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Quick Facts

National Name Kingdom of Sweden Capital City Stockholm Primary Languages Swedish Other Languages Spoken Anthem Du gamla, du fria Thou ancient, thou free Royal anthem Kungssången The King's Song Population 9,127,0584 (2007 est) Monetary unit: Swedish krona (SEK) Ethnicity/Race Scandinavian Independence Religion Church of Sweden - 75% Land Area: 449,964 km² Climate School Sports Ice Hockey, Skiing, Snowboarding, Climbing, Gymnastics, Athletics, Handball Public Holidays New Year’s Day - 1 Jan Epiphany - Jan Good Friday - Apr Easter Sunday - Apr Easter Monday - Apr Labour Day - 1 May Ascension - May Whit Sunday - May National Day - 6 Jun Midsummer's Eve - Jun Midsummer's Day - Jun All Saints' Day - Nov Christmas Eve - 24 Dec Christmas Day - 25 Dec Boxing Day - 26 Dec New Years Eve - 31 Dec Famous Swedes Abba Alfred Nobel Annika Sörenstam, Björn Borg The Cardigans' Greta Garbo Ingrid Bergman International Calling Code +46

The early record of human activity in Scandinavia is sparse and the interpretations of the records from the Nordic Stone Age (10,000 BC – 1700 BC) are often conflicting. The oldest archaeological evidence of human habitation in Scandinavia has been found in what is now Denmark and consists of flint tools from 9,500 to 9,000 BC. Some scholars argue that the population slowly spread into what is present-day Sweden during the ensuing millennia.

on During the early stages of the Scandinavian Viking Age, Ystad in Scania and PavikenGotland, in present-day Sweden, were flourishing trade centers. Remains from 600–700 AD of what is believed to have been a large market have been found in Ystad. 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.

During the eleventh century Christianity took place as the most common religion, and from year 1050 Sweden is counted as a christian nation.

The seventeenth century saw the rise of Sweden as one of the Great Powers in Europe. Sweden also had colonial possessions as a minor colonial Empire that existed from 1638-1663 and later 1785-1878.

Sweden was during Imperial times the most powerful country of northern Europe and the Baltic Sea.

Sweden joined the European Union in 1995.

Sweden remains non-aligned militarily, although it participates in some joint military exercises with NATO and some other countries, in addition to extensive cooperation with other European countries in the area of defence technology and defence industry.

Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige (help·info)), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It is surrounded by Norway (west), Finland (northeast), the Skagerrak, Kattegat and Öresund straits (southwest) and the Baltic Sea (east). It has maritime borders with Denmark, Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, and it is also linked to Denmark (southwest) by the Öresund Bridge. It has been a member of the European Union since 1995.

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, in which King Carl XVI Gustaf is head of state, but royal power has long been limited to official and ceremonial functions. The nation's modern legislative body is the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag), with 349 members, which chooses the Prime Minister. Parliamentary elections are held every four years, on the third Sunday of September.

The culture of Sweden is predominantly Scandinavian. So there are plenty of Viking influences to be seen in the lifestyle and architecture in Sweden. Sweden is famous for having quite a classless society that for centuries lacked any kind of vassalage. Its people are also held as the most dynamic and global.

Walpurgis Night or the Eve of May Day
Walpurgis Night on 30 April is a festival when the Swedes celebrate the end of the winter and the coming of spring. At the celebrations of Walpurgis, people gather outdoors round great, flaming bonfires and listen to the sound of choirs singing.

Midsummer
Sweden is at its most beautiful at the end of June, on Midsummer Eve. In the north, the sun shines even at midnight, and in the south, it only falls into the blue light of dusk for a few hours. Midsummer is an ancient tradition with its roots in prehistoric summer solstice festivals. The custom of the leaf-clad maypole, which has become Sweden's perhaps most well-known national symbol, goes back to Antique Rome and medieval Germany and France.

The crayfish festival
Crayfish are a delicacy loved more in Sweden than in any other country. The traditional crayfish party in August is a kind of farewell to the short Swedish summer. Crayfish parties are often decorated with colourful paper lanterns in the form of full-moons and party guests often wear paper party hats.

Lucia
Lucia is the festival that lights up the dark December night like a vision. Throughout the country, schools, hospitals, old-people's homes and working places are visited in the early hours of the morning by magically shining Lucia processions - young girls singing in long white cotton night-dresses, with glimmering candles in their hair and hands. Lucia is celebrated on 13 December.

Christmas
Christmas in Sweden also lights up the long, dark Scandinavian winter. Here, we celebrate Christmas Eve on 24 December. Traditional Christmas food, candles and Christmas presents are at the heart of Christmas. The Christmas table is the king of the traditional Swedish smörgåsbord, served in a variety of ways at most of our national festivals.

Swedish cuisine, like that of the other Scandinavian countries (Denmark and Norway), is traditionally simple. Fish, meat and potatoes play prominent roles. Spices are sparse. Famous dishes include Swedish meatballs (köttbullar – traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam), plättar (Swedish pancakes, served with jam), lutfisk, the smörgås (open-faced sandwich, directly translated: Butter-goose), and the famous 'Smörgåsbord' or lavish buffet. Aquavit, or akvavit, is a popular celebratory alcoholic drink made with potatoes and herbs such as caraway seeds.

The Swedish language belongs to the Northern branch of the Germanic languages, along with Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic and Faroese. Swedish is the largest of these Nordic languages. Swedish is spoken by the majority of the 8.9 million people who live in Sweden. In Finland, which for six hundred years was part of Sweden, 300 000 people have Swedish as their mother tongue. Swedish can be understood by Norwegians, Danes and a number of second-generation Swedes in North America.