Sweden
Sweden (in Swedish: 
Sverige (?·i) [^sværj transformation]), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (in Swedish: Konungariket Sverige (?·i)), it is a Scandinavian country of North Europe that is part of the European Union (EU). It borders north with Norway and Finland, east with Finland and the Gulf of Botnia, south with the Baltic Sea and west with the North Sea and Norway. It has land borders with Norway and Finland, and is connected to Denmark by the Øresund bridge. Its most populous city is Stockholm, which is also its capital.
With an extension of 450 295 km², it is the fifth largest country in Europe. In 2016, it had a total population of just over 10 million people, of which 98% have Internet access, making it the country with the highest service penetration in the world. It has a population density of only 22 people/km², similar to other neighboring countries. About 84% of the population lives in urban areas. Nature conservation, environmental protection and energy efficiency are generally a priority in policy making and are welcomed by a large part of the people It upholds the Nordic welfare model that provides universal healthcare and free tertiary education to its citizens, has the 11th highest per capita income in the world, and ranks high on numerous measures of human development, including quality of life, safety, health, education, equality, and prosperity.
Improved transportation and communications have enabled large-scale exploitation of natural resources, especially timber and iron ore. In the 1980s, universal schooling and industrialization allowed the country to develop a successful manufacturing industry. It has a rich supply of hydropower, but lacks oil and major coal deposits. In the XX century, it was consistently ranked among the countries with the best Human Development Index (HDI), currently occupying the seventh position.
Sweden's origins date back to the X century, although there is no true historical consensus on the date of its unification Modern Sweden arose from its separation from the Kalmar Union in 1523, during the rule of King Gustav Vasa. During the Thirty Years' War, Sweden began a territorial expansion that resulted in the formation of the so-called Swedish Empire in the 17th century. However, most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost over the next few centuries. The eastern half of Sweden, the current Republic of Finland, made up of the eastern half of Norrland and Österland, was lost to the Russian Empire in 1809. Since 1814, it has not been involved in any conflict, maintaining a foreign policy of peace and neutrality in time of war.
Etymology
The name «Sweden» derives from the Latin Suetidi, which comes from the Old English word Sweoðeod, which means «people of the Suiones» (in Old Scandinavian Svíþjóð). This word derives from sweon/sweonas (Old Scandinavian sviar, Latin suiones). The etymology of Suiones, and therefore of Sweden, probably derives from the Proto-Germanic Swihoniz, meaning "one's own", referring to the property of a Germanic tribe.. The name in Swedish, Sverige, literally means "Kingdom of the suiones" (sve 'suiones'; rike 'kingdom'), which It was used to designate the southern part of the country inhabited by the Germanic tribe of the same name.
Variations of English Sweden are used in most languages except Danish and Norwegian, where the name is the same as in Swedish, Sverige. In the Finnish (Ruotsi) and Estonian (Rootsi) languages, the name comes from the same root as the word "Russia", referring to the Rus ethnic group, originating from the coastal areas of Uppland and Roslagen.
History
Prehistory
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Its prehistory begins in the period called the Allerød Oscillation, around 12,000 BC. C. during the Upper Paleolithic, with the arrival of nomadic groups of hunter-gatherers in the southern part of the country, characterized by the use of arrowheads made of stone.
Agriculture and animal husbandry, along with the construction of megalithic monuments, arrived from the mainland with the Funnel Beaker culture around 4000 BCE. C.. Southern Sweden was part of the area where the Nordic Bronze Age developed. This period began around 1800 B.C. C. with the beginning of the importation of bronze from central Europe. Mining was not practiced during this period and since the territory does not have large deposits, all metals were imported. The Nordic Bronze Age was completely pre-urban: people became sedentary and lived in small villages and farms, in longhouses made of wood.
In the absence of the domination of the Roman Empire, the Swedish Iron Age is considered to have ended at the time of the introduction of stone architecture and monastic orders to their lands around 1100. As written records of this time are of little credibility, this period is considered protohistoric, that is, that those records appeared after the period in question, and that they were written in different areas, or that the local and contemporary records are extremely short.
An attempt by the Romans to extend their empire beyond the Rhine and Elba rivers was aborted in AD 9. C., when the Germans defeated the Roman legions under the command of Varo, by ambushing them in the battle of the Teutoburg Forest. Around this time there was a great change in culture in Scandinavia, the result of increased contact with the Romans.
During this time the climate worsened, forcing farmers to shelter their animals inside sheds during the long winters. This led to an annual accumulation of manure, which for the first time could be used systematically for soil enrichment. In this way, agriculture and livestock grew and became the economic engine of the first cities. At the beginning of the century II, much of the cultivated soil in the south of their lands was divided into lots with small stone walls. On one side of the wall were permanent crops and meadows for winter fodder, while on the other was the forest and land for grazing cattle. This division of land was used until the 19th century.
He entered protohistory with the book Germania by Cornelius Tacitus in the year 98. Although the little information he reports about this distant area has been estimated as uncertain, since it mentions several tribes, such as the Suiones and Lapps of later centuries. In terms of its script, the runic alphabet was invented by the elite of southern Scandinavia in the II, but all that has survived to the present are brief inscriptions on artifacts, mainly male names, making it clear that the peoples of southern Scandinavia spoke Proto-Norse at that time, a language from which it was derived Swedish and other Nordic languages.
Viking Age and Middle Ages
The Swedish Viking Age spans from the 8th century to the 11th century. During this period, the Suiones are believed to have spread to the southeast and mixed with the Geats who inhabited southern present-day Sweden. The Swedish Vikings and Guter Vikings traveled mainly east and south, going to Finland, the Baltics, Kievan Rus, the Mediterranean and to cities as far away as Baghdad. Their routes crossed the rivers of Kievan Rus until they reached the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey), from where they departed in different directions (see, for example, the Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks). The Byzantine emperor Theophilus verified their war skills and invited them to serve as his personal guard, which took the name of the Varangian Guard. It is also believed that a group of Swedish Vikings, called "Rus", were the fathers founders of Kievan Rus and, therefore, of Russia. Their expeditions were recorded on many existing runestones in the country, such as the Greek and Varangian runestones. There was also considerable Viking participation in expeditions to the west, which were recorded on the English runestones. The last great Viking expedition was the failed voyage led by Ingvar the Traveler to Serkland, the southeastern region of the Caspian Sea. His expeditionaries are commemorated on the Ingvar runestones, none of which mention any survivors. It is unknown what happened to the expedition, but it is believed that they fell victim to some epidemic.
It is not known when or how the kingdom of Sweden was created, but the list of Swedish monarchs only names those who reigned in Svealand (Sweden) and Götaland (Gothia) at the same time, the first being Eric the Victorious. Previously, Sweden and Gothia had been separate nations. Although it is not known how long these kingdoms existed, Beowulf describes them in the semi-legendary wars between the Swedes and Geats of the century. VI.
During the early years of the Viking Age in Scandinavia, Ystad on Scania and Paviken on Gotland were major centers of trade at the time. Ruins of what is thought to be a large market exist at Ystad, dating from AD 600-700. At Paviken, an important trade center in the Baltic region during the 9th and 10th centuries, remains of a large dock with shipbuilding workshops and cottage industries have been found. Between the years 800 and 1000, trade led to an abundance of silver on Gotland, and according to various specialists, the island's inhabitants had more of this metal than the entire population of Scandinavia combined.
In 829, Saint Oscar introduced Christianity, but it was not until the 12th century century that the new religion began to replace traditional beliefs. During the 11th century, Christianity became the predominant religion, and by the year 1050 it was numbered among the Christian nations. The period from 1100 to 1400 was characterized by internal power struggles and competition between the Nordic kingdoms. The Swedish kings also began to expand their territory into Finland, creating conflict with the Rus, who had severed all connection to Sweden.
In the 14th century, it was ravaged by an epidemic of the Black Death (bubonic plague). Swedish cities also began to gain greater autonomy and were strongly influenced by the German merchants of the Hanseatic League, active especially in Visby. In 1319 Sweden and Norway were united by King Magnus Eriksson and in 1397 Queen Margrethe I of Denmark effected a personal union of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, thus creating the Kalmar Union. However, Margaret's successors, whose power was centered in Denmark, failed to control the Swedish nobility. For long periods, effective power was held by regents (notably those of the Sture family) chosen by the Swedish parliament. To remedy the situation, King Christian II of Denmark ordered the execution of the Stockholm nobles. The massacre became known as the "Stockholm Bloodbath" and prompted the Swedish nobility to form a new resistance, so on June 6, 1523, they named Gustav I of Sweden as their king. often referred to as the founding of the modern state of Sweden and June 6 is now the country's National Holiday. Shortly after, Gustavo I rejected Catholicism and introduced the Protestant Reformation in the country. For these events Gustavo I is known as the "Father of the Nation".
Swedish Empire
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During the 17th century it emerged as a European power. Before the rise of the Swedish Empire, it was a very poor country, sparsely populated, and with little involvement in international affairs. It was suddenly turned into one of the leading nations in Europe by Axel Oxenstierna and King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, thanks to the conquest of territories from Russia and Poland-Lithuania, but also thanks to their participation in the Thirty Years War, which made her the continental leader of Protestantism until the empire's collapse in 1721.
Gustav II Adolf's war against the Holy Roman Empire had a high cost for the latter, where a third of the population died and almost half of the states that comprised it were occupied by the Swedes. Gustavo II Adolfo's plan was to take advantage of the armed conflict to expand the limits of his kingdom. However, Gustav II Adolf later died at the Battle of Lützen in 1632, leaving the throne to the younger Christina of Sweden. After the Battle of Nördlingen, Sweden withdrew because it had grown tired of the hardships of war and lost its power in the southern part of present-day Germany, and the conquered provinces were separated from Swedish rule one by one, leaving it with only a couple of territories in the north: Swedish Pomerania, Bremen-Verden, and Wismar.
At the middle of the 17th century, it was the third largest country in Europe, behind only Russia and Spain. In 1658, it reached its maximum extent under the reign of Charles X Gustaf of Sweden (1622-1660), shortly after the signing of the Treaty of Roskilde. In the middle of the century 16th century, King Gustav I converted the country to Protestantism and carried out a series of economic reforms. During the XVII, the country was involved in several wars, such as the one against Poland-Lithuania, in which both competed for the territories of the Baltic States until the battle of Kircholm in 1605, the which is considered one of the worst defeats of the Swedish army.
This period also witnessed "The Deluge", the Swedish invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Union. After more than half a century of almost constant warfare, the Swedish economy seriously deteriorated. Rebuilding the economy and regaining military power became a lifelong task for Charles X's successor, Charles XI of Sweden (1655-1697). The legacy for his son, Carlos XII, was one of the best arsenals in the world, a large army and a great fleet.
In 1700, after the Battle of Narva (one of the first battles of the Great Northern War), the Russian Army, worse equipped and trained and demoralized by Peter I's withdrawal from Russia before the battle, was severely decimated, giving Sweden the opportunity to invade Russia. However, Charles XII did not pursue the Russian Army, instead heading into Poland-Lithuania and in 1702, defeated the Polish King Augustus II and his Saxon allies at the Battle of Kliszów. After the successful invasion of Poland, Charles XII he had prepared the ground to invade Russia by attacking its capital, Moscow, from the Ukraine. In addition to his army, he had the help of about 2,000 Ukrainian Cossacks. But this time the Tsarist army was better prepared and motivated, and after harassing the invaders with Cossack horsemen and depleting their supplies with scorched-earth techniques, in 1709 Peter I decisively defeated the Swedes at the Battle of Poltava. The Swedes were pursued, surrendering three days later at Perevolochna. This defeat meant the beginning of the collapse of the Swedish Empire.
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In 1716, Charles XII tried to invade Norway, however his advance was stopped by the Norwegians in 1718, with the siege of the Fredriksten fortress. The Swedes were not defeated militarily at Fredriksten, but the organization and structure of the Norwegian campaign led to the death of the king and the withdrawal of the army. Forced to cede large tracts of land in the 1721 Treaty of Nystad, she too lost her place as an empire and as the dominant state of the Baltic Sea. With the loss of Swedish influence, Russia emerged as an empire and became one of the dominant nations in Europe. In the 18th century , already lacking sufficient resources to maintain its territories outside of Scandinavia, due to which it lost most of these, culminating in the loss of eastern Sweden to Russia, territories that would become the semi-autonomous Duchy of Finland in Imperial Russia.
After Denmark-Norway was defeated in the Napoleonic Wars, Norway was ceded to Sweden in exchange for the northern German provinces on January 14, 1814, in the Treaty of Kiel. Norway's attempts to maintain itself as a sovereign nation were repelled by King Charles XIII of Sweden. The king launched a military campaign against Norway on July 27, 1814, ending with the Moss Convention, which forced Norway into a personal union under Swedish rule, which lasted until 1905. The 1814 campaign was the last war in which his army participated as a belligerent.
Modern and Contemporary History
In the 18th and 19th centuries there was significant demographic growth, which the writer Esaias Tegnér in 1833 attributed to "peace, the vaccine (against smallpox), and potatoes." Between 1750 and 1850 the Swedish population doubled. According to some specialists, mass emigration to the United States became the only way to avoid starvation and rebellion; more than 1% of the population emigrated annually during the 1880s. By then, it remained poor, with a largely agricultural economy, despite the fact that Denmark and other Western European countries had already begun to industrialise. Between 1850 and 1910 more than a million Swedes immigrated to the United States and at the beginning of the XX century, there were more people of Swedish origin in Chicago than in Gothenburg (Sweden's second largest city). Most Swedish emigrants settled in the American Midwest, reaching a high incidence in the population of Minnesota. As secondary destinations, other groups of emigrants went to Delaware and Canada.
Although its industrialization process developed slowly, agriculture underwent important changes due to technological innovations and population growth. These innovations included government enclosure programs, over-exploitation of agricultural land, and the introduction of of new crop seeds such as the potato. Due to the fact that Swedish peasants had been exploited like nowhere else in Europe, Swedish farming culture acquired a leading role in political processes, a characteristic that has remained in time, with the Agrarian Party (currently called the Center Party). Between 1870 and 1914, the process of developing its industrial economy began, which continues to this day.
During the second half of the 19th century, there were important social and labor movements, as well as abstinent and religious groups independents, who began to push for a democratic state. In 1889 the Swedish Social Democratic Party was founded. These moves led the country towards a modern parliamentary democracy, achieved around the time of World War I. As the Industrial Revolution progressed through the 20th century, the rural population began to migrate to the cities to work in factories and thus to eventually be included in the unions. In 1917 there was an unsuccessful socialist revolution, which was followed in 1921 by the establishment of a democratic-type parliamentary monarchy.
World Wars
Throughout both world wars it was officially neutral, although its neutrality in World War II has often been debated; it was under German influence for most of the war and isolated from the rest the world through blockades. The Swedish government initially felt that it was in no position to oppose Germany, and later collaborated with the regime of Adolf Hitler. Swedish volunteers in Nazi SS units were among the first elements to invade the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa.[citation needed] It also provided steel and machinery to Germany during the war. Towards the end of the conflict, when German defeat seemed imminent, Sweden began to play an important role in humanitarian efforts and in hosting refugees, including the many Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe who were saved. This was partly because he participated in rescue missions in concentration camps, and because the country was the main refugee center for Scandinavia and the Baltics. However, internal and external critics say that he could have done more to resist Nazi threats, even at the risk of occupation.
Recent history
During the Cold War, it publicly took a position of neutrality, but unofficially some Swedish leaders maintained close connections with the United States. After World War II, it took advantage of its intact industrial infrastructure, social stability, and natural resources to expand its industry and support the reconstruction of Europe. It was also part of the Marshall Plan and participated in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Economic Development (OECD). For most of the postwar period, the country was ruled by the Swedish Social Democratic Party (Swedish: Socialdemokraterna). This party established a corporatist model that favored large capitalist companies, but also unions, organized in the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LTC), affiliated to the same party. The Swedish state acquired a decisive role and the number of public employees it increased notably between 1960 and 1980. Finally, the country opened up to international trade and became oriented towards the international manufacturing sector, obtaining good growth rates until the 1970s.
Like other countries around the world, it entered a period of economic decline following the oil embargoes of 1973-1974 and 1978-1979. In the 1980s, the pillars of Swedish industry were largely restructured. Shipbuilding was cancelled, forest clearing was integrated into the modern paper production process, the steel industry was centralized and specialized, and mechanical engineering was oriented toward robotics.
Between 1970 and 1990 almost all taxes were raised by more than 10%. The income cap tax for workers reached more than 80%, and public spending exceeded half of the national GDP, while his economic policy was questioned by classical economists.
In the early 1990s, like most Western countries, the country fell into a fiscal crisis. The Conservative government's response was to cut spending and institute a series of reforms to boost competitiveness, including those who were to reduce the Swedish welfare state and privatize public goods and services. The reforms allowed it to enter the European Union, to which Sweden has belonged since January 1, 1995, although without adopting the euro, as it decided to keep the Swedish krona as its national currency.
It is currently one of the countries with the highest Human Development Index, being among the twenty largest economies in the world. He also often participates in international military operations, including the war in Afghanistan, where Swedish troops are under the command of NATO; and in the European Union supporting 'peacekeeping' operations in places like Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Cyprus. In addition, the weapons used by the US military in Iraq are produced by several Swedish companies.
Government and politics
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, in which King Carl XVI Gustaf is the head of state, but his real power is limited only to ceremonial and official functions. Although The Economist Group claims that democracy is difficult to measure, the "2006 Democracy Index" placed it at the top of its list of 167 countries.
Its government is divided into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch is the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament), which according to the Swedish constitution, is the supreme authority of government. It is made up of 349 members, who elect the prime minister, who heads the ministries. Parliamentary elections are held every four years, on the third Sunday of September.
Bills must be introduced by members of the cabinet or parliament. The latter are elected on the basis of multinominal proportional scrutiny for a period of four years. The constitution can be amended by the Riksdag, which requires that the decision be approved by an absolute majority between general election periods. In addition to government statutes, it has three other fundamental constitutional laws: the Royal Succession Act, the Freedom of the Press Act, and the Fundamental Law for Freedom of Expression.
Executive power is exercised by the prime minister, the cabinet, and the king. The judiciary has a regulatory body called Lagrådet (Council of Laws), which has the power to examine the constitutionality of laws and government decisions, although its decisions are not binding; however, due to the restrictions of this form of constitutional review and weak jurisdiction, their work has little consequence in national politics.
The Swedish Social Democratic Party has played a leading political role since 1917, after the reformists confirmed their dominance and those on the left left the party. After 1932, the cabinets have been dominated by the Social Democratic party. In just five general elections, another center-right party won enough seats in parliament to become the leading force in government. However, slow economic progress since the early 1970s, and especially the crisis of 1990, they forced it to reform its political system to make it similar to that of other European countries. In the 2010 general election, the Red-Green Bloc (Social Democrats with the Green Party) won the majority of seats in the Riksdag, leaving the Alliance with only 170 seats.
The elections in October 2014 had the following results:
- Social Democratic Party (SAP): 113 seats
- Moderate Party (M): 84 seats
- Swedish Democrats (SD): 49 seats
- Green Party (MP): 25 seats
- Center Party (C): 22 seats
- Left Party (V): 21 seats
- Liberal Popular Party (FP): 19 seats
- Christian Democrats (KD): 16 seats
The total number of government parties (SAP+V+MP) is 159 seats. The total of the opposition parties (M+C+FP+KD) is 141 seats. Parliamentarians were elected for the 2014-2018 period.
In elections to the European Parliament, parties that have not passed the Riksdag threshold have managed to win representation there: June List (2004-2009), the Pirate Party (2009-2014), and the Feminist Initiative (2014-current).
In Sweden the number of voters has always been high compared to many countries, although it has been declining in recent decades, and is currently around 80% (80.11% in 2002 and 81.99% in 2006). Swedish politicians enjoyed a high degree of trust from citizens in the 1960s, but over the years it declined until it reached a lower level of trust than in other countries in the region. Politically, Sweden has a long history of so-called Folkrörelser ("popular movements"), the most notable being trade unions, the independent Christian movement, the abstinence movement, the feminist movement, etc.
Law Enforcement
The judiciary is represented by the Swedish Supreme Court and lower courts. The Supreme Court is the third and last instance in all civil and criminal cases; It is made up of sixteen Justice Councilors or justitieråd who are appointed by the executive branch. This court is an institution independent from the prime minister and parliament, so the government cannot interfere in their decisions.
The courts are divided into two parallel and separate systems: the general courts (allmänna domstolar) for criminal and civil cases, and the general administrative courts (allmänna förvaltningsdomstolar) for cases involving disputes between private persons and the authorities. In both systems there are district courts (the first to open a case), courts of appeal (the second instance), with the supreme court being the third and final instance. There are also some special courts for certain areas (labor, trademarks and patents).
Law enforcement is carried out by various government institutions: the Swedish National Police (in charge of organizing the police), the National Task Force (Swedish SWAT unit), the National Criminal Investigation Department and the Swedish Security Service (responsible for anti-terrorism and counter-espionage activities) are some examples.
According to a 2005 victimization study of 1,201 Swedes, Sweden has a high crime rate compared to other countries in the European Union. The most frequent crimes are assaults, sexual crimes, hate crimes and fraud. However, it has low levels of home and car theft, addiction problems and corruption.
Foreign Relations
Throughout the 20th century, its foreign policy was based on the principle of non-alliances in peacetime and neutrality in times of war. This doctrine of neutrality dates back to the 19th century, as the country has not been involved in any conflict armed since the end of the Norwegian War in 1814. During World War II, he did not join the Axis or Allied Forces. However, this has been debated many times, as Sweden allowed the Nazi German regime to use its road system to transport goods and soldiers, and obtain raw materials, especially iron obtained from mines located in the north. from Sweden, which were vital to the German machine.
During the Cold War, the country combined its policy of non-alliances with a low profile in international conflicts, although it did maintain a security policy based on a strong national defense to stop possible attacks. At the same time, the country maintained relatively close informal connections with the capitalist bloc, especially in terms of information exchange. In 1952, a Swedish DC-3 was shot down over the Baltic Sea by a Soviet MiG-15. Further investigation revealed that the aircraft was obtaining information for NATO. Another aircraft, a search and rescue PBY Catalina, was shot down days after the first incident, also by the Soviets.
In the early 1960s, he tried to play a more important and independent role in international relations. This led him to participate in international activities to keep peace, especially through the UN, and in support of Third World countries. Prime Minister Olof Palme severely questioned the action of the United States in the Vietnam War and visited Sandinista Nicaragua and Cuba in the 1970s. In 1981, a Soviet Whiskey-class submarine entered waters near the Swedish naval base. from Karlskrona in the southeast of the country. It was never clarified why the submarine ended up in that place, if it was due to a navigation error or if it was an espionage mission against the Swedish army. The incident led to a diplomatic crisis between the Soviet Union and Sweden. After Palme's assassination in 1986, Sweden's international role diminished considerably, although it remained relatively active in peacekeeping and humanitarian aid missions.
In 1995, the country became a member of the European Union, and as a consequence of the security situation in the new world, its foreign policy and its doctrine of neutrality have been partly modified, coming to play a more important role. active in cooperation for the security of Europe. It is one of the EU countries that has not joined the euro on its own initiative. Likewise, since 2014 it is the first EU country to recognize Palestine as another sovereign state.
On May 18, 2022, together with Finland, they applied to join NATO.
Armed Forces
The Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) is a government agency headed by the Minister of Defense and is responsible for its operation during periods of peace. The main task of the Armed Forces is to train and deploy forces for peace support abroad, as well as the ability to refocus on defending Swedish territory in the event of war. The armed forces are divided into the Army, the Air Force and the Navy. The Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces (Överbefälhavaren, ÖB) is the highest-ranking officer in the country.
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Until the end of the Cold War, almost all men who reached the age for military service were drafted. Although military service in Sweden was compulsory until a few years ago, this measure was expected to end soon. And indeed, in mid-2010, conscription was abolished, resulting in the creation of an all-volunteer army. In recent years, the number of male conscripts has dropped dramatically, while the number of female volunteers has risen. increased slightly. Recruitment has generally been aimed at finding the most motivated recruits, rather than just coming in to serve. By law, all soldiers serving abroad must be volunteers. In 1975 the total number of recruits was 45,000. By 2009, it had dropped to 25,000.
Swedish units were part of peacekeeping forces in operations in Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Liberia, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Chad. Currently, one of the most important tasks for the Forces Swedish Navies is to create a European Union battlegroup to be led by Sweden, in which Norway, Finland, Ireland and Estonia will also contribute.
Human Rights
In terms of human rights, regarding membership of the seven bodies of the International Bill of Human Rights, which include the Human Rights Committee (HRC), Sweden has signed or ratified:
 Sweden | International treaties | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CESCR | CCPR | CERD | CED | CEDAW | CAT | CRC | MWC | CRPD | |||||||||
| CESCR | CESCR-OP | CCPR | CCPR-OP1 | CCPR-OP2-DP | CEDAW | CEDAW-OP | CAT | CAT-OP | CRC | CRC-OP-AC | CRC-OP-SC | CRPD | CRPD-OP | ||||
| Pertenence |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 Signed and ratified,  signed, but not ratified,  neither signed nor ratified,  without information,  it has agreed to sign and ratify the body concerned, but also recognizes the competence to receive and process individual communications from the competent bodies. | |||||||||||||||||
Status of major international human rights instruments
Territorial organization
Sweden is a unitary state, currently divided into twenty-one administrative provinces (län). Each province has its board of administration or länsstyrelse, which is elected by the national government (the first board of administration was created by the Swedish prime minister Axel Oxenstierna in 1634). In each province there is a council or landsting, which is directly elected by the people.
Each province is divided into several municipalities or kommuner, with a total of 290 municipalities. Its municipal government is similar to a mayor's office. A municipal legislative assembly, called kommunfullmäktige, of between 31 and 101 members (always an odd number) is elected by popular elections held every four years as a whole. with the parliamentary elections. In turn, the municipalities are divided into a total of 2,512 parishes or socken. In the past, this subdivision coincided territorially with the parish —församling— used by the Church of Sweden. Currently, the parishes are used for statistical purposes.
There are also other divisions that no longer have official use, but are still taken into account for certain jobs. Chief among these are Sweden's twenty-five historical provinces or counties (landskap) which still have cultural significance. These provinces are grouped into three large regions according to the geographical and historical characteristics they have in common: Norrland for the north, Svealand for the center and Götaland for the south.
| Region | Acronyms | Provinces (Län ) | MunicipalitiesKommuner) | Historical provinces (Landpska) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norrland | BD | Norrbotten Province |  |  |  |
| AC | Västerbotten Province | ||||
| Z | Jämtland Province | ||||
| And | Västernorrland Province | ||||
| X | Gävleborg Province | ||||
| Svealand | W | Dalarna Province | |||
| S | Värmland Province | ||||
| T | Province of Örebro | ||||
| U | Västmanland Province | ||||
| C | Upsala Province | ||||
| AB | Stockholm Province | ||||
| D | Södermanland Province | ||||
| Götaland | O | Västra Götaland Province | |||
| E | Province of Östergötland | ||||
| F | Jönköping Province | ||||
| H | Kalmar Province | ||||
| N | Halland Province | ||||
| G | Kronoberg Province | ||||
| K | Blekinge Province | ||||
| M | Province of Escania | ||||
| I | Gotland Province | ||||
Geography
Located in northern Europe, Sweden is bordered to the east by the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia, giving the country a long coastline, which forms the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. To the west are the Scandinavian Alps (Skaderna), which form a natural border with Norway. To the northeast it borders Finland, to the southwest the Skagerrak, Kattegat and Öresund straits, which separate it from Denmark, Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Furthermore, it is connected to Denmark by the Öresund Bridge.
With an area of 450 295 km², Sweden is the 57th largest country in the world. It is the fifth largest on the continent and the most largest in Northern Europe. Its size is slightly larger than the state of California and similar to that of Uzbekistan, with a population of more than 10 million.
Geographically and historically, Sweden can be divided into three major regions: northern Norrland, central Svealand, and southern Götaland. The sparsely populated Norrland comprises more than half of the country's area. In addition, about 15% of the territory lies within the Arctic Circle. The south is predominantly agricultural, while in the north forestry is the most important industry. The most densely populated regions are Öresund in the south and the Lake Mälaren valley near Stockholm.
Relief
Sweden's minimum altitude is in the bay of Lake Hammarsjön, near Kristianstad at 2.41 meters below sea level. The country's highest altitude is at Mount Kebnekaise with 2111 m a.s.l. no. m. The Swedish territory also includes about 221,800 islands, of which 1,085 have a permanent population. Gotland, Öland, Orust, Hisingen and Värmdö are the largest islands in the country.
For the most part, the Swedish territory is flat, with the exception of the western area where the Scandinavian Alps rise. This flatness and the country's own climate, gives rise to the formation of many lakes, among which they stand out for their size Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren and Hjälmaren. Lake Vänern is the largest lake in the country and the third largest on the European continent, after lakes Ladoga and Onega in Russia.
Most of the rivers in Sweden present a similar characteristic in practically the whole country, being born in the mountainous area next to the Norwegian border and having a trajectory towards the southeast, ending in the Gulf of Bothnia or the Baltic Sea, although others drain into the numerous lakes existing in the territory. The longest river that runs through the country is the Klara (660km long), which is born in Norway and flows into Lake Vänerm, near the city of Karlstad. Other important rivers in the country are the Torne (570 km) or the Dal River (541 km). Most of the country's rivers run solely through Swedish territory.
Climate
Most of Sweden has a temperate climate, despite its latitude, with four different seasons and mild temperatures all year round. The three historical regions of the country receive slightly different climates: Gotland has an oceanic climate, Svealand a humid continental climate, and Norrland a boreal climate. However, the country is hotter and drier than other places at similar latitudes and at other latitudes even further south, due in large part to the Gulf Stream. For example, the center and south of the country have warmer winters than many parts of Russia, Canada, and the United States. Also due to its location, the length of the day varies greatly. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets on some summer days, and on some winter days it never rises. The day in Stockholm lasts more than eighteen hours at the end of June, but only around six hours at the end of December. Much of the Swedish territory receives between 1,600 and 2,000 hours of sunlight annually.
The temperature varies from north to south. The regions of Svealand and Gotland have mild summers and cold winters, with maximum temperatures between 20 and 25 °C and minimum temperatures between 6 and 15 °C during the summer; and an average temperature of -14 to 2 °C in winter. Norrland, for its part, has shorter, cooler summers and longer, colder winters, with temperatures usually below freezing from October to June. Occasional heat waves with temperatures above 25 °C occurring for several days in the summer, sometimes even in the northern part of the country. Its highest recorded temperature was 38 °C in Målilla, in 1947, while the lowest temperature has been -52.6 °C in Vuoggatjålme in 1966.
On average, most of Sweden receives between 500 and 800 mm of precipitation each year, making the country considerably drier than the world average. The southwest is the region of the country with the most precipitation, between 1,000 and 1,200 mm, with some mountainous areas in the north estimated to receive more than 2,000 mm of precipitation. Snowfall occurs from December to March on Gotland, from November to April in Svealand and from October to May in Norrland. Despite their geographical location, Gotland and Svealand tend to be virtually snow-free.
Flora and fauna
Like the climate, the country's flora and fauna vary from region to region. From south to north, Sweden can be considered to have four ecoregions: Baltic mixed forest, Sarmatic mixed forest, Scandinavian montane birch forest and grassland, and Scandinavian and Russian taiga. This produces variation among the wildlife of the three regions: in Svealand coniferous plants are common, while in Gotland deciduous plants predominate. In general, the most common plant species in the country include beech, oak, linden, ash, maple, elm, and various species of orchids.
In the same way, the fauna that inhabits the national territory is distributed according to the geographical and climatic conditions of each region. Bears, lynxes, wolves, deer, elk, foxes, and various species of rodents can be considered the most common animals in Sweden. Birds such as black grouse, woodcock, partridge, ducks, and swans inhabit much of Sweden's territory. The country's lakes and coasts are the habitat of many species of fish, among which cod, mackerel, salmon, pike and herring stand out. The availability of fish, as well as the country's climate, results in a local gastronomy strongly based on seafood.
Economy
Sweden's economy is a mixed economy oriented mainly towards exports and international trade. The Swedish Welfare State has been based on a conception of the responsibility of the State in the provision of welfare, in the development policies of full employment and the provision of a network of universal public services. The community vision of the State in accordance with political traditions, and the concept of solidarity emerging from social democratic principles, have shaped this conception. This model has tried to reduce the impact of the functioning of the labor market on the well-being of individuals, configuring a level of well-being independent of their social position. None of Sweden's major parties proposes dissolving the welfare state, as such a proposal would be deeply unpopular with the population.
Considered by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as an "advanced economy", its nominal GDP currently reaches 444,585 million dollars. Therefore, it has a modern distribution system, sufficient external communications and internal staff and a specialized workforce. Wood, hydraulic energy and iron constitute the economic base of the country, together with the engineering sector that contributes 50% of production and exports. Telecommunications and the automotive and pharmaceutical industries are also of great importance. Agriculture accounts for only 2% of the labor force.
At the end of 2009, the top ten Swedish companies were: AB Volvo, Ericsson, Vattenfall, Skanska, Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget, TeliaSonera, Electrolux, H&M (Hennes & Mauritz), ICA AB and Nordea. In 2008, the center-right government of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt privatized more than fifty public companies, leaving the Swedish state in deficit.
The economically active population (EAP) is 5.3 million people (2017), of which 35.2% (2011) have higher education studies. The country's economy is growing at a 2% per year.
In 2003, Sweden rejected the euro as its currency through a referendum, so the country's current official currency is the Swedish krona (SEK). Sweden's central bank is Sveriges Riksbank, which was founded in 1668, making it the oldest central bank in the world. In addition to being the currency issuer, Sveriges Riksbank is concerned with price stability, keeping inflation at 2% per year, one of the lowest among the European countries since the mid-1990s. The countries with which it does most of its financial activity are Germany, the United States, Norway, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Finland.
The 2010 World Economic Forum considered it the second most competitive country in the world, only behind Switzerland. Finally, it ranked ninth in the 2008 IMD Competitiveness Yearbook.
Infrastructure
Energy
A large part of the energy sector is privately owned and is mainly supported by hydraulic power, which in 2000 contributed 76 TWh (53.8% of total production), and nuclear power, which produced 53 TWh (37, 4%). At the same time, the use of biofuels, peat, wind power and other renewable energy sources contributed only 4 TWh (2.7%). In 2016, 152.9 TWh of electrical energy was produced in Sweden. Biomass is mainly used to produce heat used in heating systems and industrial processes. Nord Pool, created in 1991, is the company in charge of trading energy between the Nordic countries.
The 1973 oil crisis reinforced the government's determination to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels. Since then, electricity has been obtained mostly from hydroelectric plants, from renewable sources and from nuclear energy, the latter with limited use. Among other things, the nuclear accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in the United States led Parliament to ban the construction of new nuclear power plants. However, after multiple studies that showed the project as "unviable", in addition to the change of administration in the government and an intense debate, the parliament approved the annulment of this policy in June 2010.
In 2006, due to a serious accident that nearly caused a massive radiation loss at the Forsmark nuclear power plant, the government shut down four of the ten operating nuclear power plants. In 2009, the Swedish Social Democratic government "decided to turn around its energy policy, paving the way for the construction of new nuclear power plants".
Various political leaders have announced plans to free Sweden from the use of fossil fuels, decrease the use of nuclear energy and invest several million dollars in renewable energy and energy efficiency research. The country has continued to for many years the strategy of setting taxes as an instrument of environmental policy, including energy taxes and the tax on carbon dioxide.
Transportation
Sweden has 573,134 km of paved roads and 2,050 km of motorways (2016). Motorways run through Sweden, Denmark and over the Öresund Bridge to Stockholm, Gothenburg, Uppsala and Uddevalla. The country is carrying out a highway construction plan; As part of it, on October 17, 2007, the road from Uppsala to Gävle was completed. From 1736 until the middle of the XX century, the direction of traffic was to the right (Vänstertrafik), until voters rejected that direction in 1955, to impose the reverse direction from 1963. However, Parliament returned to the right direction in 1967, on the day called Dagen H.
The railroad has been partly privatized, but there are several companies operated by counties and municipalities. Among the main operators are: SJ AB, Veolia Transportation, Connex, Green Cargo, Tågkompaniet, Inlandsbanan and multiple regional companies. The railways that have not yet been privatized are owned by Banverket. In 2016 there were about 14,062 km of railways, of which 12,322 km are electrified, also having 65 km of narrow gauge (0.891 m).
There are 231 airports in the country, 149 of them with paved runways, and 8 registered airlines operate with an annual traffic of 11.6 million passengers (2015). The largest and most important airports include the Stockholm-Arlanda (17.91 million passengers in 2007) 40 km north of the country's capital, Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport (4.3 million passengers in 2006) and Stockholm-Skavsta Airport (2 million passengers in 2006). The two most important port authorities in Scandinavia are located in Sweden: the Gothenburg port authority and the transnational Copenhagen-Malmö authority.
Media
Sweden liberalized its telecommunications industry in a process that included regularization of the media and lasted more than ten years, culminating in 1993. There are more than 2.7 million telephone lines in use in the country, in addition to 12.4 million mobile lines (2017). In turn, more than 90% of the population has Internet access. Public broadcasting companies had the monopoly of radio and television for a long time in the country, since the first radio station began broadcasting in 1925. Later, in 1954, a second network began broadcasting and a third station opened in 1962, in response to pirate radio stations. In 1979, charity radio stations were allowed and in 1993 local radio stations started.
Officially, it was in 1956 that the first television station began broadcasting. A second channel, TV2, was created in 1969. These two channels (operated by Sveriges Television since the late 1970s) had a monopoly until the 1980s, when cable and satellite television became available in the country. The first Swedish-language satellite service was TV3, which was broadcast from London in 1987. It was followed by Kanal 5 in 1989 (then known as "Nordic Channel") and TV4 in 1990.
In 1991 the government announced that it would begin to receive requests from those companies that wished to transmit their signal by cable. TV4, which had previously broadcast via satellite, began broadcasting via cable in 1992, becoming the first private initiative channel to broadcast from the interior of the country. Today, about half of the population uses cable television. Digital terrestrial television began in 1999, and analog television broadcasts ended in 2007.
Sweden is among the largest newspaper consumers in the world, with most towns and cities having a local newspaper. The main national newspapers are: Dagens Nyheter (liberal inclination), Göteborgs-Posten (liberal), Svenska Dagbladet (conservative) and Sydsvenska Dagbladet (liberal). The two most popular tabloids are Aftonbladet (social democrat) and Expressen (liberal). The free newspaper Metro International, with worldwide circulation, was originally founded in Stockholm; while The Local (liberal), another newspaper with world circulation, is also based in Sweden.
Demographics
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The population of Sweden in the year 2022 is 10,452,326 inhabitants, having exceeded the barrier of 10 million in the year 2017. At the end of December 2010, its total population was estimated at 9 415 570 inhabitants. According to estimates by its Swedish Institute of Statistics (SCB), around August 12, 2004 the Swedish population exceeded nine million per first time. The population density is 25.47 inhabitants/km², considered a low density, like that of most of the Nordic countries. Most of the population is concentrated in the southern half of the country, corresponding to the regions of Svealand and Götaland, with the most densely populated provinces being Stockholm (370.19 inhab/km²) and Scania (127.85 inhab/km²), while the least densely populated are Norrbothnia (2.57 inhab/km²), Jämtland (2.70 inhab/km²) and Vestrobothnia (5.02 inhab/km²).
In 2007, approximately 16.7% of the inhabitants (1.53 million) had at least one relative born abroad, mainly from Scandinavia. This reflects the large migratory processes between the Nordic countries, originated primarily by job search followed by decades of refugee immigration from countries in conflict. The country was transformed from a nation of emigrants at the end of World War I, to a country of immigrants after World War II. In 2006, immigration to Sweden reached its highest level since records began: 95,750 people arrived in the country in that year.
The largest immigrant groups in Sweden consist of people from Finland, followed by people born in Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, Somalia, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, Poland, Romania, Russia, Syria, Lebanon, Chile and Iran. In addition, Sweden is home to the largest exile community of Assyrians and Syrian Christians.
Immigration from other Nordic countries reached its highest level between the years 1968 and 1970 at 40,000 people per year. This happened due to new immigration laws enacted in 1967, which made it more difficult for non-Scandinavian immigrants to settle in the country, mainly for political reasons. Refugee immigration from outside the Nordic region It increased notably at the end of the 1980s, with the arrival of various groups of refugees from Asia and the Americas, especially from Iran and Chile (after the 1973 coup d'état, many sympathizers and militants of left-wing and political parties were exiled). center-left, persecuted by the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet). During the 1990s and onwards, another large group of refugees arrived from the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East. This arrival of immigrants has caused some coexistence problems, such is the case of the city of Malmö, where immigrants and their descendants make up 40% of the population. From 2007 to 2010 the average annual number of immigrants reached, considering all categories, one hundred thousand people. The number of emigrants, for its part, was around 45,000 people.
Languages
The most widely spoken language in the country is Swedish, a related Germanic language and very similar to Danish and Norwegian, but with differences in pronunciation and spelling. Swedish is understandable to Norwegians and Danes, the latter having a bit more difficulty than the former. Although Swedish is the predominant language, Swedish law does not consider it to be the official language. The Finns living in the east are the most significant linguistic minority in the country. They make up more than 3% of the population and Finnish is recognized as a minority language. In addition, it has four other languages recognized as minority: Meänkieli, Sami, Romany and Yiddish. In 2005, a proposal for Swedish to be declared the country's official language was brought before parliament, but was ultimately rejected.
The vast majority of its post-World War II-born people understand and speak English thanks to trade ties, the popularity of foreign travel, and a strong Anglo-American influence. Beginning in 1849, English became a compulsory subject in secondary school for those studying the natural sciences, and it became compulsory for all pupils in the late 1940s. Depending on local school authorities, the English is a compulsory subject for grades one through nine, with at least one extra year of study in high school. Many students learn one or two languages other than English, most notably German, French, and Spanish.
Religion
| Year | Population | Members | Percentage | % change (avg.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 8.146,000 | 7.754,784 | 95.2% | |
| 1975 | 8,208,000 | 7,770,881 | 94.7% | 0.2% |
| 1980 | 8,278,000 | 7,690,636 | 92.9% | 0.3% |
| 1985 | 8,358,000 | 7,629,763 | 91.5% | 0.3% |
| 1990 | 8,573,000 | 7,630,350 | 89.0% | 0.5% |
| 1995 | 8,837,000 | 7,601,194 | 86.0% | 0.6% |
| 2000 | 8,880,000 | 7,360,825 | 82.9% | 0.6% |
| 2005 | 9,048,000 | 6.967,498 | 77.0% | 1.2% |
| 2010 | 9,415,570 | 6.589,769 | 70.0% | 1.4% |
| 2011 | 9,482,855 | 6,519,889 | 68.8% | 1.2% |
| 2012 | 9,555,893 | 6,446,729 | 67.5% | 1.3% |
| 2013 | 9,644,864 | 6,357,508 | 65.9% | 1.6% |
| 2014 | 9,747,355 | 6,292,264 | 64.6% | 1.3% |
| 2015 | 9,850,452 | 6,225,091 | 63.2% | 1.4% |
| 2016 | 9,995.153 | 6,116,480 | 61.2% | 2.0% |
| 2017 | 10,120,242 | 5,993,368 | 59.3% | 1.9% |
| 2018 | 10,230,185 | 5,899,242 | 57.7% | 1.6% |
| 2019 | 10,327,579 | 5,817,634 | 56.4% | 1.3% |
| 2020 | 10,379,295 | 5,728,746 | 55.2% | 1.6% |
| 2021 | 10,452,326 | 5,633,867 | 53.9% | 1.3% |
Before the XI century, the Norse religion predominated, worshiping the gods Æsir, or Ásatrú with its center in the Temple of Uppsala. With Christianization, the laws of the land were changed, prohibiting the worship of other deities until the last years of the century XIX. In 1530 after the Protestant Reformation, Olaus Petri, a follower of the ideas of Martin Luther, carried out the separation between the Church and the Swedish State, at the same time that he abolished the authority of the Catholic bishops. In this way, Lutheranism was adopted as a religion in a large part of the country, a process that came to an end with the Council of Upsala in 1593.
During the post-Reformation era, small groups of Calvinists from the Netherlands, the Moravian Brotherhood, and Huguenots from Belgium played an important role in industry and commerce, and were partly tolerated as long as they kept a low profile. religious. The Lapps originally had their own shamanic religion, but were converted to Lutheranism by Swedish missionaries in the 17th and 18th centuries.
With religious liberalization in the late 18th century century, adherents of other religions, including Judaism and Catholicism, they were able to live and work openly in the country, but it was illegal for Swedish Lutherans to change their religion until 1860. In the 19th century several evangelical churches arrived in their lands and, towards the end of the century, secularism, which led many people to renounce religion. Leaving the Church of Sweden became legal in the so-called "Defection Act of 1860", but only on the condition of joining another religion. The right to remain outside any religious congregation was established in the 1951 law on freedom of worship. Until 1976, Catholics were prohibited from acting as public officials.
About 53.9% of the population are Church of Sweden (Lutheran) members, and less than 20% of them regularly attend Church of Sweden religious services. However, the reason for the high number membership is partly because until 1996, all children born automatically became members if either parent was a member. Since 1996, only children who are baptized become members. About 275,000 Swedes belong to other Protestant churches (where attendance at services is much higher) and due to immigration there are about 500,000 Muslims (5 2%), 100,000 Orthodox Christians and 92,000 Catholics living in Sweden. Despite the figures, many studies claim that Sweden is one of the countries with the fewest religious adherents in the world and with a high degree of atheism: between 46 and 85% of Swedes do not believe in a God.
Health
As a developed country, healthcare in Sweden is universal and free, financed mostly by taxes. The nation is often in the top five countries with the lowest infant mortality rate; It is also among the countries with the highest life expectancy (82.2 years) and the purity of drinking water. In Sweden there are 4.2 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants, in addition to the fact that the government invests 11.9% of the Total GDP in health expenditures.
This is due to the high quality of the healthcare system, which is similar to that of other European countries and is often ranked as one of the best in the world. Health services are coordinated by the National Board of Health and Social Welfare (Socialstyrelsen).
The current health system was founded in 1968, thanks to the union of the Royal Board of Health and the Royal Board of Social Affairs by the social democratic government, ensuring a wide coverage of social security, through the provision of free health care, a system of retirement pensions and sickness benefits, free preschool nurseries and financial subsidies for maternity or paternity.
Prostitution is legal throughout the country. Faced with the problem in relation to sexual health at a social level, Sweden took the option of legalizing prostitution into its hands in 1999. Sweden stands out for giving one of the largest maternity or paternity leaves: The law requires that each of parents take 60 days of work leave to care for their newborns.
Education
Thanks to its well-developed education system, in which the government invests 7.7% of GDP (2014), the country has one of the highest literacy rates in the world at 99%. Children between the ages of one and six are guaranteed a place in a public preschool (Swedish: förskola or, colloquially, dagis). Between the ages of seven and fifteen, students enter primary and secondary school, which are compulsory. Swedish fifteen-year-old students rank 22nd in the PISA Report, the same as within member countries of PISA. the OECD.
After completing ninth grade, about 90% of graduates continue their studies for three years of upper secondary education (gymnasium); upon completion of this, students are qualified to get a job or to apply to university. The country has a wide variety of universities and colleges, including the Karolinska Institutet, Uppsala University, Lund University and the Stockholm University cited as the most prestigious educational institutions.
The school system is largely financed by taxes. Any citizen can establish a non-profit school and the municipal government must pay them the same amount that municipal schools obtain, without discriminating in the distribution of school checks. This system dates from 1992 and was borrowed from Dutch school policy. As in other European countries, the government also subsidizes the exchange of foreign-born students seeking a degree at Swedish institutions.
Main Cities
Culture
Swedish culture is typically perceived as egalitarian, simple and open to influences from other countries. The country has been culturally influenced by other countries and institutions: the Catholic Church and Germany during the Middle Ages, France during the 18th century, again Germany in the 19th century and the countries of the Anglosphere after the Second World War. In the same way, its culture and its development are closely related to that of the other Nordic countries.
Throughout the country there are about 330 libraries and more than 200 museums, most of them located near big cities like Stockholm, as well as multiple tourist places of artistic, cultural and historical interest. The Swedish cultural heritage is recognized worldwide: fourteen places within the national territory have been declared a "World Heritage Site" by Unesco. Another outstanding cultural aspect at an international level is the awarding of the Nobel Prize, instituted by Alfred Nobel. This award has been given every year since 1901 to people who have done outstanding research, invented revolutionary techniques or equipment, or notable contributions to society.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Sweden was one of the first places where a movement now known as the "sexual revolution" arose, especially promoting gender equality. Currently, the percentage of single people is one of the highest in the world. The Swedish film I'm Curious: Yellow (1967) reflected a liberal view of sexuality and introduced the concept of 'Swedish sin'. In recent decades, it has become one of the most tolerant countries in the world towards homosexuality, and since 2009 same-sex marriage has been allowed.
Art
The art of Sweden is strongly linked with the art of other Scandinavian nations, mainly due to the geographical and historical conditions in which it developed. From the first cave paintings and megalithic monuments, through medieval and Gothic art, Swedish art did not emerge itself until the formation of the Swedish national identity, between the 16th and 17th centuries. Thus, Stockholm became the artistic center of the new nation, where trends originating in other parts of Europe developed: the Renaissance, the Baroque, the Rococo, among others.
However, it was not until the 19th century that Swedish artists began to attract global critics. Within this scenario, the participation of Anders Zorn, Carl Larsson, Eugène Jansson, Richard Bergh and August Strindberg stands out, who made great contributions to painting, sculpture and photography. During the XX, expressionist and modernist tendencies entered the Swedish art scene. The new artistic trends developed in the country have captured international attention, mainly in the field of design, fashion, pop music and gastronomy.
In the 1930s, painting, graphic design, and modern architecture entered the country with the stream of functionalism, and since then the works of Swedish painters, designers, and architects have earned a good reputation. However, its traditional art is still preserved, being its best example the handicrafts made in rural areas and marketed in the cities and even exported to other parts of the continent. Some of the most popular include ceramic stoves, works made of glass, and wood carvings.
Cinema
In recent decades, Swedish cinema has gained international importance thanks to the works of directors such as Ingmar Bergman, Vilgot Sjöman, Bo Widerberg, Roy Andersson and Lasse Hallström. The film industry is regulated by the Swedish Film Institute, supported in large part by government programs, which allocates about 200 million dollars a year to the production and promotion of national films. In addition, several international film festivals are held throughout the country every year; the Guldbagge Awards are awarded each year to the best feature films and are often regarded as the "Swedish Oscars".
Among the performers of Swedish origin, actresses such as Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman and Anita Ekberg have stood out worldwide; after his performance in La dolce vita by Federico Fellini. In addition, in recent years, actors like Mikael Persbrandt have stood out, in films such as those that belong to The Hobbit Trilogy, and the Netflix series Sex Education. Also notable is the actress Alicia Vikander, winner of the Oscar for best supporting actress, among other awards, for her work in The Danish Girl; she has also acted in other feature films like Ana Karenina and Ex Machina.
Music
Sweden has a rich musical tradition, from medieval folk ballads to hip hop. Pre-Christian Norse music was lost over time, although historical recreations have been made based on instruments found at Viking archaeological sites. Among the instruments used are the lur (a kind of trumpet), simple string instruments, wooden flutes and drums. It is possible that some features of Viking music remain to this day in Swedish folk songs.
Traditional music is an important music scene that often incorporates elements of other contemporary genres such as rock and jazz. Also present is Lappish music, called yoik, which is part of the traditional spirituality of the Lappish people and has gained worldwide recognition within the field of folk music. In addition, the country also has a prominent tradition in choral music, stemming in part from the cultural importance of folk music. In fact, of the 9.4 million inhabitants, it is estimated that between 500 and 600 thousand people are part of a choir.
Jazz is another important genre in Swedish music. Since the 1950s it has maintained a high artistic standard, largely due to local bands receiving influence from other countries such as Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Lars Gullin is often cited as one of the foremost representatives of Swedish jazz.
Within the current music industry, Sweden is the third largest music exporter in the world, with more than $800 million in revenue in 2007, surpassed only by the United States and the United Kingdom. Currently, pop Swedish is one of the best-known styles in the country. The ABBA group was one of the first Swedish musical groups to become famous around the world, in addition to which, thanks to its fame, Swedish pop acquired a certain status of international importance. In turn, other bands such as Roxette, Ace of Base, Europe and The Cardigans cemented the image of modern Swedish music. Another similar genre from Germany, the schlager, gained popularity since the 1950s and its influence has remained in today's music through various music festivals such as the folkpark, the Melodifestivalen and the Eurovision Song Contest.
Indie pop also has many representatives in Sweden. A series of important record labels such as Sincerely Yours or Service have been created in Gothenburg. Some indie artists and bands are Jens Lekman, The Knife, Love Is All, Kent (probably the most popular pop rock band in Sweden in recent years), The Concretes, Broder Daniel, The Tough Alliance, Peter Olof Swartz, Bjorn and John, Little Dragon, El Perro del Mar, Maia Hirasawa, Fever Ray, Popsicle, Studio, The Embassy, The Honeydrips, Brainpool, Air France, jj, Joel Alme or Pacific!.
On the other hand, genres such as heavy metal began to grow within the Swedish music scene, encompassing a wide range of subgenres with world-renowned exponents. Along with Norway, the country has been the center of development for many of these styles and artists. In the 1980s the influence of bands like Bathory or black metal and Candlemass in Doom Metal was notable. In the 1990s the wave of melodic death metal groups stood out especially from Gothenburg by the groups At The Gates, Dark Tranquility and In Flames, which generated a whole stream of fans and followers, among which bands such as Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy or Soilwork stand out. There was also a wave of progressive death metal bands such as Edge of Sanity, Meshuggah, Therion and Opeth. Renowned neoclassical metal and power metal guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen is also of Swedish origin. In this field, another very relevant band worldwide is Hammerfall and also with shared musicians like Anders Johansson. Other important groups within the Swedish scene are Hammerfall, Entombed, Evergrey, Tobias Forge, Katatonia, Marduk, Dissection, The Haunted, Dark Funeral, Vintersorg. Another band that has also achieved worldwide success and recognition is the band of garage rock and rock n' roll, The Hives.
Regarding electronic music and dance in the second decade of the century XXI stand out names like Lykke Li, Swedish House Mafia, Galantis, Avicii, Eric Saade, Carola, the Greek-Swedish Helena Paparizou, Yohio, Loreen, Danny Saucedo, Icona Pop, Tove lo, Alesso, Zara Larsson, AronChupa, Måns Zelmerlöw, Benjamin Ingrosso and Ghost.
Literature
The first literary text found in Sweden is the Rök Stone, carved during the Viking Age around 800 BC. C. With the country's conversion to Christianity in 1100 AD. C., Sweden entered the Middle Ages, during which the monks preferred to use Latin in their writings, so Swedish texts from that time are scarce. Swedish literature flourished only after the Swedish language was standardized in the 16th century, with the Bible being one of the earliest books. translated into Swedish in 1541. This translation is often called the Gustavus Vasa Bible.
With the implementation of the educational system and the freedom that secularization brought, the 17th century saw the development of multiple writers swedes. Examples of this are Georg Stiernhielm, who was the first to write classical poetry in Swedish; Johan Henric Kellgren (18th century), the first to write fluent prose in Swedish; Carl Michael Bellman (late 18th century century), the first writer of burlesque ballads; and August Strindberg (late 19th century19th), a socio-realist writer and playwright who rose to worldwide fame. XX continued to produce notable authors such as Selma Lagerlöf (Nobel Prize for Literature 1909), Verner von Heidenstam (Nobel Prize for Literature 1916) and Pär Lagerkvist (Nobel Prize for Literature 1951). In total, seven Nobel Prizes for Literature have been awarded to Swedish writers.
In recent decades, several writers have gained international recognition, including crime novelists Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson, Camilla Läckberg and Åsa Larsson as well as spy novelist Jan Guillou. But the most recognized Swedish author in recent decades is the children's story writer Astrid Lindgren, whose major works, such as Pippi Långstrump and Emil of Maple Hills, are still found today. among the most popular children's books. And in the horror genre is John Ajvide Lindqvist with his novel Let me in published in 2008 and already with a Swedish adaptation and an American adaptation for the big screen.
Science and technology
Being a highly advanced developed country, scientific research plays a key role for economic development and for society in general, and the high quality of scientific and technological development is recognized around the world. Together, the public and private sectors allocate close to 4% of GDP to research and development (R&D), which makes it one of the countries that invests the most in R&D in terms of percentage of GDP. Swedish research standards are high and the country is a world leader in multiple scientific fields. For example, it is the first in Europe in terms of the number of scientific papers published per capita.
In 1739 the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was founded, with the likes of Karl Linnaeus and Anders Celsius among its first members. From 1870, engineering companies were created at a rate never seen before and engineers became the heroes of the time. Many of the companies founded by these pioneers are still internationally recognized. Among the main Swedish innovators of the time are: Alfred Nobel who invented dynamite and instituted the Nobel Prize; Gustaf Dalén founded the AGA gas company and won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his solar valves; Lars Magnus Ericsson started the company that bears his name, Ericsson, which is today one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world; Jonas Wenström was a pioneer in alternating current and together with the Croatian inventor Nikola Tesla, invented the three-phase electronic system.
In international comparison, industrial high technology is relatively more important in all sectors, particularly in telecommunications and in the pharmaceutical industry. Although it is a relatively small country, Sweden has long been at the forefront of R&D. For several decades, the government has prioritized some scientific research activities. This strong support has helped Sweden become a leading country in terms of innovation. For many years, it was a leading country among OECD members in terms of research and the use of advanced technology.
Statistics show that between the years 1970 and 2003, the Swedish national innovation system was among the best among OECD member countries in terms of the generation of technological inventions and the number of registered patents according to size of the population. Only Switzerland reported a higher patent rate relative to its population. In total, at the end of 2009 it had 33,523 registered patents, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, with only ten countries exceeding its number of patents. Furthermore, in 2001 it was among the countries with the largest number of scientific publications in the fields of medical science, natural sciences and engineering.
In terms of structure, the Swedish economy is characterized by its large export-oriented technology and industrial sectors (motors, vehicles and telecommunications equipment), as well as the comparatively small service and financial sectors. Thus science and Technology have become an important part of the country's economy, mainly for the large industrial and service organizations that dominate it, since much of the Swedish multinational industries had their origins in the ingenuity of multiple Swedish inventors.
Gastronomy
Swedish gastronomy has always been influenced by the climate and the resources available in the different regions of the country. Like that of other Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Finland and Norway), it is traditionally simple. Fish (particularly clupea), meat and potatoes are the basic ingredients for making most of the typical Swedish recipes.
Among the country's most famous dishes are Swedish meatballs, traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes and cranberry jam; the pancakes, the lutfisk and the smörgåsbord. In addition, there is also a great tradition in dairy production: cheese, filmjölk (sour milk), långfil (thick yogurt), filbunke (curdled milk) and gräddfil (sour cream). The knäckebröd is the traditional Swedish bread and has developed into many contemporary variants. The brännvin (a term that groups alcoholic beverages such as aquavit and vodka) is very popular in the country, and along with beer, they are essential in traditional social events. Other beverages such as coffee, milk, and carbonated drinks.
However, due to foreign influences and the country's international relations, its gastronomy has been influenced by French and Mediterranean cuisine since the 19th century XVIII. Currently, as a result of migration and globalization, there is a wide variety of imported dishes, in addition to the fact that fast food consumption is also widespread.
Festivities
Apart from the traditional Church of Sweden festivities, there are also several unique dates, some of which date back to pre-Christian times. However, many of them are local or regional in scope and are therefore considered "de facto public holidays". These include Holy Saturday, Walpurgis Night, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, among others. In addition to Sundays, the days that are officially considered "holidays" (and therefore non-working days) are listed in the table.
| Party | Local name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| New Year | Nyårsdagen | 1.o January |
| Epiphany | Trettondedag jul | 6 January |
| Good Friday | Långfredagen | Friday before Easter Sunday |
| Easter Sunday | Påskdagen | Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox |
| Easter Monday | Annandag påsk | Monday after Easter Sunday |
| International Day of Workers | Första maj | 1.o May |
| Ascension Day | Kristi himmelsfärdsdag | Sixth Thursday after Easter Sunday |
| Pentecost | Pingstdagen | Seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday |
| National Day of Sweden | Sveriges nationaldag | 6 June |
| Night of San Juan | Midsommardagen | Saturday between 20 and 26 June. |
| Day of All Saints | Alla helgons dag | Saturday from 31 October to 6 November |
| Christmas Eve | Julafton | 24 December |
| Christmas | Juldagen | 25 December |
| Boxing Day | Annandag jul | 26 December |
Sports
Sports in Sweden is considered a national movement (föreningsstöd), in which almost half of the population actively participates. Sports activities are largely regulated by the Swedish Sports Confederation and the Swedish Olympic Committee, which encompass more than 22,000 sports clubs throughout the country specializing in different disciplines. However, most sporting activities are subsidized by the government, although some of the more popular sports receive support from various sponsors.
On the other hand, tennis has had great successes. Björn Borg is considered one of the best men's tennis players in tennis history. He was ranked number 1 in the ATP ranking and has 11 Grand Slam titles to his credit. Other notable tennis players are Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg.
The two most popular sports in Sweden are ice hockey and soccer. The Swedish ice hockey team (Tre Kronor) have won the Ice Hockey World Championship eight times, being the third country with the most medals. They also won the gold medal at the 1994 and 2006 Olympics.
For its part, the soccer team has had good success in past world cups, being runners-up in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, and came in third place twice, in Brazil 1950 and the United States 1994. At the player level, great players such as Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl, Nils Liedholm, Martin Dahlin, Henrik Larsson (winner of the Golden Boot in 2001) and Zlatan Ibrahimović are known; the latter considered one of the best players today. And at the club level, IFK Göteborg is the only club that has been European champion, winning the UEFA Cup in the 1980s (1982 and 1987).
After soccer, equestrian sports have the largest number of practitioners, plus Gothenburg has an equestrian center of international importance. Other sports commonly played in the country include golf, tennis, track and field, and various team sports such as handball, floorball, basketball, and bandy.
Sweden is the eighth country in the Olympic Games medal table with 193 gold, 204 silver and 230 bronze medals won up to 2010. The country ranks second in the all-time cross-country ski medal table, horsemanship and modern pentathlon, third in wrestling and jumping, and fourth in shooting and canoeing. The athletes with the most gold medals have been Gert Fredriksson, Sixten Jernberg, Gunde Svan, Henri Saint Cyr and Thomas Wassberg.
The Swedish capital was chosen to host the 5th edition of the Games in 1912. Other sporting events the country has hosted include Euro 1992, the 1995 Women's Soccer World Cup, and multiple world championships in ice hockey, track and field, skiing, bandy, curling, figure skating and swimming.