Sweden Geography
Sweden – key data
Area: 450,295 km² (of which land: 410,335 km², water: 39,960 km²)
Population: 9.1 million (July 2011 estimate, CIA). Composition: Sweden with minorities of Finns and Sami. Most of foreign countries born immigrants make up Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks and Turks.
Population density: 20 people per km²
Population growth: 0.163% per year (2011, CIA)
Capital: Stockholm (795,163 residents, January 2008)
Highest point: Kebnekaise, 2,111 m
Lowest point: drained bay on Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad, -2.4 m
Form of government: Sweden has been a parliamentary monarchy since 1809. The Swedish constitution dates from 1975. The Swedish unicameral parliament (Riksdag) consists of 349 members. Sweden has been a member of the European Union since 1995.
Administrative division: 21 provinces (län): Blekinge, Dalarnas, Gavleborgs, Gotlands, Hallands, Jamtlands, Jonkopings, Kalmar, Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Orebro, Ostergotlands, Skane, Sodermanlands, Stockholm, Uppsala, Varmlands, Vasterbottens, Vasternotallands and Vastmanotallands., Vastmanotallands., Vastmanotallands.
Head of State: King Carl XVI. Gustav, since September 15, 1973
Head of Government: Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, since October 6, 2006
Language: the official language in Sweden is Swedish. Minority languages are Finnish, Meänkieli, and Sami. Common foreign languages in the country are English, German and French.
Religion: Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden 87%. Others (including Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Baptists, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists) 13%.
Local time: CET. Between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October there is summer time in Sweden (CET + 1 hour).
The time difference to Central Europe is 0 h in both winter and summer.
International phone code: +46
Internet identifier:.se
Mains voltage: 220 V, 50 Hz
Sweden Geography
The Kingdom of Sweden is a monarchy in Northern Europe and is located on the eastern edge of the Scandinavian peninsula. Sweden borders in the southwest on the Skagerrak (North Sea), the Kattegat (Baltic Sea) and the Sound, in the south and east on the open North Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia, in the northeast on Finland and in the west on Norway. The total area of the Scandinavian Kingdom, including the approximately 221,800 offshore islands, is a little more than 450,000 square kilometers; the largest north-south extension is 1,574 kilometers, from east to west one crosses the country for 499 kilometers.
Sweden stretches across the eastern part of Scandinavia and is varied and eclectic landscape which changes greatly from north to south. While the north is characterized by the Skanden Mountains, which with its main ridge also form the border to neighboring Norway, the relatively flat center of the country is dominated by the three large lakes Vänersee, Mälarsee and Vättersee. In the south the landscape becomes increasingly flatter to the archipelago which represent a coastal shape characteristic of Sweden. The archipelago was formed by masses of rock that lay below sea level and emerged from the water after the glaciers melted as the land rose. A total of 24,000 islands, tiny islets and cliffs form this fascinating rocky landscape on the coast of Stockholm alone.
Sweden is divided into the three large regions of southern Sweden, central Sweden and northern Sweden. Here, are Southern Sweden mostly flat and is used for agriculture in particular. Forests can only be found in the northern part of this region.
In central Sweden, vast arable land alternates with endless moorland plateaus and dense mountain forests. Sweden’s capital Stockholm is located in eastern central Sweden behind what appears to be an impenetrable archipelago. The interior of the country is mostly open and is characterized by the lakes mentioned with their countless small islands.
Northern Sweden is much rougher, colder and more inhospitable than the rest of the country. This can also be seen from the fact that most of the residents of northern Sweden live on the relatively temperate coast. The lakes in the Norrland region, on the other hand, are thickly frozen for many months. Norrland and Lapland are also thought of as seemingly endless Forests shaped, which are repeatedly traversed by barely manageable currents that arise in the mountains and were previously used to transport wood. Although Lapland is the largest area in Sweden in terms of area, this region is the most sparsely populated. The vegetation consists predominantly of sparse birch forests, as hardly any other tree can thrive on the swampy soil interspersed with moors. This is also the land of the Sami, or Lapps, who roam Lapland with their large herds of semi-wild reindeer.
The highest mountain in Sweden is the 2,111 meter high Kebnekaise in the Skanden Mountains. Of the Klarälven / Göta alv is the longest river in the country, which crosses Sweden over a distance of 720 kilometers.
Best travel time for Sweden
Despite its northern location, Sweden is not as cold as one might expect. The south has a mild climate all year round and in summer it is also quite warm in the north. Sweden is best to travel in summer and autumn (late May to September). However, hikers and campers should think of the mosquitoes, which are particularly common in June and July.
Due to Sweden’s northern location, the summer days are very long. In midsummer, for example, there is more than 17 hours of daylight in Malmö. However, to experience the midnight sun, one must travel north of the Arctic Circle. In Kiruna you can admire this natural spectacle between May 31st and July 14th.
Most Swedes vacation from late June to mid-August. During this time, accommodations are overcrowded and / or fully booked. Visit sunglasseswill for Sweden Travel Guide.
Traveling in winter is somewhat restricted. However, there are plenty of options for winter activities such as skiing, dog sledding, and snowmobiling.
You can travel to the big cities all year round, in smaller cities tourist information and sights are either only partially or not at all open in winter.
