What a country the Swedes are. Swedes are blond Scandinavians with a Nordic character. Holidays and special events

Wealthy Swedes are now traveling all over the world. They reached Thailand, Vietnam and New Zealand. Meanwhile, every year more and more tourists come to Sweden itself than before. Sweden has a long history, in which the Vikings and King Charles XII left a big mark. In this country you can walk along amazing medieval streets, take a sea cruise along the coastal waters, go fishing in Swedish rivers and lakes rich in fish, and, of course, ski at local high-class ski resorts.

Geography of Sweden

Sweden is located on the Scandinavian Peninsula, in northern Europe. Sweden borders Finland in the northeast and Norway in the west. The south and east of the country is washed by the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. The straits Öresund, Skagerrak and Kattegat separate Sweden from neighboring Denmark. The total territory of Sweden, including the islands, is 229,964 square kilometers, and the total length of the border is 2,333 km.

About 65% of Sweden's territory is covered by forests. In northern Sweden, where there are a lot of low mountains, there are taiga forests. In the west of the country there are the Scandinavian Mountains, which stretch across the entire peninsula for 1,700 kilometers. The highest peak in Sweden is Mount Kebnekaise (2,111 m).

There are many rivers in Sweden, the longest of which are Kalix Älv, Thurne Älv, Ume Älv and Skellefte Älv. A significant part of the Swedish territory is occupied by lakes (Vänern, Vättern, Elmaren, Mälaren).

Capital

The capital of Sweden is Stockholm, which is now home to more than 900 thousand people. In the early Middle Ages, there was a small fishing village on the site of modern Stockholm.

Official language

The official language in Sweden is Swedish, which belongs to the Scandinavian group of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family.

Religion

More than 71% of Swedes are Lutherans (Protestants), belonging to the Church of Sweden. However, only about 2% of Swedes go to church every week.

Swedish government

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy in which the head of state, according to the Constitution, is the King.

Executive power in Sweden belongs to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers. Legislative power belongs to the unicameral parliament - the Riksdag (349 deputies).

The main political parties in Sweden are the Liberal People's Party, the Center Party, the Christian Democrats, the Swedish Democrats, and the Social Democrats.

Climate and weather

Sweden is located in northern latitudes, but this Scandinavian country has a temperate climate with three distinct climatic zones:

• Oceanic climate in the south;
• Humid continental climate in the central part of the country;
• Subarctic climate in the north.

Sweden's moderate climate is due to the influence of the warm Gulf Stream. In the southern and central regions of Sweden, the average air temperature ranges from +20C to +25C in summer and from -2C to +2C in winter.

Air temperatures in the northern part of the country are colder. Already in September in northern Sweden the air temperature drops below 0C.

Average air temperature in Stockholm:

• January - -3C
• February - -3C
• March – 0С
• April - +5C
• May - +11C
• June - +16C
• July - +18C
• August - +17C
• September - +112С
• October - +8C
• November - +3C
• December - -1C

Sea in Sweden

In the east, Sweden is washed by the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. Sweden's total coastline is 3,218 km.

Average sea temperature in Stockholm:

• January – +3С
• February - +2C
• March - +2C
• April - +3C
• May - +6C
• June - +11C
• July - +16C
• August – +17C
• September - +14C
• October - +10C
• November - +7C
• December - +5C

Rivers and lakes

There are a lot of rivers in Sweden, the longest of which are Kalix-Älv (450 km), Skellefte-Älv (410 km) and Thurne-Älv (565 km) in the north, and Ume-Älv (460 km) in the central part of the country.

A significant part of the Swedish territory is occupied by lakes (Vänern, Vättern, Elmaren, Mälaren).

Many tourists come to Sweden to go fishing. Salmon, trout, salmon, pike, brown trout, perch and grayling abound in Swedish rivers and lakes. But, of course, in Sweden they also fish in the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea.

Story

The Swedes were first mentioned as a nation in 98 AD. ancient Roman historian Tacitus. By the 7th century, Viking military squads were formed in Sweden and set off to conquer new lands with the hope of getting rich. The expansion of the Swedish Vikings was directed to the territory of modern Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and further to Constantinople and Baghdad.

Historians cannot yet say exactly when the Kingdom of Sweden was formed and who became its first king.

Christianity appeared in Sweden in 829, but paganism had a strong position among the Swedes until the 12th century.

In the years 1100-1400, Sweden was characterized by an internal struggle for power with numerous wars. In 1335, the Swedish king Magnus Erikson abolished slavery in the country.

The “father” of the modern Swedish nation is considered to be King Gustav I of Sweden, who in the first half of the 16th century violated the monopoly of the Hanseatic League on trade in the Baltic Sea. From this time on, the “golden age” of Sweden began. We can rightfully say that already in the 17th century Sweden became an influential European state.

During its "golden age", Sweden conquers several German principalities and invades Poland, and then Russia and Ukraine. In the end, the Swedish Emperor Charles XII is defeated by the Russian troops of Peter I near Poltava. This meant the beginning of the end of the Swedish empire. According to the Peace of Nystad in 1721, Sweden gave up most of the conquered territories.

In 1809, Russia managed to conquer Finland, which was then considered eastern Sweden.

During the two world wars of the 20th century, Sweden remained neutral. In general, the last time Swedish soldiers took part in the war was in 1814. True, Sweden is now sending peacekeepers to the “hot spots” of the world.

In 1946, Sweden was admitted to the UN, and in 1995 the country joined the EU.

Swedish culture

Sweden dominated the Scandinavian Peninsula for a long time in the Middle Ages. This means that Swedish culture had a noticeable influence on the traditions and customs of neighboring countries. However, the Swedes also borrowed a lot from the cultures of Finland, Denmark and Norway.

For foreigners, Swedish traditions may seem mysterious and somewhat strange.

Many Swedish traditions are religious in nature (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost), while others are associated with the seasons (Walpurgis Night, Advent and Lucia).

Nowadays, Sweden also celebrates Waffle Day and Cinnamon Bun Day every year.

Swedish cuisine

The main products of Swedish cuisine are fish (especially herring), seafood, meat, potatoes, and cheese. Mushrooms, game and berries play a big role in Swedish cuisine, but this is not surprising given that forests occupy a large area in this country. The Swedes' favorite traditional dish is meatballs, served with boiled potatoes and sauce. In northern Sweden, a popular fish dish is urströmming.

The traditional alcoholic drink in Sweden (as well as in other Scandinavian countries) is Aquavit, which is usually 40% ABV.

Sights of Sweden

Over many centuries, Sweden has accumulated a large number of attractions. Therefore, we advise tourists in Sweden to definitely see:

1. Ales Stones
2. Uppsala Cathedral
3. Drottningholm Palace
4. Carlsten Fortress
5. Uppsala Castle
6. Royal Palace in Stockholm
7. Kingdom of Crystal
8. Vasa Museum in Stockholm
9. Hallands Kulturhistoriska Museum in Gothenburg
10. Kalmar Castle

Cities and resorts

The largest Swedish cities are Gothenburg, Uppsala, Malmo, and, of course, Stockholm.

Sweden has many excellent ski resorts. Skiing season is from December to April.

The top ten best Swedish ski resorts, in our opinion, include the following:

1. Sälen
2. Vemdalen
3. Branäs
4. Tarnaby-Hemavan
5. Idre Fjäll
6. Funäsdalsfjällen
7. Tarnaby
8. Abisko National Park
9. Riksgransen

Souvenirs/shopping

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. The origins of 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 spread 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, the eastern part of its territory was transferred to 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 of the Nordic region.

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 for this mountain range, in both Norwegian and Swedish, is 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. Sweden's forest lands belong 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. The two largest islands: Gotland and Öland, the two largest lakes: Vänern and Vättern. Sweden extends for 1,572 km from north to south, the greatest length from west to east is about 500 km.

Forest, hydropower and iron ore are important natural resources, and 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 around 700 mm, with relatively higher volumes over the 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, the average temperature decreases from about 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 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 on the same day members of the city and county councils are elected. 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, must 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. The Feminist Initiative, the Independent Country Party, the 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 came 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 came to Sweden in search of work. 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 reactors at Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant, Oskarshamn Nuclear Power Plant and Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant. 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 road network, especially in the southern regions of the country in 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 a railway that 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 fairly good port conditions, maritime shipping handles the predominant share of freight transport in Sweden's foreign trade - around 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 described as egalitarian, anti-nationalist, open to the world and with strong 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: Konungariket Sverige) is a country in Northern Europe on the Scandinavian Peninsula, a member of the European Union since January 1, 1995, and a signatory to the Schengen Agreement. Form of government - Constitutional monarchy. The name of the country comes from the Scandinavian svear-rige - “state of the Sveans”. The capital is Stockholm (population 810 thousand people).

In terms of area (449,964 km²), Sweden ranks third among Western European countries and fifth among countries in all of Europe.

Geographical position

Sweden is a country in Northern Europe, located in the eastern and southern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. In terms of area (449,964 km²), Sweden ranks third among Western European countries and fifth among countries in all of Europe. In the west, Sweden borders with Norway (border length 1,619 km), in the northeast with Finland (614 km), and from the east and south it is washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. The total length of the borders is 2,333 km. In the south, the straits Öresund, Kattegat and Skagerrak separate Sweden from Denmark. Sweden includes two large islands in the Baltic - Gotland and Öland.

Despite its location in northern latitudes, Sweden is a country with a temperate climate, mainly due to the Gulf Stream. However, the meridional elongation (the country extends from 69 degrees N to 55 degrees N) and the proximity of the Atlantic influence the climatic conditions in the country. The northern, western and eastern regions of Sweden are protected from the Atlantic winds by the Scandinavian mountains, so the winters here are colder and the summers are short. It should also be noted that a small part in the north of the country is located within the Arctic Circle, so the subarctic type of climate prevails here. The average temperature in January is approximately −14 °C, and in some areas up to −16 °C. In summer the average temperature is +17 °C. In southwestern Sweden from Gothenburg to Malmö and on the Baltic islands, climatic conditions are moderated by warm Atlantic winds. Winters here are warmer and summers are longer but rainy. The average summer temperature is +18 °C, winter about −4 °C. Average annual precipitation ranges from 700 mm on the west coast of southern Sweden to 500 mm in the northern regions, with up to 2000 mm of precipitation in the mountains. In the northern parts, taiga forests predominate (pine, spruce, birch, aspen), to the south - mixed coniferous-broad-leaved forests, in the extreme south - broad-leaved forests (oak, beech). The northern mountainous regions are dominated by a subarctic climate. Part of the country is located above the Arctic Circle, where the sun does not set at night in the summer and the polar night occurs in winter. The waters of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia further soften the climate in the eastern parts.

In the east is the Norrland plateau (altitude from 200 to 800 m). In the extreme south is the Småland hill. Sweden is characterized by hilly moraine landscapes, podzolic soils, which are characterized by strong rockiness, low thickness, a predominance of sandy and gravelly varieties, high acidity, and coniferous forests. Arable land occupies 8%. Most of the country is covered with forests (53%), according to this indicator Sweden ranks first in Europe. Taiga forests predominate on podzolic soils, forming large tracts north of 60° N. w. and consisting mainly of pine and spruce, with an admixture of birch, aspen and other hardwoods. To the south there are mixed coniferous-deciduous forests on soddy-podzolic soils, and on the Skåne Peninsula there are broad-leaved forests of oak and beech on brown forest soils. In the north, vast areas are occupied by the tundra zone of Swedish Lapland. The coastline is heavily indented and abounds with skerries and island groups. The length of the coastline is 3,218 km.

Relief

The topography in the north and west is dominated by plateaus and mountains; the Scandinavian Mountains stretch along the border with Norway, where the highest mountain, Kebnekaise, has a height of 2,123 m. Between the Scandinavian Mountains and the Gulf of Bothnia on the Baltic Sea lie the Norland Plateau, the Central Swedish Lowlands and the Småland Highlands. The southern peninsula of Skåne is flat.

Climate

The main territory of Sweden has a temperate climate, strongly influenced by the Gulf Stream.

Geological structure and minerals

Geologically, most of Sweden is located within the Baltic Shield, composed of ancient crystalline and metamorphic rocks, mainly granitic.

The mining industry is represented by the extraction and beneficiation of iron ore (share in world production - 2%, reserves - 3.4 billion tons), copper (1.2%, reserves - 1.6 million tons), lead (3.8%, reserves - 2.3 million tons), zinc (3.7%, 2.4 million tons) and sulfide ores. Sweden is the main exporter of iron ore and the largest in Europe. The largest iron ore deposits are located in Northern Sweden (Kiruna, Gällivare, etc.) Uranium, pyrite, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, arsenic, feldspar, graphite, lime, quartz, sulfur, manganese ores, tungsten are also mined , rare elements and fluorite, as well as mineral springs. Sweden's raw material potential is large enough to supply itself and supply products for export, but many deposits are difficult to navigate and extract mineral raw materials. In Sweden, special legislation has been developed in this regard, which reduces the risk of irrational use. Sweden's mining industry is well developed, but there are still many undiscovered deposits and many minerals have potential for exploration.

Inland waters

About 10% of the country is occupied by lakes. The largest of them - Vänern (5,545 sq. km) and Vättern (1,898 sq. km) - are located in the south of the country. The rivers that carry their waters to the Baltic and the Kattegat Strait are turbulent and rapid, and have significant hydropower potential. The main rivers are Kalix-Elv, Skellefte-Elv, Ume-Elv, Turne-Elv.

Flora and fauna

Sweden's mammals are not very diverse (about 70 species), but there are a lot of them. In the north in Lapland you can see 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.

In 1964, an environmental protection law came into force, and Sweden, the first European country, had national parks (the first of which was created back in 1909). Now in Sweden there are about 16 national parks and about 900 nature reserves.

Story

After the melting of the glaciers, the territories of the Scandinavian Peninsula began to be gradually populated by peoples whose main occupation was hunting and gathering. Settlement began from the southern part of the peninsula, which over time was divided into several areas of influence, the most powerful of which was Svealand. Royal power increased in the 14th century, and the territories of Northern Europe were united in the Kalmar Union. The union collapsed after some time and, after a long war between supporters of independence and the Danish Oldenburg dynasty, King Gustav Vasa (Gustav I) came to power in Sweden.

During the 17th century, Sweden was a significant power in Europe thanks to its experienced and effective army. The country also made progress in trade. In the next century, the kingdom was unable to maintain its extensive conquests - as a result of the Great Northern War, Russia gained power in most of northern Europe and in 1809 Sweden lost the eastern half of its territories.

The industrialization of the 19th century came to Sweden quite late, with the construction of railways beginning in the 1860s. has become an important factor for the development of the country. The first enterprises began to appear, in particular in the fields of electrical engineering and chemistry. In 1876, the world famous Ericsson company was founded. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, Sweden remained at the agrarian-industrial level of economic development, and the industrial infrastructure there was just beginning to take shape. Sweden, in comparison with other countries in the region, intensively developed metallurgical production and mechanical engineering. The development of an industrial society in this country was hampered by extremely low population density and poor mobility. Urban centers developed very slowly, the level of urbanization was low, the population remained predominantly rural, and retained traditional psychological traits, in particular, the extreme individualism inherent in the Scandinavians. But among the Scandinavian countries, Sweden was at that time the strongest state, its economy was characterized by an accelerated pace of development, science was actively developing, the volume of imports and exports gradually increased, and therefore there was a rise in living standards and an improvement in the demographic situation.
Development at the beginning of the 20th century

In Sweden at the beginning of the century, the issue of the Swedish-Norwegian Union was actively discussed. In 1905, in a plebiscite, the Norwegians spoke out against maintaining the union. Russia was the first to recognize Norway's independence. The Swedes did not want to let the Norwegians go so easily and even prepared an army, but did not receive the support of the military powers.

1905-1920 - the time of the democratic breakthrough. At this time, the liberal government of Karl Staaf was in power.

After the collapse of the Swedish-Norwegian Union, the issue of suffrage arose on the agenda; electoral reform was carried out only in 1909; Sweden was thus the last of the Northern European countries to pass a law on universal suffrage. The socio-political aspirations of the Liberal government found expression in extensive reformist work, especially in the legislative field relating to labor protection; in 1913, the first law on universal national pensions was adopted in Swedish history. It can be seen as a prelude to large-scale social legislation, the development of which is characteristic of the 20th century.

Another issue concerned national defense. It split the country into two camps: supporters of strengthening national defense (conservatives, peasants, some liberals) and opponents of increasing military spending (liberals and social democrats). In 1914, the so-called “Peasant March” of supporters of increasing spending was organized, in retaliation for The “Workers' Campaign” of the opponents was also organized by him. All this led to an internal political crisis and Staaf's resignation in 1914.
Foreign policy at the beginning of the 20th century

Foreign policy was largely determined by two aspects of international relations of that time: firstly, these were the pre-war years, and the great powers had been preparing for a war for the redivision of the world for quite some time. Secondly, the foreign policy activities of the Northern European countries were associated with their different bloc orientations and emphasized neutrality in European and world conflicts.

Long before the First World War, Sweden experienced strong German influence. Sweden was inclined towards an alliance with Germany and intensified military preparations, justifying them with the danger from Russia caused by Russia's policy in Finland. At the beginning of the war, all Scandinavian countries declared their neutrality. But this neutrality still leaned in favor of one or another of the warring parties. Sweden was favorable to Germany.

At the beginning of the war, Sweden declared its neutrality. During the war, civil peace was maintained between Sweden's political parties. There was a special management system and a card system. The neutral position had a beneficial effect on economic development. Already in the first years of the war, Sweden was inundated with orders from the warring parties, and therefore the state managed to expand production, pay off debts on foreign loans, and accumulate large gold reserves.

Sweden supplied industrial raw materials to Germany. Swedish enterprises began to make very good money by supplying military goods, iron and food to Germany. (In fact, in Sweden there was a movement in support of Germany - the “activist movement”). But this provoked protest from England, which blocked Swedish shipping. This, combined with a bad harvest, caused a severe food crisis in 1917-1918. Political contradictions escalated to such an intensity that it seemed that Sweden was on the verge of revolution.

After the Entente allies blocked Sweden, a conflict almost began, which was extinguished with great difficulty. In the last period of the war, the whole of Scandinavia was already oriented toward an alliance with the Entente. The decisions of the Paris Peace Conference were important for this region. Germany's defeat in 1918 gave rise to even more persistent demands for further democratization.
Domestic policy during the interwar period

After the war, in the elections to the second chamber of the Riksdag, the Liberals and Social Democrats jointly gained a majority, the leaders of the two parties, Niels Eden and Hjalmar Branting, united to form a government. This majority coalition is generally regarded as a definite breakthrough in the history of parliamentarism in Sweden. The reform of 1909 did not satisfy many parties, so demands were made for further democratization of the electoral system.

The political situation in Europe and Sweden contributed to the fact that the Eden-Branting cabinet achieved an agreement on the constitutional issue at an emergency session of the Riksdag in 1918. In 1921 it acquired the status of constitutional law. The new suffrage law abolished the existing property qualification for municipal elections. The law gave women, along with men, the right to vote and the right to be elected. Complete democratization of the electoral system meant an increase in the influence of industrial workers and, consequently, the Social Democratic Party on politics.

1920-1932 - parliamentary minority governments in power.

In 1920, Sweden joined the League of Nations and actively participated in its work. The issue of the Åland Islands was raised again: it was necessary to decide who would have sovereignty over Åland after they received the right to self-determination, the question was raised in the League of Nations and decided in favor of Finland, but the islands were recognized with broad autonomy, which implied the protection of Swedish culture and language there .

Between 1920 and 1932, no single party received a majority of votes in the Riksdag. The situation in parliament did not allow for the formation of a strong government and during this period Sweden had at least 11 prime ministers in nine different cabinets, with important political decisions taken by parliamentary committees. The governments' short stay in power did not lead to any serious social reforms.

From the point of view of economic development, this period can be divided into three parts: the post-war depression of 1920-1922, economic recovery of 1922-1930, international economic crisis and depression of 1930-1933.

Sweden was expected to recover quickly after the war, but here, as in the rest of Europe, depression set in as a result of deflation after the First World War, which led to a fall in industrial production 25% below 1913 levels. Unemployment exceeded 25%. But in the mid-1920s. The situation began to improve, unemployment decreased, which raised the standard of living of large groups of the population.

In 1930, Sweden was hit by a global economic crisis: demand for exported products fell sharply, which caused a reduction in production and high unemployment of up to 30%. Foreign exchange reserves decreased, Sweden was forced to abandon the exchange of paper money for gold.
Social democratic welfare policy (1932-1939)

The elections of 1932 brought victory to the Social Democrats and the Peasant Union. The election results allowed the Social Democrats under the leadership of Per Albin Hansson to form a government. Their task was to mitigate the consequences of the economic crisis and overcome unemployment. For this purpose, an anti-crisis program was developed. The primary goal of the new policy was to create a crisis-free economy through active government intervention (Keynesianism). In 1933, the so-called “deal” was concluded between the Social Democrats and the Peasant Union; it was necessary since the Social Democrats did not have a majority in parliament. As a result, the bloc of bourgeois parties opposed to the Social Democrats was destroyed, Social Democracy took a strong position, the legitimacy of the parliamentary system was strengthened, and the basis was laid for the Social Democrats to remain in power for a long time, since voters believed in their ability to manage the Swedish economy.
Second World War (1939-1945)

At the beginning of World War II, neutrality was officially declared. Sweden supported Finland during the Soviet-Finnish War - various types of assistance were organized for Finland: volunteers fought on its side, weapons and food were supplied. Relations with Nazi Germany. Despite formal neutrality, Sweden provided Germany with all sorts of privileges and made almost any concessions that were requested by the German side. During the war, weapons were transited through Swedish territory to German units in the north. Sweden intensively armed Nazi Germany, providing it with loans, supplying its own weapons and being the largest supplier of iron ore for the needs of the German military industry. Sweden, thanks to its careful policy of double standards, was able to easily endure the war period; political life in general was calm.
Post-war period (1946-1951)

In 1945, the coalition government resigned and was replaced by the purely Social Democratic cabinet of Per Albin Hansson; in 1946, Tage Erlander became his successor. Already in 1944, the Social Democrats put forward a “post-war labor movement program” aimed at laying the foundations of a universal social security system that would cover all citizens, as well as the creation of an efficient private enterprise economy through planned economic management. But this program met with opposition from bourgeois circles. But nevertheless, the section of this program concerning social policy was implemented; were adopted, for example: universal sickness insurance, child benefits, a new law on labor protection (1948), vacations were increased, and a nine-year school was introduced.

In 1946, Sweden became a member of the UN.

The period of the “red-green” coalition (1951-1957)

During this period, tough economic policies were pursued due to rising prices and inflation. In 1951, a coalition government of the Social Democrats and the Peasant Union was formed. The years of political cooperation have been relatively quiet for Sweden. Government parties focused their attention on carrying out the reforms they had begun: sickness insurance, indexation of pensions and child benefits, scholarships for students, etc. The real increase in wages in the 1950s made it possible for all groups of the population to increase their living standards every year like never before there was a high demand for goods and services, but the 1950s were the years of the housing crisis. By 1957, the coalition had collapsed. The trend of uniform economic growth that characterized the development of the Swedish economy after the Korean War continued throughout the 1960s. and in the early 1970s. Between 1950 and 1973, the value of industrial output in Sweden in constant monetary terms increased by 280%.

The “Swedish model” reached its peak during these years. Cooperation between labor and capital, the conclusion of centralized contracts, liberal economic policies aimed at increasing economic growth - all this contributed to the creation of relations of trust between parties in the labor market. The standard of living in Sweden has become one of the highest in the world. Industrial profits and wages grew at record rates. A policy of wage solidarity was put forward as a fundamental principle for action on the labor market. There was a significant expansion of the public sector, which was a logical consequence of the creation of a welfare society. Infrastructure - roads, hospitals, schools, communications - developed at a rapid pace. A post-industrial society began to take shape. In 1974, a new constitution was adopted, the king was deprived of all political power, he remained only the head of the foreign policy committee, and the bicameral parliament was replaced by a unicameral Riksdag. Since the mid-1970s, due to increased competition in foreign markets and a deep production crisis, the country's economic situation has become noticeably more difficult. Certain industries that found themselves in a deep structural crisis began to receive government assistance, and on a huge scale. This has led some economists to talk about the collapse of the Swedish model, a crisis of the welfare state, excessive levels of personal taxation and a rapidly expanding public sector displacing private firms. In the 70s, dependence on raw materials from the basis of Swedish well-being turned into a factor that significantly complicates economic growth.

The leading trend in Sweden's economic development in the 1980s was the transition from traditional dependence on iron ore and ferrous metallurgy to advanced technology in the production of transport, electrical goods, communications, chemical and pharmaceutical products. In the early 1980s, policy debates centered on issues such as the almost complete cessation of economic growth, Sweden's declining global competitiveness, the impact of inflation and budget deficits, and the emergence - for the first time since the 1930s - of significant unemployment (4% in 1982). ). The Palme government, supported by trade unions, published its program for a “third way,” a middle ground between communism and capitalism. Palme shared the ideas of Finnish President U.K. Kekkonen on securing the nuclear-free status of Northern Europe.

In February 1986, Olof Palme was killed on a Stockholm street. Ingvar Karlsson, Palme's successor, faced a growing labor movement, scandals, and a rapid economic decline after 1990. For the second time, foreign and local analysts began talking about the crisis and collapse of the Swedish model in the early 90s, when new acute social problems emerged in the country. economic and political problems. The public sector, which was efficient in the 50s and 60s, was in a state of permanent crisis. Unemployment reached 13%, an exceptionally high rate by Swedish standards. Strikes have become more frequent. The size of the national debt approached the volume of annual GDP, and the state budget deficit reached 11%. Strong contradictions also emerged between the previously united trade unions and the Social Democrats. Public finance problems and increasing political divisions have been accompanied by rising ethnic tensions in the country, a controversial decision to join the European Union and ongoing debate about the meaning of Swedish neutrality.

The economic recession of the early 1990s led to a sharp increase in unemployment, government debt and budget deficits in the public sector. The streamlining of public finances and the introduction of a low-inflation policy, as well as the development of the communications and information technology industries, made it possible to achieve high rates of economic growth in the second half of the 1990s. The peak was reached in 2000; After this, the global economic downturn began to affect the Swedish economy. The growth of Swedish exports is constrained by low demand for cars and communications technology in foreign markets, as well as a slowdown in economic growth in the eurozone.

By the early 1990s, the unemployment rate in Sweden had reached the European average and ranged from 10 to 14%. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Sweden's policy of complete neutrality was revised and the government expressed its desire to join the European Union.

Sweden became a member of the EU in 1995.

Political structure

The head of state is the king. However, Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, so the king currently has limited power. The state is governed by a government headed by a prime minister, who is elected by parliament - the Riksdag. Parliament is re-elected by popular vote every four years.

Administrative division

Sweden is divided into 21 districts - county (län), at the head of each of them there is a county board (länsstyrelse), which is appointed by the government. In each county there are also local government bodies - landstings (landsting), which are elected by the local population. Each fief, in turn, is divided into communes (kommun), the total number of which is 290 (2008). There is also a historical division of Sweden into provinces and regions.

Population

In addition to the Swedes, more than 17 thousand Sami, more than 50 thousand native Finns, as well as more than 450 thousand ethnic Finns who immigrated to the country during the 20th century, as well as their descendants, live in Sweden.

Sweden, being a country of emigration back in the 20th century, has now become a country primarily of immigration. Modern Swedish society can rightfully be called multicultural, that is, socially heterogeneous, including representatives of various ethnic groups and cultures. Historically, Sweden has always been an ethnically homogeneous country, the majority of the population was Swedes and an ethnic minority - the Sami, who in the 18th-19th centuries roamed the territory of Northern Europe and now live in the north of the country.

About 9.3 million people live in Sweden itself. The mid-19th century until the 1930s was a period of mass emigration, people leaving the country in search of prosperity due to poverty, religious persecution, lack of faith in a happy future, political restrictions, a sense of adventure and in the wake of the “gold rush” " During World War I, emigration slowed due to restrictions on immigration to the United States.

After World War II, Sweden becomes a country of immigration. Before the war, the country remained ethnically homogeneous; during the war, the bulk of immigrants were refugees; in the 1930s, Swedes returning from the United States immigrated to the country. From the 1930s to the present day, with the exception of a few years in the 1970s, immigration has exceeded emigration. In the 1950s and 60s, a large flow of immigrants poured into the country due to the growth of industry, the need for labor resources, as well as a large number of war refugees from Germany, Scandinavian neighbors, and the Baltic states. Many of them subsequently returned to their homeland, more remained, especially for immigrants from the Baltic states. In the post-war period, the country replenished its labor force with immigrants from other parts of Scandinavia, Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy and Turkey. Since the late 60s, regulated immigration has been introduced in Sweden.

In the 1980s, there was an influx of refugees seeking asylum across Western Europe from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Eritrea. By the end of the decade, refugees from Somalia, Kosovo and some former Eastern European states began to join the queue of asylum seekers. Thus, at the present stage of development, we can confidently call Sweden a country of immigration. About 15% of Sweden's population has either immigrated to the country or is growing up in immigrant families. Thanks to these new Swedes, the previously monolingual Swedish society with a homogeneous ethnic structure became a multicultural and international society. Today, every fifth citizen of the country is of foreign origin. To clearly see the increase in immigration processes in the country, it is worth paying attention to the fact that the population growth in 2007 by 75% (1.2 million foreigners lived in Sweden in 2007) consisted of an immigration influx into the country, and only 25% of the population increased due to the birth rate in the country. There has been a percentage increase in immigrants from Iraq, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland. It is worth recognizing that the situation of immigrants in Sweden is at a higher level than in other European countries.

Under the influence of immigration flows, society itself changed, as well as the economic situation in the country, and it is worth recognizing that the impact of immigrants on the economy can be assessed as ambiguous, since it has both positive and negative consequences. Regarding social stability, there are also many problems in this area related to ethnic and cultural diversity and the integration of immigrants into Swedish society. It is important to take into account that the government is taking steps to improve the situation in the country, improving legislation, creating specialized structures dealing with this issue, and developing strategies for tolerance between ethnic and cultural groups within the state. The goal of the Swedish government is to achieve harmony, real political, cultural, social equality and equality among different groups of the population. This is why the policy of multiculturalism is being implemented, but its implementation is accompanied by a number of social problems, which leads to a revision of the state’s immigration policy, its goals and directions. In this regard, immigration legislation is changing, new bills are being adopted and amendments are being made to existing laws. The procedure for accepting immigrants into the country, obtaining refugee status, issuing residence permits, employment, etc. is changing.

The majority of believers (79% of all believers) belong to the Church of Sweden - a Lutheran church separated from the state in 2000. Catholics, Orthodox and Baptists are also present. Some Sami profess animism. As a result of immigration, representatives of Islam appeared in the country.

The de facto language is Swedish, which belongs to the group of Germanic languages, related to the Norwegian and Danish languages, from which it differs slightly grammatically and lexically. There are strong differences in phonetics with the Danish language, which prevents free understanding. The country, however, does not have an official language - since Swedish is dominant, the question of recognizing it as official has never been raised.

The languages ​​of national minorities are Sami, Meänkieli, Finnish, Roma and Yiddish. The first three of them can be used in state and municipal institutions, courts, kindergartens and nursing homes in some parts of Norrbotten County.

The average life expectancy for men is 78.6 years, for women - 83.3 years. 90% of Sweden's population lives in communes of no more than 2,000 inhabitants. Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö are the most densely populated areas of the country.

Education in Sweden

The modern Swedish education system provides for uniform compulsory education, which children begin at age 7. More than 95% continue their education at the gymnasium, where they can choose theoretical or professional-practical lines of study. There are more than 30 higher education institutions in Sweden, of which about 1/3 are universities.

The oldest university in Sweden is Uppsala University, founded in 1477. Sweden is one of the countries in the world that has a large proportion of international students. According to the OECD, 7.5% of students in Sweden are foreign, a figure that has risen sharply over the years. Today, graduate students from 80 countries are also studying here. Education in Sweden is free, and with a few exceptions this also applies to foreign students. Sweden allocates 4.9% of GDP to education, one of the highest rates among OECD countries.

Culture

The origin of Swedish surnames has a distinctive and interesting history. The names given to children could be related to natural themes. In the 21st century, surnames in Sweden are regulated by a law from 1986, and the child is given the surname of the mother, not the father.

Holidays

Easter is one of the most popular holidays, in particular because spring, at least in southern Sweden, turns into summer these days, and daffodils, white anemones and the first birch leaves give hope for warmer days.

Walpurgis Night

The celebration of Walpurgis Night marks the final arrival of spring (although the weather often tries to deny this), and this, of course, needs to be celebrated. All over Sweden on the evening of April 30, people gather in their thousands, light large bonfires and enjoy spring songs performed by choirs (most often male). Sweden is one of the most singing countries, and it’s hard to miss such an opportunity to perform. The origins of these fires are a bit mysterious. Perhaps in this way they scared away wild animals from the herds, which at that time were taken out to pasture; Perhaps they were doing this to scare away witches, or maybe they were just warming themselves up.

Summer Solstice Festival

Midsommar (Swedish: Midsommar) or the summer solstice holiday falls at the end of June and is celebrated on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice. By this time, the sun's rays have already reached the northernmost corners of the country, and the sun no longer sets beyond the Arctic Circle. The celebration begins the night before, when girls should pick flowers of seven different types and put them under their pillows, and then they will dream about their betrothed. The remaining flowers are used to decorate the “Maypole”, and they are used to weave wreaths - both for people and for houses. The raising of the maypole is the signal for the start of traditional round dances accompanied by violin, accordion and guitar.

Night before Christmas

In Sweden, Santa Claus comes on December 24th - and already quite late in the day, according to the children, because before unwrapping the gifts, you need to devote a lot of time to communication and feasting. The Christmas buffet is a foodie's paradise. The main dish is Christmas ham, most often baked, with a wonderful grilled sauce, which includes mustard and breadcrumbs.

Saint Lucia's Day

Celebrated on December 13th. Traditionally, children prepare breakfast for their parents (homemade cookies and hot chocolate) and, dressed in finery (girls in white dresses, and boys in astrologer costumes), congratulate the older generation. Special songs are performed during “Lucia”. It is also customary that on this day schoolchildren visit their teachers in the morning.

Music

Classical, academic music

Swedish classical music reached its first flowering in the work of Johan Helmik Ruman, a Swedish composer of the late Baroque, the first major composer in the history of Sweden, who also studied in London, including with Handel.

Swedish academic music reached an even greater flourishing in the era of Romanticism, when composers in their compositions paid attention to borrowing Swedish folk motifs, personified the sea, the North, Swedish traditions and holidays in their music to give the music a specifically Swedish character. Many Swedish Romantic composers bear similarities to German and French composers of the era. This is also the flowering of sacred, church and organ music.

In Russia, Swedish academic music is known mainly as symphonic music, but in general it is little known and extremely rarely performed, which is mainly due to the shortage of sheet music by Swedish composers, whose works are rarely published in Russia and are mainly included in the sheet music collections of Scandinavian composers. There is the possibility of ordering sheet music online, but due, again, to the little known nature of this wide heritage of Swedish instrumental music, this possibility remains unaddressed.

Pop music

The most famous musical groups (in the popular music genre) of Sweden: ABBA, Europe, Roxette, Ace of Base, E-Type, Army of Lovers, The Cardigans, Covenant, Vacuum, Secret Service, Style, Shanghai, Trance Dance, September (singer ), Danny Saucedo, Dr. Alban, Yaki-Da, singer Bosson, JJ Johansson, Basshunter, Arash.

A number of Swedish bands with less emphasis on popular music have become quite famous in recent years. Such groups include Tim Sköld, The Ark, The Hives, Mando Diao, Sugarplum Fairy, The Sounds, Refused, Millencolin, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Sahara Hotnights, The Hellacopters, Timoteij, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Kent ( band), Infinite Mass, Timbuktu, Looptroop and Airbase (Jezper Söderlund), Alcazar.

Metal

Sweden is widely known as the birthplace of many “heavy” and “dark” styles of metal music - melodic death metal (At the Gates, Dark Tranquility) and modern death metal (In Flames), doom metal (Candlemass, Draconian, Tiamat), symphonic metal (Therion), black metal (Marduk, Dark Funeral), pagan metal and viking metal (Bathory).

The most famous bands: Arch Enemy, Dark Funeral, Dark Tranquility, Hypocrisy, Hammerfall, Deathstars, Draconian, The Haunted, Katatonia, Marduk, Meshuggah, Naglfar, Opeth, Scar Symmetry, Soilwork, Tiamat, Vintersorg, Lake of Tears, In Flames, Sabaton.

Progressive, folk, house

Among the progressive metal bands, the most famous are The Flower Kings, Kaipa and Pain of Salvation. In the 1960s, the Hootenanny Singers and Hep Stars were extremely popular in Sweden. The bands Garmarna and Hedningarna played in the style of Scandinavian folk rock in the 90s. Also world famous is the a cappella group The Real Group.

Currently popular in electronic dance music are DJs and producers working in the house style and who are figuratively called the Swedish House Mafia.
This is Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso. Eric Prydz

Cinema

In the 20th century, Swedish culture was marked by the pioneering work of Moritz Stiller and Viktor Sjöström in the field of cinema. Actresses Greta Garbo, Tsara Leander, Ingrid Bergman and Anita Ekberg made their careers abroad. Directors Ingmar Bergman and Boo Widerberg became laureates at prestigious film festivals. Recently, films by Lukas Moodysson have gained international recognition.

art

As in other Scandinavian countries, until the mid-19th century the visual arts lagged far behind central Europe. In Russia, Alexander Roslin, who worked for some time in St. Petersburg, became very famous. Then, mainly under the influence of French painting, Swedish painting developed and reached its peak by the beginning of the 20th century. The most recognizable Swedish artist and illustrator is Carl Larson, who has developed a unique style. Impressionism is represented by the paintings of Anders Zorn, famous for his nude paintings, Bruno Liljefors and the landscapes of Prince Eugene. As in Scandinavia in general, symbolism is very well developed, the most prominent representative of which was Eugen Janson, who at the beginning of his creative activity painted characteristic dawn and sunset landscapes in blue tones. Ivar Arosenius depicted dimly lit interiors with human figures.

Literature

World-famous Swedish authors include Carl Linnaeus, Emanuel Swedenborg, August Strindberg, Selma Lagerlöf, Vilhelm Muberg, Harry Martinson, Tumas Tranströmer and Astrid Lindgren. A. Strindberg (1849-1912) - a writer whose essentially realistic work absorbed the artistic achievements of modernism (historical dramas “Gustav Vasa”, “Eric XIV”, the novel “The Red Room”, collections of short stories, psychological novels “On the Spurs”, “Black Banners”, etc.); S. Lagerlöf (1858-1940), writer, best known for her children's book “The Wonderful Journey of Nils Holgersson through Sweden”; A. Lindgren (1907-2002) - author of stories about Malysh and Carlson and many other books for children imbued with humanism.

About country:

The Kingdom of Sweden is a country in Northern Europe, occupying most of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Sweden is a country of thousands of lakes, virgin forests and rocks, a country with numerous castles, mysterious stone boats and amazing cities. Sweden is also Abba, Volvo and Carlson, who lives on the roof. Sweden borders Norway and Finland, is washed by the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. Sweden is the largest country in Scandinavia, the total area of ​​the country is 449,964 km², the country's territory from north to south is 1,500 km, from west to east - 500 km. Stockholm is the capital of Sweden, translated as “stack” - “bay”, that is, “an island in a bay”, the city is built on fourteen small, unconnected islands. The largest islands are Öland and Gotland. The largest cities are Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo.

About the seasons:

Thanks to the warm Gulf Stream, Sweden has a temperate climate, except for a small part located above the Arctic Circle. Due to the meridional elongation of the country, the weather in the northern and southern parts of the country is different. In the north, west and east, the Scandinavian mountains shield the mainland from the Atlantic winds, which makes the winters here quite cold and the summers short and cool. Average temperatures in winter reach −14 °C, and in some places −16 °C; in the summer season the temperature fluctuates between +17 °C. In the part of Sweden that lies within the Arctic Circle, the phenomenon of polar day and night, as well as the northern lights, can be observed.

About nature:

Sweden is dominated by hilly terrain, forests, podzolic soils, rapids rivers, mountain lakes, as well as a rich fauna for the North. In the south of the country there are broad-leaved forests, to the north mixed-coniferous forests appear, and in the northern parts taiga forest predominates with tree species such as spruce, pine, aspen, and birch. Forests occupy 53% of Sweden's total area. There are 900 nature reserves and 16 national parks spread across the country, where you can meet fauna such as wolves, lynx, foxes, brown bears, hares, badgers, squirrels, arctic foxes, lemmings, and wolverines. Also in the waters of Sweden you will be pleased with the abundance of herring, cod, sturgeon, pike, perch, bream, various types of crayfish, crabs, lobsters and other river and sea inhabitants, in total there are about 160 species.

About the language:

The official language of Sweden is Swedish, the most widely spoken language in Scandinavia; Lapland is also spoken in the north of the country. Swedish belongs to the eastern subgroup of the Scandinavian group. More than 9 million people speak Swedish. The language has 17 vowel phonemes and 16 consonants. One of the features is the double stress in words: tone and dynamic. As a rule, the main stress is on the first root syllable. This is why Swedish seems so “melodic”
The Swedish language has two genders - common and neuter, and there are no cases at all. The determinant of gender, number and case is the article, which is used with a noun.

About the past:

The first settlements on Swedish soil appeared about 12 thousand years ago, when hunters came to the territory, which was more reminiscent of tundra covered with thick ice. In the period from the 4th to the 5th centuries there was a great migration of peoples, and the Svei tribes settled on the territory of modern Sweden, their region was called Svealand and Geta, whose land became known as Getaland. It was these peoples who united and later formed the Swedish people. But the time of migration of peoples was a turbulent time; constant attacks on each other by small tribes forced them to build, in addition to dwellings, also borg fortresses - stones laid out in the shape of a ring, forming a relatively high wall. Gradually, passions subsided and the unification of these tribes was the beginning of the creation of small states with trading centers throughout Scandinavia. And it was around these centers that a force was formed that terrified all its neighbors - the Vikings. The Vikings are cruel barbarians who perfectly mastered navigation and for a long time grew rich by devastating nearby countries. The wealth of the Vikings can be judged by the huge number of Roman, Byzantine and Arab coins found during excavations.
Today it is generally accepted that the Viking Age ended in the 11th century, it was then that the last king Olaf (Olof) Skötkonung (Sjötkonung), one of the early rulers of Sweden, reigned in the weakened state, who “baptized” the entire country. Numerous internecine skirmishes continued until the Kalmar Union was formed in 1397 between Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Already in the 16th century, after an uprising led by Gustaf Vasa, religious reforms were carried out and a strong centralized state was created, which soon came to control most of Finland and the Baltic countries. Unlimited monarchical power in 1809 led to the aristocratic revolution. At the same time, a state constitution was adopted in Sweden, which divided legislative power between the king and parliament.
Sweden acquired its military advantage after a military alliance with Norway, but nevertheless, in the First World War the country accepted neutrality. Closer to the 20s, mass unrest began in Sweden, caused by food shortages and discontent with the government. In 1932, the Social Democrats came to power and the situation in the country changed radically; only in 1986 did political power shake after the assassination of Prime Minister Walof Palme.
The year 1991 brought major changes. A moderate coalition entered the political arena, which subsequently influenced the course of the country's history. Sweden joins the EU. Today there are plans to join the single European currency. But the difficult economic situation still causes debate even about the advisability of the country joining the European Union.

What is a Swede like?

Most Swedes are tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed, and their main character trait is hard work. The Swede, unlike most European nations, is reserved and modest, which is typical for a northern country. Swedes are quite careful in expressing their opinions, they are closed and silent, especially in emotions associated with mental suffering, but despite this, they are very friendly and smiling when you meet them.
Swedes have a special attitude towards women. A Swede will never pay for his companion in a movie, cafe or restaurant, and this is not because of stinginess, it’s just that a man would never think of paying for a woman who works herself. Swedish women are very jealous, so married women try to protect their men from communicating with free women.
In Sweden you will hardly meet overweight people; they strictly take care of themselves and from childhood they are accustomed to daily gymnastics, swimming, walking and cycling as a result - a good build, excellent health and vigor.
Swedes are very punctual. For example, clients in hairdressing salons are served at strictly designated hours. If a client makes an appointment but does not show up on time, according to Swedish rules, he will still be sent an invoice. High customer service culture. The owner of a small private store knows each of his customers and their tastes. Sellers can often give detailed advice on a product of interest, including in German and English - there are many foreigners in Sweden.

What do Swedes do on the weekend?

Sweden is one of the healthiest nations, so sporting activities are at the top of every Swede's mind. Each city is full of cycling and jogging paths, as well as numerous parks where you can enjoy the fresh northern air.
Sweden is one of the capitals of fashion and design. On weekends, shopping centers are full of people wanting to update their wardrobe or interior. And Friday and Saturday evenings smoothly flow into noisy or romantic get-togethers in the best cafes and restaurants in the city. At night, life in large cities does not stop for a minute.

• Swedes never use the term "buffet". Many centuries ago, expecting a large number of guests, the Scandinavians prepared preparations from meat, fish, and vegetables. Food was placed directly on the table in large bowls, and such a table was called a “snack bar”
• There are no “Swedish families” in Sweden. In the 70s, Sweden had a democratic attitude towards love, marriage and close relationships, but today the concept of family means only two parents and children.
• In northern Sweden, the northern lights last all year round, but, unfortunately, they can only be seen at night
• The IKEA brand was founded in 1943 in the Swedish village of Agunnaryd, when the company's founder, Ingvar Kamprad, was only 17 years old.
• The Nobel Prize was founded in Sweden after the founder, Swedish chemical engineer A. B. Nobel.
• More than 300,000 people in Sweden have the surname Carlson.
• At birth, a child receives the mother's surname, not the father!
• Stockholm is home to the largest royal palace in the world.
• In Stockholm, the open window law is still in effect, which was introduced in the 17th century so that everyone could see whether people were living within their means or not. And although many years have passed, the Swedes living in the old part of the city still do not hang curtains, trying to preserve the historical appearance of the city.

What to bring from Sweden:

• figurines of Vikings and trolls made of glass, porcelain, ceramics
• SurstrСimming (rotten herring) is a Swedish product that is canned fermented herring. Herring literally gives off a very unpleasant smell, so this souvenir is good for fun in a group. One way to avoid the terrible smell is to open the can in a bucket of water.
• Рölgpastej - elk pate
• souvenir wooden horse Dala
• Marabou chocolate
• "Swedish snus" - chewing tobacco, banned in many European countries
• smoked deer and elk meat.
• Punch "Karlshamnspunsh", produced in the south-eastern part of Sweden in the city of Karlshamn.

Most of the Scandinavian Peninsula, or rather its entire south and east, is occupied by a country covered with beautiful forests with more than a thousand years of history - Sweden. Its territory is officially divided into 21 administrative districts, and the largest cities after the capital Stockholm are Gothenburg, Malmö and Uppsala. In addition to Swedish, most of the population speaks English, and in the very north of the country, minority languages ​​are relatively widespread: Sami, Finnish and Meänkieli (a dialect of Finnish). Native Swedes dominate the population structure (about 90%), however, in the last decade, the increased flow of economic and political immigrants from Iraq, Iran, Serbia, Somalia, Chile and other countries with low living standards has led to certain changes in the ethnic balance, such as the creation of national diaspora and Muslim communities.

Capital	Stockholm
Population
Population density	22 people/km 2
	Swedish
Religion	There is no state religion, Christianity is widespread
Form of government	a constitutional monarchy
	Swedish krona
Timezone	UTC+1 UTC+2 (summer)
International dialing code
Internet domain zone
Electricity

Despite this, the government's policy of multiculturalism and targeted tolerance education has so far succeeded in ensuring relatively peaceful coexistence between Swedish citizens and foreign refugees. The Kingdom of Sweden is the world's largest producer of ball bearings and one of the European leaders in iron ore mining; It is also noteworthy that 9/10 of the country's electricity needs are generated by 3 nuclear and a number of hydroelectric power plants, which can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Another interesting fact is that Sweden (along with Norway) was Christianized only in the 13th century - the last of all European countries.

Climate and weather

The climatic conditions of different parts of Sweden differ from each other due to the considerable extent of the country: in the southern regions with a temperate climate, the air temperature in summer is usually +18...+22 ° C, and in sunny and dry winter - about 0 ° C during daylight hours; in the northern regions, a subarctic climate prevails (there is nothing surprising if you remember that the north of Sweden is already beyond the Arctic Circle), and the average temperature in summer is around +10...+15 °C, in winter - -15...-20 °C.

Precipitation is most significant in autumn and winter, so it is better to plan a tourist trip in late spring or early summer, but experienced skiers will prefer the period from mid-autumn to mid-spring, during which at least a meter of snow falls in the Scandinavian mountains.

It is important to remember that summer, despite being longer in the south and southwest of the country, is usually somewhat rainier than in the cold Swedish north.

Nature

More than half of Sweden is covered in forests; By this indicator, it is ahead of any European country. Also, about 10% of the country is occupied by the blue expanse of cool, clean lakes, around which lie spacious meadows.

But when going on a trip through resinous coniferous forests or fishing in the rivers of Sweden rich in salmon and trout, it is advisable to carefully study the local environmental legislation: it is prohibited to make fires and break branches, wash vehicles with water from natural reservoirs, cross the borders of nature reserves without special permission and even just picking flowers. Fishing is prohibited in most bodies of water, and a tin can or plastic bottle thrown in the wrong place can result in a significant fine. Thanks to such strict prohibitive measures, the Swedish government managed to preserve for true connoisseurs of beauty a real protected area, where you can admire many natural wonders: from centuries-old oak trees in the south of the country to predatory lynxes living in the north, but not dangerous to humans.

Attractions

One of the most beautiful European capitals is the Swedish city of Stockholm, located almost entirely on 14 islands. There are about 75 museums available for visiting here to suit every taste, including the unique Museum of Dance, which has no analogues in the whole world. For art connoisseurs, Stockholm provides an amazing opportunity to walk through the halls of as many as 100 (!) art galleries, which, among other things, contain originals of stunning paintings by such masters as Carl Larsson and Ferdinand Fagerlin.

However, other cities in the country are sometimes not inferior to the capital Stockholm in architectural and cultural terms; for example, the port of Gothenburg, located on the west coast of Sweden, is the residence of the Swedish bishop, and on the main square of the city there is one of the best concert halls in the world and the unusual Poseidon fountain.

You can also visit many attractions in Malmö (town hall and Renaissance castle), Uppsala (the oldest university in Scandinavia and the house-museum of the great scientist Carl Linnaeus), as well as on the large island of Gotland, famous for Bronze Age burials, and the slightly smaller island of Öland , home to ancient windmills, Iron Age forts and medieval castle ruins.

Nutrition

Traditional Swedish cuisine was based on dishes that could last for a long time. This was due to long winters and low population density. All kinds of smoked foods, pickles, preserves and jams, various types of homemade cookies and bread, as well as other simple natural products: cheese, eggs, sausages, minced meat, game and fresh berries were popular. Today, Swedish cuisine is also rich in first courses (the beer soups alone are worth it!), salads, various appetizers, pastries and delicate desserts. The food etiquette of the so-called buffet is interesting: it implies self-service, and the food is not divided into portions in advance - everyone cuts or puts in as much as they see fit, and therefore it is not customary in Sweden to leave food on the plate.

Accommodation

There are many housing options for those wishing to stay in Sweden: you can rent a double house (bungalow) with heating and a kitchen for $25-70 per day or a room on a country farm for only $150 per week. A day's rent for a room in the city center will cost $30-40, a hotel room - $90. In Sweden there are also numerous chalets (villages for visitors), campsites and youth tourist centers, many of which provide decent living conditions at very reasonable prices (up to $30 per day).

Entertainment and relaxation

You can take part in cheerful round dances to traditional acoustic music during the summer solstice at the end of June, hear folk choral songs and admire huge bonfires on April 30, when the Swedes celebrate the arrival of spring, and the opportunity to try juicy ham in mustard sauce and many other culinary delights is presented Christmas evening, December 24th.

Sweden is home to the magnificent ski resorts of Salen and Åre, operating from October to May; In Salen, more than 140 km of trails have been laid for skiing enthusiasts, almost 100 ski lifts have been built, and dog sledding and powerful high-speed snowmobile rides are also organized. And Åre has almost 90 km of slopes of varying difficulty.

In the country's major cities, especially in the capital Stockholm, nightlife is in full swing 7 days a week from the beginning to the end of the calendar year, so adherents of the club lifestyle are sure to stay here for a long time, enthusiastically discovering new boundaries of Swedish fun, drive and luxury.

Purchases

Most shops in Sweden have not very long working hours: 8-9 hours on weekdays (usually from 10:00 to 18:00) and 4-5 hours on Saturday (often from 9 am to 2 pm), on Sundays only the most open large stores.

The most popular souvenirs among tourists are trolls, Vikings, moose, as well as Swedish crystal and all kinds of runic amulets.

By the way, in Sweden there is a state monopoly on alcohol (except for light beer) - it is sold exclusively in specialized stores at very high prices, and only on weekdays.

Transport

The Swedish transport network is remarkably developed: intercity communication is carried out by high-speed trains and buses, buses run in cities, and in Stockholm there are also metro and electric trains. There is also a taxi system, but without prior reservation you will rarely see one on city streets. The roads in Sweden are of really high quality, but only an adult driver (according to Swedish law, over 21 years old) with at least 1 year of experience, with a credit card and, of course, an international driving license, can rent a car. In addition, in large cities there are problems with parking spaces. And in smaller settlements, the time allowed for parking in the center is often limited. A good alternative to renting a car in Sweden can be to rent a bicycle - special paths are equipped next to many highways, which makes it a popular and convenient means of transportation around cities and even the whole country.

Connection

Sweden has very modern telephony: there are 3 cellular operators using NMT900, MT450 and GSM standards, as well as an extremely extensive communication network of regular landlines, including street phones. By the way, in addition to standard communication cards, which are sold everywhere, you can often pay for the use of a payphone directly with a credit card, which is especially convenient if you need to call abroad (and most payphones in Sweden provide this option).

Safety

In Sweden, it is important to strictly follow numerous traffic rules: always turn on low beam headlights, wear seat belts for all vehicle passengers, and so on. On the roads, the police practice periodic sobriety checks of drivers. When moving around Sweden by car, you should be aware of the numerous wild animals, some of which can unexpectedly appear on the road at the most inopportune moment.

Drinking alcohol in public places is strictly prohibited here and is punishable by significant fines; The situation is the same with smoking.

It should also be noted that the social problems created by the massive influx of immigrants who do not want to assimilate: for example, some Swedish cities (for example, Malmö) today are secretly divided into a directly Swedish and immigrant part - in fact, a ghetto, where it is undesirable to be in the dark.

Business climate

Sweden has an extremely simple system for registering firms and companies, with fairly low corporate taxes and capital taxes. In addition, the concept of VAT is completely absent here, which is why there is practically no shadow business in the country that is unprofitable in such conditions. The Swedish government adheres to a policy of non-interference in the activities of entrepreneurs, which makes it easy to obtain loans and the high attractiveness of projects for investors. All this creates quite favorable conditions for doing business in this stable northern country. Especially in the medium-sized business sector.

Real estate

In Sweden, real estate is not inherited (after the death of the owner, it returns to the public housing stock); any redevelopment must be formalized in the most detailed manner, in accordance with all legal rules. And the cost of a residential or commercial property has almost nothing to do with its location due to the well-developed transport network. So a building on the very outskirts of the city can be much more expensive than one located in the very center - due to the newness of the building, recent renovation or a successful design solution.