Modern Sweden is located on. Sweden: official language, capital, head of state. Swedish tourist houses or youth hostels

The name of the country comes from the Scandinavian svear-rige - “state of the Svens”.

Capital of Sweden. Stockholm.

Sweden area. 449964 km2.

Population of Sweden. 8875 thousand people

Location of Sweden. The Kingdom of Sweden occupies the eastern and southern part and the islands of Öland and Gotland. In the west it borders with, in the northeast - with, in the east and south it is washed by waters, separating from in the south.

Administrative divisions of Sweden. Sweden is divided into 24.

Swedish form of government. .

Head of State of Sweden. King.

Sweden's highest legislative body. Riksdag (unicameral parliament), elected for a term of 4 years.

Higher executive agency Sweden. Government.

Major cities in Sweden. Gothenburg, Malmo.

Official language of Sweden. Swedish.

Religion of Sweden. 95% are Lutherans.

Ethnic composition of Sweden. 91% are Swedes, 3% are Finns, 6% are Sami, Norwegians, Danes.

Currency of Sweden. Swedish krona = 100 ore.

Fauna of Sweden. Representatives of the fauna of Sweden are not very diverse, but they are numerous. You can meet herds of reindeer, moose, roe deer, squirrels, hares, foxes, martens, and in the north - lynx, wolverine, brown bears. There are about 340 species of birds, and up to 160 species of fish.

I would be grateful if you share this article on social networks:

Kingdom of Sweden

The name of the country comes from the Scandinavian svear-rige - “state of the Svens”.

Capital

Stockholm.

Square

Population

8875 thousand people

Kingdom Sweden occupies the eastern and southern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula and the islands of Öland and Gotland in the Baltic Sea. In the west it borders with Norway, in the northeast - with Finland, in the east and south it is washed by waters Baltic Sea, separating in the south from Denmark.

Administrative division

Sweden is divided into 24 counties.

Form of government

A constitutional monarchy.

Head of State

Supreme legislative body

Riksdag (unicameral parliament), elected for a term of 4 years.

Supreme executive body

Government.

Big cities

Gothenburg, Malmo.

Official language

Swedish.

Religion

95% are Lutherans.

Ethnic composition

91% are Swedes, 3% are Finns, 6% are Sami, Norwegians, Danes.

Currency

Swedish krona = 100 ore.

Climate

The climate in Sweden is temperate, transitional from maritime to continental, and is influenced by the Gulf Stream. In September or late May, when the sun does not set, white nights begin. The average January temperature is from 0°C to + 5°C in the south, from - 6°C to - 14°C in the north; July - respectively from + 10°С to + 17°С. The annual precipitation is 1500-1700 mm (in the mountains), 700-800 mm (on the plains of the south), 300-600 mm (in the northeast).

Flora

Forests occupy about 57% of the country's territory. In the north they are mainly coniferous (spruce and pine), and to the south they gradually turn into deciduous trees, where oak, maple, ash, beech and linden grow. About 15% of the territory is occupied by swamps.

Fauna

Representatives of the fauna of Sweden are not very diverse, but they are numerous. In Lapland you can find herds of reindeer, in the forests there are moose, roe deer, squirrels, hares, foxes, martens, and in the northern taiga - lynxes, wolverines, and brown bears. There are about 340 species of birds, and up to 160 species of fish.

Rivers and lakes

Short full-flowing rivers - Dal-Elven, Tourne-Elv, etc. - with rapids and waterfalls. Lakes occupy about 10% of the country. The largest of them are Wenern (the largest in Western Europe - 5.5 thousand km2), Mälaren, Elmaren.

Attractions

In Stockholm - the Maritime Museum, churches of the 13th century, the royal palace, the Knight's House of the 17th century, the Church of St. Nicholas of the 13th century, the National, Historical, Northern museums; in Upsapa and Lund - cathedrals of the 12th century; castles of the 16th century in Gripsholm, Vadstena and Kalmar, etc. Medieval Visby on the island of Gotland is known as the city of ruins and roses; 92 church towers have survived.

Useful information for tourists

Currency exchange is carried out in banks, exchange offices and post offices.
Regular store opening hours are from 10.00 to 18.00 on weekdays and from 10.00 to 15.00 on Saturdays. Many shops are also open on Sunday. Large department stores are open every day, but on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays they have shorter working hours. In July, the “industrial holidays” begin (until mid-August), when all enterprises are closed and institutions operate in a “saving” mode.

Sweden

Basic information about Sweden

Sweden ( official name: Kingdom of Sweden) is one of the five Scandinavian countries, located in Northern Europe on the Scandinavian Peninsula. It borders on Norway in the west and Finland in the northeast. The south of Sweden is washed by the Baltic Sea. In the southwest, the country is separated from Denmark by the Øresund, Kattegat and Skagerrak straits, but is connected to it by the Øresund Bridge. Sweden also has maritime borders with the Baltic countries, Germany, Poland and Russia.

Internet domains: .se

Telephone code: +46

Time zones: (UTC+1, summer UTC+2)

The Swedish flag consists of a yellow cross on a blue background. The design and colors were taken from the Coat of Arms of Sweden in 1442: blue divided by gold. Blue and yellow have been used as Swedish colors since at least 1275. The design from 1906 is currently used.

Small Coat of Arms of Sweden

The national coat of arms of Sweden is one of the main state symbols of the country. Officially there are two versions - large and small.

King Gustav Vasa

The last glacier retreated from the Scandinavian Peninsula, and peoples who had been gathering and hunting for many generations came to the region from the south. Origin Agriculture began between 4000 and 3200 BC. BC. The first metal objects appeared already around 3000 BC, but not until about the 19th century BC. the use of bronze was so commonplace that we can talk about this era as the Bronze Age. After this, iron began to be used as a cheap alternative to bronze, becoming the main metal used in the period of the 6th - 5th centuries BC. The first writing in the form of runes probably appeared around the 4th century BC, but their use seems to have had only a magical function. Runes would first be used as a means of communication only around the year 9 AD. Around this same time, a more durable social organization emerged.

The Christianization of Sweden began quite late in the 11th century, but without the intervention of foreign powers. The first historically confirmed Swedish king is considered to be Eric the Victorious, but it will be long before kings gain such power and influence that we can talk about them as rulers of the kingdom. During the 12th century, the king's power began to extend to other provinces. In the 13th century, as the state expanded, starting with Magnus Eriksson, the central Swedish government extended federal laws throughout the country.

The monarchy strengthened its position in the 14th century. The coast of Upper Norrland was actively colonized by the Swedes. The Scandinavian countries were united by Denmark in the Kalmar Union in 1397. For a number of reasons, these countries separated, and after a civil war, Gustav Vasa defeated the Danes in 1523, thus seizing power in Sweden. The meeting of Arbog in 1435 is often called the first meeting of parliament (Swedish name: Riksdag), although before this the kings had already assembled a council of the most powerful representatives of the nation. The functions and influence of the latter varied considerably; For a long time the parliament was three-estate. The period before 1680 was marked by the era of the division of power between the king and the nobility, which led to the emergence of powerful nobles. Due to popular dissatisfaction with parliament, an autocratic monarchy was proclaimed in 1680. During the 17th century, Sweden had a battle-hardened army that allowed it to become a great European power. In the following centuries, she clearly did not have enough internal resources to maintain her power. In 1809 eastern part its territory Finland.

King Charles XIV Johan

As a reaction to defeat in the Northern War, the Age of Liberty began in 1719, leading to the creation of a constitutional monarchy governed by various constitutions adopted in 1772, 1789 and 1809, the last of which introduced many civil rights. During the reign of Gustav III, royal power increased for a short time. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Swedes conquered Kiel, attacking from Swedish Pomerania. In 1814, Denmark was forced to cede Norway to Sweden in exchange for Swedish territories in Germany. However, Swedish rule did not completely extend over Norway; it adopted its own Constitution. The Danish prince Christian Frederik was elected king there. But the Swedish king Charles XIII, who returned home, heard about this event, and his army attacked Norway. The war did not last long, and Charles XIII was elected king of Norway. Norway retained its Constitution, and the two kingdoms formally united on equal terms. The new agreement thus differed from the original agreement in Kiel. After this, Sweden stopped participating in wars.

Industrialization in the 1800s came quite late to Sweden compared to Britain, but very early compared to the rest of the world. The construction of railroads in the 1850s was of great importance to the country. Lars Magnus Ericsson's nitroglycerin AB, chemical and electrical engineering businesses were world leaders at the end of the 19th century.

During World War I, Sweden remained neutral. The political influence of civil society gradually increased during the 19th century. The first electoral reform was passed in 1909, giving the right to vote to all men with proportional suffrage. In 1919, the decision was made to introduce universal and equal suffrage in Sweden, after King Gustav agreed to appoint a government for Sweden based on the decision of the Riksdag in 1917. The new suffrage was first used in elections in September 1921, after which a Social Democratic government under the chairmanship of Karl Hjalmar Branting came to power. In the 1920s Different parties won the elections, but in 1932 the Social Democrats again headed the government, and from the summer of 1936 they remained the party in power until 1976. During World War II, a coalition government was created.

Even during World War II, the Swedes hoped that the Nordic countries would remain neutral in the confrontation between the warring parties, but this hope was buried by the Soviet attack on Finland and the Nazi German invasion of Denmark and Norway. These events forced Sweden to pursue a pragmatic policy towards the outside world. After the end of the war, the coalition government disbanded and a purely social democratic government took power. In the 1950s and 1960s. Widespread social policy reforms were introduced and the labor market was re-regulated in the early 1970s. The economic boom in these years has improved the standard of living of citizens.

Swedish security policy was based on non-alignment during peacetime with the aim of maintaining neutrality during war. Later, however, it was shown that formal non-alignment did not prevent close cooperation with NATO. Prime Minister Olof Palme nevertheless pursued an aggressive foreign policy, criticizing, among other things, the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa.

In 1971, the bicameral parliament was replaced by a unicameral one. In 1974, a comprehensive reform of the Constitution took place. In the 1970s, the economy worsened and the energy issue became more pressing than ever. Criticism of nuclear energy forced the Riksdag to decide that no more nuclear power plants would be built.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the end of the Cold War led to a revision of Sweden's non-alignment policy. Sweden's participation in the European integration process has become more active. The Swedish government applied for the country's membership in the European Union (EU) after participating in EFTA, formed in 1960. Sweden joined the EU on January 1, 1995, after 52.3% of the country's population voted in favor of membership in this organization in a referendum on November 13, 1994.

Sweden is located in Northern Europe in the east of the Scandinavian Peninsula, and extends over approximately 14 degrees latitude and 13 degrees longitude. In longitude, this difference corresponds to 52 minutes of solar time (between Haparanda in the east and Strömstad in the west). Sweden is the fifth largest country in Europe. The country borders Norway to the west, Finland to the northeast and Denmark to the southwest via the Øresund Bridge. Sweden also shares maritime borders with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Russia. The surrounding waters are the Gulf of Bothnia, which is part of the Baltic Sea, and to the southwest the Skagerrak, Kattegat and Øresund straits. Sweden is part geographical area Nordic countries.

The east of Sweden is washed by the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia, the long coastline greatly influences the climate. In the west, the Scandinavian Mountains separate Sweden from Norway. The old name of this mountain range, in both Norwegian and Swedish: Kölen. Sweden, since the 18th century, has had a fairly good watershed of this mountain range. Rivers in Northern Sweden tend to flow east of the mountain range and are often quite wide (they are also called northern rivers).

Agricultural land is located mainly in the south of Sweden. The total area of ​​agricultural land is 2.7 million hectares. Overall, however, 60% of this total area and 75% of the forest area have been developed. Forest lands Sweden belongs to the western edge of the Eurasian taiga. Population density is also higher in the south and is concentrated mainly in Mälardalen, Bergslagen, the Öresund and Västra Götaland regions. South Götaland contains the headwaters of many of the rivers that flow through the mid-highlands of Southern Sweden. In the south of Sweden the rivers are not as long and large as in the north. Svealand and Götaland nevertheless have the largest river in Sweden in terms of water flow and water basin: the Klarälven-Göta-Älv river, which includes Lake Vänern. Sweden has an unusually large number of lakes of varying sizes. There are 95,795 lakes in Sweden[i] over 1 hectare and 221,831 islands in the sea and lakes.

In Sweden, the highest mountain is Kebnekaise, 2,104 meters above sea level. Two largest islands: Gotland and Öland, two largest lake: Wenern and Wettern. Sweden extends for 1,572 km from north to south, the greatest length from west to east is about 500 km.

Timber, hydropower and iron ore are important natural resources, there is also copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, uranium, arsenic, tungsten, feldspar and manganese in the Baltic Sea.

Climate of Sweden

Sweden has a mild temperate climate with wide temperature variations, despite its northern location, which is dependent on the warmth of the Gulf Stream. In southern Sweden, deciduous trees dominate, in the north there are coniferous forests: pine and spruce, birch trees are usually found in landscaped areas. The mountainous northern part of Sweden has a subarctic climate. This means longer, colder and snowier winters. North of the Arctic Circle, on some days of summer the sun does not set below the horizon, white nights set in, while in winter there is complete darkness. The winter solstice is interrupted only by a few hours of dawn and dusk.

Annual precipitation is about 700 mm with relatively large volumes above western mountains. The average temperature in January ranges between 0°C in the south, a few degrees below zero in central Sweden all the way to -18°C in the north. In July, the temperature difference between north and south is significantly less than in winter. The average temperature is around 17°C in both the regions of Götaland (just below the highlands of southern Sweden) and Svealand (excluding the western part). In the north along the coast average temperature decreases from approximately 17 °C in Gävle to 14 °C in Haparanda. In the mountains, however, the average temperature in July remains at just above 10 °C. In Sweden, the lowest temperature of -52.6 °C was recorded on 02/02/1966 in Vuogacholm, Lapland. The highest recorded temperature of 38 °C was recorded in Ultuna, Uppland (07/09/1933) and the village of Molilla, Småland (06/29/1947).

Due to the large difference in latitude (Sweden extends from approximately 55 to 69 degrees north latitude), the vegetation of the north and south differs significantly. You can define growing zones (for planting trees and crops) and vegetative zones for the natural spread of vegetation, from trees to grasses. In this regard, Sweden is divided into five main regions:

1. Broad-leaved forest of the southern region.
2. Pine forest of the southern region.
3. Coniferous forest of the northern region.
4. Birch region.
5. Bare mountain region.

The presence of broadleaf forests in the southern region is explained by an offshoot of the distribution of deciduous forests of Northwestern Europe and the absence of a natural distribution of spruce trees. The region, covering the southern part of the west coast of the provinces of Skåne and Blekinge, is marked by the proliferation of beech trees and other deciduous tree species. The number of elm trees has decreased due to a fungal disease. Southern Öland belongs to the region's broadleaf forest zone, but is an exception due to the small presence of spruce.

The pine forest of the southern region is characterized by a mixture of coniferous trees with deciduous trees such as beeches and oaks. The northern limit of the distribution of beech trees divides this region into two subregions. Beech grows naturally mixed with conifers along the border from the middle of Bohuslän in the Oskarshamn region with exclaves on the Västergötland plain. The distribution boundary of the pine forest in the southern region completely coincides with the northern boundary of the oak distribution (only rare trees are found north of the pine forest of this region).

The coniferous forest of the northern region is characterized by the distribution of spruce, pine, birch, alder, aspen and some other trees. In principle, all deciduous tree species can be found here. The coniferous forest of the northern region is a direct offshoot of the Russian-Finnish taiga. The further north you go, the rarer the forest is.

In mountainous areas, low terrain is home to the birch region, where birch is the only major vegetation in the mountains. Low vegetation includes flowers, lichens, and blueberries.

Above a certain altitude in the mountains there is a bare mountain region. The height of the trees depends on the latitude and is higher, for example, in the Dala mountains than in Riksgränsen. Tundras can consist of either glaciers or bare rock, or low vegetation in the summer.

Swedish government and politics

Swedish system of government

Residences of the Cabinet of Ministers (left) and Parliament (right)

Sweden is a state with a representative democracy and an elected parliament (Riksdag), the country is led by a government headed by a prime minister. Formally, Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, where the king is the head of state.

The current head of state is King Carl XVI Gustaf, the heir to the throne is Princess Victoria, the head of government is Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, and the speaker of parliament is Urban Alin.

The kingdom's laws are made by a parliament of 349 members, directly elected through free elections. Parliament consists of one chamber. The government is accountable to parliament. New bills are usually created by the government, but members of the Riksdag can also initiate new laws and submit them for discussion. Members of the Swedish parliament - members of the Riksdag - are elected every four years using a proportional electoral system. Election Day is the second Sunday in September, and members of the city and county councils are elected on the same day. MPs and all other politicians are chosen by voters who vote for different political parties, which in turn represent different political ideologies. All citizens over 18 years of age can vote in parliamentary elections and are free to form political parties or stand for election, choosing a political position. The Swedish political system is largely based on representative democracy, in which politicians, as representatives of the people, should reflect the composition of the population as much as possible. In parliamentary elections there is a 4 percent threshold that prevents parties that do not overcome this threshold from receiving a parliamentary mandate.

Sweden has four constitutional laws: the Form of Government Act, the Succession Act, the Freedom of the Press Act and the Freedom of Expression Act. An Act of Parliament has the status of constitutional law and common law. The Constitution begins with the following paragraph:

“All government power in Sweden comes from the people. Swedish democracy is based on the free formation of opinions and universal and equal suffrage. Implemented through representatives and a parliamentary form of government and through local government. State power is exercised in accordance with the law.”

The constitution can only be changed by two identical decisions of parliament and a general election in between. In addition, if the Riksdag has made the first decision to amend the Constitution, a referendum must be held before the second decision. The result of such a referendum is binding. The Council reviews the new bill and considers how it affects the Constitution and the legal system, legal security and rights of the European Union, and how these provisions relate to each other.

In Sweden, faith no longer has any real power; the monarchy performs symbolic state functions with almost exclusively ceremonial duties. The Constitution was written in part with the aim of "with one stroke of the pen" abolishing the monarchy and establishing a republic. The Royal Family, however, remained very popular, so the question of its status was, for pragmatic reasons, never raised again.

The government governs the country and is appointed after general elections through negotiations in parliament,headed by the speaker. The Speaker nominates the Prime Minister based on who has the most support in the newly elected Parliament. On the proposal of the speaker, parliament appoints the prime minister. The Prime Minister, in turn, appoints ministers to the government. The government must be supported by a majority of members of the Swedish parliament. Parliament also has supervisory functions over both the government and the authorities; The government is controlled, among other things, by the parliamentary constitutional committee. Parliament may also require a review of whether the government still has parliamentary support. Parliament can force the government to resign; this can be implemented if at least 35 members unite and move a vote of no confidence.

Swedish governance is based on the principles of decentralization. Municipalities and government agencies have an unusually strong position, enshrined in the Constitution. There are a total of about 380 different government agencies in Sweden. The Ombudsman is an unusual political institution invented in Sweden. Sweden has several ombudsmen who enforce individual rights against authorities, organizations and companies. The Parliamentary Ombudsman is the main ombudsman who protects the rights of citizens from the authorities.

Sweden is a member of the EU and the Swedish Constitution is subject to the European Union, but the relationship between the two is not entirely clear. About 80% of all new laws adopted in Sweden since the first directives have been approved under EU laws. Sweden has 20 of the 751 seats in the European Parliament and representation of the Swedish government in the Council of the European Union. The Swedish woman Cecilia Malmström sits on the European Commission, but she does not represent Sweden, but the interests of Europe as a whole. Sweden has long been one of the countries that has implemented EU directives the most. However, in recent years the sales percentage has decreased slightly. As a result of EU membership, foreign and security policy was developed in Sweden partly in cooperation with other countries. The government represents Sweden's interests in the EU, but to express its parliamentary position in the European Union, the government constantly consults the Swedish Parliament.

Swedish politics

For most of the 20th century, there were five different parties in the Swedish parliament, representing socialism, social democracy, liberalism, conservatism and rural interests. At the end of the 20th century, the Green Party (1988) and the Christian Democrats (1991) entered parliament. The Sweden Democrats have been in parliament since 2010. In the 1991 elections, the New Democracy party entered parliament, but after the 1994 elections it almost completely disappeared from Swedish politics. Since the 2014 elections, the largest political parties not entering parliament are the Feminist Initiative, the Pirate Party and Unity.

The EU Parliament is represented by representatives of the Swedish parliamentary parties and the Feminist Initiative Party following the EU parliamentary elections in June 2014. The Pirate Party won two seats in the European Parliament in 2009-2014.

Political factions

Government:
Social Democratic Party (113)
Green Party (25)

Opposition:
Moderate Coalition Party (84)
Sweden Democrats (49)
Center Party (22)
Left Party (21)
People's Party - Liberals (19)
Christian Democratic Party (16)

The Social Democrats have dominated Swedish politics since the 1930s and were in power continuously from 1932 to 1976, holding a majority of parliamentary seats between 1968 and 1970. Since the late 1990s, the Social Democratic Party has relied on the support of the Green Party and the Left Party to form government. In recent decades, the dominance of the Social Democrats has been shaken due to the repeated landslide victories of the bourgeois parties. In the 2006 parliamentary elections, the Alliance for Sweden, consisting of the Moderate Party, the Liberal People's Party, the Center Party and the Christian Democrats, formed a majority coalition. The leader of the Moderate Party, Fredrik Reinfeldt, served as Prime Minister of Sweden, but after the parliamentary elections in 2010 he became the leader of a minority government. After the parliamentary elections in 2014, Social Democrat Stefan Löfven became prime minister again, leading a minority government together with the Green Party.

In connection with the parliamentary elections, elections for municipal and district councils are also taking place. Currently, the parties represented in parliament also constitute the majority of seats at the local level. In addition, there are also purely local or regional parties in municipal and district councils, as well as more or less nationally recognized small parties that stand in local elections. Feminist Initiative, Independent Rural Party, Communist Party The Health Party, the Justice Party, the Socialist Party and the Swedish Pensioners' Party are examples of parties outside parliament but which are represented at the local level.

In foreign policy, Sweden participates in multilateral cooperation and is one of those states that are members of most international organizations. Sweden is one of the largest contributors to the UN budget. Sweden also provides one of the highest contributions to the EU and the highest per capita contribution to UNHCR. Sweden used to be active in UN peacekeeping operations, but its participation has declined sharply in recent years. Instead, Sweden is cooperating more and more with NATO and has sent more than 500 people to Afghanistan.

Judicial branch in Sweden

Until the 19th century, the Swedish judicial system, like the rest of Europe, meted out cruel and arbitrary punishments to criminals. In the 18th century, criminal law was criticized by Cesare Beccaria and other Enlightenment philosophers. The criticisms put forward, including by Beccaria, will have great significance for modern Swedish criminal law. But Beccaria's ideas for abolition and other reforms in criminal policy had difficulty finding support in the Swedish parliament, simply because the theocratic doctrine of retribution still enjoyed strong support. In the 19th century, there were three main criminal ideological schools: the classical school, the positivist school and the sociological school. All schools considered the prevention of crime as their main goal, in contrast to the old view that put punishment as the main principle.

In Sweden, the sociological school dominated the 20th century, although the positivist school was also influential in developing the correctional function and putting greater effort into reintegrating the individual into society. The courts took into account the individual motives of people in their decisions, so the sentences of judges for the same crimes varied greatly. Since major reforms of the Swedish criminal justice system took place at the end of the 20th century, the neoclassical school of criminology has had a major influence on Swedish law and judicial practice. Neoclassicism was more critical of the previous system, which contained arbitrary and intrusive actions. The school emphasized proportionality, equality, transparency and punishment (rather than correction), principles on which the Swedish judicial system operates to this day.

The judicial system is divided into general courts, general administrative courts and special courts. General courts hear both civil cases (disputes between individuals) and criminal cases, while general administrative courts hear disputes between citizens and authorities. The activities of general courts are divided into different jurisdictions. These are local district and administrative courts, whose decisions can be appealed to regional courts of appeal, courts of appeal, administrative courts of appeal, the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court (formerly the Supreme Administrative Court), as the highest judicial authorities in each system.

Some issues are heard in special courts. These include the Labor Court, the Market Court, the Patent Appeal Court, the Land and Environment Court, and the Migration Court. Some decisions on labor issues that were heard in the district court of first instance can be appealed to the labor court. Decisions of the labor court or market court cannot be appealed.

Swedish Police

A distinctive feature of the Swedish police is that the entire organization, consisting of 20,040 police officers (33% of them are women) and 10,299 civil servants (67% of them are women) as of January 1, 2019, is a public service authority, although each police department in the district has its own powers. The average age of police officers is 43 years. About 9% of employees will reach age 65 within the next 5 years.

Swedish Defense

The term "general defense" is used in Sweden as a collective term for military and civil defense. Sweden did not have military alliances for most of the 20th century, but now has close cooperation with NATO through the Partnership for Peace, and cooperates with the EU on defense. The word "neutrality" has disappeared from Swedish security policy. The share of defense in 2018 was less than 1.1%.[i] International cooperation is gradually becoming more important compared to the previously dominant task of defending one's territory from invasion.

Sweden's defense consists of an army, navy and air force. The navy, in turn, consists of an armed fleet and amphibious units. All defense forces are included in the Swedish Armed Forces. In the 1990s, several years after the Cold War, a long period of gradual reduction of Swedish defense forces began. The Swedish armed forces were constantly replenished with conscripts, but since the early 1990s their conscription began to decline. Compulsory military service has been suspended since 1 July 2010, and the defense force personnel currently consists partly of professional soldiers and partly of volunteers.

Demographics of Sweden

Population density in Swedish municipalities (number of inhabitants per 1 km²)

According to statistics, Sweden has a population of 10,230,185 as of January 1, 2019. increased by 109,943 inhabitants (1.086%) compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, of which 78% were due to immigrants.

The country's population density is 22 people per square kilometer. Thus, the country ranks 89th in the world in terms of population[i] , ranks one of the last places in the world in terms of population density. Population densities tend to be higher in southern Sweden. For example, it can be noted that in the province of Lapland with an area of ​​109,702 km²91,666 inhabitants live; and in the municipality of Lund, which has an area of ​​only 439.91 km², 122,948 inhabitants live.

In 2018, the average life expectancy was 83.83 years for women and 79.84 years for men.21% of the population were under 17 years of age and 19.9% ​​were over 65 years of age. The infant mortality rate is one of the lowest in the world: 2.41 children per 1,000 births. The total fertility rate was 1.75 in 2018.

The first ancestors of modern Swedes came to Sweden 12 - 13,000 years ago. These groups of hunter-gatherers walked across the ice and initially settled in Skåne. Modern research points to a number of ancient waves of immigration; from the Middle East through the Balkans (haplogroup I), from Central Asia through Southern Europe (haplogroup R1b), from Central Asia from the west (haplogroup R1a), from Southeast Asia through Siberia (haplogroup N), Neolithic farmers who arrived around 4,200 BC. (haplogroups E, G, J). Further research shows that ethnic Swedes are mostly (about 80%) descendants of early hunter-gatherers, and only to a lesser extent (20%) descendants of late Neolithic farmers.

The Sami have indigenous status, having immigrated from the east between 8,000 and 5,000 years ago. Today there are over 20,000 Sami in Sweden.[i] Previously Finnish peoples from the east, who are now known as Tornedalians, also immigrated to the north. Immigrant ethnic minorities also include Swedish Finns (the majority live in Rattvika Finnmark and Orsa Finnmark), Roma and Jews; the latter two ethnic groups have existed in Sweden since the 16th and 17th centuries, having arrived in greater numbers since the 19th century. Up to a thousand Walloons immigrated in the 17th century.

In 2018, there were 1,955,569 people born in foreign countries(19.1%). A total of 24.1% of the population were born abroad, or had both parents born abroad.

Languages ​​in Sweden

Since 1 July 2009, Swedish has been officially approved as the main language of Sweden, and the same law specifies that Swedish must be the official language of Sweden in an international context. The native languages ​​of national minorities in Sweden are Sami, Meenkieli, Finnish, Gypsy dialects and Yiddish. Romani dialects and Yiddish are so-called extraterritorial minority languages, which means that they are not tied to a specific region or area. Other languages ​​of national minorities have a stronger position than extraterritorial languages. Members of small nations in some municipalities have the right to contact authorities and receive care for older people in their own language. Research and teaching in all five languages ​​must by law be carried out in at least one Swedish university. In Sweden, sign language has a status similar to minority languages. The Älvdalian dialect has only recently begun to be considered as a separate language, but does not have official status as a national minority language.

Medieval immigration to Sweden was modest compared to the size of the local population and consisted of German artisans and merchants in the cities. From the 17th century to the early 19th century, Sweden had restrictions on the immigration of people who were not Protestants (in practice, the ban was imposed on Catholics and Jews).

After World War II, immigration increased significantly. During the 1950s and 60s, immigrants from Southern Europe. In particular, Finns, Norwegians, Danes, Germans, Poles, Croats, Albanians, Serbs, Bosnians, Turks, Iraqis, Iranians, Kurds, Assyrians, Syrians, Lebanese, Chileans, Greeks and Somalis immigrated.

From 1875 to 2018, 4,466,013 people immigrated to Sweden, but during the same period, 3,316,010 people left Sweden.

The post-war period saw many immigrants from Finland, Germany, Poland, Iran, the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Vietnam, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. Later immigrants from the Middle East included Kurds, Assyrians, Syrians, Arabs, Palestinians, and Moroccans.

In 2018, 132,602 people immigrated and 46,981 people emigrated.

Religion in Sweden

Sweden is one of the least religious countries in the world. Sociological research on religion shows that up to 85% of the Swedish population can be classified as atheists, agnostics or non-believers in God. 65.9% of all Swedes are formal members of the Lutheran Church of Sweden. The Church of Sweden was previously considered the state church of Sweden, and its terms and existence have been enshrined in the Swedish Church Act since 1998. The law came into force in 2000, when the relationship between church and state was changed. Despite the large number of people who consider themselves to be members of the Swedish Church, parishioners rarely attend church services. A total of 65% of those born in Sweden are baptized into the Swedish Church. A slight majority of ceremonies take place outside the Swedish church, but almost 84% of funerals take place as part of church events.

There are other denominations in Sweden brought by immigrants from other parts of the world. Religious minorities include Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Muslims and non-conformist Protestants. Only about 25,000 of Sweden's 450,000 Muslims are active believers (in the sense that they participate in Friday prayers and pray five times a day). There are also Buddhists, Jews, Hindus and Baha'is in Sweden. Among the remaining faiths, pagan groups that practice modern Asatru and traditional Sami religion stand out.

Largest cities in Sweden

Population of the largest cities in Sweden as of 01/01/2019

No.	City	Linen	City population	Population of the commune
1	Stockholm	County Stockholm	1583374	962154
2	Gothenburg	County of Västra Götaland	599011	571868
3	Malmo	County of Skåne	316588	339313
4	Uppsala	County of Uppsala	160462	225164
5	Upplands Väsby and Sollentuna	County Stockholm	144826	72528
6	Westeros	Västmanland County	122953	152078
7	Örebro	Örebro County	120650	153367
8	Linkoping	Östergötland County	111267	161034
9	Helsingborg	County of Skåne	109869	145415
10	Jönköping	Jönköping County	96996	139222
11	Norrköping	Östergötland County	96766	141676
12	Lund	County of Skåne	91940	122948
13	Umeå	Västerbotten County	87404	127119
14	Gävle	Gävleborg County	76761	101455
15	Borås	County of Västra Götaland	73782	112178
16	Södertälje	County Stockholm	73383	97381
17	Eskilstuna	Södermanland County	69816	105924
18	Halmstad	county of Halland	69419	101268
19	Växjö	county of Kronuberg	68059	92567
20	Karlstad	county of Värmland	64031	92497

Economy of Sweden

Sweden's poverty rate is also one of the lowest in the world, whether it refers to relative or absolute poverty. Income inequality has been increasing in Sweden for more than a decade.

Sweden is one of the countries with high levels of social capital. This means that trust between citizens as individuals and the government is very high. One of the consequences of high social capital is a low level of corruption, as in a number of other Western European countries.

Swedish infrastructure

Public transport in Sweden

Since 1983, local and regional public transport in Sweden has been organized at county level. A government agency was established in each district. Regional authorities are responsible for the metro, tram, city and regional buses, as well as regional trains. Some authorities are also responsible for other modes of transport (boats).

Energy in Sweden

In 2017, hydropower accounted for the production of 63.9 TWh of electricity (40.2% of all electricity production), nuclear power - 63 TWh of electricity (39.6%), thermal power - 14.8 TWh/ h (9.3%) and wind energy - 17.3 TWh (10.9%). Solar energy began to develop only in 2011, and in 2016 it produced 143 GWh of electricity. The trend in recent years shows that thermal power capacity has decreased and wind power capacity has increased. Overall electricity consumption fell slightly and Sweden became a net exporter of electricity, mainly to Finland.The Swedish high voltage grid is connected to the grids of Norway, Finland, Denmark and Poland.

The country has ten nuclear reactor at Forsmark NPP, at Oskarshamn NPP and Ringhals NPP. Hydroelectric power plants are concentrated in large dams on rivers in the northern part of the country. Sweden does not produce oil and is therefore dependent on imported oil and other fuels.

On the other hand, the country has large reserves of forest, used as biofuel in remote power plants. Forestry and agricultural products can be used to produce fuel.

Sweden has a developed network highways, especially in the southern regions of the country in the communities of Skåne, Gothenburg, the west coast of Sweden, Östergötland and the Stockholm region. Secondary roads in sparsely populated areas may be dirt roads, especially in the north of the country. From Skåne you can travel by motorway to Denmark via the Øresund Bridge, to Gothenburg, Stockholm and Gävle. From Gothenburg you can take the motorway even further into Norway, the E6 motorway acts as an international transit highway between Copenhagen and Oslo. Roads in Sweden are part of the mainland motorway network and are connected to the rest of Europe via the Øresund Bridge to Denmark, and onwards to Germany.

Railways in Sweden

In Sweden, railways began to be built in the mid-19th century, although many tracks, especially in rural areas, were closed in the second half of the 20th century.

Railways are unevenly developed across the country. The railway network starts with Stockholm as the center and extends to other regions of Sweden. The railways also cover Denmark, Norway and, via ferries, Germany, and are also connected to Finland via Haparanda and are currently intended for freight transport only. In some regions the railway network is well developed and rail connections are very dense, especially in the regions around Stockholm, Gothenburg and Skåne. However, in other regions the railway networks are very poorly developed. The northern areas generally only have a couple of paths at most.

Air traffic in Sweden

Sweden has many international airports, of which Stockholm-Arlanda Airport is the largest. After it are Gothenburg-Landvetter, Stockholm-Bromma Airport, Stockholm-Skavsta Airport, Malmö Airport and Luleå Airport. In the southernmost part of Sweden, the Danish airport Kastrup is widely used. Many major international airlines operate from the airports. The largest airline is Scandinavian Airlines, but there are other airlines of great importance, such as Lufthansa and Ryanair. Arlanda Airport also has railway, which runs both south and north with heavy traffic.

Sea traffic in Sweden

Swedish maritime history is of great importance for Swedish history and trade relations, not least because of its geographical location. In practice, Sweden has developed shipping, like any other island state. With one of the longest coastlines in Europe and enough good conditions In ports, sea shipping carries the predominant share of cargo transportation in Sweden's foreign trade - about 90%. There are more than 200 ships in the country registered in the Swedish Ship Register. The total number of Swedish controlled ships, including those registered abroad, is about 600. Tankers and Ro-Ros are the main types of ships, and Gothenburg, Stockholm, Helsingborg and Trelleborg are the most important maritime cities.

Administrative divisions of Sweden

Sweden is divided into 21 counties (counties). Each district has a district administrative council appointed by the Swedish government and representation of local peoples. The county is divided into municipalities, and there are a total of 290 municipalities. Historically and traditionally, there is also a division of the country into provinces and regions. They have no administrative significance.

Architecture of Sweden

Until the 14th century, most buildings were built of bricks and wood. But then stone also became a building material. The first Swedish stone buildings were Romanesque churches. Many of the ones that were built in Skåne were Danish churches. For example, this is Lund Cathedral in Lund, built in the 12th century, and several churches in Dalby. There are also many other ancient Gothic churches built under the influence of the Hanseatic League, such as in Ystad, Malmö and Helsingborg.

Cathedrals in other parts of Sweden were built to house Swedish bishops. Skara Cathedral was built in the 15th century, and Uppsala Cathedral in the 16th century. The foundation of Linköping Cathedral was laid in 1230, the building material of which was limestone, but the building itself took 250 years to construct.

Among other old buildings, a number of important fortresses and historical buildings stand out, for example, Borgholm Castle, Hallthorps Manor and Eketorp Fortress in Öland, Nyköping Castle and the city wall around Visby.

Around 1520, during the reign of King Gustav Vasa, the construction of large mansions, castles and fortresses began. Some of the most grandiose buildings include the castles of Kalmar, Gripsholm and Vadstena.

Over the next two centuries, Swedish architecture was dominated by Baroque and later Rococo styles. Notable projects of that time include the city of Karlskrona, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Drottningholm Palace.

1930 was the year of the great Stockholm exhibition, which marked the breakthrough of functionalism. This style came to dominate in the following decades. Some famous projects of this kind are affordable, but a little strange residential complexes.

Skyscrapers in Sweden

Scandinavian countries are famous for having many skyscrapers, but Sweden is the country that has built the most of them. In Malmö and Stockholm there are several skyscrapers over 80 meters high, but they are not densely built in the so-called business areas (for example in Frankfurt or La Défense). Turning Torso (translated from Swedish as “Turning Torso”) in Malmö is the tallest skyscraper in the Nordic countries and the second tallest residential building in Europe. Many Swedish cities were inspired by this skyscraper.

Culture in Sweden

Swedish culture is an integral part of Scandinavian, Germanic and Western cultures. August Strindberg is often regarded as one of Sweden's most important writers. Internationally he is known primarily as a playwright. Also, the writer Astrid Lindgren had great international success. Nobel laureates Selma Lagerlöf and Harry Martinson are well known. The most famous artists in Sweden are the painters Alexander Roslin, Anders Zorn and Carl Larsson. Famous Swedish sculptors are Karl Milles and Tobias Sergel. In the 20th century, Swedish culture became known for its films, created by people such as Moritz Stiller and Victor David Sjöström. Between the 1920s and 80s, director Ingmar Bergman and actors Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman became world famous. Films by Roy Andersson, Lasse Hölström and Lukas Moodysson received international awards.

In opera, soprano soloists Jenny Lind and Birgit Nilsson achieved worldwide fame. Swedish popular music has periodically enjoyed great success due to the creativity of bands and partly due to successful producers and songwriters. In the 1970s and early 1980s, ABBA played a leading role in pop music, while Roxette rose to fame in the second half of the 1980s, and in the early 1990s The group Ace Of Base became famous.

Public support for culture is very common in Sweden. Large sections of the population participate in many cultural events, an example of which is the choir, which involves tens of thousands of Swedes.

Swedish culture is very different from other cultures in the world, being much more universalist, secular and oriented toward post-materialist values. It can also be characterized as egalitarian, anti-nationalist, open to the world and possessing a pronounced individualism. A core value in Swedish society is maximum equality between women and men.

Swedish cuisine, like the other Scandinavian countries of Denmark and Norway, is traditionally simple. Fish (especially herring), meat and potatoes play a significant role in the preparation of dishes. Spices are used quite sparingly. Famous Swedish dishes: Swedish meatballs, traditionally served with sauce, boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam; pancakes, dried fish and buffet. Aquavit is a popular alcoholic drink. In various places in Sweden, herring in Northern Sweden and eel in Skåne in Southern Sweden are also important foods.

Based on information sites http://www.scb.se “Statistics of Sweden”, https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sverige “Sweden”, http://imagebank.sweden.se “Official images of the Bank of Sweden” and others.

Swedish society is considered one of the most prosperous in the world. A high quality of life and a significant level of human development are achieved thanks to complex political system, which has been created over the past two centuries. Having gained invaluable experience of defeats in major international conflicts, the kingdom was forced to focus on developing its own economy and building an open, fair society.

Sweden: capital, head of state, official language

The largest is Stockholm. Since its founding at the beginning of the 12th century, Stockholm immediately established itself as a major economic center in Northern Europe. Today, the Swedish capital continues to position itself as the capital of all of Scandinavia, attracting large numbers of tourists from all over the world.

Stockholm is home to the residence of the monarch, the country's parliament and the Academy of Sciences, whose members select candidates for the Nobel Prize. The Nobel Committee also meets in the capital.

Sweden, official language which is Swedish, nevertheless recognizes the right to use its own languages ​​in everyday activities. Languages ​​officially recognized by the Swedish government include Sami, Meänkieli, Finnish, Romani and Yiddish.

The northernmost region of Sweden, Norrbotten, is home to Sami and Finnish people who speak Meänkieli and Finnish. It is in this region that the use of indigenous languages ​​is permitted in official institutions such as kindergartens, nursing homes and schools.

The official language of Sweden is related to Danish and Norwegian. However, despite very similar grammatical systems and great similarities in vocabulary, understanding is often difficult due to phonetic differences, most notably with the Danish language.

English-speaking Sweden

The capital of Sweden, whose official language is Swedish, is almost entirely English-speaking. This is due to the high level of teaching foreign languages ​​in public schools, as well as the fact that many Swedish television channels broadcast in English with Swedish subtitles. The same applies to foreign films shown in cinemas. Most distributors simply do not dub films, but provide them with subtitles.

This scheme allows you not only to save money on voice acting, but also provides an opportunity for constant practice in a foreign language.

Sweden: state language as a source of pride

The Swedes are very pragmatic about their language and do not consider it necessary to specifically control its natural development. Unlike France or Iceland, where special government institutions monitor how the language is used, in Sweden the Language Council does not exercise formal control, although it is funded by the government.

This may be due to the fact that Swedish is the most widely spoken language in northern Europe, with more than nine million speakers. However, already in neighboring Finland, the Swedish language is looked after by the official Research Institute of the Languages ​​of Finland, where Swedish is the second state language and is recognized by the overwhelming majority of Finnish citizens as an integral part of the national culture. It is worth noting that in the Kingdom of Sweden the state language is not named in the Constitution and has no official status, but de facto all citizens speak it.

The monarch is a symbol of the state

The head of state and national symbol is the monarch. The current Charles XVl Gustav of the Bernadotte dynasty ascended the throne in 1973. Meanwhile, the dynasty to which the ruling monarch belongs established itself in the country in 1818, and its founder was Napoleonic Marshal Bernadotte, who was Napoleon Bonaparte’s faithful companion for many years in the most difficult military campaigns.

The Swedish monarchical tradition is considered one of the oldest in Europe. The first monarchs whose existence is reliably known ruled in the Swedish lands back in the 5th century.

The Kingdom of Sweden, whose state language is one of the official languages ​​of the European Union, makes a great contribution not only to the European economy, but significantly enriches the culture of Europe. For example, the famous Finnish writer Tove Jansson wrote her popular books in Swedish.