Sweden

Sweden

v Is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe.

v Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden

conventional short form: Sweden

local long form: Konungariket Sverige

local short form: Sverige

v Location:

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway.

v Area:

- Total 449,964 km2 (55th)

173,732 sq mi

- Water (%) 8.7

Population

- 2008 census 9,234,2094

- Density 20/km2 (194th) 52/sq mi

v Capital (and largest city) is Stockholm.

v At 450,000 km² (174,000 sq mi), Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union in terms of area, and it has a total population of over 9.2 million. Sweden has a low population density of 20 people per km² (52 per square mile), but is much higher in the southern half of the country. Sweden's capital is Stockholm, which is also the largest city in the country (population of 1.3 million in the urban area and with 2 million in the metropolitan area).

v Languages:

Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities

v The primary language of Sweden is Swedish, a North Germanic language, related and very similar to Danish and Norwegian, but differing in pronunciation and orthography.

v Before the 11th century, Swedes adhered to Norse paganism, worshiping Æsir gods, with its centre at the Temple in Uppsala. With Christianization in the 11th century, the laws of the country were changed, forbidding worship of other deities into the late 19th century.

v The first literary text from Sweden is the Rök Runestone, carved during the Viking Age circa 800 AD. With the conversion of the land to Christianity around 1100 AD, Sweden entered the Middle Ages, during which monastic writers preferred to use Latin.

v Ethnic groups: 83.3% Swedish, Sami. Other 16.7%

v Ethnic groups:

v indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks

v Religions:

Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%

v Demonym: Swedish or Swedes

v Government: Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy

- Monarch King Carl XVI Gustaf

- Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt

- Speaker of the Riksdag Per Westerberg

v EU accession 1 January 1995

v Economy

Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole of the 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. In September 2003, Swedish voters turned down entry into the euro system concerned about the impact on the economy and sovereignty. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP and 2% of employment. Until 2008, Sweden was in the midst of a sustained economic upswing, boosted by increased domestic demand and strong exports. This and robust finances offered the center-right government considerable scope to implement its reform program aimed at increasing employment, reducing welfare dependence, and streamlining the state's role in the economy. Despite strong finances and underlying fundamentals, the Swedish economy slid into recession in the third quarter of 2008 and growth continued downward in the fourth as deteriorating global conditions reduced export demand and consumption. On 3 February 2009, the Swedish Government announced a $6 billon rescue package for the banking sector.

v GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate

- Total $335.405 billion[4] (30th)

- Per capita $37,525 (IMF) (16th)

GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate

- Total $454.839 billion (18th)

- Per capita $55,623 (IMF) (8th)