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{{Infobox Country
|native_name=''Konungariket Sverige''{{spaces|2}}<small>{{sv icon}}</small>
|conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Sweden
|common_name=Sweden
|image_flag=Flag of Sweden.svg
|image_coat=Coat of Arms of Sweden.svg
|image_map=EU-Sweden.svg
|map_caption={{map caption|location_color=dark green|region=[[Europe]]|region_color=dark grey|subregion=the [[European Union]]|subregion_color=light green|legend=EU-Sweden.svg}}
|national_motto=<span style="line-height:1.33em;">[[Royal mottos of Swedish monarchs|(Royal)]]&nbsp;{{lang|sv|''"För Sverige i tiden"''}}&nbsp;<sup>1</sup><br><small>"For Sweden &ndash; With the Times"&nbsp;</small></span>
|national_anthem={{lang|sv|''[[Du gamla, Du fria]]''}}<sup>2</sup><br><small>''Thou ancient, thou free''</small>
|royal_anthem={{lang|sv|''[[Kungssången]]''}}<br><small>''The Song of the King''</small>
|official_languages=[[Swedish language|Swedish]]<sup>3</sup>
|demonym=[[Swedish people|Swedish]] or [[Swedes]]
|ethnic_groups=82.1% [[Swedish people|Swedish]]<ref name="SCB Bef">{{cite web|url=http://www.scb.se/Pages/Product____25785.aspx?produktkod=BE0101&displaypressrelease=true&pressreleaseid=257212|title=Befolkningsstatistik|publisher=www.scb.se|date=|accessdate=2009-06-16}}</ref><br>17.9% [[:Category:Ethnic groups in Sweden|other]] (2008)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____26041.aspx|title=Summary of Population Statistics 1960 - 2008 (corrected version 2009-05-13)|publisher=www.scb.se|date=2009-05-13|accessdate=2009-07-08}}</ref><ref>Note that [[Swedish-speaking Finns]] or other Swedish-speakers born outside Sweden might self-identify as ''Swedish'' despite being born abroad. Moreover, people born within Sweden may not be ethnic Swedes.</ref>
|capital=[[Stockholm]]
|latd=59|latm=21|latNS=N|longd=18|longm=4|longEW=E
|largest_city=capital
|government_type=[[Parliamentary democracy]] and [[Constitutional monarchy]]
|leader_title1=[[Monarch of Sweden|Monarch]]
|leader_name1=[[Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden|King Carl XVI Gustaf]]
|leader_title2=[[Prime Minister of Sweden|Prime Minister]]
|leader_name2=[[Fredrik Reinfeldt]] ([[Moderate Party|M]])
|leader_title3=[[Speaker of the Riksdag|Speaker of<br>the Riksdag]]
|leader_name3=[[Per Westerberg]] ([[Moderate Party|M]])
|sovereignty_type=[[Consolidation of Sweden|Consolidation]]
|sovereignty_note=
|established_event1=[[Kalmar Union|Personal union w. Denmark and Norway]]
|established_date1=1397
|established_event2=''de facto'' independent kingdom
|established_date2=June 6, 1523
|established_event3=end of Scandinavian union ratified
|established_date3=1524
|established_event4=[[Swedish-Norwegian_Union]] begins
|established_date4=November 4, 1814
|established_event5=[[Swedish-Norwegian_Union]] ends
|established_date5=August 13, 1905
|established_event6=[[Constitution of Sweden|Current constitution]]
|established_date6=1974
|accessionEUdate=1 January 1995
|EUseats=19
|area_rank=55th
|area_magnitude=1 E11
|area_km2=450,295
|area_sq_mi=173,745
|percent_water=8.7
|population=
|population_estimate_rank=88th
|population_census=9,325,429<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scb.se/BE0101|title=Befolkningsstatistik|publisher=Statistiska centralbyrån|accessdate=2009-11-11}}</ref>
|population_census_year=2009
|population_density_km2=20.6
|population_density_sq_mi=53.3
|population_density_rank=192nd
|GDP_PPP=$342.682 billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2006&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=144&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=54&pr.y=8|title=Sweden|publisher=International Monetary Fund|accessdate=2009-10-01}}</ref>
|GDP_PPP_rank=
|GDP_PPP_year=2008
|GDP_PPP_per_capita=$37,333<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank=17th
|GDP_nominal=$478.961 billion<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_nominal_rank=
|GDP_nominal_year=2008
|GDP_nominal_per_capita=$52,180<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank=9th
|Gini=23
|Gini_year=2005
|Gini_category=<span style="color:#090;">low</span>
|HDI={{increase}} 0.963<ref>[http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf Human Development Report 2009]. The United Nations. Retrieved 5 October 2009</ref>
|HDI_rank=7th
|HDI_year=2007
|HDI_category=<span style="color:#090;">very&nbsp;high</span>
|currency=[[Swedish krona]]
|currency_code=SEK
|country_code=SWE
|time_zone=[[Central European Time|CET]]
|utc_offset=+1
|time_zone_DST=[[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
|utc_offset_DST=+2
|date_format=yyyy-mm-dd,<br>d/m yyyy,<br>dd-mm-yyyy,<br>dd-mm-yy
|drives_on=right<sup>4</sup>
|cctld=[[.se]]<sup>5</sup>
|calling_code=46
|footnote1={{lang|sv|''För Sverige - I tiden''}} has been adopted by Carl XVI Gustaf as his personal motto.
|footnote2={{lang|sv|''[[Du gamla, Du fria]]''}} has never been officially adopted as national anthem, but is so by convention.
|footnote3=Since July 1, 2009<ref name="Swedish">{{cite web|url=http://www.sprakforsvaret.se/sf/fileadmin/PDF/spraklagen_200509.pdf|title=Språklagen|date=2009-07-01|work=Språkförsvaret|language=Swedish|accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref><ref name="Swedish2">{{cite web|url=http://www.thelocal.se/20404/20090701/|title=Swedish becomes official 'main language'|last=Landes|first=David|date=2009-07-01|work=The Local|publisher=thelocal.se|accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref> Five other languages are officially recognized as minority languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sprakradet.se/servlet/GetDoc?meta_id=2119#item100400|title=Är svenskan också officiellt språk i Sverige?|publisher=Språkrådet (Language Council of Sweden)|date=2008-02-01|accessdate=2008-06-22|language=Swedish}}</ref>
|footnote4=Since 3 September 1967.
|footnote5=The [[.eu]] domain is also used, as it is shared with other [[European Union]] member states. The [[.nu]] domain is another commonly used TLD ("nu" means "now" in Swedish).
}}

'''Sweden''' (pronounced {{Audio-IPA|en-us-Sweden.ogg|/ˈswiːdən/}}, Swedish: ''Sverige''), officially the '''Kingdom of Sweden''' ([[Swedish language|Swedish]]: {{Audio|Sv-Konungariket_Sverige.ogg|''Konungariket Sverige''}}), is a [[Nordic countries|Nordic country]] on the [[Scandinavian Peninsula]] in [[Northern Europe]]. Sweden has land borders with [[Norway]] to the west and [[Finland]] to the northeast, and it is connected to [[Denmark]] by the [[Öresund Bridge]] in the south.

At 450,295 km²(173,745 m²)Sweden is the third largest country in the [[European Union]] in terms of area, and it has a total population of about 9.2 million. Sweden has a low [[population density]] of 21 people per km² (53 per sq mi), but with a considerably higher density in the southern half of the country. About 85% of the population live in urban areas, and it is expected that these numbers will gradually rise as a part of the ongoing urbanization.<ref name="publikationer2007">Statistics Sweden. ''Yearbook of Housing and Building Statistics 2007''. Statistics Sweden, Energy, Rents and Real Estate Statistics Unit, 2007. ISBN 9789161813612. Available online in [http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BO0801_2007A01_BR_BO01SA0701.pdf PDF format]</ref> Sweden's [[Capital (political)|capital]] is [[Stockholm]], which is also the largest city in the country (population of 1.3 million in the urban area and with 2 million in the metropolitan area). The second and third largest cities are [[Gothenburg]] and [[Malmö]].

Sweden is a [[constitutional monarchy]] with a [[parliamentary system]] of government and a highly developed economy. It ranks first in the world in [[The Economist]]'s [[Democracy Index]] and seventh in the [[United Nation]]'s [[Human Development Index]]. Sweden has been a member of the [[European Union]] since 1 January 1995 and is a member of the [[OECD]].

Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages. In the [[17th century]] the country expanded its territories to form the [[Swedish empire]]. Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The eastern half of Sweden, present-day Finland, was lost to [[Russia]] in 1809. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military means forced Norway into a [[Union of Sweden and Norway|personal union]] with Sweden, a union which lasted until 1905. Since then, Sweden has been at peace, adopting a non-aligned foreign policy in peacetime and [[Neutral country|neutrality]] in wartime.<ref>[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2880.htm#foreign ''U.S. State Department Background Notes: Sweden'']</ref>

==Etymology==
{{Main|Etymology of Sweden}}
[[File:Sö Fv1948;289, Aspa.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Runestones at Aspa#Sö Fv1948;289|This runestone]] from Aspa, [[Södermanland]] is the oldest native source mentioning Sweden, ''suiþiuþu'', from the 11th century.]]
The modern name ''Sweden'' is derived through [[back-formation]] from Old English ''Sweoðeod'', which meant "people of the Swedes" (Old Norse ''Svíþjóð'', Latin ''Suetidi''). This word is derived from ''Sweon/Sweonas'' (Old Norse ''Sviar'', Latin S''uiones''). The Swedish name ''Sverige'' literally means "Kingdom of the [[Swedes (Germanic tribe)|Swedes]]", excluding the [[Geat]]s in [[Götaland]].

Variations of the name ''Sweden'' are used in most languages, with the exception of [[Danish language|Danish]] and [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] using ''Sverige'' and the more notable exception of some [[Finno-Ugric languages]] where ''Ruotsi'' ([[Finnish language|Finnish]]) and ''Rootsi'' ([[Estonian language|Estonian]]) are used, names commonly considered etymologically related to the English name for [[Russia]], referring to the people, ''[[Rus (people)|Rus']]'', originally from the coastal areas of [[Roslagen]], [[Uppland]].

The etymology of ''Swedes'', and thus ''Sweden'', is generally not agreed upon, but may derive from [[Proto-Germanic]] ''Swihoniz'' meaning "one's own",<ref>{{cite book |last=Hellquist |first=Elof |title=Svensk etymologisk ordbok |year=1922 |publisher=Gleerups förlag |location=Stockholm |page=915}}</ref> referring to one's own Germanic tribe.

==History==
{{Main|History of Sweden}}
===Prehistory===
{{Main|Prehistoric Sweden}}
Sweden's prehistory begins in the [[Allerød Oscillation|Allerød warm period]] c. 12,000 BC with Late [[Palaeolithic]] [[reindeer]]-hunting camps of the [[Bromme culture]] at the edge of the ice in what is now the country's southernmost province. This period was characterized by small bands of [[Hunter-gatherer|hunter-gatherer-fishers]] using [[flint]] technology.
Farming and animal husbandry, along with monumental burial, polished flint axes and decorated pottery, arrived from the Continent with the [[Funnelbeaker culture|Funnel-beaker Culture]] in c. 4,000 BC. Sweden's southern third was part of the stock-keeping and agricultural [[Nordic Bronze Age]] Culture's area, most of it being peripheral to the culture's Danish centre. The period began in c. 1,700 BC with the start of [[bronze]] imports from Europe. Copper mining was never tried locally during this period, and Scandinavia has no tin deposits, so all metal had to be imported. It was largely cast into local designs on arrival.

The Nordic Bronze Age was entirely pre-urban, with people living in hamlets and on farmsteads with single-story wooden [[long-house]]s.

In the absence of any [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] occupation, Sweden's Iron Age is reckoned up to the introduction of stone architecture and monastic orders about 1100. Much of the period is [[proto-history|proto-historical]], that is, there are written sources but most are of low credibility. The scraps of written matter are either much later than the period in question, written in distant areas, or, while local and [[coeval]], extremely brief.

The climate took a turn for the worse, forcing farmers to keep cattle indoors over the winters, leading to an annual build-up of manure that could now for the first time be used systematically for soil improvement.

A Roman attempt to move the Imperial border forward from the [[Rhine]] to the [[Elbe]] was aborted in AD 9 when Germans under Roman-trained leadership defeated the legions of [[Varus]] by ambush in the [[Battle of the Teutoburg Forest]]. About this time, there was a major shift in the material culture of Scandinavia, reflecting increased contact with the Romans.

[[File:TANUM2.JPG|thumb|Rock carvings from [[Tanum]], [[Bohuslän]]. Rock carvings ([[petroglyph]]s) are common all over Scandinavia and several thousands have been found in Sweden alone.]]

Starting in the 2nd century, much of southern Sweden's agricultural land was parcelled out with low stone walls. They divided the land into permanent infields and meadows for winter fodder on one side of the wall, and wooded outland where the cattle was grazed on the other side. This principle of landscape organization survived into the 19th century. The Roman Period also saw the first large-scale expansion of agricultural settlement up the Baltic coast of the country's northern two thirds.

Sweden enters proto-history with the ''[[Germania (book)|Germania]]'' of [[Tacitus]] in AD 98. In [[s:Germania#XLIV|Germania 44, 45]] he mentions the Swedes (''[[Swedes (Germanic tribe)|Suiones]]'') as a powerful tribe (''distinguished not merely for their arms and men, but for their powerful fleets'') with ships that had a [[prow]] in both ends ([[longship]]s). Which kings (''kuningaz'') ruled these Suiones is unknown, but [[Norse mythology]] presents a long line of legendary and semi-legendary kings going back to the last centuries BC. As for literacy in Sweden itself, the [[Runic alphabet|runic script]] was invented among the south Scandinavian elite in the 2nd century, but all that has come down to the present from the Roman Period is curt inscriptions on artifacts, mainly of male names, demonstrating that the people of south Scandinavia spoke [[Proto-Norse]] at the time, a language ancestral to Swedish and other [[North Germanic languages]].

In the 6th century [[Jordanes]] named two tribes he calls the ''Suehans'' and the ''Suetidi'' who lived in [[Scandza]]. These two names are both considered to refer to the same tribe. The ''Suehans'', he says, has very fine horses just as the "Thyringi" tribe (''alia vero gens ibi moratur Suehans, quae velud Thyringi equis utuntur eximiis''). [[Snorri Sturluson]] wrote that the contemporary Swedish king [[Adils]] (Eadgils) had the finest horses of his days. The Suehans were the suppliers of black fox skins for the Roman market. Then Jordanes names the ''Suetidi'' which is considered to be the Latin form of ''[[Svitjod]]''. He writes that the Suetidi are the tallest of men together with the [[Danes (Germanic tribe)|Dani]] who were of the same stock. Later he mentions other Scandinavian tribes for being of the same height.

Originating in semi-legendary Scandza, believed to be somewhere in modern [[Götaland]], Sweden, a [[Goths|Gothic]] population had crossed the [[Baltic Sea]] before the 2nd century AD, reaching [[Scythia]] at the coast of the [[Black Sea]] in modern [[Ukraine]] where Goths left their archaeological traces in the [[Chernyakhov culture]]. In the 5th and 6th centuries, they became divided as the [[Visigoths]] and the [[Ostrogoths]], and established powerful successor-states of the [[Roman Empire]] in the [[Iberian peninsula]] and [[Italy]].<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/239637/Goth Goth (people)]. Britannica Online Encyclopedia.</ref> [[Crimean Gothic]] communities appear to have survived intact in [[Crimea]] until the late 1700s.<ref>[http://www.ethnologue.com/15/show_language.asp?code=got GOTHIC: an extinct language of Ukraine]</ref>

===Viking and Middle ages===
{{See also|Early Swedish history|Foundation of Modern Sweden|Varangians}}
[[File:Ales stenar bred.jpg|thumb|330px|[[Ale's Stones]] in [[Scania]], southern Sweden. This ship setting is a [[Germanic Iron Age]] burial monument, most likely from the 7th century. Raised for the [[Denmark|Danish]] prince, [[Ale the Strong]]]]

The Swedish [[Viking Age]] lasted roughly between the eighth and eleventh centuries. During this period, it is believed that the [[Swedish people|Swedes]] expanded from eastern Sweden and incorporated the [[Geats]] to the south.<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/65/sw/Sweden.html The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001–05]</ref> It is believed that Swedish Vikings and [[Gutar]] mainly travelled east and south, going to [[Finland]], the Baltic countries, [[Russia]], [[Belarus]], [[Ukraine]] the [[Black Sea]] and further as far as [[Baghdad]]. Their routes passed [[The Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks|through the Dnieper]] down south to [[Constantinople]] ([[Byzantine Empire]]) (present-day [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]]) on which they did numerous raids. The Byzantine Emperor [[Theophilos]] noticed their great skills in war, and invited them to serve as his personal bodyguard, known as the [[varangian guard]]. The Swedish Vikings, called "[[Rus (people)|Rus]]" are also believed to be the founding fathers of [[Kievan Rus]]. The Arabic traveller "[[Ibn Fadlan]]" described these Vikings as following: {{quote|I have seen the Rus as they came on their merchant journeys and encamped by the [[Volga|Itil]]. I have never seen more perfect physical specimens, tall as date palms, blond and ruddy; they wear neither tunics nor caftans, but the men wear a garment which covers one side of the body and leaves a hand free. Each man has an axe, a sword, and a knife, and keeps each by him at all times. The swords are broad and grooved, of Frankish sort.|<ref>Quoted from: Gwyn Jones. ''A History of the Vikings''. Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-19-280134-1. Page 164.</ref>}} The adventures of these Swedish Vikings are commemorated on many [[runestone]]s in Sweden, such as the [[Greece Runestones]] and the [[Varangian Runestones]]. There was also considerable participation in expeditions westwards, which are commorated on stones such as the [[England Runestones]]. The last major Swedish Viking expedition appears to have been the ill-fated expedition of [[Ingvar the Far-Travelled]] to [[Serkland]], the region south-east of the [[Caspian Sea]]. Its members are commemorated on the [[Ingvar Runestones]], none of which mentions any survivor. What happened to the crew is unknown, but it is believed that they died of sickness.

[[File:Varangian routes.png|thumb|right|220px|Map showing the major Varangian trade routes: the [[Volga trade route]] (in red) and the [[Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks]] (in purple).]]

It is not known when and how the kingdom of Sweden was born, but the [[list of Swedish monarchs]] is drawn from the first kings who ruled [[Svealand]] (Sweden) and [[Götaland]] (Gothia) as one with [[Erik Segersäll|Erik the Victorious]]. Sweden and Gothia were two separate nations long before that. It is not known how long they existed, ''[[Beowulf]]'' described semi-legendary [[Swedish-Geatish wars]] in the 6th century.

During the early stages of the Scandinavian [[Viking Age]], [[Ystad]] in [[Scania]] and [[Paviken]] on [[Gotland]], in present-day Sweden, were flourishing trade centers. Remains of what is believed to have been a large market have been found in Ystad dating from 600–700 AD.<ref name="Sawyer" /> In Paviken, an important center of trade in the Baltic region during the ninth and tenth century, remains have been found of a large Viking Age harbour with shipbuilding yards and handicraft industries. Between 800 and 1000, trade brought an abundance of silver to Gotland and according to some scholars, the Gotlanders of this era hoarded more silver than the rest of the population of Scandinavia combined.<ref name="Sawyer">Sawyer, Birgit and Peter Sawyer (1993). ''Medieval Scandinavia: from Conversion to Reformation, Circa 800–1500''. University of Minnesota Press, 1993. ISBN 0816617392, pp. 150–153.</ref>

[[File:Visby stadtmauer.jpg|thumb|left|[[Visby]], a medieval city on [[Gotland]]]]

[[St. Ansgar]] introduced Christianity in 829, but the new religion did not begin to fully replace [[paganism]] until the twelfth century. During the 11th century, Christianity became the most prevalent religion, and from the year 1050 Sweden is counted as a Christian nation. The period between 1100 and 1400 was characterized by internal power struggles and competition among the Nordic kingdoms. Swedish kings also began to expand the Swedish-controlled territory in [[Finland]], creating conflicts with the [[Rus' (people)|Rus]] which now no longer had any connection with Sweden.<ref>Bagge, Sverre (2005) "The Scandinavian Kingdoms". In ''The New Cambridge Medieval History''. Eds. Rosamond McKitterick et al. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 052136289X, p. 724: "Swedish expansion in Finland led to conflicts with Rus', which were temporarily brought to an end by a peace treaty in 1323, dividing the Karelian peninsula and the northern areas between the two countries."</ref>

In the 14th century, Sweden was struck by the [[Black Death]] ([[bubonic plague]]). During this period the Swedish cities also began to acquire greater rights and were strongly influenced by German merchants of the [[Hanseatic League]], active especially at [[Visby]]. In 1319, Sweden and Norway were united under King [[Magnus IV of Sweden|Magnus Eriksson]] and in 1397 Queen [[Margaret I of Denmark]] effected the personal union of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark through the [[Kalmar Union]]. However, Margaret's successors, whose rule was also centred in Denmark, were unable to control the Swedish nobility. Real power was held for long periods by regents (notably those of the [[Sture]] family) chosen by the Swedish parliament. King [[Christian II of Denmark]], who asserted his claim to Sweden by force of arms, ordered a massacre in 1520 of Swedish nobles at Stockholm. This came to be known as the “[[Stockholm blood bath]]” and stirred the Swedish nobility to new resistance and, on 6 June (now Sweden's national holiday) in 1523, they made [[Gustav Vasa]] their king. This is sometimes considered as the [[foundation of modern Sweden]]. Shortly afterwards he rejected [[Catholicism]] and led Sweden into the [[Protestant Reformation]]. Gustav Vasa is considered to be Sweden's "[[Father of the Nation]]".

===Swedish Empire===
[[File:Sweden in 1658.PNG|thumb|upright|The [[Swedish Empire]] following the [[Treaty of Roskilde]] of 1658. Dominions in [[Prussia]], held from 1629 to 1635, do not appear on this map.
----
{{legend|#E6570C|[[Sweden proper]]}}
{{legend|#007500|[[Kexholm County]]}}
{{legend|#00FF00|[[Swedish Ingria]]}}
{{legend|#000075|[[Swedish Estonia]]}}
{{legend|#FF00FF|[[Livonia]]}}
{{legend|#B9B9B9|[[Swedish Pomerania]], [[Archbishopric of Bremen|Abp Bremen]] and [[Bishopric of Verden|Bp Verden]]}}
{{legend|#757536|[[Scania]], [[Blekinge]], [[Halland]], [[Gotland]] and [[Bohuslän]]}}
{{legend|#0075FF|[[Trøndelag]] and [[Møre og Romsdal]]}}
{{legend|#75FFFF|[[Jämtland]], [[Härjedalen]], [[Idre]] & [[Särna]]}}]]
{{See also|History of Sweden (1611–1648)|Swedish Empire|Swedish overseas colonies|Sweden and the Great Northern War|Absolute Monarchy in Sweden|Sweden-Finland|Union between Sweden and Norway}}

During the 17th century Sweden emerged as a European [[Great Power|great power]]. Before the emergence of the Swedish Empire, Sweden was a very poor, scarcely populated, country on the fringe of European civilization, with no significant power or reputation. Sweden rose to prominence on a continental scale during the tenure of king [[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden|Gustavus Adolphus]], seizing territories from Russia and [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Poland–Lithuania]] in multiple conflicts, including the [[Thirty Years' War]].

During the Thirty Years' War, Sweden conquered approximately half of the Holy Roman states. Gustav Adolphus planned to become the new Holy Roman Emperor, ruling over a united Scandinavia and the Holy Roman states, but he died at the [[Battle of Lützen (1632)|Battle of Lützen]] in 1632. After the [[Battle of Nördlingen (1634)|Battle of Nördlingen]], Sweden's only significant military defeat of the war, pro-Swedish sentiment among the German states faded. These German provinces excluded themselves from Swedish power one by one, leaving Sweden with only a few northern German territories: [[Swedish Pomerania]], [[Bremen-Verden]] and [[Wismar]].

In the middle of the 17th century Sweden was the third largest country in Europe by land area, only surpassed by [[Russia]] and [[Spain]]. Sweden reached its largest territorial extent under the rule of [[Charles X of Sweden|Charles X]] (1622–1660) after the [[treaty of Roskilde]] in 1658.<ref name="HayesPSH">
"A Political and Social History of Modern Europe V.1./Hayes..."
Hayes, Carlton J. H. (1882–1964),
''Title: A Political and Social History of Modern Europe V.1.'',
2002-12-08, Project Gutenberg, webpage:
[http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/etext04/7hsr110.htm Infomot-7hsr110].
</ref><ref>However, Sweden's largest territorial extent lasted from 1319 to 1343 with [[Magnus IV of Sweden|Magnus Eriksson]] ruling all of the [[Lands of Sweden|traditional lands of Sweden]] and Norway.</ref>
The foundation of Sweden's success during this period is credited to [[Gustav I]]'s major changes on the Swedish economy in the mid-1500s, and his introduction of [[Protestantism]].<ref name="GusEB">
"Gustav I Vasa – Britannica Concise" (biography),
''Britannica Concise'', 2007, webpage:
[http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9366349/Gustav-I-Vasa EBConcise-Gustav-I-Vasa].
</ref> The 17th century saw Sweden engaged in many [[war]]s, for example with the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]] with both sides competing for territories of today's [[Baltic states]], with the disastrous [[Battle of Kircholm]] being one of the highlights.<ref>[http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/images/kircholm_27_sept.htm Battle of Kircholm 1605]</ref> One-third of the [[Finland|Finnish]] population died in the devastating [[famine]] that struck the country in 1696.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/finland/9.htm Finland and the Swedish Empire]. Source: ''U.S. Library of Congress''</ref> Famine also hit Sweden.<ref>[http://www.algonet.se/~hogman/sljordbruk_eng.htm Agricultural Yields and Years of Famine - Sweden]. Hans Högman.</ref>

[[File:Gustav II of Sweden.jpg|thumb|left|[[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden|Gustavus Adolphus]]]]

This period also saw [[Deluge (history)|the Deluge]]—the Swedish invasion of the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. After more than half a century of almost constant warfare, the Swedish economy had deteriorated. It would become the lifetime task of Charles' son, [[Charles XI of Sweden|Charles XI]] (1655–1697), to rebuild the economy and refit the army. His legacy to his son, the coming ruler of Sweden [[Charles XII of Sweden|Charles XII]], was one of the finest arsenals in the world, a large standing army and a great fleet. Sweden's largest threat at this time, Russia, had a larger army but was far behind in both equipment and training.

After the [[Battle of Narva (1700)|Battle of Narva]] in 1700, one of the first battles of the [[Great Northern War]], the Russian army was so severely decimated that Sweden had an open chance to invade Russia. However, Charles did not pursue the Russian army—instead turning against Poland-Lithuania and defeating the Polish king [[Augustus II]] and his Saxon allies at the [[Battle of Kliszow]] in 1702. This gave the Russian Tsar time to rebuild and modernize his army. After the success of invading Poland Charles decided to make an invasion attempt of Russia which ended in a decisive Russian victory at the [[Battle of Poltava]] in 1709. After a long march exposed to [[cossack]] raids, the Russian Tsar [[Peter the Great]]'s scorched-earth techniques and the [[Russian Winter|cold Russian climate]], the Swedes stood weakened with a shattered morale, and enormously outnumbered against the Russian army at Poltava. The defeat meant the beginning of the end for the Swedish empire.

[[File:Carl XII of Sweden.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Charles XII of Sweden]]]]
Charles XII attempted to invade Norway 1716; however, he was shot dead at [[Fredriksten| Fredriksten fortress]] in 1718. The Swedes weren't militarily defeated at Fredriksten, but the whole structure and organization of the Norwegian campaign fell apart with the King's death and the army withdrew. Forced to cede large areas of land in the [[Treaty of Nystad]] in 1721, Sweden also lost its place as an empire and as the dominant state on the Baltic Sea. With Sweden's lost influence, Russia emerged as an [[Imperial Russia|empire]] and became one of Europe's dominant nations.

In the 18th century, Sweden did not have enough resources to maintain its territories outside Scandinavia and most of them were lost, culminating with the 1809 loss of eastern Sweden to Russia which became the semi-autonomous [[Grand Duchy of Finland|Duchy of Finland]] in [[Imperial Russia]].

In interest of reestablishing Swedish dominance in the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]], Sweden allied itself against its traditional ally and benefactor, France, in the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. Sweden's role in the [[Battle of Leipzig]] gave it the authority to force Denmark-Norway, an ally of France, to cede [[Norway]] to the King of Sweden on 14 January 1814 in exchange for northern German provinces, at the [[Treaty of Kiel]]. The Norwegian attempts to keep their status as a sovereign state were rejected by the Swedish king, [[Charles XIII]]. He launched a military campaign against Norway on July 27, 1814, ending in the [[Convention of Moss]], which forced Norway into a [[Union between Sweden and Norway|personal union]] with Sweden under the Swedish crown, which was not dissolved until 1905. The 1814 campaign was the last war in which Sweden participated as a combatant. Swedish troops however still partake in peace keeping missions and currently have forces deployed in Afghanistan and Kosovo.

===Modern history===
{{See also|Modernization of Sweden|Swedish emigration to the United States}}
The 18th and 19th centuries saw a significant population increase, which the writer [[Esaias Tegnér]] in 1833 famously attributed to ''"the peace, the ([[smallpox]]) [[vaccine]], and the [[potatoes]]"''.<ref>{{cite book|last=|first=|authorlink=|coauthors=Paul Robert Magocsi|year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=|isbn=0-8020-2938-8|page=1220|author=Paul Robert Magocsi, editor.}}</ref> Between 1750 and 1850, the population in Sweden doubled. According to some scholars, mass emigration to America became the only way to prevent famine and rebellion; over 1 percent of the population emigrated annually during the 1880s.<ref name="Einhorn">
Einhorn, Eric and John Logue (1989).
''Modern Welfare States: Politics and Policies in Social''
''Democratic Scandinavia''. Praeger Publishers, p.9: "Though
Denmark, where industrialization had begun in the 1850s, was
reasonably prosperous by the end of the nineteenth century, both
Sweden and Norway were terribly poor. Only the safety valve of
mass emigration to America prevented famine and rebellion. At
the peak of emigration in the 1880s, over 1% of the total
population of both countries emigrated annually."
</ref>
Nevertheless, Sweden remained poor, retaining a nearly entirely agricultural economy even as Denmark and Western European countries began to industrialize.<ref name=Einhorn/><ref>Koblik, Steven (1975).
''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970'',
University of Minnesota Press, p.8–9, "In economic and social
terms the eighteenth century was more a transitional than a
revolutionary period. Sweden was, in light of contemporary
Western European standards, a relatively poor but stable country.
[...] It has been estimated that 75–80% of the population was
involved in agricultural pursuits during the late eighteenth
century. One hundred years later, the corresponding figure was
still 72%."
</ref>
Many looked towards America for a better life during this time. It is believed that between 1850 and 1910 more than one million Swedes moved to the [[United States]].<ref>Einhorn, Eric and John Logue (1989), p.8.</ref>
In the early 20th century, more Swedes lived in [[Chicago]] than in [[Gothenburg]] (Sweden's second largest city).<ref>Ulf Beijbom, [http://www.americanwest.com/swedemigr/pages/emigra.htm "European emigration"], The House of Emigrants, Växjö, Sweden.</ref> Most Swedish immigrants moved to the [[Midwestern United States]], with a large population in [[Minnesota]]. Some Swedes moved to [[Delaware]]. Some also moved to [[Canada]] and others in smaller numbers to [[Argentina]].
[[File:Map of Sweden Cities (polar stereographic).svg|thumb|upright|Map of Sweden.]]
Despite the slow rate of industrialization into the 19th century, many important changes were taking place in the agrarian economy due to innovations and the large population growth.<ref name="Koblik9-10">Koblik, Steven (1975). ''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970'' University of Minnesota Press, pp. 9–10.</ref> These innovations included government-sponsored programs of [[enclosure]], aggressive exploitation of agricultural lands, and the introduction of new crops such as the potato.<ref name="Koblik9-10"/> Due also to the fact that the Swedish peasantry had never been enserfed as elsewhere in Europe,<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-29865/Sweden#403810.hook Sweden: Social and economic conditions] (2007). In'' Encyclopædia Britannica''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 19 February 2007.</ref> the Swedish farming culture began to take on a critical role in the Swedish political process, which has continued through modern times with modern Agrarian party (now called the Centre Party).<ref>Koblik, Steven (1975). ''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970'' University of Minnesota Press, p. 11: "The agrarian revolution in Sweden is of fundamental importance for Sweden's modern development. Throughout Swedish history the countryside has taken an unusually important role in comparison with other European states."</ref> Between 1870 and 1914, Sweden began developing the industrialized economy that exists today.<ref>Koblik, Steven (1975). ''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970'' University of Minnesota Press, p. 90. "It is usually suggested that between 1870 and 1914 Sweden emerged from its primarily agrarian economic system into a modern industrial economy."</ref>

Strong grassroots movements sprung up in Sweden during the latter half of the nineteenth century (trade unions, temperance groups, and independent religious groups), creating a strong foundation of democratic principles. In 1889 The Swedish Social Democratic Party was founded. These movements precipitated Sweden's migration into a modern parliamentary democracy, achieved by the time of World War I. As the [[Industrial Revolution]] progressed during the twentieth century, people gradually began moving into [[Cities of Sweden|cities]] to work in factories, and became involved in [[socialist]] [[trade union|unions]]. A socialist revolution was avoided in 1917, following the re-introduction of [[parliamentarism]], and the country was [[democratization|democratized]].

===World Wars===
{{See also|Sweden during World War II}}
Sweden remained officially neutral during [[World War I]] and [[World War II]], although its neutrality during World War II has been debated.<ref name="Koblik303-313">Koblik, pp. 303–313.</ref><ref>Nordstrom, p. 315: "Sweden's government attempted to maintain at least a semblance of neutrality while it bent to the demands of the prevailing side in the struggle. Although effective in preserving the country's sovereignty, this approach generated criticism at home from many who believed the threat to Sweden was less serious than the government claimed, problems with the warring powers, ill feelings among its neighbours, and frequent criticism in the postwar period."</ref> Sweden was under German influence for much of the war, as ties to the rest of the world were cut off through blockades.<ref name="Koblik303-313"/><!---Koblik, pg. 307. "Through the blockade of foreign trade that culminated in the establishment of the [[Skagerrak]] blockade in connection with the German invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940, Swedish imports were reduced by approximately one-half and exports by about one-third in comparison with the average volume of 1936-1938."---> The Swedish government felt that it was in no position to openly contest Germany,<ref name="NB313-319"/><!---Nordstrom, pg. 315 "Charting a path that might ensure the survival of the state was the government's primary goal."---><!---Nordstrom, p. 319 "For a time virtually all of Sweden's production of industrial goods and raw materials went to Germany in exchange for necessary fuels, food stuffs, and manufactured goods."---> and therefore made some concessions.<ref>{{cite book|last=Zubicky|first=Sioma|year=1997|title=Med förintelsen i bagaget|language=[[Swedish language|Swedish]]|publisher=Bonnier Carlsen|location=Stockholm|isbn=91-638-3436-7|page=122}}</ref> Sweden also supplied steel and machined parts to Germany throughout the war. However, Sweden supported Norwegian resistance, and in 1943 helped rescue Danish Jews from deportation to [[concentration camps]]. Toward the end of the war, Sweden began to play a role in humanitarian efforts and many refugees, among them many Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe, were saved partly because of the Swedish involvement in rescue missions at the internment camps and partly because Sweden served as a haven for refugees, primarily from the [[Nordic countries]] and the [[Baltic states]].<ref name="NB313-319"/><!---Nordstrom, p. 317: "In the last year of the war, Sweden became a factor in humanitarian efforts and attempts to end the war. It also became a haven for refugees from ''Norden'' and the Baltic states, and Swedes were involved in rescuing Scandinavian victims of internment camps." --- Nordstrom, p. 318: "By late 1943 Sweden was a haven for some 11,000 refugees from Denmark, including over 7,000 Danish Jews, and about 30,000 Norwegians."---> Nevertheless, internal and external critics have argued that Sweden could have done more to resist the Nazi war effort, even if risking occupation.<ref name="NB313-319">Nordstrom, pp. 313–319.</ref>

===Cold War===
[[File:Swedish Social Democratic Party 1936 poster.jpg|thumb|Work and safety, for all! [[Swedish Social Democratic Party|Social Democratic]] poster from the [[Swedish general election, 1936|election, 1936]]. The Social Democrats have dominated Swedish politics for almost a [[century]] and the basic message is still the same.]]
[[File:Carlos Gustavo da Suécia (meio corpo).jpg|thumb|[[Carl XVI Gustaf]] has been Sweden's king and [[head of state]] since [[1973]].]]
{{See also|History of Sweden (1945–1989)}}
Sweden publicly claimed to be a neutral country and the image was forcefully maintained, but unofficially Sweden's leadership had strong ties with the [[United States]]. In the early 1960s Sweden and the United States agreed to deploy nuclear submarines off the Swedish west coast. In the same year Sweden made a defense pact with the United States. Knowledge of this alliance was kept secret from the Swedish public until 1994.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}}

Following the war, Sweden took advantage of an intact industrial base, social stability and its natural resources to expand its industry to supply the rebuilding of Europe.<ref name="NB335-339">Nordstrom, pp. 335–339.</ref><!---Recovery from the material damage and economic shocks of the war was more rapid than many expected."---> Sweden was part of the [[Marshall Plan]] and participated in the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development ([[OECD]]). During most of the post-war era, the country was governed by the [[Swedish Social Democratic Party]] (in [[Swedish language|Swedish]]: ''Socialdemokraterna''). Social democrats imposed [[corporatist]] policies: favoring big capitalist corporations and big unions, especially [[Swedish Trade Union Confederation]], affiliated with Social Democrats.<ref name="svensteinmo">''Globalization and Taxation: Challenges to the Swedish Welfare State''. By Sven Steinmo.</ref> The amount of bureaucrats rose from normal levels in the 1960s to very high levels by the 1980s.<ref name="svensteinmo"/> Sweden was open to trade and pursued an internationally competitive manufacturing sector. Growth was good until 1970s.

Sweden, like countries around the globe, entered a period of economic decline and upheaval, following the oil embargoes of 1973–74 and 1978–79.<ref>Nordstrom, p. 344: "During the last twenty-five years of the century a host of problems plagued the economies of Norden and the West. Although many were present before, the 1973 and 1980 global oil crises acted as catalysts in bringing them to the fore."</ref> In the 1980s pillars of Swedish industry were massively restructured. Shipbuilding was discontinued, wood pulp was integrated into modernized paper production, the steel industry was concentrated and specialized, and mechanical engineering was robotized.<ref>Krantz, Olle and Lennart Schön. 2007. Swedish Historical National Accounts, 1800–2000. Lund: Almqvist and Wiksell International.</ref>

Between 1970 & 1990 the overall tax burden rose by over ten percentage points and the growth was very low compared to most other countries in Western Europe. The marginal income tax for workers reached over 80%. Eventually government spent over half of the country's [[gross domestic product]]. Sweden steadily declined from its perennial top five GDP per capita ranking. Since the late 1970s, Sweden's economic policies were increasingly questioned by economists and Ministry of Finance officials.<ref name="svensteinmo"/>

[[Carl XVI Gustaf]] has been Sweden's king and [[head of state]] since 1973.

===Recent history===
{{See also|History of Sweden (since 1989)}}
A bursting [[real estate]] bubble caused by inadequate controls on lending combined with an [[international]] recession and a policy switch from anti-unemployment policies to anti-inflationary policies resulted in a fiscal crisis in the early 1990s.<ref> Englund, P. 1990. "Financial deregulation in Sweden." European Economic Review 34 (2–3): 385–393. Korpi TBD. Meidner, R. 1997. "The Swedish model in an era of mass unemployment." Economic and Industrial Democracy 18 (1): 87–97. Olsen, Gregg M. 1999. "Half empty or half full? The Swedish welfare state in transition." Canadian Review of Sociology & Anthropology, 36 (2): 241–268.</ref> Sweden's GDP declined by around 5%. In 1992, there was a run on the currency, the central bank briefly jacking up interest to 500% in an unsuccessful effort to defend the currency's fixed exchange rate. {{Citation needed|date=October 2008}} Total employment fell by almost 10% during the crisis. {{Citation needed|date=October 2008}} The response of the government was to cut spending and institute a multitude of reforms to improve Sweden's competitiveness, among them reducing the [[welfare state]] and [[privatizing]] public services and goods. Much of the political establishment promoted EU membership, and the Swedish referendum passed with 52% in favour of joining the EU on 13 November 1994. Sweden joined the [[European Union]] on 1 January 1995.

Following the end of the Cold War, Sweden along with [[Austria]] and [[Finland]] joined the European Union, though Sweden opted out from the [[eurozone]] in a 2003 referendum. Sweden remains non-aligned militarily, although it participates in some joint military exercises with [[NATO]] and some other countries, in addition to extensive cooperation with other European countries in the area of defence technology and defence industry. Among others, Swedish companies export weapons that are used by the American military in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=3013&date=20060207|title=New Swedish weapon in Iraq|author=The Local|accessdate=2007-06-23}}</ref> Sweden also has a long history of participating in international military operations, including most recently, [[Afghanistan]], where Swedish troops are under NATO command, and in EU sponsored peacekeeping operations in [[UN]] protectorate [[Kosovo]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], and [[Cyprus]].

==Geography and climate==
{{Main|Geography of Sweden}}
[[File:Sverigekarta-Landskap Text.svg|thumb|The 25 historical [[provinces of Sweden]] makes up the three [[lands of Sweden]].<br /> Blue tones = [[Götaland]], yellow = [[Svealand]] and beige = [[Norrland]].]]

Situated in [[Northern Europe|Northern]] [[Europe]], Sweden lies west of the [[Baltic Sea]] and [[Gulf of Bothnia]], providing a long coastline, and forms the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. To the west is the [[Scandinavian mountain chain]] (Skanderna), a range that separates Sweden from [[Norway]].

Sweden is surrounded by [[Norway]] (west), [[Finland]] (northeast), the [[Skagerrak]], [[Kattegat]] and [[Öresund]] [[strait]]s (southwest) and the [[Baltic Sea]] (east). It has maritime borders with [[Denmark]], [[Germany]], [[Poland]], [[Russia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Latvia]], and [[Estonia]], and it is also linked to [[Denmark]] (southwest) by the [[Öresund Bridge]].
At {{convert|449964|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, Sweden is the 55th largest country in the world. It is the 5th largest in Europe, and the largest in Northern Europe. The land area is equal to [[Uzbekistan]] with a population in 2008 of over 9.2 million people.

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

[[File:Lapporten 2.jpg|thumb|left|Lapporten mountain pass in [[Lapland, Sweden|Lapland]].]]

Sweden has 25 [[Provinces of Sweden|provinces]] or ''landskap'' (landscapes), based on [[culture]], geography and [[history]]; [[Bohuslän]], [[Blekinge]], [[Dalarna]], [[Dalsland]], [[Gotland]], [[Gästrikland]], [[Halland]], [[Hälsingland]], [[Härjedalen]], [[Jämtland]], [[Lapland, Sweden|Lapland]], [[Medelpad]], [[Norrbotten]], [[Närke]], [[Scania|Skåne]], [[Småland]], [[Södermanland]], [[Uppland]], [[Värmland]], [[Västmanland]], [[Västerbotten]], [[Västergötland]], [[Ångermanland]], [[Öland]] and [[Östergötland]]. While these provinces serve no political or administrative purpose, they play an important role for people's self-identification. The provinces are usually grouped together in three large ''[[lands of Sweden|lands]]'', parts, the northern [[Norrland]], the central [[Svealand]] and southern [[Götaland]]. The sparsely populated Norrland encompasses almost 60% of the country.

About 15% of Sweden lies north of the [[Arctic Circle]]. Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, with increasing forest coverage northward. The highest population density is in the [[Öresund]] region in southern Sweden, and in the valley of lake [[Mälaren]] near to Stockholm. [[Gotland]] and [[Öland]] are Sweden's largest [[islands of Sweden|islands]]; [[Vänern]] and [[Vättern]] are Sweden's largest lakes. The lake Vänern is the largest lake in Northern Europe and the third largest in all Europe, after [[Lake Ladoga]] and [[Lake Onega]] in Russia.

===Climate===
Most of Sweden has a [[temperate climate]], despite its northern [[latitude]], with four distinct seasons and mild temperatures throughout the year. The country can be divided into three types of climate; the southernmost part has an [[oceanic climate]], the central part has a [[humid continental climate]] and the northernmost part has a [[subarctic climate]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Česky |url=http://wiki.riteme.site/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification |title=Climate classification |publisher=wiki.riteme.site |date= |accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref>
However, Sweden is much warmer and drier than other places at the similar latitude, and even somewhat further south, mainly because of the [[Gulf Stream]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/climate/impact/gulf_stream.shtml | title=BBC Climate and the Gulf Stream | accessdate=2008-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/gs/ | title=The Gulf Stream Myth | accessdate=2008-10-29}}</ref> For example, central and southern Sweden has much warmer winters than many parts of Russia, Canada, and the northern United States.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/SUSTDEV/EIdirect/climate/EIsp0002.htm | title=Global Climate Maps}}</ref> Because of its high northern latitude, the length of daylight varies greatly. North of the [[Arctic Circle]], the sun never sets for part of each summer, and for part of the winter the sun never rises. The capital of [[Stockholm]]'s daylight lasts for more than 18 hours in late June, but only around 6 hours in late December. Most of Sweden has between 1,600 to 2,000 hours of sunshine annually.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7608&a=21429&l=sv | title=Number of hours with sunshine (map) | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref>

[[File:Kiruna kyrka2.jpg|thumb|Church of [[Kiruna]], Sweden's northernmost city.]]

Temperatures vary greatly from north to south. Southern and central parts of the country have warm summers and cold winters, with average high temperatures of 20 to 25°C (68–77°F)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7628&a=21614&l=sv | title=July average high temperature map | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref>
and lows of 12 to 15°C (53–59°F)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7628&a=21654&l=sv | title=July average low temperature map | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref>
in the summer, and average temperatures of &minus;4 to 2°C (25–36°F) in the winter,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7628&a=21572&l=sv | title=January daily average temperature map | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref>
while the northern part of the country has shorter, cooler summers and longer, colder and snowier winters, with temperatures that often drop below freezing from September through May.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7628&a=21704&l=sv | title=Date of first autumn frost (map) | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7628&a=21706&l=sv | title=Date of last spring frost (map) | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref>
Occasional heatwaves can occur a few times each year, and temperatures above 25&nbsp;°C (77&nbsp;°F) occur on many days during the summer, sometimes even in the north.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Sweden was 38&nbsp;°C (100.4&nbsp;°F) in Målilla in 1947, while the coldest temperature ever recorded was &minus;52.6°C (&minus;62.7°F) in Vuoggatjålme in 1966.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7522&a=20978&l=sv | title=Low temperature extremes | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7522&a=20974&l=sv | title=High temperature extremes | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref>

On average, most of Sweden receives between 500 and 800&nbsp;mm (20 and 31&nbsp;in) of precipitation each year, making it considerably drier than the [[Precipitation (meteorology)|global average]]. The southwestern part of the country receives more precipitation, between 1000 and 1200&nbsp;mm (39 and 47&nbsp;in), and some mountain areas in the north are estimated to receive up to 2000&nbsp;mm (79&nbsp;in). Snowfall mainly occurs from December through March in Southern Sweden, from November through April in central Sweden, and from October through May in Northern Sweden. Despite northerly locations, southern and central Sweden tend to be virtually free of snow.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=7618&a=21516&l=sv | title=Annual precipitation map | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}}</ref><ref name="Sweden's climate">{{cite web | url=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=5441 | title=Sweden's climate | publisher=Swedish Meteorological Institute}} (in Swedish, see also the [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=sv&u=http://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp%3Fd%3D5441%26l%3Dsv&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www.smhi.se/cmp/jsp/polopoly.jsp%253Fd%253D5441%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG Google-translated version])</ref>

{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|
| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;background:#e8eafa;"|'''Average high and low temperatures in various cities in Sweden (°C)<ref>{{cite web|author=weather |url=http://www.msn.com/weather |title=Local, National, and International Weather - Forecasts, Radar Maps, Video, and News |publisher=Msn.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref>
|-
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" height="17" | City
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | Jan
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | Feb
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | Mar
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | Apr
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | May
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | Jun
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | Jul
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | Aug
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | Sep
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | Oct
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | Nov
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:black;" | Dec
|-
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" height="16;" | [[Kiruna]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | -10/-16
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | -8/-15
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | -4/-13
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | 2/-7
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | 8/0
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | 14/6
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | 17/8
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | 14/6
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | 9/2
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | 1/-4
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | -5/-10
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | -8/-15
|-
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" height="16;" | [[Östersund]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | -5/-10
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | -3/-9
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | 0/-6
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | 5/-2
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | 12/3
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | 16/8
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | 18/10
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | 17/10
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | 12/6
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | 6/2
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | 0/-3
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | -3/-8
|-
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" height="16;" | [[Stockholm]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" | 1/-2
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! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" height="16;" | [[Gothenburg]] ''(Göteborg)''
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! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:black;" height="16;" | [[Visby]]
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|-
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" height="16;" | [[Malmö]]
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:black;" | 4/1
''
|}

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

Sweden is a [[constitutional monarchy]], in which [[King Carl XVI Gustaf]] is head of state, but royal power has long been limited to official and ceremonial functions.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/CommonPage____2713.aspx |title=Sweden in Brief/A Political Society |publisher=Sweden.se |accessdate=2007-02-14}}</ref> The [[Economist Intelligence Unit]], while acknowledging that democracy is difficult to measure, listed Sweden in first place in its index of democracy assessing 167 countries.<ref>{{cite news
|url = http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/DEMOCRACY_TABLE_2007_v3.pdf |title=Economist Intelligence Unit democracy index 2006 |accessdate=2007-10-09 |year=2007 |format=PDF |publisher=[[Economist Intelligence Unit]] }}</ref> The nation's legislative body is the [[Riksdag]] (Swedish Parliament), with 349 members, which chooses the [[Prime Minister]]. Parliamentary elections are held every four years, on the third Sunday of September.
[[File:SWE-Map Kommuner2007.svg|thumb|upright|Sweden municipal borders]]

===National Areas===
{{Main|National Areas of Sweden}}

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

Sweden is a [[unitary state]], currently divided into [[Counties of Sweden|twenty-one counties]] ({{lang|sv|''[[län]]''}}): [[Stockholm County|Stockholm]], [[Uppsala County|Uppsala]], [[Södermanland County|Södermanland]], [[Östergötland County|Östergötland]], [[Jönköping County|Jönköping]], [[Kronoberg County|Kronoberg]], [[Kalmar County|Kalmar]], [[Gotland County|Gotland]], [[Blekinge County|Blekinge]], [[Skåne County|Skåne]], [[Halland County|Halland]], [[Västra Götaland County|Västra Götaland]], [[Värmland County|Värmland]], [[Örebro County|Örebro]], [[Västmanland County|Västmanland]], [[Dalarna County|Dalarna]], [[Gävleborg County|Gävleborg]], [[Västernorrland County|Västernorrland]], [[Jämtland County|Jämtland]], [[Västerbotten County|Västerbotten]], and [[Norrbotten County|Norrbotten]].

Each county has a [[County Administrative Boards of Sweden|County Administrative Board]] or ''länsstyrelse'', which is appointed by the [[Swedish government|government]] (the first Swedish County Administrative Board was made up by the Swedish Prime Minister [[Axel Oxenstierna]] in 1634). In each county there is also a separate [[County Councils of Sweden|County Council]] or ''landsting'', which is elected directly by the people.

Each county further divides into a number of [[Municipalities of Sweden|municipalities]] or ''kommuner'', with a total of 290 municipalities in 2004. [[Municipality|Municipal]] government in Sweden is similar to [[city commission government]] and [[cabinet-style council|cabinet-style council government]]. A legislative municipal assembly ''([[kommunfullmäktige]])'' of between 31 and 101 members (always an uneven number) is elected from [[party-list proportional representation]] at municipal elections, held every four years in conjunction with the national parliamentary elections.

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

There are also older historical divisions, primarily the [[Provinces of Sweden|twenty-five provinces]] and [[Lands of Sweden|three lands]], which still retain cultural significance. The Swedish government is investigating the possibilities of merging the current 21 counties into circa 9 larger [[region]]s along the lines of the current [[riksområden]] used for statistical purposes. If approved, these would come into effect around 2015.<ref>[http://www.sou.gov.se/ansvar/pdf/SOU%202007_13.pdf F&#246;rord<!-- Bot generated title -->]{{Dead link|date=May 2009}}</ref>
{{See|Subdivisions of Sweden}}

===Political history===
[[File:Scandinavia-12th century.png|thumb|left|Kingdoms of [[Swedes (Germanic tribe)|Svear]] (Swedish) and [[Götar]] (Geats) in the tenth century]]

The actual age of the kingdom of Sweden is unknown.<ref name="sh">Hadenius, Stig; Nilsson, Torbjörn; Åselius, Gunnar (1996) ''Sveriges historia: vad varje svensk bör veta''. Bonnier Alba, Borås. ISBN 91-34-51857-6 (in Swedish) (1996:13):
{|
|-
| &nbsp;
|Hur och när det svenska riket uppstod vet vi inte. Först under 1100-talet börjar skriftliga dokument produceras i Sverige i någon större omfattning [...]
| &nbsp;
|How and when the Swedish kingdom appeared is not known. It is not until the 12th century that written document begin to be produced in Sweden in any larger extent [...]
|}</ref> It depends mostly on whether Sweden should be considered a nation when the ''[[Swedes (Germanic tribe)|Svear]]'' (Swedes) ruled [[Svealand]] or if the emergence of the nation started with the ''Svear'' and the ''[[Götar]]'' ([[Geats]]) of [[Götaland]] being united under one ruler. In the first case, Sweden was first mentioned as having one single ruler in the year 98 by [[Tacitus]], but it is almost impossible to know for how long it had been this way. However, historians usually start the line of [[Swedish monarchs]] from when Svealand and Götaland were ruled under the same king, namely [[Eric VI of Sweden|Erik the Victorious]] and his son [[Olof Skötkonung]] in the 10th century. These events are often described as the [[consolidation of Sweden]], although substantial areas were conquered and incorporated later.

Earlier kings, for which no reliable historical sources exist, can be read about in [[mythical kings of Sweden]] and [[semi-legendary kings of Sweden]]. Many of these kings are only mentioned in various [[Norse sagas|saga]] and blend with [[Norse mythology]].

The title ''Sveriges och Götes Konung'' was last used for [[Gustaf I of Sweden]], after which the title became "[[Kings of Sweden|King of Sweden]], [[King of the Goths|of the Goths]] and [[King of the Wends|of the Wends]]" (''Sveriges, Götes och Vendes Konung'') in official documentation. Up until the beginning of the 1920s, all laws in Sweden were introduced with the words, "We, the king of Sweden, of the Goths and Wends". This title was used up until 1973.<ref> [http://lagen.nu/1973:702 Kungl. Maj:ts kungörelse med anledning av konung Gustaf VI Adolfs frånfälle]. SFS 1973:702. Justitiedepartementet L6, 19 September 1973.</ref> The present King of Sweden, [[Carl XVI Gustaf]], was the first monarch officially proclaimed "King of Sweden" (''Sveriges Konung'') with no additional peoples mentioned in his title.

The term ''Riksdag'' was used for the first time in the 1540s, although the first meeting where representatives of different social groups were called to discuss and determine affairs affecting the country as a whole took place as early as 1435, in the town of [[Arboga]].<ref name="Riksdagen">The Swedish Parliament. [http://www.riksdagen.se/templates/R_Page____798.aspx The history of the Riksdag]. Retrieved 13 February 2007.</ref> During the assemblies of 1527 and 1544, under King [[Gustav Vasa]], representatives of all four [[estates of the realm]] (''[[clergy]], [[Swedish nobility|nobility]], [[townsmen]]'' and ''[[peasants]]'') were called on to participate for the first time.<ref name="Riksdagen"/> The monarchy became hereditary in 1544.

Executive power was historically shared between the King and a noble [[Privy Council]] until 1680, followed by the King's [[autocracy|autocratic rule]] initiated by the common estates of the Parliament. As a reaction to the failed [[Great Northern War]], a [[parliamentary system]] was introduced in 1719, followed by three different flavours of [[constitutional monarchy]] in 1772, 1789 and 1809, [[Swedish constitution of 1809|the latter]] granting several civil liberties. The monarch remains as the formal, but merely symbolic, [[head of state]] with [[ceremony|ceremonial]] duties.

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

===Modern political system===
[[File:Riksdagen-fran-vattnet-2004-05-09.jpg|thumb|The [[Riksdag]] building, Stockholm.]]

Constitutionally, the 349-member Riksdag ([[Parliament]]) holds supreme authority in modern Sweden. The Riksdag is responsible for choosing the prime minister, who then appoints the government (the ministers). The [[legislative power]] is then shared between the parliament and the Prime Minister led government. The [[executive power]] is exercised by the government, while the [[judiciary]] is independent. Sweden lacks compulsory [[judicial review (theory)|judicial review]], although the non-compulsory review carried out by ''lagrådet'' (Law Council) is mostly respected in technical matters but less so in controversial political matters. Acts of the parliament and government decrees can be made inapplicable at every level if they are manifestly against constitutional laws. However, due to the restrictions in this form of judicial review and a weak judiciary, this has had little practical consequence.

Legislation may be initiated by the cabinet or by members of Parliament. Members are elected on the basis of [[proportional representation]] for a four-year term. The [[Constitution of Sweden]] can be altered by the Riksdag, which requires a simple but absolute majority and two decisions with general elections in between. Sweden has three other constitutional laws: the Act of Royal Succession, the Freedom of Press Act and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression.

[[File:Riksdag assembly hall 2006.jpg|thumb|left|The Riksdag assembly hall following its 2006 renovation.]]
The [[Swedish Social Democratic Party]] has played a leading political role since 1917, after [[Reformist]]s had confirmed their strength and the [[Left Party (Sweden)|revolutionaries]] left the party. After 1932, the cabinets have been dominated by the Social Democrats. Only four general elections (1976, 1979, 1991 and 2006) have given the centre-right bloc enough seats in Parliament to form a government. However, poor economic performance since the beginning of the 1970s, and especially the crisis at the beginning of the 1990s, have forced Sweden to reform its political system to become more like other European countries. In the [[Sweden general election, 2006|2006 general election]] the [[Moderate Party]], allied with the [[Centre Party (Sweden)|Centre Party]], [[Liberal People's Party (Sweden)|Liberal People's Party]], and the [[Christian Democrats (Sweden)|Christian Democrats]], with a common political platform, won a majority of the votes. Together they have formed a majority government under the leadership of the Moderate party's leader [[Fredrik Reinfeldt]]. The next elections will be held in [[Sweden general election, 2010|September 2010]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.val.se/val/val2006/slutlig/R/rike/roster.html
|title=Val till riksdagen
|author=The Official Website of the Swedish Election Authority
}}</ref>

Election turnout in Sweden has always been high by international comparison, although it has declined in recent decades, and is currently around 80% (80.11 in [[Sweden general election, 2002|2002]], and 81.99% in [[Sweden general election, 2006|2006]]). Swedish politicians enjoyed a high degree of confidence from the citizens in the 1960s but it has since declined steadily and has a markedly lower level of trust than its Scandinavian neighbours.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Pippa Norris|author=Sören Holmberg|title=Critical Citizens: Global Support for Democratic Government|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=1999|pages=103–123|isbn=0198295685}}</ref>

Some Swedish political figures that have become known worldwide include [[Raoul Wallenberg]], [[Folke Bernadotte]], former [[United Nations Secretary-General|Secretary General]] of the [[United Nations]] [[Dag Hammarskjöld]], former Prime Minister [[Olof Palme]], former Prime Minister and [[Foreign minister]] [[Carl Bildt]], former President of the [[United Nations General Assembly|General Assembly of the United Nations]] [[Jan Eliasson]], and former [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] Iraq inspector [[Hans Blix]].

===Political movements===
Sweden has a history of strong political involvement by ordinary people through its "popular movements" (''Folkrörelser''), the most notable being [[trade unions]], the independent Christian movement, the [[temperance movement]], the [[women's movement]] and more recently the sports{{Clarify|date=April 2009}} movement.

Sweden is currently leading the EU in statistics measuring [[Equality of opportunity|equality]] in the political system and equality in the [[education]] system.<ref name=EUEqualityReport>European Commission Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs And Equal Opportunities, ''Report On The Equality Between Men And Women'',http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/publications/2006/keaj06001_en.pdf February 2006</ref> The ''Global Gender Gap Report 2006'' ranked Sweden as the number one country in terms of [[gender equality]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norden.org/webb/news/news.asp?lang=6&id=6605 |title=Nordic countries rank highest in gender equality |publisher=Norden.org |date= |accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref>

===Law, law enforcement and judicial system===
[[File:Swedish patrol car new livery.JPG|thumb|Swedish police car ([[Volvo V70]]).]]
{{Main|Judicial system of Sweden}}

The [[Supreme Court of Sweden]] is the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the [[Supreme Court]], leave to appeal must be obtained, and with few exceptions, leave to appeal can be granted only when the case is of interest as a [[precedent]]. The Supreme Court consists of 16 Councillors of Justice or ''justitieråd'' which are appointed by the [[Government of Sweden|government]], but the court as an institution is independent of the [[Riksdag]], and the government is not able to interfere with the decisions of the court.

[[Law enforcement in Sweden]] is carried out by several government entities. The [[Swedish Police Service]] is a [[Government agencies in Sweden|Government agency]] concerned with [[police]] matters. The [[National Task Force]] is a national [[SWAT]] unit within the [[Swedish National Criminal Investigation Department|National Criminal Investigation Department]]. [[Swedish Security Service]]'s responsibilities are [[counter-espionage]], anti-[[terrorism|terrorist]] activities, protection of the [[constitution]] and protection of sensitive objects and people.

According to a victimization survey of 1,201 residents in 2005, Sweden has above average [[crime rate]]s compared to other EU countries. Sweden has high or above average levels of assaults, sexual assaults, hate crimes, and consumer fraud. Sweden has low levels of burglary, car theft and drug problems. Bribe seeking is rare.<ref name="burdenofcrime2005">{{cite web|url=http://www.gallup-europe.be/downloads/EUICS%20-%20The%20Burden%20of%20Crime%20in%20the%20EU.pdf|format=PDF|title=EUICS report, The Burden of Crime in the EU, A Comparative Analysis of the|last=van Dijk|first=Jan|coauthors=Robert Manchin, John van Kesteren, Sami Nevala, Gergely Hideg|year=2005}}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Sweden}}
Throughout the twentieth century, [[Swedish foreign policy]] was based on the principle of non-alignment in peacetime and [[Neutral country|neutrality]] in wartime.<ref name="NB335-339"/><!---Nordstrom, p. 335---> "Sweden's government was left to pursue an independent course based on a foreign policy defined as nonalignment in times of peace so that neutrality would be possible in the event of war."

Sweden's doctrine of neutrality is often traced back to the 19th century as the country has not participated in any war since the end of the [[Swedish campaign against Norway (1814)|Swedish campaign against Norway]] in 1814. During World War II Sweden joined neither the [[Allies (World War II)|allied]] nor [[Axis Powers|axis]] powers. This has sometimes been disputed since in effect Sweden allowed in select cases the Nazi regime to use its railroad system to transport troops and goods,<ref name="Koblik303-313" /><!---Koblik, p. 313---><ref name="NB313-319"/> especially iron ore from mines in northern Sweden, which was vital to the German war machine.<ref name="NB313-319"/><ref>Nordstrom p. 302: "In fact, the plans were mostly a ruse to establish control of the crucial Norwegian port of Narvik and the iron mines of northern Sweden, which were vitally important to the German war efforts."</ref>

During the early [[Cold War]] era, Sweden combined its policy of non-alignment with a low profile in international affairs, although it also pursued a [[security policy]] based on strong [[national defence]] to deter attack.<ref>Nordstrom, p 336: "As a corollary, a security policy based on strong national defenses designed to discourage, but not prevent, attack was pursued. For the next several decades, the Swedish poured an annual average of about 5% of GDP into making their defenses credible."</ref> At the same time, the country maintained relatively close informal connections with the Western bloc, especially in the realm of intelligence exchange. In 1952, a Swedish [[DC-3]] was [[Catalina affair|shot down]] over the Baltic Sea by a Soviet [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15|MiG-15]] [[Jet aircraft|jet]] [[fighter aircraft|fighter]]. Later investigations revealed that the plane was actually gathering information for [[NATO]].<ref>National Geographical News, web article, ''Cold War Spy Plane Found in Baltic Sea''[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/10/1010_031010_swedishspyplane.html] 10 November 2003.</ref> Another plane, a [[PBY Catalina|Catalina]] [[search and rescue]] plane, was sent out a few days later and shot down by the Soviets as well. Olof Palme, the former prime minister of Sweden, visited [[Cuba]] during the 1970s and showed his support for Cuba in his speech.

Beginning in the late 1960s, Sweden for a period attempted to play a more significant and independent role in international relations. This involved significant activity in international peace efforts, especially through the [[United Nations]], and in support to the [[Third World]]. Since the assassination of [[Olof Palme]] in 1986 and the end of the Cold War, this has been significantly toned down, although Sweden remains comparatively active in peace keeping missions and maintains a generous foreign aid budget.

In 1981 a Soviet [[Whiskey class submarine]] ran aground close to the Swedish naval base at [[Karlskrona]] in the southern part of the country. It has never been clearly established whether the submarine ended up on the shoals through a navigational mistake or if it was a matter of [[espionage]] against Swedish military potential. The incident triggered a diplomatic crisis between Sweden and the Soviet Union.

Since 1995 Sweden has been a member of the [[European Union]], and as a consequence of a new world security situation the country's foreign policy doctrine has been partly modified, with Sweden playing a more active role in European security co-operation.

===Military===
{{Main|Swedish Armed Forces}}
[[File:Swedish JAS-39 Gripen landing.jpg|thumb|The [[JAS 39 Gripen]] is an advanced Swedish multi-role [[fighter aircraft]] of the [[Swedish Air Force]].]]

''Försvarsmakten'' ([[Swedish Armed Forces]]) is a government agency reporting to the Swedish [[Ministry of Defence (Sweden)|Ministry of Defence]] and responsible for the [[peacetime]] operation of the armed forces of Sweden. The primary task of the agency is to train and deploy peace support forces abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to refocus on the defence of Sweden in the event of war. The armed forces are divided into Army, Air Force and Navy. The head of the armed forces is the [[Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces|Supreme Commander]] (''Överbefälhavaren'', ÖB), the most senior officer in the country. Up to 1974 the head of state (=the King) was ''pro forma'' Commander-in-Chief, but in reality it was clearly understood all through the 20th century that the Monarch would have no ''active'' role as a military leader. When King [[Gustav V]] asserted his right to decide and bypass the government in military matters just before the [[First World War]] (''"borggårdskrisen"'', the Castle Court Crisis) it was seen as a deliberate provocation against established terms of how the country would be ruled. The office of an appointed Supreme Commander was set up in 1939; before that date, from the late 19th century onwards, the leading men of the army and navy would report directly to the cabinet (and the king), and no fully unified command existed in the professional military sphere itself.

[[File:Strv 122 Leopard 2.JPG|thumb|left|A [[Swedish Army]] [[Leopard 2]] [[main battle tank]].]]

Until the end of the Cold War, nearly all males reaching the age of [[military service]] were [[conscription|conscripted]]. In recent years, the number of conscripted males has shrunk dramatically, while the number of female volunteers has increased slightly. Recruitment has generally shifted towards finding the most motivated recruits, rather than solely those otherwise most fit for service. All soldiers serving abroad must by law be volunteers. In 1975 the total number of conscripts was 45,000. By 2003 it was down to 15,000. After the Defence Proposition of 2004, the number of troops in training will decrease even more to between 5,000 and 10,000 each year. The need to recruit only the soldiers later prepared to volunteer for international service will be emphasized. The total forces gathered would consist of about 60,000 men. This could be compared with the 80s before the fall of the Soviet Union, when Sweden could gather up to 1,000,000 men.

Swedish units have taken part in peacekeeping operations in the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Cyprus]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Kosovo]], [[Liberia]], [[Lebanon]], [[Afghanistan]] and [[Chad]].

Currently, one of the most important tasks for the Swedish Armed Forces has been to form a Swedish-led [[European Union Battlegroups|EU Battle Group]] to which Norway, Finland, Ireland and Estonia will also contribute.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/9133/a/82276|title=The EU Battlegroup Concept and the Nordic Battlegroup|accessdate=2008-01-19|author=Swedish Ministry of Defence|last=|first=|authorlink=|coauthors=|date=2008-01-08|work=|publisher=Government Offices of Sweden|archiveurl=|archivedate=|quote=}}</ref>
The [[Nordic Battle Group]] (NBG) had a 10-day deployment readiness during the first half of 2008 and, although Swedish led, had its Operational Headquarters (OHQ) in [[Northwood, London|Northwood]], outside London.

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Sweden}}
[[File:Sweden GRP per Capita2004.svg|thumb|upright|[[Gross Regional Product]] (GRP) per capita in thousands of kronor (2004).]]
Sweden is an export-oriented [[mixed economy]] featuring a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external [[communications]], and a skilled [[Workforce|labour]] force. [[Timber]], [[hydropower]], and [[iron ore]] constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward [[foreign trade]]. Sweden's engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Telecommunications, the automotive industry and the pharmaceutical industries are also of great importance. [[Agriculture]] accounts for 2 percent of [[Gross Domestic Product|GDP]] and employment.

The 20 largest (by turnover in 2007) companies registered in Sweden are [[Volvo]], [[Ericsson]], [[Vattenfall]], [[Skanska]], [[Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB]], [[Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget]], [[Electrolux]], [[Volvo Personvagnar]], [[TeliaSonera]], [[Sandvik]], [[Scania]], [[ICA AB|ICA]], [[Hennes & Mauritz]], [[Nordea]], [[Preem]], [[Atlas Copco]], [[Securitas AB|Securitas]], [[Nordstjernan]], and [[SKF]].<ref>[http://www.largestcompanies.com/default$/lev2-TopList/lev2Desc-The_largest_companies_in_the_Nordic_countries_by%A0turnover%A0%28excl._national_subsidiaries%29/AdPageId-102/list-2/cc-SE/ 20 largest companies in Sweden]</ref> Sweden's industry is overwhelmingly in [[private sector|private]] control; unlike some other industrialized Western countries, such as Austria and Italy, publicly owned enterprises were always of minor importance.

[[File:Sw real gdp growth.svg|thumb|left|Real GDP growth in Sweden, 1996–2006.]]

[[IKEA]] was born in Sweden and is controlled from [[Almhult]] and the Netherlands.

Some 4.5 million residents are working, out of which around a third with tertiary education. [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per hour worked|GDP per hour worked]] is the world's 9th highest at 31 USD in 2006, compared to 22 USD in Spain and 35 USD in United States.<ref name="oecd2007"/> According to OECD, deregulation, globalization, and technology sector growth have been key productivity drivers.<ref name="oecd2007"/> GDP per hour worked is growing 2½ per cent a year for the economy as a whole and trade-terms-balanced productivity growth 2%.<ref name="oecd2007"/> Sweden is a world leader in privatized pensions and pension funding problems are relatively small compared to many other Western European countries.<ref>[http://www.heritage.org/Research/SocialSecurity/bg1381.cfm Pension Reform in Sweden: Lessons for American Policymakers] by Goran Normann, Ph.D. and Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D. June 29, 2000.</ref> The Swedish labor market has become more flexible, but it still has some widely acknowledged problems.<ref name="oecd2007"/> The typical worker receives 40% of his income after the [[tax wedge]]. The slowly declining overall taxation, 51.1% of GDP in 2007, is still nearly double of that in the United States or Ireland. The share of employment financed via tax income amounts to a third of Swedish workforce, a substantially higher proportion than in most other countries. Overall, GDP growth has been fast since reforms in the early 1990s, especially in manufacturing.<ref name="oecd2005">OECD Economic Surveys: Sweden - Volume 2005 Issue 9 by OECD Publishing</ref>

The [[World Economic Forum]] 2008 competitiveness index ranks Sweden 4th most competitive, behind [[Denmark]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Report/index.htm |title=World Economic Forum - Global Competitiveness Report |publisher=Weforum.org |date=2008-10-08 |accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref> The [[Index of Economic Freedom]] 2008 ranks Sweden the 27th most free out of 162 countries, or 14th out of 41 European countries, Sweden ranked 9th in the IMD Competitiveness Yearbook 2008, scoring high in private sector efficiency.<ref name="imd">[http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/index.cfm IMD Competitiveness Yearbook 2008]</ref> According to the book, ''The Flight of the Creative Class'', by the U.S. economist, Professor [[Richard Florida]] of the [[University of Toronto]], Sweden is ranked as having the best [[creativity]] in Europe for business and is predicted to become a talent magnet for the world's most purposeful workers. The book compiled an index to measure the kind of creativity it claims is most useful to business—talent, technology and tolerance.<ref>"[http://www.isa.se/templates/News____59355.aspx ''Sweden most creative country in Europe & top talent hotspot''], Invest in Sweden Agency, 25 June 2005.</ref>

Swedes have rejected the [[euro]] in a popular vote and Sweden maintains its own currency, the [[Swedish krona]] (SEK). The Swedish [[Sveriges Riksbank|Riksbank]]—founded in 1668 and thus making it the oldest central bank in the world—is currently focusing on price stability with its [[inflation]] target of 2%. According to the ''Economic Survey of Sweden 2007'' by the OECD, the average inflation in Sweden has been one of the lowest among European countries since the mid-1990s, largely because of deregulation and quick utilization of globalization.<ref name="oecd2007">[http://www.oecd.org/document/37/0,3343,en_2649_34569_38048997_1_1_1_1,00.html Economic survey of Sweden 2007]</ref>

The largest trade flows are with [[Germany]], the [[United States]], [[Norway]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Denmark]], and [[Finland]].

==Infrastructure: energy and transport==
{{Main|Transport in Sweden}}
{{See also|Nordic energy market|Nuclear power phase-out in Sweden|Oil phase-out in Sweden}}
[[File:Ny pendeltag stockholm.jpg|left|thumb|[[Commuter train]] in [[Stockholm]].]]
Sweden's energy market is largely privatized. The [[Nordic energy market]] is one of the first liberalized energy markets in Europe and it is traded in [[Nord Pool]]. In 2006, out of a total electricity production of 139 [[TWh]], electricity from hydropower accounted for 61 TWh (44%), and [[nuclear power]] delivered 65 TWh (47%). At the same time, the use of [[biofuel]]s, [[peat]] etc. produced 13 TWh (9%) of electricity, while wind power produced 1 TWh (1%). Sweden was a net importer of electricity by a margin of 6 TWh.<ref>[http://www.svenskenergi.se/upload/Statistik/Tidigare%20statistik/Kraftl%C3%A4get%20i%20%C3%A5r/ve_07-01.pdf Kraftläget i Sverige, Vattensituationen]</ref> [[Biomass]] is mainly used to produce heat for [[district heating]] and [[central heating]] and industry processes.

On the other hand, Sweden has proposed ban gasoline [[fossil fuel]]-driven vehicles by 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trollhattansaab.net/archives/2008/11/sweden-ban-gasoline-driven-vehicles-by-2025.html |title=Sweden: ban gasoline fossil fuel-driven vehicles by 2025 |publisher=Trollhattansaab.net |date= |accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref>

The [[1973 oil crisis]] strengthened Sweden's commitment to decrease dependence on imported fossil fuels. Since then, [[electricity]] has been generated mostly from [[hydropower]] and nuclear power. The use of nuclear power has been limited, however. Among other things, the accident of [[Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station]] ([[United States|US]]) prompted the [[Swedish parliament]] to ban new nuclear plants. In March 2005, an opinion poll showed that 83% supported maintaining or increasing nuclear power.<ref>[http://www.uic.com.au/nip39.htm "Nuclear Power in Sweden" - Uranium Information Centre, Australia]</ref> Politicians have made announcements about [[oil phase-out in Sweden]], decrease of nuclear power, and multi-billion dollar investments in [[renewable energy]] and energy efficiency.<ref name="Agenda21"/><ref name="Vidal">Vidal, John. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/oil/story/0,,1704954,00.html Sweden plans to be world's first oil-free economy]. The Guardian, 2/8/06. Retrieved 2/13/07.</ref> The country has for many years pursued a strategy of indirect taxation as an instrument of [[environmental policy]], including [[energy tax]]es in general and [[carbon dioxide]] taxes in particular.<ref name="Agenda21">Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden. ''[http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/sweden/natur.htm Agenda 21 - Natural Resource Aspects - Sweden]''. 5th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997.</ref>

[[File:Öresundsbron.JPG|thumb|The [[Öresund Bridge]] between [[Malmö]] and [[Copenhagen]] in [[Denmark]].]]
Sweden has 162,707&nbsp;km paved road and 1,428&nbsp;km of expressways. [[List of motorways in Sweden|Motorway]]s run through Sweden, [[Denmark]] and over the [[Öresund Bridge]] to [[Stockholm]], [[Gothenburg]], [[Uppsala]] and [[Uddevalla]]. The system of motorways is still under construction and a new motorway from Uppsala to [[Gävle]] was finished on October 17, 2007. Sweden had left-hand traffic (Vänstertrafik in Swedish) from approximately 1736 and continued to do so well into the 20th century. Voters rejected right-hand traffic in 1955, but after the Riksdag passed legislation in 1963 changeover took place in 1967, known in Swedish as [[Dagen H]].

The [[rail transport]] market is privatized, but while there are many privately owned enterprises, many operators are still owned by state or municipalities. Operators include [[SJ AB|SJ]], [[Veolia Transport]], [[Connex Group]], [[Green Cargo]], [[Tågkompaniet]], [[Inlandsbanan]], and a number of [[Counties of Sweden|regional]] companies. Most of the railways are owned and operated by [[Banverket]].

The largest airports include [[Stockholm-Arlanda Airport]] (17.91 million passengers in 2007) 40&nbsp;km north of Stockholm, [[Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport]] (4.3 million passengers in 2006), and [[Stockholm-Skavsta Airport]] (2.0 million passengers). Sweden hosts the two largest port companies in Scandinavia, [[Port of Göteborg|Port of Göteborg AB]] ([[Gothenburg]]) and the transnational company [[Copenhagen Malmö Port|Copenhagen Malmö Port AB]].

==Public policy==
{{See also|Nordic model|Swedish welfare}}
[[File:Raslatt 2005.jpg|thumb|[[Million programme]] district in [[Jönköping]], [[Småland]].]]
Sweden has always provided solid support for [[free trade]] (except agriculture) and strong property rights. After World War II a succession of governments increased the welfare state and the tax burden, and Sweden's GDP per capita ranking fell from the 4th to 14th place in a few decades.<ref name="eu-usa">[http://www.timbro.se/bokhandel/pdf/9175665646.pdf EU versus USA], Fredrik Bergström & Robert Gidehag</ref>

Sweden started to move away from this model in the 1980s, and according to the OECD and to [[McKinsey]], Sweden has recently been relatively fast in liberalization compared to countries such as [[France]]. Deregulation-induced competition helped Sweden to halt the economic decline and restore strong growth rates in the 2000s.<ref name="oecd2007"/><ref>[http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/mginews/businessweek/swedenbalance.asp Sweden's balancing lessons for Europe], [[McKinsey]] IMG institute 2006</ref> The current Swedish government is continuing the trend to pursue moderate reforms.<ref name="oecd2007"/><ref>[http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9803876 Moderate revolution], [[The Economist]] Sep 13th 2007</ref> Growth has been higher than in many other EU-15 countries.

Sweden even adopted market-oriented agricultural policies in 1990. Since the 1930s, the agricultural sector had been controlled by an "iron triangle" of special interest farming organizations, politicians, and bureaucrats. This coalition formed a top-down administration that controlled prices and restricted competition, consequently hurting consumers. In the 1980s, a group of economists managed to get agricultural policy on the public agenda. Two prominent publications, ''The Political Economy of the Food Sector: The Case of Sweden'' and ''War Preparedness or Protectionism?'', fueled the debate. An alliance with the Ministry of Finance and public choice analysis exposed the "iron triangle". In June 1990, the Parliament voted for a new agricultural policy marking a significant shift to a freer price system coordinated by competition. As a result, food prices fell somewhat. However, the liberalizations soon became moot because EU agricultural controls supervened.”<ref>Lindberg, Henrik. "The Role of Economists in Liberalizing Swedish Agriculture" (May 2007). [http://www.econjournalwatch.org/pdf/LindbergCharacterIssuesMay2007.pdf]</ref>

Since the late 1960s, Sweden has had the highest tax quota (as percentage of GDP) in the industrialized world, although today the gap has narrowed and Denmark has surpassed Sweden as the most heavily taxed country among developed countries. Sweden has a two step [[progressive tax]] scale with a municipal income tax of about 30% and an additional high-income state tax of 20&ndash;25% when a salary exceeds roughly 320,000 SEK per year. [[Payroll tax]]es amount to 32 percent. In addition, a national [[Value added tax|VAT]] of 25% is added to many things bought by private citizens, with the exception of food (12% VAT), transportation, and books (6% VAT). Certain items are subject to additional taxes, e.g. electricity, petrol/diesel and alcoholic beverages. As of 2007, total tax revenue was 47.8% of GDP, the second highest tax burden among developed countries, down from 49.1% 2006.<ref>{{cite news |first=Kenneth |last=Westerlund |title=Danmark har högsta skattetrycket |url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=3130&a=750879 |publisher=DN |date=2008-03-11 |accessdate=2008-03-11 }}</ref> Inverted [[tax wedge]] – the amount going to the service worker's wallet – is approximately 15% compared to 10% in Belgium, 30% in Ireland and 50% in United States.<ref name="eu-usa"/> Public sector spending amounts to 53% of the GDP. State and municipal employees total around a third of the workforce, much more than in most Western countries. Only Denmark has a larger public sector (38% of Danish workforce). Spending on transfers is also high.

Eighty percent of the workforce is organized through the trade-unions which have the right to elect two representatives to the board in all Swedish companies with more than 25 employees.<ref>[http://www.samhallsguiden.riksdagen.se/default____56.aspx The Swedish Parliament]</ref> Sweden have a relative high amount of sick leaves per worker in [[OECD]]: the average worker loses 24 days due to sickness.<ref name="oecd2005"/> In December 2008 the number employed in age group 16–64 was 75.0%. The employment tendency was very strong in 2007. The positive trend continued during the first half of 2008, but the rate of increase slackened. According to [[Statistics Sweden]] the unemployment rate in December 2008 was at 6.4%.<ref>[http://www.scb.se/Pages/PressArchive____259760.aspx?PressReleaseID=258940 Unemployment rate in December 2008 (SCB, Statistics Sweden, central government authority for official statistics)]</ref>

==Education==
{{Main|Education in Sweden}}
[[File:Entrance hall of Uppsala University main building.jpg|thumb|[[Uppsala University]] (est. 1477)]]

Children aged 1–5 years old are guaranteed a place in a public [[kindergarten]] ([[Swedish language|Swedish]]: ''förskola'' or, colloquially, ''dagis''). Between the ages of 6 and 16, children attend compulsory comprehensive school. Swedish 15-year-old pupils have the 22<sup>nd</sup> highest average score in [[Programme for International Student Assessment|PISA]] assessments, being neither significantly higher nor lower than the OECD average.<ref>[http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/42/8/39700724.pdf PISA results for Sweden]</ref> After completing the 9th grade, about 90% of the students continue with a three-year upper secondary school (''gymnasium''), which can lead to both a job qualification or the entrance exam to university. The school system is largely financed by taxes. The Swedish government treats public and independent schools equally<ref name="swedishmodeleconomist">[http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11535645 The Swedish model], [[The Economist]]</ref> by introducing [[education voucher]]s in 1992 as one of the first countries in the world after [[The Netherlands]]. Anyone can establish a for-profit school and the municipality must pay new schools the same amount as municipal schools get.
School lunch is free for all students in Sweden, which usually includes one or two different kinds of hot meals, a meal for vegetarians, salad bar, fruit, bread, and milk and/or water for drink. Some schools, especially kindergartens and middle schools, even serve breakfast for free to those who want to eat before school starts.

There are a number of different [[List of universities in Sweden|universities and colleges in Sweden]], the oldest and largest of which are situated in [[Uppsala University|Uppsala]], [[Lund University|Lund]], [[University of Gothenburg|Gothenburg]] and [[Stockholm University|Stockholm]]. Only a few countries such as [[Canada]], the [[United States]] and [[Japan]] have higher levels of [[tertiary education]] degree holders.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}<!-- and what about non-oecd countries such as Russia and Israel? --> Along with several other European countries, the government also subsidises tuition of international students pursuing a degree at Swedish institutions, although there has been talk of this being changed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.studyinsweden.se/templates/cs/CommonPage____4962.aspx|title=Fees and costs - study in Sweden|accessdate=2007-06-18|format=|work=}}</ref>

==Demographics==
[[File:Stockholm old town 2002.jpg|thumb|[[Stockholm]] is the capital and largest city in Sweden]]
{{Main|Demographics of Sweden|Swedish people}}
Of the 2007 population 13.4% (1.23 million) were born abroad.<ref>Statistics Sweden. [http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____26040.aspx] Befolkningsstatistik i sammandrag 1960-2007. Retrieved 9 February 2009.</ref> This reflects the inter-Nordic migrations, earlier periods of labour immigration, and later decades of refugee and family immigration. Sweden has been transformed from a nation of [[emigration]] ending after World War I to a nation of [[immigration]] from World War II onwards. In 2008, immigration reached its highest level since records began with 101,171 people moving to Sweden.<ref>Statistics Sweden. [http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____26046.aspx] Befolkningsutveckling; födda, döda, in- och utvandring, gifta, skilda 1749 - 2007</ref>
[[File:Halso island.jpg|left|thumb|[[Hälsö|Hälsö Island]] in [[Gothenburg|Gothenburg's]] [[archipelago]].]]

The largest immigrant groups living in Sweden as of 2008 consists of people born in [[Finland]] (175,113), [[Iraq]] (109,446), [[Former Yugoslavia]] (72,285), [[Poland]] (63,822), [[Iran]] (57,663), [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (55,960), [[Denmark]] (44,310), [[Norway]] (44,310), [[Chile]] (28,118), [[Thailand]] (25,858), [[Somalia]] (25,159) and [[Lebanon]] (23,291). In the last decade most immigrants have come from [[Iraq]], [[Poland]], [[Thailand]], [[Somalia]] and [[China]].<ref>Statistics Sweden. ''Utrikes födda efter region, ålder i tioårsklasser och kön. År 2001-2007''.[http://www.ssd.scb.se/databaser/makro/Visavar.asp?yp=tansss&xu=C9233001&huvudtabell=UtrikesFoddaR&deltabell=02&deltabellnamn=Utrikes+f%F6dda+i+riket+efter+f%F6delseland+och+k%F6n%2E+%C5r&omradekod=BE&omradetext=Befolkning&preskat=O&innehall=UtrikesFodda&starttid=2000&stopptid=2007&Prodid=BE0101&fromSok=&Fromwhere=S&lang=1&langdb=1]. Retrieved 7 February 2009.</ref>

Immigration from the Nordic countries reached a peak of more than 40,000 per year in 1969–70 when the new immigration rules introduced in 1967 had made it more difficult for immigrants from outside the Nordic region to settle in Sweden for labour market policy reasons. Immigration by refugees and immigrating relatives of refugees from outside the Nordic region increased drastically during the late 1980s, with many of the immigrants arriving from Asia and America, especially from Iran and Chile. During the 1990s and onwards another large immigrant group came from former Yugoslavia and the Middle East.<ref>Nordstrom, p. 353. (Lists Former Yugoslavia and Iran as top two countries in terms of immigration beside "Other Nordic Countries," based on Nordic Council of Ministers ''Yearbook of Nordic Statistics'', 1996, 46–47)</ref> On December 15, 2008 new labour immigration rules came into effect making it easier to immigrate from outside of the European Union for labour market reasons. Most labour market immigrants so far are IT specialists and engineers from India, China and the US.<ref>Migrationsverket.[http://www.migrationsverket.se/index.jsp?news/getArticle.do?ldid=15&id=67011]. ''Many IT specialists and engineers among the new labour immigrants'', 6 February 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.</ref>

During the period between 1820–1930 approximately 1.3 million Swedes, a third of the country's population, [[Swedish emigration to North America|emigrated to North America]] and most of them to the United States. There are more than 4.4 million [[Swedish American]]s according to the 2006 U.S. census.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-ds_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-_caller=geoselect&-format= | title = U.S. Census | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | accessdate = 2008-04-13}}</ref> The [[Swedish Canadian]] community in Canada is 330,000 strong.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Data=Count&Table=2&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000 |title = Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada Highlight Tables, 2006 Census |accessdate = 2008-06-30}}</ref>

===Largest cities===
As of 2009, the total population of Sweden was estimated to be 9,325,429.<ref>Statistics Sweden.[http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____25897.aspx Preliminary Population Statistics, by month, 2004–2006]. ''Population statistics'', 1 January 2007. Retrieved 14 February 2007.</ref> The population exceeded 9 million for the first time as of approximately 12 August 2004 according to [[Statistics Sweden]]. The [[population density]] is only 20.6 people per km² (53.3 per square mile) and it is substantially higher in the south and than in the north. About 85% of the population live in urban areas.<ref name="publikationer2007"/> The capital city [[Stockholm]] has a population of about 800,000 (with 1.3 million in the urban area and 2 million in the metropolitan area). The second and third largest cities are [[Gothenburg]] and [[Malmö]].
{{Largest cities of Sweden}}

===Language===
[[File:Distribution-sv.png|thumb|Distribution of speakers of the Swedish language]]
{{Main|Swedish language|Languages of Sweden}}
{{See also|Swedish dialects}}
The official language of Sweden is [[Swedish language|Swedish]], a [[north Germanic languages|North Germanic language]], related and very similar to [[Danish language|Danish]] and [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], but differing in pronunciation and [[orthography]]. Norwegians have little difficulty understanding Swedish, and Danes can also understand it, with slightly more difficulty than the Norwegians.<ref name="KarlsU">
"Karlstad University" (on languages taught/spoken),
Karlstad University, 2006, webpage:
[http://www.kau.se/about/sweden_information.lasso Kau-SE-Languages].
</ref> [[Sweden Finns]] are Sweden's largest linguistic minority, comprising about 3 percent of Sweden's population and [[Finnish language|Finnish]] is recognised as a minority language. Four other [[minority languages of Sweden|minority languages]] are also recognised ([[Meänkieli]], [[Sami languages|Sami]], [[Romany language|Romani]] and [[Yiddish]]). Swedish became Sweden's official language on 1 July 2009, when a new language law was implemented.<ref name="Swedish2" /> The issue of whether Swedish should be declared the official language has been raised in the past, and the parliament voted on the matter in 2005—but the proposal narrowly failed.<ref>[http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=22620&a=500469 Svenskan blir inte officiellt språk], ''[[Sveriges Television]]'', 2005-12-07. Retrieved on July 23 2006. (in Swedish)</ref>

In varying degrees, depending largely on frequency of interaction with English, a majority of Swedes, especially those born after World War II, understand and speak [[English language|English]] thanks to trade links, the popularity of overseas travel, a strong Anglo-American influence and the tradition of [[Subtitle (captioning)|subtitling]] rather than dubbing foreign television shows and films. English became a compulsory subject for [[Secondary education|secondary school]] students studying [[natural science]]s as early as 1849, and has been a compulsory subject for all Swedish students since the late 1940s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.lu.se/info/lum/LUM_07_99/01_engelska.html |title=English spoken - fast ibland hellre än bra |publisher=Lund University newsletter 7/1999 |language=Swedish}}</ref> Depending on the local school authorities, English is currently a compulsory subject between [[first grade]] and [[ninth grade]], with all students continuing in secondary school studying English for at least another year. Most students also study one and sometimes two additional languages. These include (but are not limited to) [[German language|German]], [[French language|French]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]].<ref name=KarlsU/> Some [[Danish language|Danish]] and [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] is at times also taught as part of Swedish courses for native speakers.

===Religion===
[[File:Uppsala Cathedral.JPG|thumb|right|[[Uppsala Cathedral]]]]
{{Main|Religion in Sweden}}
Before the 11th century, Swedes adhered to [[Norse paganism]], worshiping [[Æsir]] gods, with its centre at the [[temple at Uppsala|Temple in Uppsala]]. With [[Christianization]] in the 11th century, the laws of the country were changed, forbidding worship of other deities into the late 19th century.

After the [[Protestant Reformation]] in the 1530s, a change significantly affected by [[Martin Luther]]'s Swedish associate [[Olaus Petri]], the Church and state were separated and the authority of Roman Catholic bishops abolished, allowing [[Lutheranism]] to prevail. This process was completed by the [[Uppsala Synod]] of 1593. During the era following the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]], usually known as the period of [[Lutheran Orthodoxy]], small groups of non-Lutherans, especially [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] [[Dutch people|Dutchmen]], the [[Moravian Church]] and [[Walloons]] or [[French Huguenots]] from [[Belgium]], played a significant role in trade and industry, and were quietly tolerated as long as they kept a low religious profile. The [[Sami people|Sami]] originally had their own shamanistic religion, but they were converted to Lutheranism by Swedish missionaries in the 17th and 18th centuries.
[[File:Lund domkyrkan2007.jpg|left|thumb|[[Lund Cathedral]]]]
{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width=250 align="right" rules="all" style="margin: 1em; background: #ffffff; border: 2px solid #aaa; font-size: 100%;"
|- bgcolor=#DDDDDD
| colspan=8 align="center" | '''Church of Sweden<ref>{{sv}}[http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/default.aspx?di=23758&refdi=23673 Svenska Kyrkan Statistiek pagina Medlemmar 1972-2008 excel file]</ref> ''' <br />
|- bgcolor=#f0f0f0 align="center"
! year
! population
! church members
! percentage
|- align="center"
| 1972 || 8,146,000 || 7,754,784 || 95.2 %
|- align="center"
| 1980 || 8,278,000 || 7,690,636 || 92.9 %
|- align="center"
| 1990 || 8,573,000 || 7,630,350 || 89.0 %
|- align="center"
| 2000 || 8,880,000 || 7,360,825|| 82.9 %
|- align="center"
| 2005 || 9,048,000 || 6,967,498 || 77.0 %
|- align="center"
| 2006 || 9,119,000 || 6,893,901 || 75.6 %
|- align="center"
| 2007 || 9,179,000 || 6,820,161 || 74.3 %
|- align="center"
| 2008|| 9,262,000 || 6,751,952 || 72.9 %
|}
Not until liberalization in the late 18th century, however, were believers of other faiths, including [[Judaism]] and [[Roman Catholicism]], allowed to openly live and work in Sweden, and it remained illegal until 1860 for Lutheran Swedes to convert to another religion. The 19th century saw the arrival of various [[Low church|evangelical]] [[free church]]es, and, towards the end of the century [[secularism]], leading many to distance themselves from Church rituals. Leaving the [[Church of Sweden]] became legal with the so-called dissenter law of 1860, but only under the provision of entering another denomination. The right to stand outside any religious denomination was established in the Law on [[Freedom of Religion]] in 1951.

At the end of 2008, 72.9% of Swedes belonged to the Church of Sweden (Lutheran); this number has been decreasing by about 1% a year for the last two decades. Church of Sweden services are sparsely attended (hovering in the single digit percentages of the population).<ref>[http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/ Church of Sweden], [http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/statistik/xls/medlem_diagram.xls Members 1972–2006, Excel document in Swedish]</ref> At least 45% and up to 85% of the population can be classified as atheist or agnostic. The reason for the large number of inactive members is partly that until 1996, children became members automatically at birth if at least one of the parents was a member. Since 1996, only children that are christened become members. Some 275,000 Swedes are today members of various free churches (where congregation attendance is much higher), and, in addition, [[immigration]] has meant that there are now some 92,000 [[Roman Catholics]] and 100,000 [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Christians]] living in Sweden.<ref>[http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frikyrka Statistics about free churches and immigration churches from Swedish Wikipedia - in Swedish]</ref> Because of [[immigration]], Sweden also has a significant [[Muslim]] population. Almost half a million are Muslims by tradition, but approximately 5% (25,000) of these actively practise Islam (in the sense of attending Friday prayer and praying five times a day).<ref>[http://sydsvenskan.se/sverige/article140868.ece Sydsvenskan (a Swedish newspaper) - in Swedish]</ref> (See [[Islam in Sweden]].)

===Health===
{{See also|Healthcare in Sweden|Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare}}
Healthcare in Sweden is similar in quality to other developed nations. Sweden ranks in the top five countries with respect to low [[infant mortality]]. It also ranks high in [[life expectancy]] and in safe [[drinking water]]. A person seeking care first contacts a clinic for a doctor's appointment, and may then be referred to a specialist by the clinic physician, who may in turn recommend either in-patient or out-patient treatment, or an elective care option. The health care is governed by the 21 [[landsting]] of Sweden and is mainly funded by taxes, with nominal fees for patients. A major criticism of Swedish healthcare is long waiting times before treatment.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}

==Science and technology==
[[File:Christer Fuglesang.jpg|right|thumb|[[Christer Fuglesang]], the first Swede and the first [[Nordic countries|Nordic citizen]] in [[space]].]]
Being an advanced [[industrial nation]], research plays a key role for economic development as well as for society at large, Sweden's high-quality scientific and technological development is renowned throughout the world.

Altogether, the public and the private sector in Sweden allocate nearly four per cent of [[GDP]] to [[research & development]] (R&D), which makes Sweden one of the countries that invest most in R&D in terms of percentage of GDP. The standard of Swedish research is high and Sweden is a world leader in a number of important fields. Sweden tops [[Europe]] in comparative statistics both in terms of research investments as a percentage of GDP and in the number of published scientific works per capita.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swedenabroad.se/Page____50008.aspx |title=Embassy of Sweden New Delhi - Science & Technology |publisher=Swedenabroad.se |date= |accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref>

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

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

Statistics show that during the entire period 1970–2003, the Swedish national innovation system was among the leading countries in the OECD in terms of generating technological inventions, measured as international patenting in relation to population size. The statistics evaluating countries in terms of triadic patenting, i.e. patents assigned in the three patenting areas [[USA]], [[EU]] and [[Japan]], were even more outstanding. Only [[Switzerland]] reported a higher rate of triadic patenting.

Furthermore, Sweden ranked either as the first or second country publishing the highest number of scientific publications in the fields of [[medical science]], [[natural science]] and [[engineering]] in 2001. Sweden was world-leading in medical science and second only to Switzerland in natural science and engineering in terms of the number of publications in relation to its population size.

In terms of structure, the Swedish economy is characterized by a large knowledge-intensive and export-oriented manufacturing sector, an increasing, but comparatively small, [[business]] [[service sector]], and by international standards, a large public service sector. Large organisations both in manufacturing and services dominate the [[Swedish economy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infoexport.gc.ca/science/nordics_sweden_report-en.htm |title=Doing Business Abroad - Innovation, Science and Technology |publisher=Infoexport.gc.ca |date= |accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref>

===Inventions===
{{Main|Swedish inventions}}
[[File:AlfredNobel adjusted.jpg|thumb|[[Alfred Nobel]], inventor of dynamite and institutor of the [[Nobel Prize]].]]
In the 18th century Sweden's [[scientific revolution]] took off. Previously, technical progress had mainly come from professionals who had immigrated from mainland Europe. In 1739, the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]] was founded, with people such as [[Carolus Linnaeus]] and [[Anders Celsius]] as early members. From the 1870s, engineering companies were created at an unmatched rate and engineers became heroes of the age. Many of the companies founded by early pioneers are still internationally familiar. [[Gustaf Dalén]] founded [[AGA AB|AGA]], and received the Nobel Prize for his [[sun valve]]. [[Alfred Nobel]] invented [[dynamite]] and instituted the [[Nobel Prize]]s. [[Lars Magnus Ericsson]] started the company bearing his name, [[Ericsson]], still one of the largest telecom companies in the world. [[Jonas Wenström]] was an early pioneer in [[alternating current]] and is along with [[Serbia]]n inventor [[Nikola Tesla|Tesla]] credited as one of the inventors of the three-phase electrical system.<ref name="si91e"/>

The traditional engineering industry is still a major source of Swedish inventions, but pharmaceuticals, electronics and other high-tech industries are gaining ground. [[Tetra Pak]] is an invention for storing liquid foods, invented by [[Erik Wallenberg]]. [[Håkan Lans]] invented the [[Automatic Identification System]], a worldwide standard for shipping and civil aviation navigation. [[Losec]], an ulcer medicine, was the world's best-selling drug in the 1990s and was developed by [[AstraZeneca]]. A large portion of the Swedish economy is to this day based on the export of technical inventions, and many large multinational corporations from Sweden have their origins in the ingenuity of Swedish inventors.<ref name="si91e">{{cite web|url = http://www.sweden.se/upload/Sweden_se/english/factsheets/SI/SI_FS91e_Swedish_inventions_and_discoveries/Swedish_inventions_and_discoveries_FS91e_Hires.pdf|format=PDF|title=Swedish inventions and discoveries|accessdate=2007-10-28|year=2007|month=January|work=Fact Sheet FS 91 e|publisher=Swedish Institute}}</ref>

Sweden has a total of 33,523 [[patent]]s as of 2007, according to the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]], and only ten other countries have more patents than Sweden.<ref>Patents By Country, State, and Year - All Patent Types
(December 2007)[http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/cst_all.htm]</ref>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Sweden}}
[[File:Redswedenred.sommar.jpg|thumb|right|Traditional Swedish rural [[house]], painted in the traditional Swedish [[Falu red]].]]
Sweden has many authors of worldwide recognition including [[August Strindberg]], [[Astrid Lindgren]], and [[Nobel Prize]] winners [[Selma Lagerlöf]] and [[Harry Martinson]]. In total seven [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prizes in Literature]] have been awarded to Swedes. The nation's most well-known artists are painters such as [[Carl Larsson]] and [[Anders Zorn]], and the sculptors [[Tobias Sergel]] and [[Carl Milles]].

Swedish twentieth-century culture is noted by pioneering works in the early days of [[Film|cinema]], with [[Mauritz Stiller]] and [[Victor Sjöström]]. In the 1920s&ndash;1980s, the filmmaker [[Ingmar Bergman]] and actors [[Greta Garbo]] and [[Ingrid Bergman]] became internationally noted people within cinema. More recently, the films of [[Lukas Moodysson]] and [[Lasse Hallström]] have received international recognition.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Sweden was seen as an international leader in what is now referred to as the "[[sexual revolution]]", with [[gender equality]] having particularly been promoted.<ref>{{cite news |http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/Article____12355.aspx |title=The Swedish Myths: True, False, or Somewhere In Between? |publisher=Sweden.se |accessdate=2007-02-14 }}</ref> At the present time, the number of single people is one of the highest in the world. The early Swedish film ''[[I Am Curious (Yellow)]]'' (1967) reflected a liberal view of sexuality, including scenes of love making that caught international attention, and introduced the concept of the "Swedish sin". Sweden has also become, in recent decades, fairly liberal regarding [[homosexuality]], as is reflected in the popular acceptance of films such as ''[[Fucking Åmål|Show Me Love]]'', which is about two young [[lesbians]] in the small Swedish town of Åmål. Since 1 May 2009, Sweden repealed its "registered partnership" laws and fully replaced them with [[gender-neutral marriage]],
<ref>{{cite news
| title = Sweden passes new gay marriage law
| publisher = The Local
| date = [[2009-04-02]]
| url = http://www.thelocal.se/18608/20090402/
| accessdate = 2009-05-05 }}</ref>
Sweden also offers [[domestic partnerships]] for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Cohabitation (''sammanboende'') by couples of all ages, including teenagers as well as elderly couples, is widespread although in recent years it has become administratively problematic with regard to proof in claims of "spousal" social security. Recently, Sweden is experiencing a baby boom.<ref>
{{cite web
| title = Babyboom i Sverige?
| url=http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____231102.aspx
| accessdate = 2009-05-05}}</ref>

===Music===
<!-- NOTE: Please do not insert your own favorite band into a list here. The examples
given are meant to be examples, not an exhaustive list of all Swedish bands which
has had some international success. The place for that is [[Music of Sweden]] or
some other more detailed article.-->
{{Main|Music of Sweden}}
[[File:Midsommardans av Anders Zorn 1897, sharp.jpg|thumb|right|''Midsummer's Eve'' by [[Anders Zorn]].]]
Sweden has a rich musical tradition, ranging from medieval folk ballads to [[Swedish hip hop|hip hop music]]. The music of the pre-Christian Norse has been lost to history, although historical re-creations have been attempted based on instruments found in Viking sites. The instruments used were the ''[[lur]]'' (a sort of trumpet), simple string instruments, wooden flutes and drums. It is possible that the Viking musical legacy lives on in some of the old Swedish folk music.

Sweden has a significant [[Music of Sweden|folk-music]] scene, both in the traditional style as well as more modern interpretations which often mix in elements of rock and jazz. [[Väsen]] is more of a traditionalist group, using a unique, traditional Swedish instrument called the ''[[nyckelharpa]]'' while [[Garmarna]], [[Nordman]], and [[Hedningarna]] have more modern elements. There is also [[Sami people|Sami]] music, called the ''[[joik]]'', which is actually a type of chant which is part of the traditional Saami animistic spirituality but has gained recognition in the international world of folk music. Sweden has a major market for [[new age]] and [[ecology|ecologically]] or [[environmentalism|environmentally]] aware music, as well a large portion of pop and rock music having [[Liberalism|liberal]] and [[left-wing]] political messages{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}.

[[File:Abba 28011977 15 200.jpg|thumb|left|[[Agnetha Fältskog]] of Swedish band [[ABBA]] performing in 1977.]]
Sweden also has a prominent choral music tradition, deriving in part from the cultural importance of Swedish folk songs. In fact, out of a population of 9.2 million, it is estimated that five to six hundred thousand people sing in choirs.<ref>Durant, Colin (2003). ''Choral Conducting: philosophy and practice'', Routledge, pp. 46–47. ISBN 0415943566: "Sweden has a strong and enviable choral singing tradition. [..] All those interviewed placed great emphasis on the social identification through singing and also referred to the importance of Swedish folk song in the maintenance of the choral singing tradition and national identity."</ref>

Sweden is the third largest music exporter in the world, with over 800 million dollars in 2007 years revenue, surpassed only by the US and the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swedenabroad.com/Page____59218.aspx |title=Consulate General of Sweden Los Angeles - Export Music Sweden at MuseExpo |publisher=Swedenabroad.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-06}}</ref> [[ABBA]] was one of the first internationally well-known popular music bands from Sweden, and still ranks among the [[List of best-selling music artists|most prominent bands in the world]], with about 370 million records sold. With ABBA, Sweden entered into a new era, in which Swedish pop music gained international prominence. There have been many other internationally successful bands since, such as [[Roxette]], [[Ace of Base]], [[Europe (band)|Europe]], and [[The Cardigans]] to name some of the biggest, and recently there has been a surge of Swedish [[Indie pop]] bands such as [[The Sounds]], [[Mando Diao]] and [[Sahara Hotnights]].

Sweden has also become known for a large number of [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] (mostly [[death metal]] and [[melodic death metal]] ) as well as [[progressive metal|progressive]]- and [[power metal]] bands. Some examples are [[In Flames]], [[HammerFall]] and [[Meshuggah]]. The [[Neo-classical metal|neoclassical power metal]] guitarist [[Yngwie Malmsteen]] is from Sweden. Sweden has a rather lively jazz scene. During the last sixty years or so it has attained a remarkably high artistic standard, stimulated by domestic as well as external influences and experiences. The Centre for Swedish Folk Music and Jazz Research has published an overview of jazz in Sweden by Lars Westin.<ref>[http://www.visarkiv.se/en/jazz/index.htm Lars Westin: Jazz in Sweden - an overview]</ref>

===Media===
{{Main|Media in Sweden}}
[[File:Turning Torso 3.jpg|thumb|right|The 190 m tall [[Turning Torso]] skyscraper in [[Malmö]] is the second tallest residential skyscraper in Europe.]]
Swedes are among the greatest consumers of [[newspaper]]s in the world, and nearly every town is served by a local paper. The country's main quality morning papers are [[Dagens Nyheter]] (liberal), [[Göteborgs-Posten]] (liberal), [[Svenska Dagbladet]] (liberal conservative) and [[Sydsvenska Dagbladet]] (liberal). The two largest evening [[tabloid]]s are [[Aftonbladet]] (social democratic) and [[Expressen]] (liberal). The ad-financed, free international morning paper, [[Metro International]], was originally founded in Stockholm, Sweden. The country's news is reported in English by, among others, [[The Local]] (liberal).

The public broadcasting companies held a monopoly on radio and television for a long time in Sweden. Licence funded radio broadcasts started in 1925. A second radio network was started in 1954 and a third opened 1962 in response to pirate radio stations. Non-profit community radio was allowed in 1979 and in 1993 commercial local radio started.

The licence funded television service was officially launched in 1956. A second channel, [[SVT2|TV2]], was launched in 1969. These two channels (operated by [[Sveriges Television]] since the late '70s) held a monopoly until the 1980s when cable and satellite television became available. The first Swedish language satellite service was [[TV3 (Sweden)|TV3]] which started broadcasting from London in 1987. It was followed by [[Kanal 5 (Sweden)|Kanal 5]] in 1989 (then known as Nordic Channel) and [[TV4 (Sweden)|TV4]] in 1990.

In 1991 the government announced it would begin taking applications from private television companies wishing to broadcast on the [[Terrestrial television|terrestrial network]]. TV4, which had previously been broadcasting via satellite, was granted a permit and began its terrestrial broadcasts in 1992, becoming the first private channel to broadcast television content from within the country.

Around half the population are connected to cable television. [[Digital terrestrial television in Sweden]] started in 1999 and the last analogue terrestrial broadcasts were terminated in 2007.

===Literature===
{{Main|Swedish literature}}
The first literary text from Sweden is the [[Rök Runestone]], carved during the [[Viking Age]] circa 800 AD. With the conversion of the land to Christianity around 1100 AD, Sweden entered the [[Middle Ages]], during which monastic writers preferred to use Latin. Therefore there are only a few texts in the [[Swedish language#Old Swedish|Old Swedish]] from that period. Swedish literature only flourished when the Swedish language was standardized in the 16th century, a standardization largely due to the full translation of the Bible into Swedish in 1541. This translation is the so-called [[Gustav Vasa Bible]].
[[File:Portrait of August Strindberg by Richard Bergh 1905.jpg|thumb|Writer and playwright [[August Strindberg]].]]

With improved education and the freedom brought by [[secularisation]], the 17th century saw several notable authors develop the Swedish language further. Some key figures include [[Georg Stiernhielm]] (17th century), who was the first to write classical poetry in Swedish; [[Johan Henric Kellgren]] (18th century), the first to write fluent Swedish prose; [[Carl Michael Bellman]] (late 18th century), the first writer of [[burlesque]] ballads; and [[August Strindberg]] (late 19th century), a socio-realistic writer and playwright who won worldwide fame. The early 20th century continued to produce notable authors, such as [[Selma Lagerlöf]], ([[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel laureate]] 1909), [[Verner von Heidenstam]] (Nobel laureate 1916) and [[Pär Lagerkvist]] (Nobel laureate 1951).

In recent decades, a handful of Swedish writers have established themselves internationally, including the detective novelist [[Henning Mankell]] and the writer of spy fiction [[Jan Guillou]]. The Swedish writer to have made the most lasting impression on world literature is the children's book writer [[Astrid Lindgren]], and her books about [[Pippi Longstocking]], [[Emil i Lönneberga|Emil]], and others. In 2008, the second best-selling fiction author in the world was [[Stieg Larsson]], whose ''Millennium'' series of crime novels is being published posthumously to critical acclaim.<ref>[http://www.abebooks.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/15/bestselling-fiction-authors-in-the-world-for-2008/ Bestselling fiction authors in the world for 2008], 15 January 2009, www.abebooks.com. Retrieved on 5 August 2009.</ref> Larsson drew heavily on the work of Lindgren by basing his central character, Lisbeth Salander, on Longstocking.<ref>[http://www.buzzle.com/articles/289825.html Poisoned Legacy Left By The King Of Thrillers], www.buzzle.com. Retrieved on 5 September 2009.</ref>

===Holidays===
{{Main|Public holidays in Sweden}}
[[File:Valborgsbrasa-1.jpg|thumb|left|[[Walpurgis Night]] bonfire in Sweden.]]
Apart from traditional Protestant [[Liturgical year|Christian holidays]], Sweden also celebrates some unique holidays, some of a pre-Christian tradition. They include [[Midsummer]] celebrating the summer [[solstice]]; [[Walpurgis Night]] (''Valborgsmässoafton'') on 30 April lighting bonfires; and [[Labour Day]] or Mayday on 1 May is dedicated to socialist demonstrations. The day of giver-of-light [[Saint Lucy|Saint Lucia]], 13 December, is widely acknowledged in elaborate celebrations which betoken its Italian origin and commence the month-long Christmas season. 6 June is the [[National holiday of Sweden|National Day of Sweden]] and, as of 2005, a public holiday. Furthermore, there are [[Flag days in Sweden|official flag day]] observances and a [[Namesdays in Sweden]] calendar. In August many Swedes have ''kräftskivor'' (crayfish dinner parties). [[Martin of Tours]] Eve is celebrated in [[Scania]] in November with ''Mårten Gås'' parties, where roast goose and ''[[svartsoppa]]'' ('black soup', made of goose stock, fruit, spices, spirits and goose blood) are served. The [[Sami people|Sami]], one of Sweden's indigenous minorities, have their holiday on February 6 and Scania celebrate their Scanian Flag day on the third Sunday in July.

===Cuisine===
{{Main|Swedish cuisine}}
[[File:Knaeckebroed.jpg|thumb|Swedish knäckebröd ([[crisp bread]]).]]
Swedish cuisine, like that of the other [[Scandinavia]]n countries ([[Cuisine of Denmark|Denmark]], [[Cuisine of Norway|Norway]] and [[Cuisine of Finland|Finland]]), was traditionally simple. [[Fish]] (particularly [[herring]]), [[meat]] and [[potato]]es played prominent roles. Spices were sparse. Famous dishes include Swedish meatballs, traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes and [[lingonberry jam]]; pancakes, ''[[lutefisk|lutfisk]]'', and [[Smörgåsbord]], or lavish buffet. ''[[Akvavit]]'' is a popular alcoholic [[distilled beverage]], and the drinking of ''[[snaps]]'' is of cultural importance. The traditional flat and dry [[crisp bread]] has developed into several contemporary variants. Regionally important foods are the ''[[surströmming]]'' (a fermented fish) in Northern Sweden and [[eel]] in [[Scania]] in Southern Sweden.

===Film===
{{Main|Cinema of Sweden}}
Swedes have been fairly prominent in the film area through the years, several successful Swedish Hollywood actors can be mentioned: [[Ingrid Bergman]], [[Greta Garbo]], [[Max von Sydow]], [[Dolph Lundgren]], [[Lena Olin]], [[Britt Ekland]], [[Maud Adams]], [[Stellan Skarsgård]], [[Peter Stormare]], [[Izabella Scorupco]], [[Pernilla August]], [[Ann-Margret]], [[Anita Ekberg]], [[Alexander Skarsgård]], [[Harriet Andersson]], [[Bibi Andersson]], [[Ingrid Thulin]], [[Malin Akerman]] and [[Gunnar Björnstrand]]. Amongst several directors who have made internationally successful films can be mentioned: [[Ingmar Bergman]], [[Lukas Moodysson]], and [[Lasse Hallström]].

===Fashion===
Interest in fashion is big in Sweden and the country is headquartering famous brands like [[H&M|Hennes & Mauritz]] (operating as H&M), [[J. Lindeberg]] (operating as JL), [[Acne AB|Acne]], [[Gina Tricot]], [[Tiger of Sweden]], [[Odd Molly]], [[Cheap Monday]], [[Gant U.S.A.|Gant]], [[Resteröds]], [[Nudie Jeans]], [[WESC]] and [[Filippa K]] within its borders. These companies, however, are comprised largely of buyers who import fashionable goods from throughout Europe and America, continuing the trend of Swedish business toward multinational economic dependency like many of its neighbors.

===Sports===
{{Main|Sport in Sweden}}
[[File:Stockholms Olympiastadion, 070310.JPG|thumb|left|[[Stockholm's Olympiastadion]]]]
Sport activities are a national movement with half of the population actively participating, much thanks to the heavy government subsidies of sport associations (''föreningsstöd''). The two main spectator sports are [[Association football|football]] and [[ice hockey]]. Second to football, [[Horse#Horses in sport today|horse sports]] have the highest number of practitioners, mostly women. Thereafter follow [[golf]], [[track and field athletics|athletics]], and the [[team sport]]s of [[Team handball|handball]], [[floorball]], [[basketball]] and [[bandy]].

[[File:Tobjornen.jpg|thumb|[[Åre (ski area)|Åre ski resort]]]]

The Swedish ice hockey team [[Swedish national men's ice hockey team|Tre Kronor]] is regarded as one of the very best in the world and has won the [[Ice Hockey World Championships|World Championships]] eight times, which makes them third in the medal count. They won Olympic gold medals in 1994 and 2006. In 2006, as the first nation in history, they won both the Olympic and world championships in the same year. The [[Sweden national football team|Swedish national football team]] has seen some success at the World Cup in the past, finishing second when they hosted the tournament in 1958, and third twice, in 1950 and 1994.
[[File:Ullevi stadium in gothenburg 20060510.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ullevi]] is a [[stadium]] in [[Gothenburg]]. The stadium is also the biggest in [[Scandinavia]].]]
[[Track and field athletics|Athletics]] has enjoyed a surge in popularity due to several successful athletes in recent years, such as: [[Carolina Klüft]], [[Stefan Holm]], [[Christian Olsson]], [[Patrik Sjöberg]], [[Johan Wissman]], [[Kajsa Bergqvist]].

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

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

Sweden hosted the [[1912 Summer Olympics]] and the [[FIFA World Cup]] in [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]]. Other big sports events held here include [[1992 UEFA European Football Championship]], [[FIFA Women's World Cup 1995]], and several championships of [[ice hockey]], [[curling]], [[track and field athletics|athletics]], [[skiing]], [[bandy]], [[figure skating]] and [[swimming (sport)|swimming]].

==International rankings==
{| class="wikitable" border="1" style="text-align:left"
|+'''Rankings'''
<!-- GDP listed here is drastically different from GDP at top box, ALSO reference re: cia world factbook is incorrect -->
!Name
!Year
!Place
!Out of #
!Reference
|-
|[[The World Factbook|CIA World Factbook]] – [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] [[per capita]] ([[Purchasing power parity|PPP]])
|2008
|26th
|229
|[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html]
|-
|[[The World Factbook|CIA World Factbook]] – [[life expectancy]]
|2008
|10th
|223
|[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html]
|-
|[[World Economic Forum]] – Enabling Trade Index ranking
|2008
|3rd
|118
|[http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/GlobalEnablingTradeReport/index.htm]
|-
|[[Yale University]] / [[Columbia University]] – [[Environmental Performance Index]]
|2008
|3rd
|149
|[http://www.yale.edu/epi/]
|-
|[[The Economist Intelligence Unit]] – ''[[e-readiness]]''
|2008
|3rd
|70
|[http://a330.g.akamai.net/7/330/25828/20080331202303/graphics.eiu.com/upload/ibm_ereadiness_2008.pdf]
|-
|[[The Economist Intelligence Unit]] – [[Global Peace Index]]
|2008
|13th
|140
|[http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/results/rankings/2008/]
|-
|[[United States Patent and Trademark Office]]'s list of [[patent]]s by country
|2007
|11th
|172
|[http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/cst_all.htm]
|-
|[[Save the Children]] – Mother's Index Rank
|2007
|1st
|141
|[http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/mothers/2007/SOWM-2007-final.pdf]
|-
|[[Save the Children]] – Women's Index Rank
|2007
|1st
|141
|[http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/mothers/2007/SOWM-2007-final.pdf]
|-
|[[Save the Children]] – Children's Index Rank
|2007
|4th
|141
|[http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/mothers/2007/SOWM-2007-final.pdf]
|-
|[[Wall Street Journal]] / [[The Heritage Foundation]] – [[Index of Economic Freedom]]
|2007
|27th
|157
|[http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/countries.cfm]
|-
|[[United Nations]] – [[Human Development Index]]
|2007
|6th
|177
|[http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/]
|-
|[[World Economic Forum]] – Global Competitiveness Report 2007–2008
|2007
|4th
|131
|[http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gcr_2007/gcr2007_rankings.pdf]
|-
|[[World Economic Forum]] – The Global Gender Gap Report 2007
|2007
|1st
|128
|[http://www.weforum.org/pdf/gendergap/report2007.pdf]
|-
|[[World Bank]] – [[Ease of Doing Business Index]]
|2007
|14th
|178
|[http://www.doingbusiness.org/economyrankings/]
|-
|[[Reporters Without Borders]] – [[Worldwide Press Freedom Index]]
|2007
|5th
|169
|[http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=24025]
|-
|[[Transparency International]] – [[Corruption Perceptions Index]]
|2008
|1st
|180
|[http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2008/cpi2008/cpi_2008_table]
|-
|[[The Economist Intelligence Unit]] – [[Democracy Index|Index of Democracy]]
|2007
|1st
|167
|[http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/Democracy_Index_2007_v3.pdf]
|-
|[[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] – [[Official Development Assistance]] by country as a percentage of GNI
|2006
|1st
|34
|[http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/9001/a/80097]
|-
|[[Privacy International]] – [[Privacy International#Privacy index|Privacy index]] (EU and 11 other selected countries)
|2006
|28th
|36
|[http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/phr2005/phrtable.pdf]
|-
|[[New Economics Foundation]] – [[Happy Planet Index]]
|2006
|119th
|178
|[http://www.happyplanetindex.org/map.htm]
|-
|[[The Economist Intelligence Unit]] – [[Quality-of-life index]]
|2005
|5th
|111
|[http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf]
|-
|[[Save the Children]] – % seats in the national government held by women
|2004
|1st (47%)
|141
|[http://www.savethechildren.org/mothers/report_2004/images/pdf/SOWM_2004_final.pdf]
|-
|[[World Health Organization]] – [[List of countries by suicide rate|suicide rates by country]]
|
|31st
|100
|[http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/country_reports/en/index.html]
|-
|[[NationMaster]]'s index of civil and political liberties
|
|13th
|140
|[http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/dem_civ_and_pol_lib-democracy-civil-and-political-liberties]
|-
|[[NationMaster]]'s index of asylum seekers (per capita)
|2001
|4th
|28
|[http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/imm_asy_see_percap-immigration-asylum-seekers-per-capita]
|-
|[[NationMaster]]'s index of economic aid (donor, per capita)
|
|5th
|24
|[http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_eco_aid_don_percap-economic-aid-donor-per-capita]
|-
|[[NationMaster]]'s index of total tax wedge (single worker)
|
|4th
|29
|[http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/tax_tot_tax_wed_sin_wor-total-tax-wedge-single-worker]
|-
|[[NationMaster]]'s index of technological achievement
|
|3rd
|68
|[http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/eco_tec_ach]
|}

==See also==
{{portal|Sweden|Flag of Sweden.svg}}
{{Main|Outline of Sweden}}
*[[List of Sweden-related topics]]

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

==References==
*Bagge, Sverre (2005). "The Scandinavian Kingdoms". In ''The New Cambridge Medieval History''. Eds. Rosamond McKitterick et al. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 052136289X.
* {{CIA World Factbook link|sw|Sweden}}
*[http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____25890.aspx Council for Official Statistics. "Preliminär befolkningsstatistik 2006"][http://www.scb.se/templates/Listning1____44032.asp Statistics Sweden].
*Durant, Colin (2003). ''Choral Conducting: philosophy and practice'', Routledge, pp.&nbsp;46–47. ISBN 0415943566.
*Einhorn, Eric and John Logue (1989). ''Modern Welfare States: Politics and Policies in Social Democratic Scandinavia''. Praeger Publishers, 1989. ISBN 0275931889.
*[[Invest in Sweden Agency]] (ISA) (2005). [http://www.isa.se/templates/News____59355.aspx Sweden most creative country in Europe and top talent hotspot]. Press release, 25 June 2005.
*Koblik, Steven (1975). ''Sweden's Development from Poverty to Affluence 1750–1970''. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0816607575.
*Magocsi, Paul Robert (1998). ''Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples''. University of Minnesota Press, 1998. ISBN 0802029388.
*[http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/sweden/natur.htm Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden] Agenda 21 – Natural Resource Aspects - Sweden. 5th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997.
*Nordstrom, Byron J. (2000). ''Scandinavia since 1500''. [[University of Minnesota Press]], 2000. ISBN 0816620989.
*Sawyer, Birgit and Peter Sawyer (1993). ''Medieval Scandinavia: from Conversion to Reformation, Circa 800–1500''. University of Minnesota Press, 1993. ISBN 0816617392.
*Ståhl, Solveig. (1999). [http://www3.lu.se/info/lum/LUM_07_99/01_engelska.html "English spoken – fast ibland hellre än bra"]. ''LUM, Lunds universitet med''delar, 7:1999, 3 September 1999. In Swedish.
*Zuckerman, Phil (2007), Atheism: Contemporary Rates and Patterns PDF i Cambridge Companion to Atheism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-60367-6
*Statistics Sweden. [http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____193256.aspx 2006 census].
*Statistics Sweden. [http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____25897.aspx Preliminary Population Statistics, by month, 2004–2006]. ''Population statistics'', 1 January 2007.
*Statistics Sweden. ''Yearbook of Housing and Building Statistics 2007''. Statistics Sweden, Energy, Rents and Real Estate Statistics Unit, 2007. ISBN 9789161813612. Available online in [http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BO0801_2007A01_BR_BO01SA0701.pdf pdf format].
*[http://www.bartleby.com/65/sw/Sweden.html "Sweden"]. In ''The Columbia Encyclopedia'', Sixth Edition, 2001–05.
*[http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Sweden ''Sweden'']. In ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 1911.
*[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-29865/Sweden#403810.hook Sweden: Social and economic conditions] (2007).

In ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
*[http://www.rgk.se/english.htm Swedish National Debt Office]
*[http://www.samhallsguiden.riksdagen.se/templates/R_Page____8382.aspx The Swedish Parliament: Laws]
*[[United States Department of State]] – [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2880.htm Sweden]
*[http://www.datesofhistory.com/Sweden.index.html World History Database – Sweden]
*Uddhammar, Emil (1993). ''Partierna och den stora staten: en analys av statsteorier och svensk politik under 1900-talet''. Stockholm, City University Press.
*{{cite web |url=http://lawfam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/4/2/154 |title=Radical principles and the legal institution of marriage: domestic relations law and social democracy in Sweden—BRADLEY 4 (2): 154—International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family |accessdate=2007-06-13 |work=}}

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Sweden}}
;Government
*[http://www.sweden.se/ The Official Gateway to Sweden]
*[http://www.sweden.gov.se/ The Swedish Government] – Official site
*[http://www.riksdagen.se/default____56.aspx The Swedish Parliament] – Official site
*[http://www.royalcourt.se/ The Swedish Royal Court] – Official website of the Swedish Royal House
*[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-s/sweden.html Chief of State and Cabinet Members]
*[http://www.scb.se/default____2154.asp Statistiska Centralbyrån] Statistics Sweden (governmental)
*[http://www.isa.se/ Invest in Sweden Agency] government agency
;General information
*{{CIA World Factbook link|sw|Sweden}}
*[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/576478/Sweden Sweden] entry at ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''
*[http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/sweden.htm Sweden] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
*{{dmoz|Regional/Europe/Sweden}}
*{{wikiatlas|Sweden}}
;News media
*[http://www.radiosweden.org/ Radio Sweden] {{en icon}} – Public service
*[http://www.thelocal.se/ The Local - Sweden's news in English] – Independent English language news site
;Travel
*[http://www.visitsweden.com/ VisitSweden.com] – Official travel and tourism website for Sweden
*{{wikitravel}}
;Other
*[http://www.studyinsweden.se/ Study in Sweden] – Official guide to studying in Sweden
*[http://www.swedishtrade.se/english/ Swedish Trade Council]
*[http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/schon.sweden Sweden – Economic Growth and Structural Change, 1800–2000]—EH.Net Encyclopedia
*[http://www.vifanord.de/index.php?id=1&L=1&rd=243343734 vifanord] – a digital library that provides scientific information on the Nordic and Baltic countries as well as the Baltic region as a whole

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{{Template group
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{{Countries of Europe}}
{{Countries bordering the Baltic Sea}}
}}
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}}

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Revision as of 01:30, 15 November 2009

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