Sweden
Kingdom of Sweden
Capital: Stockholm
History
A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for 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 was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 and 2009 by the global economic downturns, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.
Geography
Metric Units
|
Total Area
|
450,295
sq km
|
| Land Boundaries |
2,233
km
|
| Border Countries |
Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km |
| Coastline |
3,218
km
|
| Terrain |
mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west |
| Minimum Elevation |
m
|
| Maximum Elevation |
2,111
m
|
| Climate |
temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north |
| Natural Resources |
iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower |
| Arable Land |
5.8% |
| Permanent Crops |
0.02% |
Economy
Budget & Debt
Trade
| Exports |
$177.6 billion |
| Export Items |
machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals |
| Export Partners |
Germany 10.4%, Norway 9.3%, UK 7.4%, Denmark 6.5%, Finland 6.4%, US 5.5%, Netherlands 5.2%, France 4.8%, Belgium 4.7% (2011) |
| Imports |
$166.4 billion |
| Import Items |
machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel |
| Import Partners |
Germany 18.1%, Denmark 8%, Norway 7.7%, Netherlands 5.9%, UK 5.8%, Russia 5.6%, Finland 5.3%, China 4.6%, France 4.5% (2011) |
People
| Population |
9,119,423 |
| Population Growth |
0.18% |
| Ethnic Groups |
indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks |
| Religion |
Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13% |
| Life Expectancy |
81.28 years |
| Infant Mortality |
0.98 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality |
0.6 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
