before or after staying at the hotel. There is also a ] park and a ] farm in the hotel area.
{{main|Etymology of Sweden}}
] from Aspa, ] is the oldest native source mentioning Sweden, ''suiþiuþu'', from the 11th century.]]


===Ice Lodge===
The modern name ''Sweden'' is derived through ] from Old English ''Sweoðeod'', 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'' literally means "Realm of the ]", excluding the ]s in ].
The Ice Lodge is one of the largest in ] and part of the Bjorligard ]. It has a longer season than most ice hotels because of its altitude (1,250 meters above ]).


===Alta Igloo Hotel===
Variations of the name ''Sweden'' are used in most languages, with the exception of ] and ] using ''Sverige'' and the more notable exception of some ] where ''Ruotsi'' (]) and ''Rootsi'' (]) are used, names commonly considered etymologically related to the English name for ], referring to the people, '']'', originally from the coastal areas of ] — ].
The ] Igloo ice hotel has been rebuilt yearly since 2000. It is ]’s northernmost ice hotel, as it is located in the ] region and is approximately 250km from ]. The 2000 square metre hotel has 30 rooms, including 2 suites and it is decorated with numerous ice sculptures and ice furnishings, including lighting systems which enhance the different types of crystalline formations. Besides the bedrooms the hotel also contains an ice chapel, ice gallery and ice bar where drinks are served in glasses made of ice.
The Alta Igloo Hotel has a changing theme every year. In 2004, it was a Viking theme, in 2005, Norwegian fairytales, and in 2006, the theme was wild animals of the region. The guests use sleeping bags that sit on top of ] hides.


==Sweden==
The etymology of Swedes, and thus Sweden, is generally not agreed upon but suggestively deriving from ] ''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}}


===Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi===
Sweden's prehistory begins in the ] c. 12,000 BC with Late ] ]-hunting camps of the ] at the edge of the ice in what is now the country's southernmost province. This period was characterized by small bands of ] using ] technology.
The Icehotel in the village of ], about 17 km from ], ] was the world's first ice hotel. In 1989, Japanese ice artists visited the area and created an exhibition of ice art. In Spring 1990, ] artist ] held an exhibition in a cylinder-shaped ] in the area. One night there were no rooms available in the town, so some of the visitors asked for permission to spend the night in the exhibition hall. They slept in ]s on top of ] skin - the first guests of the "hotel".
], ]. Rock carvings (]s) are common all over Scandinavia and several thousands have been found in Sweden alone.]]
Farming and animal husbandry, along with monumental burial, polished flint axes and decorated pottery, arrived from the Continent with the ] in c. 4,000 BC. Sweden's southern third was part of the stock-keeping and agricultural ] 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 ] 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. It was largely cast into local designs on arrival.


The entire hotel is made out of snow and ice blocks taken from the ] - even the glasses in the bar are made of ice. Each spring, around March, Icehotel harvests tons of ice from the frozen Torne River and stores it in a nearby production hall with room for over 5 000 ]s of ice. The ice is used for creating Icebar designs and ice glasses, for ice sculpting classes, events and product launches all over the world. About 1 000 tons of what is left, is used in the construction of the next Icehotel.
The Nordic Bronze Age was entirely pre-urban, with people living in hamlets and on farmsteads with single-story wooden ]s.


When the temperature drops and the snow guns start humming on the Torne River shore, usually in mid-November, the building process begins. The snow is sprayed on huge ] shaped steel forms and allowed to freeze. After a couple of days, the forms are removed, leaving a maze of free-standing corridors of snow. In the corridors, dividing walls are built in order to create rooms and suites. Ice blocks are now being transported into the hotel where selected artists start creating the art and design of the perishable material. Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi opens in phases, the first phase opens in the beginning of December and for each week, another part of the hotel opens up for visitors and guests until the beginning of January when the entire construction is completed.
In the absence of any ] occupation, Sweden's Iron Age is reckoned up to the introduction of stone architecture and monastic orders about 1100. Much of the period is ], 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 ], extremely brief.
]. Rock paintings (]s) have been fairly limited to northern Scandinavia.]]
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 now for the first time be used systematically for soil improvement.


When completed, the hotel features a bar, church, main hall, reception area and rooms and suites for over 100 guests to sit and sleep on blocks of sculpted ice in the form of chairs and beds. There is also warm accommodation available next to the hotel. The Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi is known to be the biggest hotel of ice and snow in the world, spanning over some 6 000 m2. Each suite is unique and the architecture of the hotel is changed each year, as it is rebuilt from scratch. Each year artists submit their ideas for suites and a jury selects about 50 artists to create the church, ], reception, main hall and suites. When spring comes, everything melts away and returns to the Torne River. The Icehotel only exists between December and April, and has been listed as one of the ]. <ref>, ''About.com'', retrieved October 16, 2008.</ref>
A Roman attempt to move the Imperial border forward from the ] to the ] was aborted in AD 9 when Germans under Roman-trained leadership defeated the legions of ] by ambush in the ]. About this time, there was a major shift in the material culture of Scandinavia, reflecting increased contact with the Romans.


] that focuses on this hotel can be seen from time to time on ] <ref>, ''The Internet Movie Database'', retrieved September 6, 2008.</ref><ref>, ''The Internet Movie Database'', retrieved September 6, 2008.</ref> and ]<ref>, ''The Internet Movie Database'', retrieved September 6, 2008.</ref>.
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 was 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.


==Canada==
Sweden enters proto-history with the '']'' of ] in AD 98. In ] he mentions the Swedes ('']'') as a powerful tribe (''distinguished not merely for their arms and men, but for their powerful fleets'') with ships that had a ] in both ends (]s). Which kings (''kuningaz'') ruled these Suiones is unknown, but ] presents a long line of legendary and semi-legendary kings going back to the last centuries BC. As for literacy in Sweden itself, the ] was invented among the south Scandinavian elite in the 2nd century, 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 ] at the time, a language ancestral to Swedish and other ].
]
]


About 10 km west of ], and within the grounds of the ] winter resort, the first and unique Ice Hotel in ] is erected each January. It had 22 beds when it first opened in 2000. In its last iteration it had 85 beds, all made of ice but lined with ] furs and covered with mattresses and Arctic sleeping bags. Only the bathrooms are heated, in a separate insulated structure. The hotel is usually made (the ] and size may vary from season to season) with 5000 tons of sculpted ice and 15000 tons of snow, forming arches over rooms with 16 foot (5 m) and larger and higher spaces for one ] a N'Ice Club, a Ice Café, a slide of 60 feet and a ] where weddings are celebrated. The walls are more than 4 feet (1.2 m) thick on average. All of the furniture is made of ice. In addition to using ice glasses as in the Kiruna ice hotel, the bar (and room service) also serves cold cuts on ice plates.
In the 6th century ] named two tribes he calls the ''Suehans'' and the ''Suetidi'' who lived in ]. 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''). ] wrote that the contemporary Swedish king ] (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 '']''. He writes that the Suetidi are the tallest of men together with the ] who were of the same stock. Later he mentions other Scandinavian tribes for being of the same highth.


==Finland==
===Viking and Middle ages===
The Mammut Snow Hotel is not an ice hotel per se as it is made entirely of snow. Many of its furnishings and its decorations, such as the ice sculptures, are made of ice. It is located within the walls of the ], which is the biggest snow castle in the world. It includes The Mammut Snow Hotel, The Castle Courtyard, The Snow Restaurant and a chapel for weddings, etc.
{{seealso|Early Swedish history|Foundation of Modern Sweden}}
] in ], southern Sweden. This ship setting is a Vendel Period burial monument, most likely from the 7th century.]]


There are ice decorations also in Lainio Snow Hotel (near ] and ]).
The Swedish ] lasted roughly between the eighth and eleventh centuries. During this period, it is believed that the ] expanded from eastern Sweden and incorporated the ] to the south.<ref>The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001–05 </ref> It's believed that Swedish vikings and ] mainly travelled east and south, going to ], the Baltic countries, ], the Mediterranean and further as far as ]. Their routes passed the ] down south to ] (]) (present-day ], ]) on which they did numerous raids. The Byzantine Emperor ] noticed their great skills in war, and invited them to serve as his personal bodyguard, known as the ]. The Swedish vikings, called "]" are also believed to be the founding fathers of Russia. The arabic traveller "]" described these vikings as following: {{quote|I have seen the Rus as they came on their merchant journeys and encamped by the ]. 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 ]s in Sweden, such as the ] and the ]. There was also considerable participation in expeditions westwards, which are commorated on stones such as the ]. The last major Swedish Viking expedition appears to have been the ill-fated expedition of ] to ], the region south-east of the ]. Its members are commemorated on the ], none of which mentions any survivor. What happened to the crew is unknown, but it is believed that they died of sickness.


Hotel & Igloo Village Kakslauttanen is located 10&nbsp;km south from ]. It has snow igloos, glass igloos, an ice gallery, an ice chapel and a snow restaurant. The ice gallery has decorations made from ice and an ice chapel for wedding ceremonies. There is also a big snow restaurant for up to 150 people. Hotel Kakslauttanen is also famous of their unique glass igloos.
It is not known when and how the kingdom of Sweden was born, but the ] is drawn from the first kings who ruled ] (Sweden) and ] (Gothia) as one with ]. Sweden and Gothia were two separate nations long before that. It is not known how long they existed, '']'' described semi-legendary ] in the 6th century.


==Romania==
], a medieval city on ]]]
In 2006, the first ice hotel in ] was built in ], deep in the ], at an altitude of 2034 m. Due to its altitude and remote location the Ice Hotel is only accessible via cable car in the winter.
During the early stages of the Scandinavian ], ] in ] and ] on ], in present-day Sweden, were flourishing trade centers. 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 center 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 0816617392, pp. 150–153.</ref>


This picturesque setting is next to ], where each year local craftsmen wait for the lake to freeze, before using the ice to build the small 10 room Ice Hotel and its adjacent Ice Church. Local artists imitate sculptures by Romanian born modernist sculptor, ]. Typically the hotel is completed in December and is open until late April, early May when of course it melts.
] introduced Christianity in 829, but the new religion did not begin to fully replace ] until the twelfth century. During the 11th century, Christianity became the most prevalent religion, and from the year 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 ], creating conflicts with the ] which now 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 052136289X, 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>


Bedding, furs, specialist sleeping bags are all provided, with bathroom facilities nearby. There are also two chalets within walking distance, which also provide accommodation. Activities such as skiing, sledging or perhaps a ride on a snow bike are on offer. For those who are more organised and adventurous you can even arrange heliskiing.
In the 14th century, Sweden was struck by the ] (]). During this period the Swedish cities also began to acquire greater rights and were strongly influenced by German merchants of the ], active especially at ]. In 1319, Sweden and Norway were united under King ] and in 1397 Queen ] effected the personal union of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark through the ]. 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 ] family) chosen by the Swedish parliament. King ], 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 “]” and stirred the Swedish nobility to new resistance and, on 6 June (now Sweden's national holiday) in 1523, they made ] their king. This is sometimes considered as the ]. Shortly afterwards he rejected ] and led Sweden into the ]. Gustav Vasa is considered to be Sweden's "]".


The ] Ice Hotel is Romanian owned, but has a relationship with a travel company Untravelled Paths Limited, based in the United Kingdom.
===Swedish Empire===
] following the ] of 1658. Dominions in ], held from 1629 to 1635, do not appear on this map.
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{{legend|#B9B9B9|], ] and ] }}
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{{seealso|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 ]. Before the emergence of the Swedish Empire, Sweden was a very poor, scarcely populated, barely known of country in northern Europe with no significant power or reputation what so ever. It was suddenly brought up to be one of Europes leading nations by the genius ] and the present king ], thanks to territories seized from Russia and ] but also greatly thanks to his involvement in the ], which also made Sweden the continental leader of Protestantism until the Empire's collapse in 1721.

] warfare against ] had a high cost of the lives of a third of all the Holy Roman population, and it took the position of The Holy Roman Empire as the mightiest country in Europe with ] taking its place. Sweden managed to conquer approximately 50 percent of the Holy Roman states. The plan of Gustav Adolphus was to become the new Holy Roman Emperor over a united Scandinavia and the Holy Roman states, however after his death in 1632 at the ] the adversities were increasingly frequent. After the ] the faith for Sweden amongst the Swedish controlled German states was severely injured, and these provinces excluded themselves from Swedish power one by one, leaving Sweden with only a couple of northern German provinces namely ], ] and ].

In the middle of the 17th century Sweden was the third largest country in Europe by land area, only superseded by ] and ]. Sweden reached its largest territorial extent during this time under the rule of ] (1622–1660) after the ] 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:
.
</ref><ref>However, Sweden's largest territorial extent lasted from 1319 to 1343 with ] ruling all of the ] and Norway.</ref>
The foundation of Sweden's success during this period is credited to ]'s major changes on the Swedish economy in the mid-1500s, and his introduction of ].<ref name="GusEB">
"Gustav I Vasa - Britannica Concise" (biography),
''Britannica Concise'', 2007, webpage:
.
</ref> The 17th century saw Sweden engaged in many ]s, for example with the ] with both sides competing for territories of today's ], with the disastrous ] being one of the highlights.<ref></ref>

]]]

This period also saw ]&mdash;the Swedish invasion of the ]. After more than half a century of almost constant warfare, the Swedish economy had deteriorated. It would become the lifetime task of Charles' son, ] (1655–1697), to rebuild the economy and refit the army. His legacy to his son, the coming ruler of Sweden ], 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.

After the ] in 1700, one of the first battles of the ], 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 ] and his Saxon allies at the ] in 1702. This gave the Russian Tsar time to rebuild and modernize his 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 ] in 1709. After a long march exposed to ] raids, the Russian Tsar ]'s scorched-earth techniques and the ], 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.

]]]
Charles XII attempted to invade Norway 1716; however, he was shot dead at ] in 1718. The Swedes weren't 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 ] 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 ] and became one of Europe's dominant nations.

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 semi-autonomous ] in ].

In interest of reestablishing Swedish dominance in the ], Sweden allied it's self against it's traditional ally and benefactor, France, in the ]. Sweden's role in the ] gave it the authority to force Denmark-Norway, an ally of France, to cede ] to the King of Sweden on 14 January 1814 in exchange for northern German provinces, at the ]. The Norwegian attempts to keep their status as a sovereign state were rejected by the Swedish king, ]. He launched a military campaign against Norway on July 27, 1814, ending in the ], which forced Norway into a ] 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, however, have been participating in war many times since.

===Modern history===
{{seealso|Modernization of Sweden|Swedish emigration to the United States}}

The 18th and 19th centuries saw a significant population increase, which the writer ] in 1833 famously attributed to ''"the peace, the (]) ], and the ]"''.<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 percent 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>Koblik, Steven (1975).
''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970'',
University of Minnesota Press, p.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><ref name=Einhorn/>
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 ].<ref>Einhorn, Eric and John Logue (1989), p.8.</ref>
In the early 20th century, more Swedes lived in ] than in ] (Sweden's second largest city).<ref>Ulf Beijbom, , The House of Emigrants, Växjö, Sweden.</ref> Most Swedish immigrants moved to the ], with a large population in ]. Some Swedes moved to ]. Some also moved to ] and others in smaller numbers to ].
]. (See also: )]]
Despite the slow rate of industrialization into the 19th century, many important changes were taking place in the agrarian economy due to innovations and the large population growth.<ref name="Koblik9-10">Koblik, Steven (1975). ''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970'' University of Minnesota Press, pp. 9–10.</ref> These innovations included government-sponsored programs of ], aggressive exploitation of agricultural lands, and the introduction of new crops such as the potato.<ref name="Koblik9-10"/> Due also to the fact that the Swedish peasantry had never been enserfed as elsewhere in Europe,<ref> (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, Steven (1975). ''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970'' University of Minnesota Press, 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, Steven (1975). ''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970'' University of Minnesota Press, 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 ]. As the ] progressed during the twentieth century, people gradually began moving into ] to work in factories, and became involved in ] ]. A socialist revolution was avoided in 1917, following the re-introduction of ], and the country was ].

===World Wars===
{{POV-section|Nagatively Biased description of Sweden during WWII|date=January 2009}}
{{seealso|Sweden during World War II}}.

Sweden remained officially neutral during ] and ], although its neutrality during World War II has been vigorously debated.<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 most 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 ] 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 concessions to ].<ref>{{cite book|last=Zubicky|first=Sioma|year=1997|title=Med förintelsen i bagaget|language=]|publisher=Bonnier Carlsen|location=Stockholm|isbn=91-638-3436-7|page=122}}</ref> Swedish volunteers in Nazi SS units were among the first to invade the ] in ]. Sweden also supplied steel and machined parts to Germany throughout the war. Toward the end of the war however, when the defeat of Germany seemed imminent, 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 ] and the ].<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===
{{seealso|History of Sweden (1945–1989)}}

Sweden publicly claimed to be a neutral country and the image was forcefully maintained, but unofficially Sweden's leadership had strong ties with the ]. 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 defense pact with the United States. Knowledge of this alliance was kept secret from the Swedish public until 1994.

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 ] and participated in the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (]). During most of the post-war era, the country was governed by the ] (in ]: ''Socialdemokraterna''). Social democrats imposed ] policies: favoring big capitalist corporations and big unions, especially ], affiliated with Social Democrats.<ref name="svensteinmo">''Globalization and Taxation: Challenges to the Swedish Welfare State''. By Sven Steinmo.</ref> The amount 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 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>
] has been Sweden's king and ] since ].]]
Between 1970 and 1990 the overall tax burden rose by over ten percentage points 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 ]. 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"/>

] has been Sweden's king and ] since 1973.

===Recent history===
{{seealso|History of Sweden (since 1989)}}
] poster from the ]. The Social Democrats have dominated Swedish politics for almost a ] and the basic message is still the same.]]A bursting ] bubble caused by inadequate controls on lending combined with an ] recession and a policy switch from anti-unemployment policies to anti-inflationary policies and was 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, the central bank briefly jacking up interest to 500% in an unsuccessful effort to defend the currency's fixed exchange rate. {{Fact|date=October 2008}} Total employment fell by almost 10% during the crisis. {{Fact|date=October 2008}} The response of the government was to cut spending and institute a multitude of reforms to improve Sweden's competitiveness, among them reducing the ] and ] public services and goods. Much of the political establishment promoted EU membership, and the Swedish referendum passed by 52–48% in favour of joining the EU on 13 November 1994. Sweden joined the ] on 1 January 1995.

During the ], Europe's non-aligned Western countries, except the Republic of Ireland, had considered membership unwise, as the EU predecessor, the ], had been strongly associated with NATO countries. Following the end of the Cold War, however, Sweden, ] and ] joined, though in Sweden's case without adopting the ]. Sweden remains non-aligned militarily, although it participates in some joint military exercises with ] 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, ], where Swedish troops are under NATO command, and in EU sponsored peacekeeping operations in ] protectorate ], ], and ].

==Geography and climate==
{{main|Geography of Sweden}}
].]]
]

Situated in ] ], Sweden lies west of the ] and ], providing a long coastline, and forms the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. To the west is the ] (Skanderna), a range that separates Sweden from ].

Sweden is surrounded by ] (west), ] (northeast), the ], ] and ] ]s (southwest) and the ] (east). It has maritime borders with ], ], ], ], ], ], and ], and it is also linked to ] (southwest) by the ].
At {{convert|449964|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, Sweden is the 55th largest country in the world. It is the 5th largest in Europe, and the largest in Northern Europe. The land area is slightly larger than the ] of ], or equal to ] with a population in 2008 of over 9.2 million people.

]
The lowest elevation in Sweden is in the bay of ], near ] at {{convert|-2.41|m|ft|2|abbr=on}} below sea level. The highest point is ] at {{convert|2111|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level.

Sweden has 25 ] or '']'' (]s), based on ], geography and ]; ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. 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 '']'', parts, the northern ], the central ] and southern ]. The sparsely populated Norrland encompasses almost 60% of the country.

About 15% of Sweden lies north of the ]. Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, with increasing forest coverage northward. The highest population density is in the ] region in southern Sweden, and in the valley of lake ] near to Stockholm. ] and ] are Sweden's largest ]; ] and ] are Sweden's largest lakes. The lake Vänern is the largest lake in Northern Europe and the third largest in all Europe, after ] and ] in Russia.

===Climate===
] on ].]]
Most of Sweden has a ], despite its northern ], 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 ], the central part has a ] and the northernmost part has a ].<ref></ref>
However, Sweden is much warmer and drier than other places at the similar latitude, and even somewhat further south, mainly because of the ].<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/climate/impact/gulf_stream.shtml | title=BBC Climate and the Gulf Stream | accessdate=2008-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | 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>{{citeweb | url=http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/SUSTDEV/EIdirect/climate/EIsp0002.htm | title=Global Climate Maps}}</ref> Because of its high northern latitude, the length of daylight varies greatly. North of the ], the sun never sets for part of each summer, and for part of the winter the sun never rises. The capital of ]'s daylight lasts for more than 18 hours in late June, but only around 6 hours in late December. Most of Sweden has between 1,600 to 2,000 hours of sunshine annually.<ref>{{citeweb | 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}}</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 20 to 25°C (68–77°F)<ref>{{citeweb | 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}}</ref>
and lows of 12 to 15°C (53–59°F)<ref>{{citeweb | 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}}</ref>
in the summer, and average temperatures of &minus;4 to 2°C (25–36°F) in the winter,<ref>{{citeweb | 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}}</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>{{citeweb | 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}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | 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}}</ref>
Occasional heatwaves can occur a few times each year, and temperatures above 25°C (77°F) occur on many days during the summer, sometimes even in the north. It is possible during summertime for northern Sweden to have warmer weather then the middle or south of the country. Northern Sweden can experience warm, sunny weather with high pressure and temperatures in the range 25-30°C while some cities, such as Stockholm, Malmoe/Malmö and Göteborg have low pressure with temperatures in the range 15-20° with rain. Northern Scandinavia occasionally experiences high temperatures, with the record for the north being 37°C in a village called Norrbotten in Lappland, the northernmost province of Sweden. <ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.visit-stockholm.com/framesmaster.htm?http://www.visit-stockholm.com/about-stockholm/climate.htm | title=Stockholm climate | publisher=Visit Stockholm}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.smhi.se/content/1/c6/01/84/66/attatchments/s10-11_dec07.pdf | title=Lappland's climate | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref>
The highest temperature ever recorded in Sweden was 38°C (100.4°F) in Målilla in 1947, while the coldest temperature ever recorded was &minus;52.6°C (&minus;63.7°F) in Vuoggatjålme in 1966.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7522&a=20978&l=sv | title=Low temperature extremes | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7522&a=20974&l=sv | title=High temperature extremes | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref>
], Sweden's northernmost city.]]
On average, most of Sweden receives between 500 and 800&nbsp;mm (20 and 31&nbsp;in) of precipitation each year, making it considerably drier than the ]. The southwestern part of the country receives more precipitation, between 1000 and 1200&nbsp;mm (39 and 47&nbsp;in), and some mountain areas in the north are estimated to receive up to 2000&nbsp;mm (79&nbsp;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 its northernly locations, southern and central Sweden tends to be virtually free of snow.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7618&a=21516&l=sv | title=Annual precipitation map | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref><ref name="Sweden's climate">{{citeweb | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=5441 | title=Sweden's climate | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}} (in Swedish, see also the )</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></ref>
|-
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color: #000000" height="17" | City
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jan
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Feb
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Mar
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Apr
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | May
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jun
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jul
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Aug
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Sep
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Oct
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Nov
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Dec
|-
! style="background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" height="16;" | ]
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | -10/-16
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | -8/-15
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | -4/-13
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 2/-7
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 8/0
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 14/6
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 17/8
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 14/6
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 9/2
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 1/-4
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | -5/-10
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | -8/-15
|-
! style="background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | ]
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | -5/-10
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | -3/-9
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 0/-6
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 5/-2
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 12/3
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 16/8
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 18/10
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 17/10
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 12/6
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 6/2
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 0/-3
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | -3/-8
|-
! style="background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" height="16;" | ]
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 1/-2
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 1/-3
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 4/-2
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 11/3
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 16/8
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 20/12
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 23/15
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 22/14
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 17/10
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 10/6
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 5/2
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 1/-1
|-
! style="background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | ] ''(Göteborg)''
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 2/-1
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 4/-1
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 6/0
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 11/3
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 16/8
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 19/12
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 22/14
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 22/14
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 18/10
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 12/6
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 7/3
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 3/-1
|-
! style="background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" height="16;" | ]
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 1/-2
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 1/-3
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 3/-2
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 9/1
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 14/6
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 18/10
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 21/13
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 20/13
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 16/9
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 10/6
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 5/2
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 2/0
|-
! style="background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | ]
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 3/-1
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 3/-1
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 6/0
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 12/3
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 17/8
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 19/11
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 22/13
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 22/14
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 18/10
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 12/6
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 8/4
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 4/1
''
|-
|}

==Administration and politics==
{{main|Politics of Sweden}}<!--Please add new information to relevant articles of the series-->

Sweden is a ], in which ] 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 |title=Sweden in Brief/A Political Society |publisher=Sweden.se |accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> The ], while acknowledging that democracy is difficult to measure, listed Sweden in first place in its index of democracy assessing 167 countries.<ref>{{cite web
|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=] |language=English}}</ref> The nation's legislative body is the ] (Swedish Parliament), with 349 members, which chooses the ]. Parliamentary elections are held every four years, on the third Sunday of September.
]

===Counties and municipalities===
{{main|Counties of Sweden|Municipalities of Sweden}}

Sweden is a ], currently divided into ] ({{lang|sv|'']''}}). Each county has a ] or ''länsstyrelse'', which is appointed by the ] (the first Swedish County Administrative Board was made up by the Swedish Prime Minister ] in 1634). In each county there is also a separate ] or ''landsting'', which is elected directly by the people.

Each county further divides into a number of ] or ''kommuner'', with a total of 290 municipalities in 2004. ] government in Sweden is similar to ] and ]. A legislative municipal assembly ''(])'' of between 31 and 101 members (always an uneven number) is elected from ] at municipal elections, held every four years in conjunction with the national parliamentary elections.

The municipalities are also divided into a total of 2,512 ], or ''församlingar'' (2000). These have traditionally been a subdivision of the ], but still have importance as districts for census and elections.

There are also older historical divisions, primarily the ] and ], which still retain cultural significance. The Swedish government is investigating the possibilities of merging the current 21 counties into circa 9 larger ]s along the lines of the current ] used for statistical purposes. If approved, these would come into effect around 2015.<ref></ref>
{{see|Subdivisions of Sweden}}

===Political history===
] (Swedish) and ] (Geats) in the tenth century]]

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):
{|
|-
| &nbsp;
|Hur och när det svenska riket uppstod vet vi inte. Först under 1100-talet börjar skriftliga dokument produceras i Sverige i någon större omfattning
| &nbsp;
|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) ruled ] or if the emergence of the nation started with the ''Svear'' and the '']'' (]) of ] being united under one ruler. In the first case, Sweden was first mentioned as having one single ruler in the year 98 by ], but it is almost impossible to know for how long it had been this way. However, historians usually start the line of ] from when Svealand and Götaland were ruled under the same king, namely ] and his son ] in the 10th century. These events are often described as the ], although substantial areas were conquered and incorporated later.

Earlier kings, for which no reliable historical sources exist, can be read about in ] and ]. Many of these kings are only mentioned in various ] and blend with ].

The title ''Sveriges och Götes Konung'' was last used for ], after which the title became "], ] and ]" (''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> . SFS 1973:702. Justitiedepartementet L6, 19 September 1973.</ref> The present King of Sweden, ], 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 ].<ref name="Riksdagen">The Swedish Parliament. . Retrieved 13 February 2007.</ref> During the assemblies of 1527 and 1544, under King ], representatives of all four ] (''], ], ]'' and '']'') 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 ] until 1680, followed by the King's ] initiated by the common estates of the Parliament. As a reaction to the failed ], a ] was introduced in 1719, followed by three different flavours of ] in 1772, 1789 and 1809, ] granting several civil liberties. The monarch remains as the formal, but merely symbolic, ] with ] duties.

The ] consisted of two chambers. In 1866 Sweden became a ] with a ] parliament, with the First Chamber indirectly elected by ]s, and the Second Chamber directly elected in national elections every four years. In 1971 the Riksdag became ]. Legislative power was (symbolically) shared between king and parliament until 1975. Swedish ] is controlled by the ] (parliament).

===Modern political system===
] building, Stockholm.]]

Constitutionally, the 349-member Riksdag (]) holds supreme authority in modern Sweden. The Riksdag is responsible for choosing the prime minister, who then appoints the government (the ministers). The ] is then shared between the parliament and the Prime Minister led government. The ] is exercised by the government, while the ] is independent. Sweden lacks compulsory ], 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, due to 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 ] for a four-year term. The ] 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.

]
The ] has played a leading political role since 1917, after ]s had confirmed their strength and the ] 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 ] the ], allied with the ], ], and the ], 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 ]. The next elections will be held in ].<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>

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 ], 81.99 in ]). 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 = ]
| year = 1999
| pages = 103–123
| isbn = 0198295685}}</ref>

Some Swedish political figures that have become known worldwide include ], ], former ] of the ] ], former Prime Minister ], former Prime Minister and ] ], former President of the ] ], and former ] Iraq inspector ].

===Political movements===
Sweden has a history of strong political involvement by ordinary people through its "popular movements" (''Folkrörelser''), the most notable being ], the independent Christian movement, the ], the ] and—more recently—the sports movement.

Sweden is currently leading the EU in statistics measuring ] in the political system and equality in the ] 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> ] founded the first Swedish feminist party, the ] party, commonly referred to simply as ''F!'', in 2005. '']'' magazine quoted Schyman's view of Sweden's reputation for ] initiatives: "In Sweden there’s a gap between words and reality.... Internationally a lot of people look upon Sweden as equality paradise, but that is not the truth – and now things are actually going backwards."<ref>Mosey, Chris. Ms. magazine. Fall 2006.</ref> In fact the pay gap between men and women in Sweden is 16%; a bit higher than the EU average of 15%. Sweden compares unfavourably with the EU average when it comes to providing full-time jobs for women, with a high fraction of employed women working part-time.<ref name=EUEqualityReport/>

===Law, law enforcement and judicial system===
]).]]

The ] is the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the ], 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 ]. The Supreme Court consists of 16 Councillors of Justice or '']'' which are appointed by the ], but the court as an institution is independent of the ], and the government is not able to interfere with the decisions of the court.

] is carried out by several government entities. The ] is a ] concerned with ] matters. The ] is a national ] unit within the ]. ]'s responsibilities are ], anti-] activities, protection of the ] and protection of sensitive objects and people.

According to a victimization survey of 1,201 residents in 2005, Sweden has above average ]s 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===
Throughout the twentieth century, ] was based on the principle of non-alignment in peacetime and ] 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 participated in any war since the end of the ] in 1814. During ] Sweden joined neither the ] nor ] powers. This has been disputed by many since in effect Sweden allowed 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 the rich mines in northern Sweden, which was vital to the German war machine.<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><ref name="NB313-319" />

During the early ] era, Sweden combined its policy of non-alignment with a low profile in international affairs, although it also pursued a ] based on strong ] to deter attack.<ref>Nordstrom, p 336: "As a corollary, a security policy based on strong national defenses 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 ] was ] over the Baltic Sea by a Soviet ] ] ]. Later investigations revealed that the plane was actually gathering information for ].<ref>National Geographical News, web article, ''Cold War Spy Plane Found in Baltic Sea'' 10 November 2003.</ref> Another plane, a ] ] 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 ] 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 ], and in support to the ]. Since the assassination of ] 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 ] ran aground close to the Swedish naval base at ] 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 ] 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 ], 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}}
] is an advanced Swedish multi-role ] of the ].]]
] ] ].]]

''Försvarsmakten'' (]) is a government agency reporting to the Swedish ] and responsible for the ] 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 ] (''Överbefälhavaren'', ÖB), after the sovereign the most senior officer in the country.

Until the end of the Cold War, nearly all males reaching the age of ] were ]. 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. After the Defence Proposition of 2004, the number of troops in training will decrease even more to between 5,000 and 10,000 each year. 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 ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].

Currently, one of the most important tasks for the Swedish Armed Forces has been to form a Swedish-led ] 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 ] (NBG) had a 10-day deployment readiness during the first half of 2008 and, although Swedish led, had its Operational Headquarters (OHQ) in ], outside London.

==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Sweden}}
] (GRP) per capita in thousands of kronor (2004).]]

Sweden is an export-oriented ] featuring a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external ], and a skilled ] force. ], ], and ] constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward ]. Sweden's engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Telecommunications, the automotive industry and the pharmaceutical industries are also of great importance. ] accounts for 2 percent of ] and employment.

The 20 largest (by turnover in 2007) companies registered in Sweden are ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref></ref> Sweden's industry is overwhelmingly in ] control; unlike some other industrialized Western countries, such as Austria and Italy, publicly owned enterprises were always of minor importance.
]

Some 4.5 million residents are working, out of which around a third with tertiary education. ] 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"/> According to OECD, deregulation, globalization, and technology sector growth have been key productivity drivers.<ref name="oecd2007"/> GDP per hour worked is growing 2½ per cent a year for the economy as a whole and trade-terms-balanced productivity growth 2%.<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> by Goran Normann, Ph.D. and Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D. June 29, 2000.</ref> The Swedish labor market has become more flexible, but it still has some widely acknowledged problems.<ref name="oecd2007"/> The typical worker receives 40% of his income after the ]. The slowly declining overall taxation, 51.1% of GDP in 2007, is still nearly double of that in the United States or Ireland. State and municipal bureaucrats amount to a third of Swedish workforce, multiple times the proportion in many 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>
] and part of its ].]]

The ] 2008 competitiveness index ranks Sweden 4<sup>th</sup> most competitive, behind ].<ref></ref> The ] 2008 ranks Sweden the 27<sup>th</sup> most free out of 162 countries, or 14<sup>th</sup> out of 41 European countries, Sweden ranked 9<sup>th</sup> in the IMD Competitiveness Yearbook 2008, scoring high in private sector efficiency.<ref name="imd"></ref> According to the book, ''The Flight of the Creative Class'', by the U.S. economist, Professor ] of the ], Sweden is ranked as having the best ] 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>", Invest in Sweden Agency, 25 June 2005.</ref>

Swedes have rejected the ] in a popular vote and Sweden maintains its own currency, the ] (SEK). The Swedish ] — founded in 1668 and thus making it the oldest central bank in the world — is currently focusing on price stability with its ] 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"></ref>

The largest trade flows are with ], the ], ], the ], ], and ].

A September 29, 2008 editorial in the ] quoted Jan Björklund, leader of Sweden's Liberal Party, as saying, "The corporate tax is one of the taxes which large companies really study when they plan to set up business somewhere." The editorial goes on to say, "The corporate tax reduction will bring the Swedish rate down to 26.3% from 28%, continuing its fall from a high of 57% in 1987... entrepreneurship had become such an alien concept that more than half of Sweden's 50 largest companies were founded before World War I and only two after 1970—the period when taxes and social welfare programs proliferated... Three years ago Sweden eliminated its inheritance tax."<ref>, Wall St. Journal, September 29, 2008</ref>

==Infrastructure==
{{main|Transport in Sweden}}
{{seealso|Nordic energy market|Nuclear power phase-out in Sweden|Oil phase-out in Sweden}}
]

Sweden's energy market is largely privatized. The ] is one of the first liberalized energy markets in Europe and it's traded in ]. In 2006, out of a total electricity production of 139 ], electricity from hydropower accounted for 61 TWh (44%), and ] delivered 65 TWh (47%). At the same time, the use of ]s, ] 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></ref> ] is mainly used to produce heat for ] and ] and industry processes.
]
The ] strengthened Sweden's commitment to decrease dependence on imported fossil fuels. Since then, ] has been generated mostly from ] and nuclear power. The use of nuclear power has been limited, however. Among other things, the accident of ] (]) prompted the ] to ban new nuclear plants. In March 2005, an opinion poll showed that 83% supported maintaining or increasing nuclear power.<ref></ref> Politicians have made announcements about ], decrease of nuclear power, and multi-billion dollar investments in ] and energy efficiency.<ref name="Agenda21"/><ref name="Vidal">Vidal, John. . 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 ], including ]es in general and ] taxes in particular.<ref name="Agenda21">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden. ''''. 5th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997.</ref>
] M32]]

Sweden has 162,707 km paved road and 1,428 km of expressways. ]s run through Sweden, ] and over the ] to ], ], ] and ]. The system of motorways is still under construction and a new motorway from Uppsala to ] was finished on October 17, 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 ].

The ] market is privatized, but while there are many privately owned enterprises, many operators are still owned by state or municipalities. Operators include ], ], ], ], ], ], and a number of ] companies. Most of the railways are owned and operated by ].

The largest airports include ] (17.91 million passengers in 2007) 40 km north of Stockholm, ] (4.3 million passengers in 2006), and ] (2.0 million passengers). Sweden hosts the two largest port companies in Scandinavia, ] (]) and the transnational company ].

==Public policy==
{{seealso|Nordic model|Swedish welfare}}
] district in ], ].]]
Sweden has always provided solid support for ] (except agriculture), free immigration, and strong property rights. After World War II a succession of governments increased the ] and the tax burden, and Sweden's GDP per capita ranking fell from the 4<sup>th</sup> to 14<sup>th</sup> place in a few decades.<ref name="eu-usa">, Fredrik Bergström & Robert Gidehag</ref>

Sweden started to move away from this model in the 1980s, and according to the OECD and to ], Sweden has recently been relatively fast in liberalization compared to countries such as ]. Deregulation-induced competition helped Sweden to halt the economic decline and restore strong growth rates in the 2000s.<ref>, ] IMG institute 2006</ref><ref name="oecd2007"/> The current Swedish government is continuing the trend to pursue moderate reforms.<ref>, ] Sep 13th 2007</ref><ref name="oecd2007"/> 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. Some believe Swedish agricultural policy helped to move EU negotiations of the mid 1990s in a more market-oriented direction.<ref>Lindberg, Henrik. "The Role of Economists in Liberalizing Swedish Agriculture" (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 ] scale with a municipal income tax of about 30% and an additional high-income state tax of 20&ndash;25% when a salary exceeds roughly 320,000 SEK per year. The employing company pays an additional 32% of an "employer's fee." In addition, a national ] 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> Inverted ] - 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 bureaucracy (38% of Danish workforce). Spending on transfers is also high.

Eighty percent of the workforce is organized through the trade-unions which have the right to elect two representatives to the board in all Swedish companies with more than 25 employees.<ref></ref> Sweden have a relative high amount of sick leaves per worker in ]: 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 ] the unemployment rate in December 2008 was at 6.4%.<ref></ref>

==Education==
{{main|Education in Sweden}}
] (est. 1477)]]

Sweden has one of the best education systems in the world. Children aged 1–5 years old are guaranteed a place in a public ] (]: ''förskola'' or, colloquially, ''dagis''). Between the ages of 6 and 16, children attend compulsory comprehensive school. Swedish 15-year-old pupils have the 22<sup>nd</sup> highest average score in ] assessments, being neither significantly higher nor lower than the OECD average.<ref></ref> After completing the 9<sup>th</sup> grade, about 90% of the students continue with a three-year upper secondary school (''gymnasium''), which can lead to both a job qualification or the entrance exam to university. The school system is largely financed by taxes. The Swedish government treats public and independent schools equally<ref name="swedishmodeleconomist">, ]</ref> by introducing ]s in 1992 as one of the first countries in the world after ]. 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 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 ], the oldest and largest of which are situated in ], ], ] and ]. Only a few countries such as ], the ] and ] have higher levels of ] degree holders. Along with several other European countries, the government also subsidises tuition of international students pursuing a degree at Swedish institutions, although there has been talk of this being changed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.studyinsweden.se/templates/cs/CommonPage____4962.aspx |title=Fees and costs - study in Sweden |accessdate=2007-06-18 |format= |work=}}</ref>

==Demographics==
] is the capital and largest city in Sweden]]

{{main|Demographics of Sweden|Swedish people}}
As of 2008, the total population of Sweden was estimated to be 9,234,209.<ref>Statistics Sweden.. ''Population statistics'', 1 January 2007. Retrieved 14 February 2007.</ref> The population exceeded 9 million for the first time as of approximately 12 August 2004 according to ]. The ] is only 20 people per km² (52 per square mile) and it is substantially higher in the south and than in the north. About 85% of the population live in urban areas.<ref>Statistics Sweden. ''Yearbook of Housing and Building Statistics 2007''. Statistics Sweden, Energy, Rents and Real Estate Statistics Unit, 2007. ISBN 9789161813612. Available online in </ref> The capital city ] 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 ] and ]. About 85% of the population live in urban area, and 21% in Stockholm metropolitan area.

Of the 2007 population approximately 16.7% (1.53 million) had at least one parent born abroad or were themselves born abroad.<ref>SCB. 31 December 2006. (In Swedish). Retrieved 3 April 2007.</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 ] ending after World War I to a nation of ] from World War II onwards. In 2006, immigration to Sweden reached its highest level since records began.<ref></ref>
] in ] ].]]

The largest immigrant group living in Sweden as of 2008 consists of people born in ], followed by people born in ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref name="Integrationsverket">The Swedish Integration Board (2006). ''Pocket Facts: Statistics on Integration''. Integrationsverket, 2006. ISBN 9189609301. Available online in . Retrieved 14 February 2007.</ref>

Sweden has also one of the largest exile communities of ] and ] ] (also known as ]s) with a population of around 100,000. ] is home to 22,000 Assyrians, the most of any city in Europe. Additionally, there are 40,000 Assyrians in ]. Some other cities with large Assyrian/Syriac population are ], ], ], ] and ].

Immigration from the other Nordic countries reached a peak of more than 40,000 per year in 1969–70 when the new immigration rules introduced in 1967 had made it more difficult for immigrants from outside the Nordic region to settle in Sweden for labour market policy reasons.<ref name="Integrationsverket" /> 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 America, especially from Iran and Chile. 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>

===Language===
]
{{main|Swedish language|Languages of Sweden}}
{{seealso|Swedish dialects}}

The primary language of Sweden is ], a ], related and very similar to ] and ], but differing in pronunciation and ]. Norwegians have little difficulty understanding Swedish, and Danes can also understand it, with slightly more difficulty than the Norwegians.<ref name="KarlsU">
"Karlstad University" (on languages taught/spoken),
Karlstad University, 2006, webpage:
.
</ref> Although Swedish is the dominant language, it is not an ]. ] are Sweden's largest linguistic minority, comprising about 3 percent of Sweden's population and ] is recognised as a minority language. Four other ] are also recognised (], ], ] and ]). The issue of whether Swedish should be declared the official language has been raised and the parliament voted on the matter in 2005 but the proposal narrowly failed.<ref>, '']'', 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 ] thanks to trade links, the popularity of overseas travel, a strong Anglo-American influence and the tradition of ] rather than dubbing foreign television shows and films. English became a compulsory subject for ] students studying ]s 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 ] and ], 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) ], ] and ].<ref name=KarlsU/> Some Danish and Norwegian is at times also taught as part of the Swedish course for native speakers.
Due to immigration, ] is spoken by more than 100,000 inhabitants.

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in Sweden}}
].]]
Before the 11<sup>th</sup> century, Swedes adhered to ], worshiping ] gods, with its centre at the ]. With ] in the 11<sup>th</sup> century, the laws of the country were changed, forbidding worship of other deities into the late 19<sup>th</sup> century.

After the ] in the 1530s, a change significantly affected by ]'s Swedish associate ], the Church and state were separated and the authority of Roman Catholic bishops abolished, allowing ] to prevail. This process was completed by the ] of 1593. During the era following the ], usually known as the period of ], small groups of non-Lutherans, especially ] ], the ] and ] or ] from ], played a significant role in trade and industry, and were quietly tolerated as long as they kept a low religious profile. The ] originally had their own shamanistic religion, but they were converted to Lutheranism by Swedish missionaries in the 17<sup>th</sup> and 18<sup>th</sup> centuries.
]]]
Not until liberalization in the late 18th century, however, were believers of other faiths, including ] and ], allowed to openly live and work in Sweden, and it remained ] until 1860 for Lutheran Swedes to convert to another religion. The 19th century saw the arrival of various ] ]es, and, towards the end of the century ], leading many to distance themselves from Church rituals. Leaving the ] became legal with the so-called dissenter law of 1860, but only under the provision of entering another denomination. The right to stand outside any religious denomination was established in the Law on ] in 1951.

Today about 75% of Swedes belong to the Church of Sweden (Lutheran), but the number is decreasing by about 1% every year, and Church of Sweden services are sparsely attended (hovering in the single digit percentages of the population).<ref>, </ref> The reason for the large number of inactive members is partly that until 1996, children became members automatically at birth if at least one of the parents was a member. Since 1996, all 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, ] has meant that there are now some 92,000 ] and 100,000 ] living in Sweden.<ref></ref> Because of ], Sweden also has a significant ] population. Almost half a million are Muslims by tradition, but approximately 5% (25,000) of these actively practise Islam (in the sense of attending Friday prayer and praying five times a day).<ref></ref> (See ].)

===Health===
{{seealso|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 ]. It also ranks high in ] and in safe ]. 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 ] of Sweden and is mainly funded by taxes, with nominal fees for patients. One major criticism leveled at Swedish health care are long waiting times before treatment.

== Science and technology ==
], the first ] and the first ] in ].]]
Being an advanced ], research plays a key role for economic development as well as for society at large, Sweden's high-quality scientific and technological development is renowned throughout the world.

Altogether, the public and the private sector in Sweden allocate nearly four per cent of ] to ] (R&D), which makes Sweden one 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 important fields. Sweden tops ] in comparative statistics both in terms of research investments as a percentage of GDP and in the number of published scientific works per capita.<ref></ref>

Though a relatively small country, Sweden has long been at the forefront of research and development. For several decades, the ], committed to strengthening R&D, has set high priorities on scientific and R&D activities. This strong engagement has helped make Sweden a leading country in terms of ].

For many years, Sweden has been a leading player among ] countries in terms of its investments in and use of advanced ]. In international comparison, Swedish high-technology manufacturing is relatively large in all high-technology segments, and particularly in ]s and ]s.

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 ], ] and ], were even more outstanding. Only ] reported a higher rate of triadic patenting.

Furthermore, Sweden ranked either as the first or second country publishing the highest number of scientific publications in the fields of ], ] and ] 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 in relation to its population size.

In terms of structure, the Swedish economy is characterized by a large knowledge-intensive and export-oriented manufacturing sector, an increasing, but comparatively small, ] ], and by international standards, a large public service sector. Large organisations both in manufacturing and services dominate the ].<ref></ref>

===Inventions===
{{main|Swedish inventions}}
], inventor of dynamite and institutor of the ].]]

In the 18<sup>th</sup> century Sweden's ] took off. Previously, technical progress had mainly come from professionals who had immigrated from mainland Europe. In 1739, the ] was founded, with people such as ] and ] 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 internationally familiar. ] founded ], and received the Nobel Prize for his ]. ] invented ] and instituted the ]s. ] started the company bearing his name, ], still one of the largest telecom companies in the world. Jonas Wenström was an early pioneer in ] and is along with ]n inventor ] 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. ] is an invention for storing liquid foods, invented by ]. ] invented the ], a worldwide standard for shipping and civil aviation navigation. ], an ulcer medicine, was the world's best-selling drug in the 1990s and was developed by ]. 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
|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>

Sweden has a total of 33,523 ]s as of 2007, according to the ], and only ten other countries have more patents than Sweden.<ref>Patents By Country, State, and Year - All Patent Types
(December 2007)</ref>

==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Sweden}}
], painted in the traditional Swedish ].]]

Sweden has many authors of worldwide recognition including ], ], and ] winners ] and ]. In total seven ] have been awarded to Swedes. The nation's most well-known artists are painters such as ] and ], and the sculptors ] and ].

Swedish twentieth-century culture is noted by pioneering works in the early days of ], with ] and ]. In the 1920s&ndash;1980s, the filmmaker ] and actors ] and ] became internationally noted people within cinema. More recently, the films of ] and ] have received international recognition.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Sweden was seen as an international leader in what is now referred to as the "]", with ] having particularly been promoted.<ref>{{cite news ||http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/Article____12355.aspx |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 '']'' (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, in recent decades, fairly liberal regarding ], as is reflected in the popular acceptance of films such as '']'', which is about two young ] in the small Swedish town of Åmål. In the absence of legislation on ]s, Sweden offers both ] and ] for same-sex couples. Cohabitation (''sammanboende'') by couples of all ages, including teenagers as well as elderly couples, is widespread although in recent years it has become administratively problematic with regard to proof in claims of "spousal" social security. Recently, Sweden is experiencing a baby boom.

===Music===
{{main|Music of Sweden}}
].]]

Sweden has a rich musical tradition, ranging from medieval folk ballads to ]. 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 '']'' (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 ] scene, both in the traditional style as well as more modern interpretations which often mix in elements of rock and jazz. ] is more of a traditionalist group, using a unique, traditional Swedish instrument called the '']'' while ], ], and ] have more modern elements. There is also ] music, called the '']'', 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 ] and ] or ] aware music, as well a large portion of pop and rock music having ] and ] political messages.

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 0415943566: "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>
] of Swedish band ] performing in 1977.]]

Sweden is the third largest music exporter in the world, with over 800 million dollars in 2007 years revenue, surpassed only by the US and the UK.<ref>http://www.swedenabroad.com/Page____59218.aspx</ref> ] was one of the first internationally well-known popular music bands from Sweden, and still ranks among the ], 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 ], ], ], and the ] to name some of the biggest, and recently there has been a surge of Swedish ] bands such as ], ] and ]. Sweden has also exported a multitude of rock bands throughout the last ten years, for example ], Sideshow Fair, ], ], ], ], and ] (partially American; majority of members from Sweden). Another artiste from Sweden is the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest winner ].

Sweden has also become known for a large number of ] (mostly ] and ] ) as well as ]- and ] bands. Some examples are ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. The ] guitarist ] is from Sweden, as is current ] lead vocalist, ].
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></ref>

===Media===
{{main|Media in Sweden}}
] skyscraper in ] is the second tallest residential skyscraper in Europe.]]

Swedes are among the greatest consumers of ]s in the world, and nearly every town is served by a local paper. The country's main quality morning papers are ] (liberal), ] (liberal), ] (liberal conservative) and ] (liberal).. The two largest evening ]s are ] (social democratic) and ] (liberal). The ad-financed, free international morning paper, ], was originally founded in Stockholm, Sweden. The country's news is reported in English by, among others, ] (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, ], was launched in 1969. These two channels (operated by ] since the late '70s) held a monopoly until the 1980s when cable and satellite television became available. The first Swedish language satellite service was ] which started broadcasting from London in 1987. It was followed by ] in 1989 (then known as Nordic Channel) and ] in 1990.

In 1991 the government announced it would begin taking applications from private television companies wishing to broadcast on the ]. 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. ] 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 ], carved during the ] circa 800 AD. With the conversion of the land to Christianity around 1100 AD, Sweden entered the ], during which monastic writers preferred to use Latin. Therefore there are only a few texts in the ] 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 ].
].]]

With improved education and the freedom brought by ], the 17th century saw several notable authors develop the Swedish language further. Some key figures include ] (17th century), who was the first to write classical poetry in Swedish; ] (18th century), the first to write fluent Swedish prose; ] (late 18th century), the first writer of ] ballads; and ] (late 19th century), a socio-realistic writer and playwright who won worldwide fame. The early 20th century continued to produce notable authors, such as ], (] 1909), ] (Nobel laureate 1916) and ] (Nobel laureate 1951).

In recent decades, a handful of Swedish writers have established themselves internationally, including the detective novelist ] and the writer of spy fiction ]. But the only Swedish writer to have made a significant mark on world literature is the children's book writer ], and her books about ], ], and others.

===Holidays===
{{main|Public holidays in Sweden}}
] bonfire in Sweden.]]

Apart from traditional Protestant ], Sweden also celebrates some unique holidays, some of a pre-Christian tradition. They include ] celebrating the summer ]; ] (''Valborgsmässoafton'') on 30 April lighting bonfires; and ] or Mayday on 1 May is dedicated to socialist demonstrations. The day of giver-of-light ], 13 December, is widely acknowledged in elaborate celebrations which betoken its Italian origin and commence the month-long Christmas season. 6 June is the ] and, as of 2005, a public holiday. Furthermore, there are ] observances and a ] calendar. In August many Swedes have ''kräftskivor'' (crayfish dinner parties). ] Eve is celebrated in ] in November with ''Mårten Gås'' parties, where roast goose and '']'' ('black soup', made of goose stock, fruit, spices, spirits and goose blood) are served. The ], one of Sweden's indigenous minorities, have their holiday on February 6 and Scania celebrate their Scanian Flag day on the third Sunday in July.

===Cuisine===
{{main|Swedish cuisine}}
]).]]

Swedish cuisine, like that of the other ]n countries (], ] and ]), was traditionally simple. ] (particularly ]), ] and ]es played prominent roles. Spices were sparse. Famous dishes include Swedish meatballs, traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes and ]; pancakes, '']'', and ], or lavish buffet. '']'' is a popular alcoholic ], and the drinking of '']'' is of cultural importance. The traditional flat and dry ] has developed into several contemporary variants. Regionally important foods are the '']'' (a fermented fish) in Northern Sweden and ] in ] in Southern Sweden. However, Swedes have traditionally also been very open to foreign influences, ranging from the ] during the eighteenth century, Mediterreanean cuisine, to the ] and cafe ] of today.

===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: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Amongst several directors who have made internationally successful films can be mentioned: ], ], and ].

===Fashion===
Interest in fashion is big in Sweden and the country is headquartering famous brands like ] (operating as H&M), ] (operating as JL), ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] 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 neighbors.

===Sports===
{{main|Sport in Sweden}}
]]]

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 ] and ] (several famous Swede ice hockey players include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]). Second to football, ] have the highest number of practitioners, mostly women. Thereafter follow ], ], and the ]s of ], ], ] and ].

Sweden has been a very successful sport nation throughout the years, and has a row of sportsmen that are considered to be the best in history in their type of sport. ] is considered not only to be the most successful player in his genre of sport, tennis, but also to be one of the most successful players in the history of sports. ] the table tennis player known as 'the Mozart of table tennis' is a legend in both his native Sweden as well as in China. ] (football player) is still the best goalscorer of all time with 225 goals in 291 matches, and remains record holder for the most goals in a season in Italy, with 35 goals 1949–1950. Skier ] is considered to be one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time with 86 World Cup Victories. The greatest female Golf player of all time, ], have 90 international tournament wins as a professional make her the female golf player with the most wins to her name. She also tops the LPGA's career money list.
]]]
The Swedish ice hockey team ] is regarded as one of the very best in the world and has won the ] eight times, which makes them third in the medal count. They won Olympic gold medals in 1994 and 2006. In 2006, as the first nation in history, they won both the Olympic and world championships in the same year. The ] 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.
] is a ] in ]. The stadium is also the biggest in ].]]
] has enjoyed a surge in popularity due to several successful athletes in recent years, such as: ], ], ], ], ], ].

Sweden is also the eighth most successful country in the Olympic games in history.

In schools, on meadows and in parks, the game ], a sport similar to ], is commonly played for fun. Other leisure sports are the historical game of ], and ] among the older generation.

Sweden hosted the ] and the ] in ]. Other big sports events held here include ], ],], and several championships of ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].

==International rankings==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|+'''Rankings'''
<!-- GDP listed here is drastically different from GDP at top box, ALSO reference re: cia world factbook is incorrect -->
!Name
!Year
!Place
!Out of #
!Reference
|-
|] – ] ] (])
|2008
|26th
|229
|
|-
|] – ]
|2008
|9th
|223
|
|-
|] – Enabling Trade Index ranking
|2008
|3rd
|118
|
|-
|] / ] - ]
|2008
|3rd
|149
|
|-
|] - '']''
|2008
|3rd
|70
|
|-
|] - ]
|2008
|13th
|140
|
|-
|]'s list of ]s by country
|2007
|11th
|172
|
|-
|] - Mother's Index Rank
|2007
|1st
|141
|
|-
|] - Women's Index Rank
|2007
|1st
|141
|
|-
|] - Children's Index Rank
|2007
|4th
|141
|
|-
|] / ] - ]
|2007
|27th
|157
|
|-
|] - ]
|2007
|6th
|177
|
|-
|] - Global Competitiveness Report 2007–2008
|2007
|4th
|131
|
|-
|] - The Global Gender Gap Report 2007
|2007
|1st
|128
|
|-
|] - ]
|2007
|14th
|178
|
|-
|] - ]
|2007
|5th
|169
|
|-
|] - ]
|2007
|1st
|180
|
|-
|] - ]
|2007
|1st
|167
|
|-
|] - ] by country as a percentage of GNI
|2006
|1st
|34
|
|-
|] - ] (EU and 11 other selected countries)
|2006
|28th
|36
|
|-
|] - ]
|2006
|119th
|178
|
|-
|] - ]
|2005
|5th
|111
|
|-
|] - % seats in the national government held by women
|2004
|1st (47%)
|141
|
|-
|] - ]
|
|31st
|100
|
|-
|]'s index of civil and political liberties
|
|13th
|140
|
|-
|]'s index of asylum seekers (per capita)
|2001
|4th
|28
|
|-
|]'s index of economic aid (donor, per capita)
|
|5th
|24
|
|-
|]'s index of total tax wedge (single worker)
|
|4th
|29
|
|-
|]'s index of technological achievement
|
|3rd
|68
|
|}


==See also== ==See also==
{{portal|Sweden|Flag of Sweden.svg}}

* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}


*]
==References==
* Bagge, Sverre (2005). "The Scandinavian Kingdoms". In ''The New Cambridge Medieval History''. Eds. Rosamond McKitterick et al. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 052136289X.
*] –
* .
* Durant, Colin (2003). ''Choral Conducting: philosophy and practice'', Routledge, pp. 46–47. ISBN 0415943566.
* Einhorn, Eric and John Logue (1989). ''Modern Welfare States: Politics and Policies in Social Democratic Scandinavia''. Praeger Publishers, 1989. ISBN 0275931889.
* ] (ISA) (2005). . Press release, 25 June 2005.
* Koblik, Steven (1975). ''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970''. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0816607575.
* Magocsi, Paul Robert (1998). ''Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples''. University of Minnesota Press, 1998. ISBN 0802029388.
* 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''. ], 2000. ISBN 0816620989.
* Sawyer, Birgit and Peter Sawyer (1993). ''Medieval Scandinavia: from Conversion to Reformation, Circa 800–1500''. University of Minnesota Press, 1993. ISBN 0816617392.
* Ståhl, Solveig. (1999). . ''LUM, Lunds universitet med''delar, 7:1999, 3 September 1999. In Swedish.
* Statistics Sweden. .
* Statistics Sweden. . ''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 9789161813612. Available online in .
* . In ''The Columbia Encyclopedia'', Sixth Edition, 2001–05.
* . In ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 1911.
* (2007).


== References ==
In ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
{{reflist}}
*
*
* ] –
*
* Uddhammar, Emil (1993). ''Partierna och den stora staten: en analys av statsteorier och svensk politik under 1900-talet''. Stockholm, City University Press.
* {{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 |format= |work=}}


==External links== ==External links==
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{{Commonscat|Ice hotel}}
{{Sweden topics}}
* , Kiruna, Sweden
{{Template group
*
|title = Geographic locale
* , Kirkenes, Norway
|list =
* , within the Dovre-Sunndalsfjella National Park, Norway
{{Countries of Europe}}
* , Canada
{{Countries bordering the Baltic Sea}}
* , Lapland, Finland
<!-- Template removed per ] -->
* , Lapland, Finland
}}
* , Lapland, Finland
{{Template group
* , Transylvania, Romania
|title = International membership and relationships
* Moore, Robbie. . Specifier Magazine, Issue 78, 2007.
|list =
{{Sweden ties}}
{{Members of the European Union (EU)}}
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{{Nordic Council}}
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}}


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Revision as of 08:40, 31 January 2009

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Sweden" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Absolut Icebar in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden (December, 2005)

An ice hotel is a temporary hotel made up entirely of snow and sculpted blocks of ice. They are promoted by their sponsors and have special features for travelers who are interested in novelties and unusual environments, and thus are in the class of destination hotels. Their lobbies are often filled with ice sculptures, and food and beverages are specially chosen for the circumstances.

All of the ice hotels are reconstructed every year, and are dependent upon constant sub-zero temperatures during construction and operation. The walls, fixtures, and fittings are made entirely of ice, and are held together using a substance known as snice, which takes the place of mortar in a traditional brick-built hotel.

Norway

Kirkenes Snow Hotel

Kirkenes Snow Hotel is situated in the eastmost town of Norway, close to the Norwegian-Russian border. The hotel had its first season during winter 2006/2007, the hotel had 20 rooms and the largest snow dome in Norway (8 metres high and 12 metres in diameter). All the rooms were individually decorated by the ice artists from Finland and Japan. The west Snow Hall was decorated by a local sculptor Arild Wara. A night in the snow hotel is combined with a special dinner prepared on an open fire, the visitors can also get a sauna before or after staying at the hotel. There is also a reindeer park and a husky farm in the hotel area.

Ice Lodge

The Ice Lodge is one of the largest in Norway and part of the Bjorligard Hotel. It has a longer season than most ice hotels because of its altitude (1,250 meters above sea level).

Alta Igloo Hotel

The Alta Igloo ice hotel has been rebuilt yearly since 2000. It is Europe’s northernmost ice hotel, as it is located in the Finnmark region and is approximately 250km from North Cape. The 2000 square metre hotel has 30 rooms, including 2 suites and it is decorated with numerous ice sculptures and ice furnishings, including lighting systems which enhance the different types of crystalline formations. Besides the bedrooms the hotel also contains an ice chapel, ice gallery and ice bar where drinks are served in glasses made of ice. The Alta Igloo Hotel has a changing theme every year. In 2004, it was a Viking theme, in 2005, Norwegian fairytales, and in 2006, the theme was wild animals of the region. The guests use sleeping bags that sit on top of reindeer hides.

Sweden

Main Hall in ICEHOTEL Jukkasjärvi. Sculptures by Jörgen Westin (January, 2007)

Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi

The Icehotel in the village of Jukkasjärvi, about 17 km from Kiruna, Sweden was the world's first ice hotel. In 1989, Japanese ice artists visited the area and created an exhibition of ice art. In Spring 1990, French artist Jannot Derid held an exhibition in a cylinder-shaped igloo in the area. One night there were no rooms available in the town, so some of the visitors asked for permission to spend the night in the exhibition hall. They slept in sleeping bags on top of reindeer skin - the first guests of the "hotel".

The entire hotel is made out of snow and ice blocks taken from the Torne River - even the glasses in the bar are made of ice. Each spring, around March, Icehotel harvests tons of ice from the frozen Torne River and stores it in a nearby production hall with room for over 5 000 tons of ice. The ice is used for creating Icebar designs and ice glasses, for ice sculpting classes, events and product launches all over the world. About 1 000 tons of what is left, is used in the construction of the next Icehotel.

When the temperature drops and the snow guns start humming on the Torne River shore, usually in mid-November, the building process begins. The snow is sprayed on huge inverted catenary shaped steel forms and allowed to freeze. After a couple of days, the forms are removed, leaving a maze of free-standing corridors of snow. In the corridors, dividing walls are built in order to create rooms and suites. Ice blocks are now being transported into the hotel where selected artists start creating the art and design of the perishable material. Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi opens in phases, the first phase opens in the beginning of December and for each week, another part of the hotel opens up for visitors and guests until the beginning of January when the entire construction is completed.

When completed, the hotel features a bar, church, main hall, reception area and rooms and suites for over 100 guests to sit and sleep on blocks of sculpted ice in the form of chairs and beds. There is also warm accommodation available next to the hotel. The Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi is known to be the biggest hotel of ice and snow in the world, spanning over some 6 000 m2. Each suite is unique and the architecture of the hotel is changed each year, as it is rebuilt from scratch. Each year artists submit their ideas for suites and a jury selects about 50 artists to create the church, Absolut Icebar, reception, main hall and suites. When spring comes, everything melts away and returns to the Torne River. The Icehotel only exists between December and April, and has been listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Sweden.

Documentaries that focuses on this hotel can be seen from time to time on Discovery Channel and National Geographic.

Canada

Ice Hotel Chapel, Quebec (February, 2006)
Same Chapel from afar

About 10 km west of Québec City, and within the grounds of the Duchesnay winter resort, the first and unique Ice Hotel in North America is erected each January. It had 22 beds when it first opened in 2000. In its last iteration it had 85 beds, all made of ice but lined with deer furs and covered with mattresses and Arctic sleeping bags. Only the bathrooms are heated, in a separate insulated structure. The hotel is usually made (the architecture and size may vary from season to season) with 5000 tons of sculpted ice and 15000 tons of snow, forming arches over rooms with 16 foot (5 m) and larger and higher spaces for one art galleries a N'Ice Club, a Ice Café, a slide of 60 feet and a chapel where weddings are celebrated. The walls are more than 4 feet (1.2 m) thick on average. All of the furniture is made of ice. In addition to using ice glasses as in the Kiruna ice hotel, the bar (and room service) also serves cold cuts on ice plates.

Finland

The Mammut Snow Hotel is not an ice hotel per se as it is made entirely of snow. Many of its furnishings and its decorations, such as the ice sculptures, are made of ice. It is located within the walls of the SnowCastle of Kemi, which is the biggest snow castle in the world. It includes The Mammut Snow Hotel, The Castle Courtyard, The Snow Restaurant and a chapel for weddings, etc.

There are ice decorations also in Lainio Snow Hotel (near Ylläs and Levi, Finland).

Hotel & Igloo Village Kakslauttanen is located 10 km south from Saariselkä. It has snow igloos, glass igloos, an ice gallery, an ice chapel and a snow restaurant. The ice gallery has decorations made from ice and an ice chapel for wedding ceremonies. There is also a big snow restaurant for up to 150 people. Hotel Kakslauttanen is also famous of their unique glass igloos.

Romania

In 2006, the first ice hotel in Eastern Europe was built in Romania, deep in the Făgăraş Mountains, at an altitude of 2034 m. Due to its altitude and remote location the Ice Hotel is only accessible via cable car in the winter.

This picturesque setting is next to Bâlea Lake, where each year local craftsmen wait for the lake to freeze, before using the ice to build the small 10 room Ice Hotel and its adjacent Ice Church. Local artists imitate sculptures by Romanian born modernist sculptor, Constantin Brancusi. Typically the hotel is completed in December and is open until late April, early May when of course it melts.

Bedding, furs, specialist sleeping bags are all provided, with bathroom facilities nearby. There are also two chalets within walking distance, which also provide accommodation. Activities such as skiing, sledging or perhaps a ride on a snow bike are on offer. For those who are more organised and adventurous you can even arrange heliskiing.

The Bâlea Lake Ice Hotel is Romanian owned, but has a relationship with a travel company Untravelled Paths Limited, based in the United Kingdom.

See also

References

  1. "What are the Seven Wonders of Sweden?", About.com, retrieved October 16, 2008.
  2. "The Ice Hotel", The Internet Movie Database, retrieved September 6, 2008.
  3. "Mega Builders: Ice hotel", The Internet Movie Database, retrieved September 6, 2008.
  4. "Megastructures: Ice hotel", The Internet Movie Database, retrieved September 6, 2008.

External links

67°51′18″N 20°36′11″E / 67.855°N 20.603°E / 67.855; 20.603

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