Sweden

SWEDEN

•Political system: Constitutional monarchy ( almost for one thousand years)
•King of Sweden : Carl XVI Gustaf ( from September 1973)
•Capital city: Stockholm ( it is 1.245 km far from Bratislava)
•Other large cities: Göteborg, Malmö, Uppsala,
•Year of EU entry: 1 january1995
•Currency: Swedish krona (krones still in use instead of Euros)
•Listen to the EU official language: Swedish
•Religion: Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist
•Total area: 449 964 km2
• Population: 9 031 088 (2007)
•The highest point: Kebnekaise, 2.132m
•Difference in time: + 1 hour / +2 hour in summer
•Ethnics / race: Swedes with Finnish and Sami
•Minorities : foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
•The biggest islands: Gotland and Oland

Sweden is the third largest of the Scandinavian countries in size and population, and fifth largest in all of Europe. It´s located on Northern Europe's scenic Scandinavian peninsula. Sweden bound with Finland and Nordway. It is separated in the west from Norway by a range of mountains. It shares the Gulf of Bothnia at the north end of the Baltic Sea with Finland.

Sweden is circa 2.000 km long and circa 300 – 350 km wide. 10 km is one Swedish mile. 9% of the Swedish area is covered by lakes and more than 45% is covered by forest. Njupeskär is the highest waterfall in Sweden.

The southern part of the country is chiefly agricultural. They grow mainly barley, wheat, sugar beets. Sweden has a long been a major exporter of iron, copper and timber. Sweden exports cars, engineering products, steel, electronic devices, communications equipment and paper products. Sweden has a rich supply of water power, but lacks significant oil and coal deposits.

The Kingdom of Sweden is well-known for its strict political neutrality and liberalism. With its high rate of literacy and low unemployment – about 6%. Sweden has for a long time been a world-model for Socialism. The capital city is Stockholm -´City on Islands´. Old part of the city Gamla Stan is very interesting. Nobel´s Museum is located here.

Population density is also higher in southern Sweden, with centres being in the valley of Lake Mälaren and the Öresund region.
Average length of life is by men 74 years and by women 80 years.

The Swedish national ice hockey team or Three kronor ("Three crowns" in Swedish), as it is called in Sweden, is one of the most successful ice hockey teams in the world. The IIHF currently ranks them first. The team is controlled by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, and it is considered a member of the "Big Seven", along with Canada, Russia, the USA, Finland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

The name Three kronor means "three crowns" and refers to the three crowns on the team jersey. The three crowns represent the lesser national coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden and the national emblem. The first time the symbol was used on the national teams jersey was on February 12, 1938 during the World Championships in Prague. Swedish national ice hockey team has won the World Championship in ice hockey for 7 times. The IIHF in Canada Vancouver decided that the World Championship in ice hockey will realize in Swedish cities Stockholm and Malmo.
The most known companies

•ABB, Electrolux, Ericsson, IKEA, Oriflame, SAAB, Scania, Sony Ericsson, SKFV, Volvo

Major trading partners: U.S., Germany, Norway, UK, Denmark, Finland, France, Netherlands, Belgium (2004).
Transportation: Railways: total: 11,481 km (2002). Highways: total: 210,402 km; paved: 166,523 km (including 1,499 km of expressways); unpaved: 45,879 km Waterways: 2,052 km navigable for small steamers and barges. Ports and harbors: Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Hudiksvall, Kalmar, Karlshamn, Malmo, Solvesborg, Stockholm, Sundsvall.
Airports: 245 (2002)

Famous personages:

Alfred Bernhard Nobel - was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, armaments manufacturer and the inventor of dynamite. In his last will, he used his enormous fortune to institute the Nobel Prizes. The synthetic element nobelium was named after him. He died of a stroke on December 10, 1896 at Sanremo, Italy. He left 31 million kronor (4,223,500 USD1896~103,931,888 USD2007) to fund the prizes.

The first three of these prizes are awarded for eminence in physical science, chemistry and medical science or physiology; the fourth is for literary work "in an ideal direction" and the fifth is to be given to the person or society that renders the greatest service to the cause of international fraternity, in the suppression or reduction of standing armies, or in the establishment or furtherance of peace congresses:

Greta Garbo – actress
August Strindberg – dramatist
Astrid Lindgren – writer, she wrote Pippi Long Stocking
Carl von Linné – scientist
Ingmar Bergman – one from the most known film producers of the 20th century Music groups: ABBA, Alcazar, A*Teens, Europe, Ace of Base, Roxette

Interesting facts:

In Gesundaberget by Mora is house of Santa Claus. There is light only 6 hours during the winter and whole night during the summer.
By city Kurina big igloo is built every winter. It´s ice hotel with 50 rooms. Swedes are high, blond and agreeable and open. Only 19% of Swedish population has university.
The Swedish cuisine is known for its Smorgåsbord (a buffet of savoury delicacies), Baltic herring, pea soup and pancakes Sweden has got the highest taxation. They are the biggest consumers of ice cream.

The worst word in Swedish language is ´devil´ It is the seventeenth richest member of OECD ( Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – 30 countries) Sweden did not take part in any of world wars. It was very good for Swedish economy.

Lars is the most used name in Sweden.