The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country in Scandinavia , in Northern Europe . It is bordered by Norway on the west, Finland on the northeast, the Skagerrak and the Kattegat on the southwest, and the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia on the east. Sweden has a relatively low population density and is known for its peaceful, large forests and mountainous wilderness.

Geography

Sweden enjoys a mostly temperate climate despite its northern latitude , mainly due to the Gulf Stream . In the south of Sweden leaf-bearing trees are prolific, in the north pines and hardy birches dominate the landscape. In the mountains of northern Sweden a sub-arctic climate predominates. In the part of the country north of the Arctic Circle the sun never sets during the summer, and in the winter night is unending.

East of Sweden is the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia , providing a long coastline, and yet further mellowing the climate. To the west are the Scandinavian mountain chain , a range that separates Sweden from Norway .

The southern part of the country is chiefly agricultural, with forests covering an increasing percentage of the land the further north one goes. Population density is also higher in southern Sweden, with centers being in the valley of lake Mälaren and the Öresund region.

Gotland and Öland are the two largest Islands of Sweden .

Economy

Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole of the 20th century , Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labour force. Timber , hydropower , and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade .

Privately-owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 2% of GDP and 2% of the jobs. The government's commitment to fiscal discipline resulted in a substantial budgetary surplus in 2001 , which was cut by more than half in 2002 , due to the global economic slowdown, revenue declines, and spending increases. The Swedish Riksbank is focusing on price stability with its inflation target of 2%. Growth is expected to reach 3.5% in 2004, assuming a continued moderate global recovery. However, unemployment has steadily increased since 2001 and stood at 5.5% as of January 2005. The communications and transportation systems of Sweden are important components of the infrastructure.

Demographics

Sweden has one of the world's highest life expectancies and one of the lowest birth rates . The country counts at least 17,000 indigenous Samis among its population. Also some 50,000 of the ethnic Finns of Sweden consist an indigenous minority, although many more of the Sweden Finns descend from 20th century immigrants.

The Swedish nation has been transformed from a nation of emigration ending after World War I to a nation of immigration from World War II and on. Almost 12% of the residents were born abroad, and about one fifth of Sweden's population are either immigrants or the children of immigrants. The largest immigrant groups are from Finland , the former Yugoslavia , Iran , Norway , Denmark , and Poland . This reflects the inter-Nordic migrations, earlier periods of labor immigration, and later decades of refugee and family immigration.

The Finns were the first large group of immigrants to contemporary Sweden. During World War II some 70,000 war children were evacuated from Finland. 15,000 of them stayed after the war, and many more returned as adults. Post-war hardship in Finland pushed large contingents of unemployed Finns to Sweden's booming economy in the 1950s – 60s . At its height, over 400,000 Finns lived in Sweden, but following the 1973 energy crisis the unemployment rate in Sweden worsened while steady Soviet trade was to Finland's advantage. Since then, the number of immigrated Sweden-Finns has decreased to below 200,000.

Soviet intervention against the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the 1968 Czechoslovakian liberalization resulted in the first surges of intellectual political refugees . American deserters from the Vietnam War often found refuge among the Swedes, who in international politics took a clear stand against imperialism both by the Soviet Union and the US. After the 1973 coup in Chile , and the following military dictatorships in Chile and other South American countries, political refugees came to dominate the image of immigration to Sweden, including refugees from Iran , Iraq and Palestine . Of the refugees from the Yugoslav wars , 135,000 remain in Sweden (2001).

Swedish is a Germanic language related to Danish and Norwegian but different in pronunciation and orthography. English is by far the leading foreign language, particularly among students and those under age 50. The Swedish language has held a de facto dominant position to such a degree that making it an official language never has been a political issue. However, the recognition of five minority languages, on April 1 , 2000 , has raised the issue of whether Swedish should have a standing as the official language in Sweden. Sami , Meänkieli and Finnish may be used in dealing with municipal and government agencies , courts , preschools and nursing homes in parts of Norrbotten County .

Sweden has an extensive childcare system that guarantees a place for all young children from 2-5 years old in a public day-care facility. From ages 6-16, children attend compulsory comprehensive school. After completing the ninth grade, 90% attend upper secondary school for either academic or technical education.

Swedes benefit from an extensive social welfare system, which provides for childcare and maternity and paternity leave, a ceiling on health care costs, old-age pensions, and sick leave among other benefits. Parents are entitled to a total of 480 days paid leave between birth and the child's eighth birthday, with 30 days reserved specifically for each parent. A ceiling on health care costs makes it easier for Swedish workers to take time off for medical reasons.

As of approximately August 12 , 2004 , the population of Sweden for the first time exceeded 9,000,000, according to Statistics Sweden .