A military power during the 17th century, Sweden
has not participated in any war in almost two centuries.
An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars.
Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist
system interlarded with substantial welfare elements
has recently been undermined by high unemployment,
rising maintenance costs, and a declining position
in world markets. Indecision over the country's role
in the political and economic integration of Europe
caused Sweden not to join the EU until 1995, and to
forgo the introduction of the euro in 1999.
Geography
Location: Northern Europe, bordering
the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak,
between Finland and Norway
Geographic coordinates: 62 00 N, 15 00 E
Area:
total: 449,964 sq km
land: 410,934 sq km
water: 39,030 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 2,205 km
border countries: Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km
Coastline: 3,218 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines
territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return
a portion of straits to high seas)
Climate: temperate in south with
cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers;
subarctic in north
Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains
in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m
Natural resources: zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver,
timber, uranium, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 68%
other: 24% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,150 sq km (1993
est.)
Natural hazards: ice floes in the
surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia,
can interfere with maritime traffic
Environment - current issues: acid
rain damaging soils and lakes; pollution of the North
Sea and the Baltic Sea
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,
Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber
94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol.
People
Population: 8,873,052 (July 2000
est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 837,358; female 794,774)
15-64 years: 64% (male 2,901,809; female 2,805,138)
65 years and over: 18% (male 648,865; female 885,108)
(2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.02% (2000
est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.49 deaths/1,000
live births (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Swede(s)
adjective: Swedish
Ethnic groups: indigenous population:
Swedes and Finnish and Lapp (Sami) minorities; foreign-born
or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs,
Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
Religions: Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic,
Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist
Languages: Swedish
note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1979 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
