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Surface Area; 450,000 sq km

Population; 8,8 million

Capital; Stockholm, 1,5 m inhabitants (incl. suburbs)

Language; Swedish

Government; Constitutional monarchy, Parliamentary democracy

Sweden is in area the fourth largest country in Europe. Half of its land area is

covered with forest, and less than 10% is farmland, most of which is situated in

the southernmost district, Skåne (Scania). The distance from north to south is

1,600 kilometres, thus incorporating a fairly wide spectrum of climatic zones.

More than a third of the population lives in the three largest cities,

Stockholm, the capital, Gothenburg, the port city on the west coast and Malmö,

situated about twenty kilometres from Lund.

The best known period in early Swedish history is probably the Viking Age. For

instance, the names of the days of the week have, in many western languages,

their roots in the Viking mythology. However, it is the Viking expeditions,

under-taken with the mixed purpose of plunder and trade, that have made people

remember the Scandinavian Vikings. The Swedish Vikings went along the coast of

the Baltic sea, as well as deep into Russia, while the Danish Vikings were not

always welcome either, when they turned up in Northern France and in Britain.

Sweden's expansion in the east continued during the 12th and 13th centuries

through the incorporation of Finland into the Swedish kingdom after several

crusades. In 1350, during the reign of Magnus Eriksson (1319-1364), the various

provincial laws were superseded by a law that applied throughout the country.

Trade increased during the 14th century, especially between the German towns and

the Swedish port towns along the Baltic (Visby, Kalmar, Ystad, Skanör etc.),

which became a trading alliance known as the Hanseatic League, under the

leadership of Lubeck. For 200 years, until the middle of the 16th century, the

Hanseatic League dominated Sweden's trade, leaving many buildings as reminders

of this close contact with the cities of northern Germany (e.g. some of the old

buildings on Stortorget in Malmö and the German Church, Tyska kyrkan, in the Old

Town in Stockholm).In 1389, through inheritance and family ties, the crowns of Denmark, Norway and Sweden were united under the Danish Queen Margarete I. In 1523 a Swedish

nobleman, Gustav Wasa was elected King after having won domina-tion over the

country after Christian II (a successor to Queen Margarete I). The foundations

of the Swedish national state were laid during the reign of Gustav Wasa. During

that time, there was a great religious upheaval known as The Reformation, which

caused the Protestant Church of Northern Europe to break away from the Catholic

Church centred in Rome. Since then, the Scandinavian countries have been

Protestant. After the dissolution of the union with Denmark and Norway, Swedish foreign

policy aimed at gaining domination of the Baltic region and this led, from the

1560s onwards, to repeated wars with Denmark. In 1658, Denmark lost the Skåne

region and it became a part of Sweden. Successive Swedish kings intervened in

several European wars over a period of several centuries, with mixed success,

but since the beginning of the 19th century, Sweden has not been involved in any

wars. Since World War I, Sweden has by tradition pursued a foreign policy of

non-alignment in peacetime and neutrality in wartime.

Modern Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a one chamber parliament, the

Riksdag, consisting of 349 members elected every 4 years by a system of

pro-portional representation. King Carl XVI Gustaf came to the throne in 1973.

Although, he is the Head of State, he exerts no political power, performing only

ceremonial duties as the official representative of Sweden. Political power

rests with the Prime Minister (Statsminister) and his Cabinet (Regering). The

tradi-tional political parties of the Riksdag are, from right to left of the

political spec-trum, the Moderates, Liberals, Centre Party, the Social

Democratic Party, the Green Party, and the Left Party (the former Communist

Party). The Social Democratic Party has dominated the political scene since the

1930's, and is in power at present (1998).

Sweden became a member of the European Union in 1995.

About 87 percent of all Swedes belong to the Church of Sweden. However, full

freedom of religion is legally guaranteed in Sweden. Everyone has the right to

belong or not to belong to a church or religious body, whether Christian or

non-Christian denomination.

There are about 155.000 Roman Catholics in Sweden, 97.000 members of the

Orthodox and Eastern Churches, about 200.000 Muslims and 16,000 people of the

Jewish faith.

The warm Gulf Stream of the Atlantic gives Sweden a milder climate than other

areas equally far north (just imagine living in Hudson Bay or in northern

Siberia). Even so the winters in Sweden, especially in the northern parts, are

very long and dark, and rather cold. The average temperature in Lund in December

is 1.1°C and in July 16.8°C. In Stockholm the average temperature in December is

-1.9°C and in July 16.7°C.

However, winter temperatures can drop to -15°C and the winds of Skåne add to

this chill factor. Therefore, warm and wind-proof out-door clothing is essential

for winter. By contrast, the temperature indoors is always comfortable.

Swedish public holidays, when shops and banks are closed, are:

New Years Day (Nyårsdagen) January 1st

Epiphany (Trettondagen) January 6

Good Friday (Långfredagen) in March or April

Easter Sunday (Påskdagen)

Easter Monday (Annandag Påsk)

May Day (Första maj) May 1st

Ascension Day always on a Thursday in May (Kristi Himmelfärdsdag)

Whit Sunday (Pingstdagen) in May or June

Whit Monday (Annandag Pingst)

Midsummer Day towards the end of June. (Midsommardagen)

All Saints' Day (Allhelgonadag) always on a Saturday in early November

Christmas Day (Juldagen) December 25

Boxing day (Annandag jul) December 26

Easter includes traces of pagan rites of Spring - painted Easter eggs and

witches flying to "Blåkulla" on broomsticks, as well as Easter eggs filled with

sweets.

On the evening of April 30th, the arrival of Spring is celebrated in Sweden with

bonfires and choir singing.

1st of May Labour Day

with trade unions parading and students' traditional

greeting to the Spring.

At midsummer, in late June, the nights last only a few hours. Dancing around the

flower-bedecked May pole is a remnant of ancient fertility rites.

On warm August evenings, people eat boiled cold crayfish and wash it down with

Swedish "snaps" - a culinary custom illuminated by colourful paper lanterns.

The 10th of November in Skåne is when we cheer the autumnal depression with an

ample meal of goose to honour St. Martin of Tours

Early in the morning of December 13th we are awak-ened by a girl with a crown of

candles in her hair - Lucia, a symbol of hope that the light will return after

the long winter darkness.

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