Sweden

Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a on the  in. It has been a member of the since 1995. Its city is.

At 449,964 km² (173,720 square miles), Sweden is the third largest country in and fifth in all of Europe. Sweden has a low except in its metropolitan areas; 84% of the population lives in urban areas, which take up only 1.3% of the total land area. The citizens enjoy a high standard of living and the country is generally perceived as modern and, with an organizational and corporate culture that is non-hierarchical and collectivist compared to its Anglo-Saxon counterparts. , and  are generally prioritized in policy making and embraced by the general public in Sweden. Sweden has a long tradition as a major exporter of, and. and allowed more remote natural assets to be utilized on a larger scale, most notably  and. In the 1890s, universal schooling and enabled the country to develop a successful manufacturing industry and by the twentieth century, Sweden emerged as a, consistently achieving a high position among the top-ranking countries in the  (HDI). Sweden has a rich supply of water power, but lacks significant oil and coal deposits.

Modern Sweden emerged out of the formed in 1397 and by the unification of the country by King  in the 16th century. In the 17th century Sweden expanded its territories to form the. Most of these conquered territories had to be given up during the 18th century. In the early 19th century and the remaining territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost. After its last war in 1814, Sweden entered into a with  which lasted until 1905. Since 1814, Sweden has been at peace, adopting a foreign policy in peacetime and  in wartime.

Prehistory
The early record of human activity in Scandinavia is sparse and the interpretations of the records from the (10,000 BC – 1700 BC) are often conflicting. The oldest archaeological evidence of human habitation in Scandinavia has been found in what is now Denmark and consists of flint tools from 9,500 to 9,000 BC. Some scholars argue that the population slowly spread into what is present-day Sweden during the ensuing millennia.

In 4200 BC, fired pottery, systematic farming and permanent settlements developed in southern Scandinavia and spread northward. Hundreds of Mediterranean-style megalithic graves dated 3300–2000 BC have been found in Denmark and southern Sweden. The early s and farmers were followed between 2500 and 2000 BC by a new ethnolinguistic group, the so-called, named for their stone weapons and graves. They may have been -speaking nomads who spread across much of northern Europe and may have also established cultural dominance over the earlier peoples of southern and central Scandinavia. This period was followed by the (1700–500 BC), one of the richest periods in the Nordic region, especially in southern Scandinavia. The conditions were geologically and topographically very similar to those in the modern-day Scandinavian landscape, but the climate was milder. An elite is believed to have emerged during this period, a chieftain-trader class with possible roots in the social structure of the battle ax people. Archaeological finds of this era are the petroglyphs of southern Sweden and Norway, grave goods from several large burial mounds, and offering finds from what is believed to have been sacrificial sites. Because of the wide access to water, Sweden's early inhabitants came in waves from many surrounding areas, with no recognized borders yet existing in Scandinavia. Societies in Sweden remained on the preliterate tribal and levels until the emergence of writing on  in the. It is not known when and how the kingdom of Sweden was born, but the is drawn from when the first kings who ruled  (Sweden) and  (Gothia) as one. Sweden and Gothia were two separate nations long before that. It is unknown how long they have existed.



A tribe populating a region of what is today Sweden was first mentioned in 98 AD by the Roman historian, who wrote about the who lived out in the sea and were powerful in both arms and ships. According to Tacitus, they venerated wealth and therefore had a single ruler who exacted unlimited obedience from them and governed without restriction in power. Tacitus expressed concern that these Suiones might ally with neighboring tribes and cause trouble for the Roman Empire. Some scholars believe that Tacitus referred to the inhabitants of present-day eastern Sweden:, primarily the region around lake. The modern name Sweden is derived through "back-formation" from Old English Sweoðeod, which meant "people of the Swedes" (Old Norse Svíþjóð, Latin Suetidi). This word is derived from Sweon/Sweonas (Old Norse Sviar, Latin Suiones) (see ). The southern parts, on the other hand, were inhabited by the s in the territory, and  described semi-legendary  in the. The northern part,, was probably mostly populated by.

The Swedish lasted roughly between the eighth and eleventh centuries AD. During this period, it is believed that the  expanded from eastern Sweden and incorporated the  to the south. While Vikings from what is today Norway, Denmark and the west coast and south of Sweden travelled south and west, travelled east and south, going to Finland, the Baltic countries, Russia, the Mediterranean and further as far as. Their routes passed the down south to   (present-day, ) on which they did numerous raids. The Byzantine Emperor noticed their great skills in war, and invited them to serve as his personal bodyguard, these were called the.

Middle Ages


During the early stages of the Scandinavian, in  and  on , in present-day Sweden, were flourishing trade centers. Remains of what is believed to have been a large market have been found in Ystad dating from 600–700 AD. In Paviken, an important center of trade in the Baltic region during the ninth and tenth century, remains have been found of a large Viking Age harbour with shipbuilding yards and handicraft industries. Between 800 and 1000, trade brought an abundance of silver to Gotland and according to some scholars, the Gotlanders of this era hoarded more silver than the rest of the population of Scandinavia combined.

introduced Christianity around 829, but the new religion did not begin to fully replace until the twelfth century and onward. During the eleventh century Christianity took place as the most common religion, and from year 1050 Sweden is counted as a Christian nation. The period between 1100 and 1400 was characterized by internal power struggles and competition among the Nordic kingdoms, including struggles for territory and comparative power. Swedish kings also began to expand the Swedish-controlled territory in, creating conflicts with the.

In the fourteenth century, Sweden was struck by the (the Plague). During this period the Swedish cities also began to acquire greater rights and were strongly influenced by German merchants of the, active especially at. In 1319, Sweden and Norway were united under king, and in 1397 Queen effected the personal union of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark through the. However, Margaret’s successors, whose rule was also centred in Denmark, were unable to control the Swedish nobility. Real power was held for long periods by regents (notably those of the family) chosen by the Swedish parliament. King, who asserted his claim to Sweden by force of arms, ordered a massacre in 1520 of Swedish nobles at Stockholm. This came to be known as the “” and stirred the Swedish nobility to new resistance and, on the 6th of June (Sweden's national holiday) in 1523, they made their king. This is sometimes considered as the. Shortly afterwards he rejected and led Sweden to the. Gustav Vasa is by some considered to be Sweden's "".

Swedish Empire
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The seventeenth century saw as one of the s in Europe. Sweden also had colonial possessions as a minor that existed from 1638-1663 and later 1785–1878.

Sweden was during Imperial times the most powerful country of northern Europe and the. Sweden's Imperial status took its start with as king, and his successful participation in the Thirty Years' War, which made Sweden the recognized leader of continental Protestantism in Europe until 1721, when the Empire collapsed. Sweden's Imperial status during this period is largely credited to 's major changes on the Swedish economy in the mid-1500s, and his introduction of (Lutheran).

The mid 1600s and the early 1700s were Sweden's most successful years as a great power. Sweden reached its largest territorial extent during the rule of (1622–1660) after the  in 1658. However, after more than a half century of almost constant warfare the Swedish economy had deteriorated. It would become the lifetime task of Charles' son, (1655-1697), to rebuild the economy and refit the army. His legacy to his son, the coming ruler of Sweden, was one of the finest arsenals in the world, a large standing army and a great fleet. Sweden's largest threat at this time, Russia, had a larger army but was far behind in both equipment and training. The Swedish army crushed the Russians at the in 1700, one of the first battles of the. This led to an overambitious in 1707, however, ending in a decisive Russian victory at the  in 1709. The campaign had a successful opening for Sweden, which came to occupy half of and making Charles able to claim the Polish throne. But after a long march exposed by raids, the Russian Tsar 's scorched-earth techniques and the, the Swedes stood weakened with a shattered confidence, and enormously outnumbered against the Russian army at Poltava. The defeat meant the beginning of the end for Sweden as Empire.

Even though Sweden had lost almost half of its army during these times of intense war, Charles XII still attempted to invade Norway 1716. Soundly defeated in the war, the Swedish head of state signed the in 1721. Forced to cede large areas of land, Sweden also lost its place as an empire and as the dominant state on the Baltic Sea. With Sweden's lost influence, Russia began to emerge as an, and become one of Europe's dominant nations.

In the eighteenth century, Sweden did not have enough resources to maintain its territories outside Scandinavia and most of them were lost, culminating with the 1809 loss of the territory once named (Eastern district) and the eastern part of  to Russia: these parts became the semi-autonomous  of Finland of.

After Denmark-Norway was defeated in the, Norway was ceded to the king of Sweden on , 1814, at the. The Norwegian attempts to keep their status as a sovereign state were rejected by the Swedish king,. He launched a military campaign against Norway on July 27, 1814, ending in the, which forced Norway into a with Sweden, which was not dissolved until 1905. The 1814 campaign was also the last war in which Sweden participated as a combatant.

Modern history
The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw a significant population increase, which the writer in 1833 famously attributed to "the peace, the , and the ". Between 1750 and 1850, the population in Sweden doubled. According to some scholars, mass emigration to America became the only way to prevent famine and rebellion; over 1% of the population emigrated annually during the 1880s. Nevertheless, Sweden remained poor, retaining a nearly entirely agricultural economy even as Denmark and Western European countries began to industrialize. Many looked towards America for a better life during this time. It is believed that between 1850 and 1910 more than one million Swedes moved to the. In the early 20th century, more Swedes lived in than in  (Sweden's second largest city). Most Swedish immigrants moved to the, with a large population in. Some Swedes moved to. Some also moved to and others in smaller numbers to.

Despite the slow rate of industrialization into the 19th century, many important changes were taking place in the agrarian economy due to innovations and the large population growth. These innovations included government-sponsored programs of, aggressive exploitation of agricultural lands, and the introduction of new crops such as the potato. Due also to the fact that the Swedish peasantry had never been enserfed as elsewhere in Europe, the Swedish farming culture began to take on a critical role in the Swedish political process, which has continued through modern times with modern Agrarian party (now called the Centre Party). Between 1870 and 1914, Sweden began developing the industrialized economy that exists today.

During the late nineteenth century, Sweden was influenced by Protestant s, mainly of American origin. As a result of their intense propaganda, it is often claimed that alcohol consumption was unusually high in Sweden at this time. However, there is no factual ground for believing that alcohol consumption was higher than in other comparable countries.

Strong grassroots movements sprung up in Sweden during the latter half of the nineteenth century (unions, temperance groups, and independent religious groups), creating a strong foundation of democratic principles. These movements precipitated Sweden's migration into a modern parliamentary democracy, achieved by the time of. As the progressed during the twentieth century, people gradually began moving into  to work in, and became involved in. A  was avoided in 1917, following the re-introduction of, and the country was.

Recent history
Sweden remained officially during  and, although its neutrality during World War II has been vigorously debated. Sweden was under German influence for most of the war, as ties to the rest of the world were cut off through blockades. The Swedish government felt that it was in no position to openly contest Germany, and collaborated with the Germans. Swedish volunteers to German SS units were among the first to invade the in. Sweden also supplied steel and machined parts to the Germans throughout the war. Towards the end of the war however, when the defeat of the Germans seemed imminent, Sweden began to play a role in humanitarian efforts and many refugees, among them many Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe, were saved partly because of the Swedish involvement in rescue missions at the internment camps and partly because Sweden served as a haven for refugees, primarily from and the. . Nevertheless, internal and external critics have argued that Sweden could have done more to resist the Nazi war effort, even if risking occupation.

Following the war, Sweden took advantage of an intact industrial base, social stability and its natural resources to expand its industry to supply the rebuilding of Europe. By the 1960s, Sweden, like the other Nordic countries, had become an affluent consumer society and welfare state. Sweden was part of the and participated in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, many of the policies aiming to improve the quality of life for the general population, in particular Sweden's working class, were successfully implemented.

Sweden joined the in 1995, after the collapse of the. During the, Europe's non-aligned Western countries, except Ireland, had considered membership unwise, as the EU predecessor, the , had been strongly associated with NATO countries. Following the end of the Cold War, however, Sweden, and  joined, though in Sweden's case without adopting the. Sweden remains non-aligned militarily, although it participates in some joint military exercises with and some other countries, in addition to extensive cooperation with other European countries in the area of defence technology and defence industry. Among others, Swedish companies export weapons that are used by the American army in Iraq. Sweden also has a long history of participating in international military operations, including most recently,, where Swedish troops are under NATO command, and in EU sponsored peace keeping operations in , , and.

Sweden, like countries around the globe, entered a period of economic decline and upheaval, following the oil embargoes of 1973-74 and 1978-79. In the 1980s pillars of Swedish industry were massively restructured. Shipbuilding was discontinued, wood pulp was integrated into modernized paper production, the steel industry was concentrated and specialized, and mechanical engineering was digitalized.

A bursting bubble caused by inadequate controls on lending combined with an  recession and a policy switch from anti-unemployment policies to anti-inflationary policies resulted in a fiscal crisis in the early 1990s. The response of the government was to cut spending and institute a multitude of reforms to improve Sweden's competitiveness, among them reducing the and  public services and goods. Much of the political establishment promoted European Union (E.U.) membership, and the Swedish referendum passed by 52-48% in favour of joining the E.U. on August 14, 1994. Sweden joined the on.

The long term effects of these changes was to greatly improve the outlook of the Swedish economy. The Social democrats increased spending on child support and continued to pay down the public debt. By 1998 the Swedish macro-economy recovered from the 1980s industrial restructuring and the monetarist excesses, and the country has since performed very well macro-economically. At the turn of the twenty-first century, Sweden has a well-regarded, generally robust economy, and the average quality of life, after government transfers, is very high,  is low (the  is 25.0 ), and  is high (compared to the affluent n and Catholic countries). A country known for very low crime rates compared to other developed countries, Sweden has nevertheless seen two prominent politicians assassinated in recent history: Prime Minister in 1986, and foreign minister  in 2003.

Geography and Climate


Situated in, Sweden lies west of the  and , providing a long coastline, and forms the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. To the west is the (Skanderna), a range that separates Sweden from.

Sweden is surrounded by (west),  (northeast), the,  and  s (southwest) and the  (east). It has maritime borders with, , , , , , and , and it is also linked to (southwest) by the.

At 449964 sqkm, Sweden is the 55th largest country in the world. It is the 5th largest in Europe, and the largest in Northern Europe. The country is slightly larger than the of, with a population in 2006 of 9.1 million people.

The lowest elevation in Sweden is in the bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad at -2.41 m below sea level. The highest point is Kebnekaise at 2111 m above sea level.

Sweden has three main regions. , covering about three-fifths of the country, is mountainous, densely forested, has large ore deposits and contains the majority of the country's 90,000 lakes. consists of the Central Swedish lowland with its vast lakes and archipelagos and the hilly, forested inland regions of and. in the south comprises the stony highlands and the rich plains of,  and. About 15% of Sweden lies north of the. Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, with increasing forest coverage northward. The highest population density is in the region in southern Sweden, and in the valley of lake  in central Sweden. and are Sweden's largest ;  and  are Sweden's largest lakes.

Sweden has a despite its northern, mainly because of the. In the mountains of northern Sweden a climate predominates. North of the, the sun never sets for part of each summer, and in the winter, night is similarly unending.

Typical temperatures in the seasons (°C): Average is between 500 and 800 mm/year.
 * Winter: -1° in south, -5 to -1° in middle and down to -16° in the north.
 * Spring: About 10 °C in the south and middle and a bit colder in the north.
 * Summer: 18° to 25° in south, 16° to 22° in middle and around 15° in the north.
 * Autumn: A bit under 10° in the south and middle and often under 5° in the north.

Administrative divisions


Sweden is a, currently divided into. Each county has a or länsstyrelse, which is appointed by the Government (the first Swedish County Administrative Board was made up by the Swedish Prime minister Axel Oxenstierna in 1634). In each county there is also a separate or landsting, which is elected directly by the people. Each county further divides into a number of or kommuner, with a total of 290 municipalities in 2004. There are also older historical divisions, primarily the and, which still retain cultural significance. The is investigating the possibilities of merging the current 21 counties into circa 9 larger s along the lines of the current  used for statistical purposes. If approved, these would come into effect around 2015.

Demographics
As of April 2007, the total population of Sweden was estimated to be 9,131,425. The population exceeded 9,000,000 for the first time as of approximately, according to the. Of the 2004 population, 1.1 million, or 12%, were foreign-born and approximately 16.7% (1.53 million) had at least one parent born abroad or were themselves born abroad. This reflects the inter-Nordic migrations, earlier periods of labour immigration, and later decades of refugee and family immigration. Sweden has been transformed from a nation of ending after  to a nation of  from  onwards. In 2006, immigration to Sweden reached its highest level since records began.

Immigration from the other Nordic countries reached a peak of more than 40,000 per year in 1969-70 when the new immigration rules introduced in 1967 had made it more difficult for immigrants from outside the Nordic region to settle in Sweden for labour market policy reasons. Immigration by refugees and immigrating relatives of refugees from outside the Nordic region increased drastically during the late 1980s, with many of the immigrants arriving from Asia and Latin America, especially from Iran and Chile. During the 1990s and onwards another large immigrant group came from former Yugoslavia and the Middle East.

The largest immigrant group living in Sweden as of 2005 consists of people born in, followed by people born in , , , , , , , and. The official list of immigrant arrivals in 2005 by country of birth, compiled by the Swedish Integration Board, shows that biggest group of immigrants to Sweden still comes from the Nordic countries: of the 20,162 Nordic born immigrants moving to Sweden in 2005, more than half (11,066) were people born in Sweden returning to Sweden, while 3,494 were born in Denmark, 2,793 born in Finland and 2,425 in Norway. Of the other groups arriving in 2005, 16,739 were immigrants born in Asia, 5,625 were immigrants born in Africa and 2,655 were born in Latin America.

Language


The primary language of Sweden is, a , related and very similar to and , but differing in pronunciation and. Norwegians have little difficulty understanding Swedish, and Danes can also understand it, with a bit more difficulty than the Norwegians. The area around (across from ) has the most  (being a border region). The dominant language is Swedish, though this designation was never made. However, with the recognition of five (,, ,  and ) on , , the issue of whether Swedish should be declared the official language was raised. On, the parliament voted, but with a count of 147 to 145 and certain voting errors the proposal failed.

A majority of Swedes, especially those born after World War II, understand and speak thanks to trade links, the popularity of overseas travel, a strong Anglo-American influence and the tradition of  rather than dubbing foreign television shows and films. English became a compulsory subject for students studying s as early as 1849, and has been a compulsory subject for all Swedish students since the late 1940s. Depending on the local school authorities, English is currently a compulsory subject between and, with all students continuing in secondary school studying English for at least another year. Most students also learn one and sometimes two additional languages. Additions to English are, , and. Some and  is at times also taught as part of the Swedish course for native speakers.

Political system
Sweden is a, in which is head of state, but royal power has long been limited to official and ceremonial functions. The, while admitting that "There is no consensus on how to measure democracy" and that "definitions of democracy are contested" lists Sweden in first place in its index of democracy assessing 167 countries. The nation's modern legislative body is the Swedish Parliament, with 349 members, which chooses the. Parliamentary elections are held every four years, on the third Sunday of September.

In its 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, ranked Sweden (along with  and ) 5th out of 169 countries.

Political history


The actual age of the kingdom of Sweden is unknown, it depends mostly on whether Sweden should be considered a nation when the ' (Swedes) ruled or if the emergence of the nation started with the Svear  and the '  of  being united under one ruler. In the first case, Sweden was first mentioned to have one single ruler in the year 98 by, but it's impossible to know for how long it had been this way. However, historians usually start the line of from when Svealand and Götaland were ruled under the same king, namely  and his son  in the 10th century. These events are often described as the, although substantial areas including and , were added later.

Earlier kings, for which no reliable historical sources exist can be read about in and, many of these kings are only mentioned in various  and blend with.

The title Sveriges och Götes Konung was last used for, after which the title became ", and " (Sveriges, Götes och Vendes Konung) in official documentation. Up until the beginning of the 1920s, all laws in Sweden were introduced with the words, "We, the king of Sweden, of the Goths and Wends". This title was used up until 1973. The current king of Sweden, was the first monarch officially proclaimed "King of Sweden" (Sveriges Konung) with no additional peoples mentioned in his title. The term "Riksdag" was used for the first time in the 1540s, although the first meeting where representatives of different social groups were called to discuss and determine affairs affecting the country as a whole took place as early as 1435, in the town of Arboga. During the assemblies of 1527 and 1544, under King, representatives of all four (clergy, , townsmen and ) were called on to participate for the first time. The monarchy became hereditary in 1544.

Executive power was historically shared between the King and a noble until 1680, followed by the King's  initiated by the common estates of the Parliament. As a reaction to the failed, a was introduced in 1719, followed by three different flavours of  in 1772, 1789 and 1809,  granting several civil liberties. The monarch remains as the formal, but merely symbolic with  duties.

The consisted of two chambers. In 1866 Sweden became a with a  parliament, with the First Chamber indirectly elected by s, and the Second Chamber directly elected in national elections every four years. In 1971 the Riksdag became. Legislative power was (symbolically) shared between king and parliament until 1975. Swedish is controlled by the  (parliament).

Modern Political System
Constitutionally, the 349-member Riksdag holds supreme authority in modern Sweden. This Riksdag is responsible for choosing the, who then appoints the government (the ministers). The is then shared between the parliament and the Prime Minister led government. The is exercised by the government, while the  is independent. Sweden lacks compulsory, although the non-compulsory review carried out by lagrådet (Law Council) is mostly respected in technical matters but less so in controversial political matters. Acts of the parliament and government decrees can be made inapplicable at every level if they are manifestly against constitutional laws. However, due to the restrictions in this form of judicial review and a weak judiciary, this has had little practical consequence.

Legislation may be initiated by the or by members of Parliament. Members are elected on the basis of for a four-year term. The can be altered by the Riksdag, which requires a simple but absolute majority and two decisions with general elections in between. Sweden has three other constitutional laws: the Act of Royal Succession, the Freedom of Press Act and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression.

The has played a leading political role since 1917, after s had confirmed their strength and the  left the party. After 1932, the have been dominated by the Social Democrats. Only four general elections (1976, 1979, 1991 and 2006) have given the centre-right bloc enough seats in Parliament to form a government. There has been broad political consensus regarding the rapid extension of the ,, with government expenditure at its peak being 67% of the. However, poor economic performance since the beginning of the 1970s, and especially the crisis at the beginning of the 1990s, have forced Sweden to reform its political system to become more like other European countries. In the 2006 general election the Moderate Party, allied with the Centre Party, Liberal People's Party, and the Christian Democrats, with a common political platform, won a majority of the votes. Together they have formed a majority government under the leadership of the Moderate party's leader.

The following political parties hold seats in the Riksdag (the most recent elections were held in ; the next elections will be held in ) :
 * (s, Social Democrats): 130 seats, 35.0% (2002: 39.8% of votes, 144 seats)
 * (m, Moderates): 97 seats, 26.2% (2002: 15.2% of votes, 55 seats)
 * (c, Centre Party): 29 seats, 7.9% (2002: 22 seats, 6.1% of votes)
 * (fp, Liberal People's Party): 28 seats, 7.5% (2002: 13.3% of votes, 48 seats)
 * (kd, Christian Democrats): 24 seats, 6.6% (2002: 33 seats, 9.1% of votes)
 * (v, Left Party): 22 seats, 5.8% (2002: 28 seats, 8.3% of votes)
 * (mp, Greens): 19 seats, 5.2% (2002: 17 seats, 4.6% of votes)

There is also a proliferation of small or tiny political parties, of which most are, while others have stable organizations and party programmes, but few adherents.

Election turnout in Sweden has always been high in international comparisons, although it has declined in recent decades, and is currently around 80% (80.11 in, 81.99 in ). Swedish politicians enjoyed a high degree of confidence from the citizens in the 1960s but it has since declined steadily and has a markedly lower level of trust than its Scandinavian neighbors.

Some Swedish political figures that have become known worldwide include, , former of the  , , former Prime Minister,  former Prime Minister and currently ,  former President of the  and  former  inspector in Iraq.

Popular movements and equality politics
Sweden has a history of strong political involvement by ordinary people through its "popular movements" ("Folkrörelser" in Swedish), the most notable being, the independent christian movement, the , the , and – more recently – the sports movement.

Sweden is currently leading the EU in statistics measuring equality in the political system and equality in the education system. Gudrun Schyman founded the first Swedish feminist party, the party, commonly referred to simply as F!, in 2005. Ms. magazine quoted Schyman's view of Sweden's reputation for progressive initiatives: "In Sweden there’s a gap between words and reality.... Internationally a lot of people look upon Sweden as paradise, but that is not the truth – and now things are actually going backwards." In fact the pay gap between men and women in Sweden is 16%, higher than the EU average of 15%. Sweden compares unfavourably with the EU average when it comes to providing full-time jobs for women, with a high fraction of employed women working part-time.

Energy politics

 * Further information: Nuclear power phase-out in Sweden and 

The strengthened Sweden's commitment to decrease dependence on imported fossil fuels. Since then, electricity has been generated mostly from and nuclear power. The use of nuclear power has been limited, however. Among other things, the accident of  prompted the  to hold a  on nuclear power. The referendum led to a decision that no further nuclear power plants should be built and that a nuclear power phase-out should be completed by 2010. , the use of amounted to 26% of the energy supply in Sweden. The two largest categories of renewables are and, the latter mainly used to produce heat for  and  and industry processes. The total usage of biomass energy is currently 112 TWh per year.

In 2006, out of a total electricity production of 139 TWh, electricity from hydropower accounted for 61 and 44% of the country's production of  with nuclear power delivering 65 TWh (47%). At the same time, the use of s, etc. produced 13 TWh (9%) of electricity, while wind power produced 1 TWh (1%). Sweden was a net importer of electricity by a margin of 6 TWh.

In March 2005, an opinion poll showed that 83% supported maintaining or increasing nuclear power. Since then however, reports about radioactive leakages at a nuclear waste store in Forsmark, Sweden, have been published, although this does not seem to have changed the public support of continued use of nuclear power. Sweden decided to phase out before 2020, although it is very unlikely that this will happen.

In an effort to phase out the dependency on and, the Swedish government has launched a multi-billion dollar program to promote  and energy efficiency. The country has for many years pursued a strategy of indirect taxation as an instrument of environmental policy, including energy taxes in general and taxes in particular. Also in 2005, Sweden garnered international attention by announcing its intention to break its dependence on foreign oil within 15 years, with the goal of becoming the world's first oil-free economy. ()

Foreign policy
Throughout the twentieth century, was based on the principle of  in peacetime and  in wartime. "Sweden's government was left to pursue an independent course based on a foreign policy defined as nonalignment in times of peace so that neutrality would be possible in the event of war."

Sweden's doctrine of neutrality is often traced back to the 19th century as it has not participated in any war since the end of the against  in 1809. During Sweden joined neither the  nor  powers. This has been disputed by many since in effect Sweden allowed the Nazi regime to use its railroad system to transport troops and goods, especially iron ore from the rich mines in northern Sweden, of vital need to the German war machine.

During the early Cold War era, Sweden combined its policy of non-alignment with a low profile in international affairs, although it also pursued a security policy based on strong national defense to deter attack. At the same time, the country maintained relatively close informal connections with the Western bloc, especially in the realm of intelligence exchange. In 1952 a Swedish was  over the Baltic sea by a Soviet Fighter. Later investigations revealed that the plane was actually gathering information for. Another plane, a  craft, was sent out a few days later and shot down by the Soviets as well. Olof Palme the former prime minister of Sweden visited Cuba during the 1970s and showed his support for Cuba in his speech which was in Spanish.

Beginning in the late 1960s, Sweden for a period attempted to play a more significant and independent role in international relations. This involved significant activity in international peace efforts, especially through the, and in support to the. Since the murder of in 1986 and the end of the Cold War, this has been significantly toned down, although Sweden remains comparatively active in peace keeping missions and maintains a generous foreign aid budget.

In 1981 a Soviet ran aground close to the Swedish naval base at  in the southern part of the country. It has never been clearly established whether the submarine ended up on the shoals through a navigational mistake or if it was a matter of against Swedish military potential. The incident triggered a diplomatic crisis between Sweden and the Soviet Union.

Since 1995 Sweden has been a member of the, and as a consequence of a new world security situation the country's foreign policy doctrine has been partly modified, with Sweden playing a more active role in European security co-operation as well.

Military


The Försvarsmakten (Swedish Armed Forces) is a Government agency reporting to the Swedish Ministry of Defence and responsible for the peacetime operation of the armed forces of Sweden. The primary task of the agency is to train and deploy peace support forces abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to refocus on the defence of Sweden in the event of war. The Armed Forces are divided into Army, Air Force and Navy. The head of the armed forces is the (Överbefälhavaren, ÖB), and after the sovereign is the most senior officer in the country.

Until the end of the Cold War, nearly all males reaching the age of military service were conscripted. In recent years, the number of conscripted males has reduced dramatically, while the number of female volunteers has increased slightly. Recruitment has generally shifted towards finding the most motivated recruits, rather than solely those otherwise most fit for service. All soldiers serving abroad must by law be volunteers. In 1975 the total number of conscripts was 45,000. By 2003 it was down to 15,000. After the Defence Proposition 2004, the number of troops in training will decrease even more to between 5,000 and 10,000 each year, while emphasizing the need to recruit only the soldiers later prepared to volunteer for international service. The total forces gathered would consist of about 60,000 men. This could be compared with the 80s before the fall of the Soviet Union, when Sweden could gather up to 1,000,000 men.

Swedish units have taken part in peacekeeping operations, in the, , , and.

Currently, one of the most important tasks for the Swedish Armed Forces is to form a Swedish-led EU Battle Group to which Norway, Finland and Estonia will also contribute, perhaps also Ireland. The (NBG) is to have a 10-day deployment readiness during the first half of 2008.

Economy
Sweden is an export oriented market economy featuring a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labour force. ,, and constitute the resource base of an  heavily oriented toward. Sweden's engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Telecommunications, the automotive industry and the pharmaceutical industries are also of great importance. accounts for 2% of and employment.

According to the book, The Flight of the Creative Class, by the U.S. economist, Professor of, Sweden is ranked as having the best creativity in Europe for business and is predicted to become a talent magnet for the world’s most purposeful workers. The book compiled an index to measure the kind of creativity most useful to business – talent, technology and tolerance – and found Sweden to be the number one spot in Europe and the world. The top ten countries, in descending order, are: Sweden, Japan, Finland, the US, Switzerland, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway and Germany.

Sweden's industry is overwhelmingly in private control; unlike some other industrialized Western countries, such as Austria and Italy, publicly owned enterprises were always of minor importance. 80% of the workforce is organized through the trade-unions which have the right to elect two representatives to the board in all Swedish companies with more than 25 employees.

Sweden is known for its high es and large. According to the statistics collected by the (see ), Sweden has the highest total tax revenue, as a share of the country's income, of any ranked country (as of 2005). It is also the only country in the world with a total tax revenue higher than 50%.

The Swedish – founded in 1668 and thus making it the oldest central bank in the world – is currently focusing on price stability with its inflation target of 2%. Growth is expected to reach 3.3% in 2006. High taxes have however ensured a higher degree of government influence on household consumption decisions than in most other Western nations. Public sector spending amounts to 53% of the GDP; the high figure primarily reflects the large transfer payments of the Swedish welfare state.

Swedish unemployment figures are highly contested, with the Social-Democrats defending the official figure of 5.4% (as of 2006) and the centre-right claiming a much higher figure. These numbers do not, however, include people in government unemployment programmes (about 2% of the workforce), people on extended sick-leave, those in early retirement or those outside the unemployment system. Unemployment is higher amongst younger people. Many Swedes work abroad in, and the , where they are desired and viewed as a skilled workforce. Because of the contradiction – unemployment despite a growing commercial enterprise economy – politicians and analysts often speak of the "jobless growth". According to Eurostat the unemployment rate in February 2007 was at 6.7% down from 7.4% from February 2006.

Sweden also still bears scars from an economic crisis in the 1990s, which resulted in thousands of people unemployed and a great national debt. Two remnants are an increase in  and a  of approximately 1,248 billion  (approx. €134 billion, 01.2007).

Welfare state
In recent years, economic liberalization has ensured that Sweden is now more similar to other European countries with comparatively high tax rates. However, some still claim that the is mid-way between  and, i.e. a. The Swedish "welfare state" model of the 20th century is an example (some economists and socialists said) of effective use of national taxes, although others disagree about its continuing effectiveness. The Swedish welfare system remains extensive, but a recession in the 1990s forced an introduction of a number of reforms, such as s in 1992 and decentralization of some types of healthcare services to municipal control.

While similar in form to other governments in Western Europe, the Swedish state is among the most active in the scope of government services provided. These include tax-funded childcare, parental leave, a ceiling on health care costs, tax-funded education (all levels up to, and including university), retirement pensions, tax-funded dental care up to 20 years of age and (partly paid by the employer). Parents are entitled to a total of 480 days partly paid leave between birth and the child's eighth birthday, with 60 days reserved specifically for each parent, in effect providing the father with two so-called "daddy-months". The ceiling on health care costs makes it easier, relative to other nations, for Swedish workers to take time off for medical reasons.

Since the late 1960s, Sweden has had the highest tax quota (as percentage of GDP) in the industrialized world, although today the difference between other high-tax countries such as France, Belgium and Denmark has narrowed. Sweden has a two step scale with a municipal income tax of about 30% and an additional high-income state tax of 20–25% when a salary exceeds roughly 300 000 SEK per year. The employing company pays an additional 32% of an "employer's fee". In addition, a national of 25% or 18% is added to many things bought by private citizens, with the exception of food (12% VAT), transportation, and books (6% VAT). Certain items are subject to additional taxes, e.g. electricity, petrol/diesel and alcoholic beverages.

Education
As part of its social welfare system, Sweden provides an extensive  system that guarantees a place for all young children from 1-5 years old in a public day-care facility (förskola or dagis). Between ages 6-16, children attend compulsory comprehensive school, divided in three stages. After completing the ninth grade, 90% continue with a three-year upper secondary school (gymnasium) leading sometimes to a vocational diploma and always to qualifications for further studies at a. Both upper secondary school and university studies are financed by taxes. Some Swedes go straight to work after secondary school. Along with several other European countries, the government also subsidizes tuition of international students pursuing a degree at Swedish institutions, although there has been talk of this being changed.

Religion
Before the eleventh century, Swedes adhered to, worshiping gods, with its centre at the. With in the 11th century, the laws of the country were changed, forbidding worship of other deities into the late nineteenth century.

After the in the 1530s, the Church and State were separated and the authority of Roman Catholic bishops abolished, allowing  to prevail. This process was completed by the. During the era following the, usually known as the period of , small groups of non-Lutherans, especially , the  and s or  from , played a significant role in trade and industry, and were quietly tolerated as long as they kept a low religious profile. The originally had their own shamanistic religion, but they were converted to Lutheranism by Swedish missionaries in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Not until liberalization in the late 18th century, however, were believers of other faiths, including and, allowed to openly live and work in Sweden, although it remained  until 1860 for Lutheran Swedes to convert to another religion. The 19th century saw the arrival of various es, and, towards the end of the century, leading many to distance themselves from Church rituals. Leaving the became legal with the so-called dissenter law of 1860, but only under the provision of entering another denomination. The right to stand outside any religious denomination was established in the Law on in 1951.

Today about 75% of Swedes belong to the Church of Sweden, but the number is decreasing by about 1% every year, and Church of Sweden services are sparsely attended (hovering in the single digit percentages of the population). The reason for the large number of inactive members is partly that until 1996, children became members automatically at birth if at least one of their parents were a member. Since 1996, all children that are baptised become members. Some 275,000 Swedes are today members of various free churches (where congregation attendance is much higher), and, in addition, has meant that there are now some 92,000  and 100,000  living in Sweden. Due to, Sweden also has a significant population. As many as 500,000 are Muslims by tradition and between 80,000 - 400,000 of these are practising Islam. (See also )

According to the most recent 2005, 23% of Swedish citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", whereas 53% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 23% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force".

Sweden ranks aside with and  on having a large minority of its citizens who have. Independent of these statistics, it is generally known that Swedish society, collectively, is comparatively secular and non-religious.

Culture


Sweden has many authors of worldwide recognition including, , and nobel prize winners and. In total 7 Nobel prizes of literature has been awarded to Swedes. The nation's most well-known artists are painters such as and, and the sculptors  and.

Swedish twentieth-century culture is noted by pioneering works in the early days of, with and. In the 1920s–1980s, the filmmaker and actors  and  became internationally noted people within cinema. More recently, the films of and  have received international recognition.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Sweden was seen as an international leader in what is now referred to as the "", with gender equality having particularly been promoted. At the present time, the number of single people is one of the highest in the world. The early Swedish film  (1967) reflected a liberal view of sexuality, including scenes of love making that caught international attention, and introduced the concept of the "Swedish sin". Sweden has also become, in recent decades, fairly liberal regarding, as is reflected in the popular acceptance of films such as , which is about two young in the small Swedish town of Åmål. In the absence of legislation on s, Sweden offers both and  for same-sex couples.

Music


Sweden has a rich musical tradition, ranging from medieval folk ballads to. The music of the pre-Christian Norse has been lost to history, although historical re-creations have been attempted based on instruments found in Viking sites. Instruments used were the  (a sort of trumpet), simple string instruments, wooden flutes and drums. It is possible that the Viking musical legacy lives on in some of the old Swedish folk music.

Sweden has a significant scene, both in the traditional style as well as more modern interpretations which often mix in elements of rock and jazz. is more of a traditionalist group, using a unique traditional Swedish instrument called the  while, , and have more modern elements. There is also music, called the , which is actually a type of chant which is part of the traditional Saami animistic spirituality but has gained recognition in the international world of folk music as well. Sweden has a major market for and  or  aware music, as well a large portion of pop and rock music have  and  political messages.

Sweden also has a prominent choral music tradition, deriving in part from the cultural importance of Swedish folk songs. In fact, out of a population of 8.9 million, it is estimated that five to six hundred thousand people sing in choirs.

was one of the first well-known popular music band from Sweden, and the only one that ranks among the most well-known in the world, with about 370 million records sold. With ABBA, Sweden entered into a new era, in which Swedish pop music gained international prominence. Sweden is sometimes referred to as the third largest exporter of pop and rock music in the world, after the US and the UK, but this is disputable and difficult to verify. There have been many other internationally successful bands since, and recently there has been a surge of Swedish bands such as, , , and. Sweden has also become known for a large number of (mostly  and ) as well as - and  bands.

Sweden has a rather lively jazz scene. During the last sixty years or so it has attained a remarkably high artistic standard, stimulated by domestic as well as external influences and experiences. The Centre for Swedish Folk Music and Jazz Research has published an overview of jazz in Sweden by Lars Westin.

Sweden is the third most successful country in the. That includes four victories, one made by ABBA.

Media
Swedes are among the greatest consumers of s in the world, and nearly every town is served by a local paper. The country's main quality morning papers are (liberal),  (liberal),  (conservative) and  (liberal). The two largest evening s are (social democratic) and  (liberal). The ad-financed, free international morning paper,, was originally founded in Stockholm, Sweden. The country's news is reported in English by, among others, (liberal).

The public broadcasting companies held a monopoly on radio and television for long time in Sweden. Licence funded radio broadcasts started in 1925. A second radio network was started in 1954 and a third opened 1962 in response to pirate radio stations. Non-profit community radio was allowed in 1979 and in 1993 commercial local radio started.

The licence funded television service was officially launched in 1956. A second channel,, was launched in 1969. These two channels (operated by since the late '70s) held a monopoly until the 1980s when cable and satellite television became available. The first Swedish language satellite service was which started broadcasting from London in 1987. It was followed by in 1989 (then known as Nordic Channel) and  in 1990.

In 1991 the government announced it would begin taking applications from private television companies wishing to broadcast on the. TV4, which had previously been broadcasting via satellite, was granted a permit and began its terrestrial broadcasts in 1992, becoming the first private channel to broadcast television content from within the country.

Around half the population are connected to cable television. started in 1999 and the last analogue terrstrial broadcasts where terminated in 2007.

In 2007, CNN reported that Sweden became the first country to open an embassy in virtual world. The Embassy serves to promote Sweden's image and culture, rather than providing any real or virtual services.

Inventions
In the 18th century Sweden's scientific revolution took off. Previously, technical progress had mainly come from immigrated professionals from the European mainland. In 1739, the was founded, with people such as  and  as early members. From the 1870s, engineering companies were created at an unmatched rate and engineers became heroes of the age. Many of the companies founded by early pioneers are still internationally familiar. founded, and received the Nobel prize for his. invented dynamite and instituted the s. started the company bearing his name,, still one of the largest telecom companies in the world. Jonas Wenström was an early pioneer in alternating current and is along with credited as one of the inventors of the three-phase electrical system.

The traditional engineering industry is still a major source of Swedish inventions, but pharmaceuticals, electronics and other high tech industries are gaining ground. is an invention for storing liquid foods, invented by. invented the, a worldwide standard for shipping and civil aviation navigation. , an ulcer medicine, was the world's best-selling drug in the 1990s and was developed by Swedish. A large portion of the Swedish economy is to this day based on the export of technical inventions, and many large multinational corporations from Sweden have their origins in the ingenuity of Swedish inventors.

Holidays
Apart from traditional Protestant, Sweden also celebrates some unique holidays, some of a pre-Christian tradition. They include celebrating the summer ;  (Valborgsmässoafton) on  lighting bonfires;  on  is dedicated to socialist demonstrations; and, the day of  the giver of light. is the and, as of 2005, a public holiday. Furthermore, there are observances and a  calendar. In August many Swedes have kräftskivor (crayfish dinner parties). Eve is celebrated in in November with Mårten Gås parties, where roast goose and  ('black soup', made of goose stock, fruit, spices, spirits and goose blood) are served. The, one of Sweden's indigenous minorities, have their holiday on and Scania celebrate their Scanian Flag day on the third Sunday in July.

Cuisine


Swedish cuisine, like that of the other n countries ( and ), was traditionally simple. (particularly ), and es played prominent roles. Spices were sparse. Famous dishes include Swedish meatballs, traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes and ; pancakes, , and, or lavish buffet. ' is a popular alcoholic, and the drinking of ' is of cultural importance. The traditional flat and dry has developed into several contemporary variants. Regionally important foods are the  (a fermented fish) in Northern Sweden and in  in Southern Sweden. However, Swedes has traditionally also been very open to foreign influences, ranging from the during the, to the  and  of today.

Fashion
Sweden has in late years taken an interest in the fashion industry, through headquartering famous brands like (operating as H&M),  (operating as JL), Gina Tricot,  and  within its borders. These companies, however, are comprised largely of buyers who import fashionable goods from throughout Europe and the Americas, continuing the trend of Swedish business toward multinational economic dependency like many of its neighbors.

Carin Wester, Nakkna, Acne, Velour, Rodebjer and Ann-Sofie Back are other important names within the Swedish fashion scene.

Public health
Healthcare in Sweden is viewed as very developed. Sweden ranks in the top five countries with respect to low. It also ranks high in life expectancy and in safe. The in, the  in , the  in , the  in  and the  in  are examples of world-class hospitals in Sweden.

Sports


Sport activities are a national movement with half of the population actively participating, much thanks to the heavy government subsidies of sport associations ("föreningsstöd").The two main spectator sports are and. Second to football, have the highest number of practitioners, mostly women. Thereafter follow, , and the s of , , and. American sports such as and  are practiced but do not enjoy widespread popularity.

The Swedish ice hockey team is regarded as one of the best in the world and has won the  seven times, and Olympic gold medals in 1994 and 2006. In 2006, as the first nation in history, they won both the Olympic and world championships in the same year. The has seen some success at the World Cup in the past, finishing second when they hosted the tournament in 1958, and third twice, in 1950 and 1994. has enjoyed a surge in popularity due to several successful athletes in recent years.

In schools, on meadows and in parks, the game, a sport similar to , is commonly played for fun. Other leisure sports are the historical game of, and among the older generation.

Sweden hosted the and the  in. Other big sports events held here include, , and several championships of , , and.