Sweden is Europe’s fourth largest country, and was named in 2014 by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s most interesting travel destinations. Sweden is located on the Scandinavian peninsula, and is also part of the geographical area of the Nordic region.
| Capital: | Stockholm |
| Biggest city: | Stockholm |
| State: | monarchy within the EU |
| Language: | Swedish |
| Religion: | Protestantism |
| Surface: | 449 964 km² |
| Population: | 9.5 million (2013) |
| Population density: | 21 residents per km² |
| Life expectancy: | 81 years |
| Illiteracy: | 1% |
| Currency: | Swedish krona (SEK) 1 krona = 1.00 kr |
| GDP per capita: | $ 36,500 (2010) |
| Time difference: | +0 hours |
| Electricity: | 220 V AC, 50Hz |
| National Day: | 6th June |
| Country area code: | 46 |
| 2-Letter country abbreviation: | SE (See more abbreviations on Abbreviationfinder) |
| Business: | service sector 69%, industry 28%, agriculture 3% |
| Climate: | temperate in the southern and central parts of the country, with chilly to cold winters and mild summers; polar climate in the high mountain area |
Sweden is an elongated country with large differences between north and south when it comes to climate and nature. It is sparsely populated, especially in the northern parts, and about 85 percent of the population lives in the southern third of the country.
The Arctic Circle cuts through the northernmost part of the country, which forms the boundary for the midnight sun. During the summer, the sun does not set at all here, and it is bright around the clock. In winter, the relationship is the opposite, and it is then dark around the clock.
Sweden was associated with the Swedish sin during the 1950s and 60s, and during this time period was the symbol of moral decay. The country was the first in the world to introduce sex education in schools, and the information film “From the Language of Love” from 1969 created protests all over the world.
In London, Cliff Richard organized a demonstration against the film that gathered 30,000 people, and in the United States, President Lyndon Johnson requested an investigation into Swedish pornography. The film was seized by US customs, but was acquitted after a lengthy lawsuit by the US Supreme Court. However, the production later went down in film history, when it became part of director Martin Scorsese’s classic “Taxi Driver” from 1976.
Swedish food culture is often praised internationally, and in 2012 three Swedish restaurants ended up on the “The Worlds 50 best restaurants” list. The more famous dishes include the smorgasbord, a word that has even been imported into English, and Swedish meatballs. Akvavit is a popular alcoholic beverage, and drinking schnapps is considered culturally important in Sweden.
Sour herring has created some international attention, and is often described as one of the world’s most smelly delicacies. Several airlines such as British Airways, Finnair, Air France and KLM banned herring in their hand luggage in 2006. In connection with this, Arlanda Airport stopped selling herring.
Sweden is also known for its snow-covered winters, IKEA, Vikings, ABBA, moose and Volvo.
WORLD HERITAGE
The following objects in Sweden are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The year in which the item was added to the list is indicated in parentheses.
- Drottningholm Castle Area (1991)
- Birka and Hovgården (1993)
- Engelsbergs bruk (1993)
- Tanum Rock Carving Area (1994)
- Skogskyrkogården, Stockholm (1994)
- Hansestaden Visby (1995)
- Laponia, Lapland World Heritage Site (1996)
- Gammelstads kyrkstad, Luleå (1996)
- The War City Karlskrona (1998)
- Southern Öland’s agricultural landscape (2000)
- High Coast (2000)
- Falu mine (2001)
- Grimeton Transmitter Station, Varberg (2004)
- Four measuring points in Struve’s meridian arc (2005)
- Hälsingegårdarna (2012)
ELECTRICAL OUTLET
Electricity and electrical outlets in Sweden
Voltage: 230 V
Frequency: 50 Hz
Type of plug: C, F
Need an adapter: No, you do not need an adapter.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Weather in Stockholm
| Climate | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Christmas | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average temperature °C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Day °C | -1 | -1 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| Night °C | -5 | -5 | -3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 1 | -3 |
| Rain (mm) | 39 | 27 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 45 | 72 | 66 | 55 | 50 | 53 | 46 |
| Rainy days | 18 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 18 |
| Soltim / day | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is Sweden’s second largest, and the Nordic region’s fifth largest city with over half a million residents in the urban area, and almost 900,000 in Greater Gothenburg. The city is located on the west coast at the mouth of the Göta River. Gothenburg was founded on the initiative of King Gustav II Adolf and received its city privileges in 1621.
The city is sometimes called “Little London”, while a more slang name is “Götet”. The term “Sweden’s front page” is also sometimes associated with Gothenburg, but actually refers to the entire west coast of Sweden.
Haga is a district in central Gothenburg. Until the 1970s, Haga was a district with a low standard of living, bohemian life, restaurants and black clubs. Extensive demolition and renovations during the 1970s and 1980s changed the picture. There are some old buildings left, although many were demolished. Haga is today a sought-after living environment and is considered an attraction in Gothenburg.
Haga Nygata and adjacent cross streets are a well-frequented stretch between Vasastaden in the east to Linnégatan in the west, with small shops, cafés and other businesses. Most of the houses on Haga Nygata have been renovated but preserved in their 19th century style, which contributes to the street’s popularity and makes it stand out as an idyllic tourist attraction in the city’s marketing.
The scrap dealers in TV’s Christmas calendar “Albert and Herbert” had their business on Skolgatan in Haga. However, they were fictional characters. Feskekôrka, originally Fiskhallen, is a fish and shellfish market by the Rosenlund Canal in central Gothenburg, and is built on now completed fortification land. Feskekôrkan was inaugurated on November 1, 1874 and it got its Gothenburg name for its appearance, which is very similar to a church. The building is strongly associated with Gothenburg.
During the 1990s, a café boom arose, with a large growth in the number of cafés in the city center and in 2006 there were 193 cafés in the city. This has meant a large overcapacity and meant that Gothenburg is Sweden’s most densely populated café. The cafés are mainly centered around Vasagatan, Haga-Nygatan, Linnégatan and within the moat.
A large part of Swedish exports and imports take place via the Port of Gothenburg, which is the largest in the Nordic region.
Kiruna
Kiruna is a city in northern Lapland in Norrbotten County. Before the municipal reform in the 1970s, Kiruna was listed as the world’s largest city on the surface, when the entire Kiruna municipality of over 20,000 km2 was counted as a city. The city of Kiruna itself is small in area even by Swedish standards.
Kiruna has a subarctic climate with a lot of snow and cold during one half of the year and much milder during the other half. Thanks to the height above sea level, the dry air and the climate-adapted urban planning, Kiruna still has a comparatively mild climate. Since Kiruna is located north of the Arctic Circle, there is a three-week polar night during the winter, i.e. the sun does not cross the horizon, and a five-week midnight sun during the summer, which means that the sun does not go below the horizon. Snow is normally found in the city from October to May.
The tourism industry is significant in Kiruna; the central town attracts some tourists, although it primarily serves as a communicative center for outdoor tourism in the mountains and to the ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi.
Malmö
Malmö is Sweden’s third and the Nordic region’s seventh largest city. Malmö is located in the southwestern part of Skåne and is a city of residence in Skåne County and is part of the transnational Öresund region.
The metropolitan area, “Greater Malmö” with just over 600,000 residents, includes (since 2005) the municipalities of Malmö, Lund, Trelleborg, Burlöv, Kävlinge, Lomma, Staffanstorp, Svedala, Vellinge, Eslöv, Höör and Skurup. Malmö is sometimes called the “City of Parks” because of all the city’s parks.
Sigtuna
Sigtuna was founded around the year 980 and is considered to be the first Swedish city. It flourished as a royal and commercial center for 250 years from the end of the 12th century.
The city is a popular tourist destination with famous landmarks such as the Sigtuna Foundation and the ruins of medieval stone churches located just north of the city center.
Stockholm
According to Countryaah, Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and the country’s political and economic center. The city is believed to have developed during the period 1260-1280 and the name Stockholm was mentioned in writing for the first time in 1252. Stockholm was mentioned as the capital for the first time in 1436.
Stockholm Municipality has been marketing the region since 2006 as The Capital of Scandinavia, which is based on the claims to be both Scandinavia’s natural center, its economic center and leading cultural city. This has received criticism from other Scandinavian capitals.
The metropolitan region Greater Stockholm includes all municipalities in Stockholm County, including Norrtälje, Nykvarn, Södertälje and Nynäshamn, which were previously excluded. Greater Stockholm has a population of almost two million.
Three of UNESCO’s world heritage sites, Drottningholm Castle and Birka (both in Ekerö municipality), and Skogskyrkogården (Stockholm municipality), are located in the Stockholm area. Stockholm is one of the world’s most museum-dense cities, with around 70 museums, which are visited by more than 9 million people every year.
Uppsala
Uppsala is Sweden’s fourth largest city. Characteristic of Uppsala are the Fyrisån river, the cathedral and the castle. A sensitivity to the so-called Uppsala silhouette (the cathedral and the castle seen from a distance) has long characterized Uppsala’s urban planning and is one of several reasons why the number of buildings higher than 5-6 storeys is small. The 1643 city plan still characterizes the city center’s street network. The main square, with its closed corners and four converging main streets, is a unique site from the time of the great powers. The different parts of the city have a character that varies from small town in the more central parts to large town, for example in parts of Luthagen. There are therefore both picturesque and magnificent views to experience in Uppsala if you look in the “right direction”.
Among the city’s tourist destinations are the cathedral, the castle, Old Uppsala with Uppsala mounds and Valsgärde burial ground, the university environments and the Linnaeus monuments. The cathedral has a large number of prominent tombs, including Gustav Vasas, Carl von Linnés and Bruno Liljefors. Dag Hammarskjöld’s and Gustaf Fröding’s graveyard is in Uppsala’s old cemetery. The castle was, among other things, the scene of the Sturemorden.
Visby
Visby is Gotland’s largest city and is located on Gotland’s west coast. Visby, like the whole of Gotland, is visited by many tourists. An annual medieval week has been organized in Visby since 1984. The Hanseatic city of Visby has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.
Visby has a disproportionately large range of restaurant and food businesses that are open all year round (about 30), but in the summer the number rises to more than double.