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  guó míngruì diǎn wáng guó( TheKingdomofSweden) dài SE--- běi 'ōu zuì de guó jiā
   guó míng shì lái ruì diǎn qīn shǔ de
   guó miàn   - zǒng 449964 píng fāng gōng   - shuǐ 54 wèi 8.67%
   rén kǒu  - zǒng 897.7 wàn rén  - 82 wèi
   : 6 yuè 6 nián yuèruì diǎn tōng guò xiàn dài xiàn 。198 nián huì zhèng shì xuān yuè wéi ruì diǎn guó qìng jié。)
   guó wéi lán huáng shí lüè xiàng zuǒ lánhuáng yán lái ruì diǎn huáng huī de yán
   guó huī guó huī wéi dǒu péng shìshì yòu wáng guān de lán dùn bèi huáng shí fēn wéi zuǒ shàng yòu xià huì yòudǐng wáng guānyòu shàng zuǒ xià huì yòu dài wáng guān de jīn shī dùn zhōng yòu xiǎo dùnzuǒ miàn yóu lányín báihóng sān xié wén jīn píng chéngyòu miàn huì yòu chéng bǎo shì de zhōng lóu zhǐ jīn yīnglán dùn liǎng bàng shì jīn shīxià duān wéi xūn zhāngxiǎo guó huī wéi dài wáng guān de lán dùndùn miàn shàngdǐng jīn guān shì ruì diǎn wáng guó de xiàng zhēng xiàng zhēng zhe dāng nián chéng 'ěr lián méng de dān màiruì diǎn nuó wēi
   guó :《 lǎo de guāng róng de běi guó shān xiāng》( Dugamla,Dufria)
   mín : 90% wéi 'ěr màn ruì diǎn rénhái yòu fēn fēn lán rén
   zōng jiào jiào zōng
   guó huābái shuì lián
   guó niǎo dōngbǎi shé
   guó shíxiǎoshuǐjīng
   bié chēngōu zhōu chǎng
   mín jìn jiǔ zhī guózài jiā yǐn jiǔ chí zhèng zhǐ dìng gòu mǎi bìng jiāo dìng de shuì kuǎn
   tǒng :900~1200 nián
   huò ruì diǎn lǎng( Svenskkrona)
  1 ruì diǎn lǎng huàn 1.1269 yuán rén mín
   shí : UTC+1 běi jīng shí jiān wǎn xiǎo shíměi niányuè dào10 yuè běi 'ōu shí xíng xià shí zhì běi jīng shí jiān chā suō duǎnxiǎo shí)。
   lián wǎng guó jiā míng .SE
   guó diàn huà hào 46
   zhèng wǎng zhǐ
   ruì diǎn wáng shì: http://www.royalcourt.se
   huì: http://www.riksdagen.se
   shǒu xiāng : http://www.regeringen.se
   wài jiāo : http://www.ud.se
   ruì diǎn guó kāi shǔ: http://www.sida.se
   ruì diǎn xué huì: http://www.si.se
  
   guó jiā zhèng yàoguó wáng 'ěr shí liù shì · (CarlXVIGustaf),1973 niányuè chéng wáng wèishǒuxiàng léi · lài yīn fèi 'ěr 006 nián10 yuè chū rèn shǒuxiàng
  
   rán
   wèi běi 'ōu kān de wéi bàn dǎo dōng dōng běi fēn lán jiē rǎng běi nuó wēi wéi líndōng bīn luó de hǎi jiā hǎi xiá nán lín běi hǎibìng dān mài hǎi xiāng wànglǐng miàn wéi 99 wàn píng fāng gōng bāo kuò lǐng hǎi miàn )。 hǎi 'àn xiàn cháng yuē2181 gōng shì běi xiàng dōng nán qīng xiéběi wéi nuò 'ěr lán gāo yuánquán guó zuì gāo fēng kǎi sài fēng hǎi 2123 nán yán hǎi duō wéi píng yuán huò qiū língzhù yào liú yòu yuē 'ěr wēng 'è màn húpō zhòng duōyuē9.2 wàn zuì de wéi 'ēn miàn 585 píng fāng gōng 'ōu zhōu sānyuē15 de zài běi juàn nèidàn shòu yáng nuǎn liú yǐng xiǎngdōng tài hán lěng fēn shǔ wēn dài zhēn lín hòuzuì nán shǔ wēn dài kuò lín hòu
  
   rén kǒu
   yòu912 wàn(2007 niányuè)。90% wéi ruì diǎn rén 'ěr màn hòu ), wài guó mín hòu chāo guò100 wàn zhōng52.6% wéi wài qiáo mín)。 běi shì wéi de shǎo shù mín yuēwàn rénguān fāng yán wéi ruì diǎn 。90% de guó mín xìn fèng jiào zōng
   ruì diǎn de rén jūn shòu mìng gāochū shēng shuài èr zhàn hòu liàng mín yǒng qíng kuàng zhàn qián xiāng fǎnxiàn gāi guó 12% de rén kǒu chū shēng zài ruì diǎn fēn zhī rén kǒu shì mín huò mín de hòu dài mín duō shù lái fēn lánqián nán lǎngnuó wēidān mài lánfǎn yìng liǎo běi 'ōu rén kǒu liú dòng xìng gāozǎo láo gōng mín hòu de nànmín cháo děng xiàn xiàng
   zuì zǎo de mín shì fēn lán rén 'èr shì jiè zhàn shí yuē 70,000 fēn lán 'ér tóng fàng zhú dào ruì diǎn zhōng 15,000 zhàn hòu liú ruì diǎn。 1950~60 nián dàizhàn hòu de fēn lán jīng xiàn kùn jìng liàng de fēn lán shī zhě zǒu dào jīng fēi de ruì diǎngāo fēng shí ruì diǎn yòu 400,000 fēn lán rén。 1973 nián néng yuán wēi ruì diǎn shī rén shù shàng shēngfēn lán cóng lín guó lián de mào zhōng liú ruì fēn rén jiàn jiàng zhì 200,000 rén
   ruì diǎn shǔ 'ěr màn dān mài nuó wēi yòu guān dàn yīn xiě jūn xiāng yīng shì zuì biàn de 'èr yányóu shì 50 suì xià de rénruì diǎn shì zuì biàn de yánsuǒ guān fāng yán shì duō de zhèng zhì
   zhè shì míng shí de quán guó jiā”。 2000 niánruì diǎn de běi 'ōu lín guó fēn lán bèi lián guó píng wéi shì jiè shàng nán píng děng de fàn guó jiā”。 ruì diǎn de huì zhōng yuán de yuē zhàn 40%, zài 1986 niánruì diǎn de 32 cháng zhōng yóu xìng zhàn liǎo zhōng de 16 ér ruì diǎn zài shè huì huó dòng zhōng nán rén gèng huó yuè tǒng zài ruì diǎn de duì wài mào huó dòng rén chuàng zào de jià zhí zhàn liǎo jìn 60%。
  
   shǒu
   'ěr ( Stockholm), shì rén kǒu78.3 wàn(2006 nián12 yuè)。
  
   xíng zhèng huá
   ruì diǎn yòu 21 xíng zhèng fāng xíng zhèng yóu zhèng rèn mìngxíng zhèng yòu huì yuán wéi shì dài biǎoxíng zhèng yóu shì chéng, 2002 nián quán guó gòng yòu shì 289
   quán guó gòng fēn wéi 21 shěng lāi jīn 'è shěng shěng bǎo shěng lán shěng lán shěng lán shěngyán xuě píng shěng 'ěr shěng bèi shěngběi téng shěngè shěngdōng yuē lán shěng nài shěngnán màn lán shěng 'ěr shěng shěngwéi lán shěng téng shěng nuò 'ěr lán shěng màn lán shěng yuē lán shěng
  
   jiǎn shǐ
   gēn kǎo xué jiā de yán jiūsuí zhe bīng shí nèi xuě jiàn jiàn róng jiěruì diǎn dài shí shí dài yòu rén men zhù zài luó de hǎi jìnzhù yào lièsōu wéi shēng
   mào huó dòng de xiǎn shì ruì diǎn nán qīng tóng shí dài rén kǒu wéi chóu
   jiǔ zhì shí shì shíruì diǎn zhǎn chū wéi jīng wén huà mào qīn lüèzhí mín děng fāng shì xiàng dōng zhǎnyǐng xiǎng de bāo kuò luó de hǎié luó hēi hǎi
   gōng yuán1100 nián qián hòu kāi shǐ xíng chéng guó jiā。1157 nián jiān bìng fēn lán。1397 nián dān màinuó wēi chéng 'ěr (Kalmar) lián méngshòu dān tǒng zhì。1523 nián tuō lián méng tóng nián · (GustavErikssonVasa) bèi tuī wèiguó wáng。1654 zhì1719 nián wéi ruì diǎn de qiáng shèng shí lǐng bāo kuò xiàn fēn lánài shā tuō wéi táo wǎn 'é guó lán guó de luó de hǎi yán 'àn
  17 shì shí ruì diǎn zài sān shí nián zhàn zhēng (1618~1648 nián ) zhōng yuè shēng chéng wéi 'ōu zhōu qiáng guó。 18 shì běi fāng zhàn zhēng (1700~1721 nián ) hòu 'é guó dài ruì diǎn zài 'ōu zhōu de wèi。1718 nián duì 'é guódān mài lán zuò zhàn shī bài hòu zhú zǒu xiàng shuāi luò。1805 nián cān jiā lún zhàn zhēng,1809 nián bài 'é guó hòu bèi ràng fēn lán,1814 nián cóng dān mài nuó wēibìng nuó jié chéng ruì nuó lián méng。1905 nián nuó wēi tuō lián méng ruì diǎn zài liǎng shì jiè zhàn zhōng jūn shǒu zhōng
   ruì diǎn de jìn dài shǐ jiào píng jìngzuì jìn de shì 1814 nián nuó wēi de zhàn shìgāi zhàn hòu liǎng guó chéng yóu ruì diǎn zhù dǎo de lián méng, 1905 nián jiě sànruì diǎn zài liǎng shì jiè zhàn zhōng jūn bǎo chí zhōng lěng zhàn shí méi yòu xiàng liǎng zhèn yíng kào lǒngruì diǎn shì jūn shì zhì de chéng yuándàn huì cānyù běi yuē de jūn shì xùn liàn
  1901 nián jiè nuò bèi 'ěr jiǎng bān jiǎng zài ruì diǎn 'ěr huáng jiā yīnyuè xué yuàn xíng。 1902 nián kāi shǐ nuò bèi 'ěr jiǎng yóu ruì diǎn guó wáng bān shòu
   ruì diǎn zài shì jiè zhàn 'èr shì jiè zhàn wéi chí zhōng shì, 1995 nián fàng zhōng zhù jiā 'ōu méng
  20 shì ruì diǎn zài guó zhōng bǎo chí zhōng běn xiāng duì píng wěn dìngruì diǎn shí xíng de běn zhù zhì tóng měi guóyòu wán shàn de bǎo zhàng zhì yòugāo gōng gāo shuì shōugāo de diǎnzài 20 shì 60 nián dài dào 90 nián dàiruì diǎn jīng fēi zhǎnrén mín shēng huó shuǐ píng gāo
  
   zhèng zhì
   xiàn xíng xiàn yóu zhèng diǎn(1809 nián zhì dìng,1974 nián xiū dìng)、 wáng wèi chéng (1810 nián zhì dìng,1979 nián xiū dìng xīn wén yóu (1949 nián zhì dìngsān běn chéng wài hái yòu huì zhì (1866 nián zhì dìng,1974 nián xiū dìng)。 xiàn guī dìng ruì diǎn shí xíng jūn zhù xiàn zhìguó wáng shì guó jiā yuán shǒu zhuāng duì tǒng shuàizuò wéi guó jiā xiàng zhēng jǐn xíng dài biǎo xìng huò xìng zhí néng gān huì zhèng gōng zuò huì shì guó jiā wéi de gòuyóu xuǎn chǎn shēngzhèng shì guó jiā zuì gāo xíng zhèng gòuduì huì guó wáng de zuì niánzhǎng shì dìng wáng wèi chéng rén huì wéi yuàn zhì
  
   jīng
  
   ruì diǎn shí xíng de yíng gōng shāng jiào wán shàn de guó yíng gōng gòng mén xiāng jié de " hùn jīng ", gāo gōng gāo shuì shōugāo zhù chēngsēn líntiě kuàng shuǐ shì ruì diǎn de sān rán yuánzài chǔ shàng zhǎn bìng xíng chéng liǎo cǎi kuàng jīnlín zào zhǐdiàn xiè zhì zào chuán tǒng gōng zuò wéi yòu fēng de cáitiě kuàngshuǐ yuán de guó jiāruì diǎn zhuózhòng zhǎn chū kǒu wéi dǎo xiàng de gōng huà jīng gōng zài guó mín jīng zhōng zhàn yòu shí fēn zhòng yào de wèi,82% de gōng pǐn chū kǒu dào guó wài
  20 shì 70 nián dài zhōng hòuruì diǎn gōng jié gòu shēng liǎo xiǎn zhù biàn huàruì diǎn jiā yán zhǎn de tóu gāo chǎn xùn zhǎnjiāo tōngtōng xùn yào bǎo jiànxìn huán bǎo lǐng zài shì jiè shàng yòu jiào qiáng de jìng zhēng zuò wéi ruì diǎn zhù yào chū kǒu mén de gāng tiě cái jiā gōng zhú jiàn bèi xiè zhì zàodiàn jīng chē děng gōng mén suǒ dài zào chuánfǎng zhì děng gōng shuāi luòzhèng gōng liǎo liàng jīn jìn xíng tiēgǎi huò shōu guī guó yòujīn shǔ jiā gōng zhì zào shì ruì diǎn zuì zhòng yào de gōng ménruì diǎn de xiè chǎn pǐn yòu jīng nài yòng gōng shuǐ píng gāo de diǎngǔn zhū zhóu chénglěng dòng shè bèi děng chuán tǒng chǎn pǐn zài guó shì chǎng shàng xiǎng yòu hěn gāo de shēng gāng tiě gōng shì shǐ yōu jiǔ de gōng mén zhī huà xué gōng shì ruì diǎn zhù yào gōng mén zhī zài huà xué gōng nèi yóu shí yóu huà xuéshí yóu jīng liàn zuì wéi chū liàohuà xiānyào pǐn huà féi yòu jiào zhǎn chē gōng zhàn hòu zhǎn xùn chú shēng chǎn xiǎo chē wàihái shēng chǎn zhǒng chēxiǎo chē chǎn liàng de sān fēn zhī xiāo wǎng měi guónéng yuán gōng zài ruì diǎn jīng zhōng shí fēn zhòng yào de wèiruì diǎn gōng néng yuán duōjiā shàng dōng màn cháng jiāo tōng xiàn hěn chángshì néng yuán gāo xiāo fèi guó jiājǐn diàn xiāo hào měi rén nián jūn 1.3 wàn zuǒ yòuruì diǎn de nóng jiào wéi ruì diǎn jīng zhù yào lài duì wài mào zhù zhāng shì chǎng kāi fàng yóu mào
   ruì diǎn zhù yào chū kǒu chǎn pǐn yòu chē yùn shū shè bèi xiè diàn chǎn pǐn jiāng zhǐ zhāng yào huà gōng gāng tiě jīn shǔ zhì pǐnruì diǎn jìn kǒu huò de60% shàng wéi zhì zào de jiàn yuán cái liàozhù yào yòudiàn chǎn pǐn xiè chē yùn shū shè bèishí pǐnfǎng zhì pǐn xié lèi děng
   ruì diǎn rén kǒu shǎo jiǔ bǎi wàncóng hóng guān jīng de jiǎo kàn shì wēi dào de shì chǎngzhè diǎn jué dìng liǎo duì wài mào duì ruì diǎn yóu zhòng yàozhù yào tiān rán yuán yòu sēn línshuǐ diàntiě kuàng děng
   yòu zhàn gōng shēng chǎn jiǔ chéng zhōng 50% shì shū chū huò shū de gōng chéng xiàng nóng zhǐ zhàn 2% de guó nèi shēng chǎn zǒng zhíquán guó zhǐ yòu 2% de jiù rén kǒu cóng shì nóng shēng chǎnyīn zhèng zhuólì jǐn suō kāi zhī, 2001 nián yòu 'é yíng dàn 2002 nián de yíng yīn quán qiú jīng shuāi tuì 'ér xià jiàng bàn
   tōng xìn xiè zhì zàojiàn zhù gōng chéng yùn shū shì ruì diǎn zhòng yào de chǔ chǎn
   ruì diǎn yòu hěn duō guó zhī míng de pǐn pái 'ěr chē chē ài xìn tōng xìn lāi diàn 、 ABB、 xiàngjī jiā jiā H&M zhuāng děng děngàn rén kǒu suànruì diǎn shì shì jiè shàng yōng yòu kuà guó gōng zuì duō de guó jiā
   ài xìn gōng 1876 nián chéng 'ěr de 'ài xìn gōng ( TelefonaktiebolagetLMEricsson) shì ruì diǎn zuì de jiā cóng shì diàn tōng xìn děng de gōng shì shì jiè zhù míng de diàn xìn shēng chǎn dìng dòng tōng xìn wǎng dòng diàn huà xìn tōng xìn tǒng děng fāng miàn de shùzài guó diàn xìn zhōng lǐng xiān wèiài xìn de bāo kuòtōng xìn wǎng luò tǒngzhuān diàn xìn shù shòu quán tǒng dòng zhōng duān yōng yòu suǒ 'ài xìn dòng tōng xìn gōng 50% de fèn)。 jié zhì1999 niányuèyōng yòu zhí gōng yuē10 wàn duōfēn zài shì jiè140 duō guó jiā ài xìn gōng tóng zhōng guó zài diàn tōng xùn lǐng jìn xíng liǎo cháng de yǒu hǎo zuò zài zhōng guó de zhōng zài lǐng gōng gòng wǎng luò de chéng kòng jiāo huàn dòng diàn huà tǒng bàn gōng jiāo huàn tǒng。1985 niánài xìn zài běi jīng kāi shè liǎo jiā bàn shì chù。1994 niányuèài xìnzhōng guóyòu xiàn gōng chéng wán quán guī shǔ ruì diǎn 'ài xìn gōng shì 'ài xìn de zhōng guó xié diào rénzǒng zài běi jīngjié zhì2000 nián ài xìn gōng zài huá yōng yòu4000 duō míng yuán gōng,24 jiā bàn shì chù 10 jiā
   'ěr tuán( ABvolvo, yòu háo tuán”) chuàng jiàn 1927 nián de shì shì jiè zuì díkǎ chē chē jiàn zhù shè bèi de shēng chǎn shāng zhī zài hǎi yáng gōng néng yuán tǒng fāng miàn fēi dòng yuán jiàn lǐng zhàn yòu lǐng xiān wèigāi tuán shì běi 'ōu zuì de shì shì jiè60 jiā gōng zhī bāo kuò 'ěr chēmài chēléi nuò chē 'ěr chē 'ěr jiàn zhù shè bèi 'ěr dòng 'ěr háng tiān háng kōng 'ěr jīn róng wàihái yòu duō shāng gòu zài gōng chéngyán 、 IT、 líng jiàn liú děng lǐng gōng quán tuán fàn wéi nèi de zhī chí tuán zǒng shè zài bǎozài quán qiú25 guó jiā yōng yòu shēng chǎn chǎn pǐn xiāo wǎng130 duō shì chǎngyuē yòu yuán gōng gòng7.6 wàn rén 'ěr tuán2003 nián de jìng xiāo shòu 'é 191.51 'ōu yuán tuán de xià shǔ gōng yòu 'ěr jiào chē gōng (volvocars)、 'ěr chē gōng (volvotruckcorp.)、 'ěr chē gōng (volvobuscroup)、 'ěr shī gōng shè bèi gōng 'ěr dòng zhì zào gōng (volvopenta)、 'ěr fēi háng tiān dòng zhì zào gōng děng
  
   wén huà
   shí xíngnián guàn zhì miǎn fèi jiào zhù míng gāo xiào yòu 'ěr xué xuélóng xuéhuáng jiā gōng xué yuàn 'ěr shāng xué yuàn děngruì diǎn rén wén huà zhì jiào gāo qíng hàokèchún chéng shítán wén míngxíng wéi guījuzhòng nuò shǒu shíruì diǎn rén shí fēn zhòng shì huán jìng bǎo ài huāài niǎo shēng 'ài rán yuán měi nián xiǎng shòuzhōu de dìng yòu xīn jiàqīměi zhōu gōng zuòtiānquán nián lěi gōng zuò1,5000 xiǎo shírén men huān yòng xián xiá shí jiān dào wài huó dòngdào sēn lín tián yuǎn cǎi zhāi guǒ dào hǎi yóu yǒngfàn zhōuchuí diàozài zhòu cháng duǎn de xià jiā fēn fēn dào guó nèi wài yóuruì diǎn chéng wéi shì jiè shàng wài chū yóu rén shù zuì duō de guó jiā zhī huó dòng gèng shì ruì diǎn rén de 'àihào
   ruì diǎn bǎo xué2002 niányuè24 gōng de xiàng diào chá xiǎn shìyīn wǎng zài ruì diǎn jīng chāo guò chuán tǒng de bào zhǐchéng wéi gèng shòu rén men huān yíng de chuán méigēn chōu yàng diào chápíng jūn měi ruì diǎn rén měi zhòu shàng wǎng liú lǎn de shí jiān 23 fēn zhōngér ruì diǎn rén yòng yuè bào de shí jiān shì21 fēn zhōngyòng yuè wǎn bào de shí jiān zhǐ shèng xiàfēn zhōngshōu tīng guǎng shōu kàn diàn shì de shí jiān fēn bié gāo xiǎo shí 45 fēn zhōngdiào chá xiǎn shì xìng jiào huān shōu tīng guǎng shūnán xìng jiào qīng xiàng shōu kàn wén diàn shì xīn wénkàn xiàng yuè wǎn bàoshòu guò gāo děng jiào de rén jiào yuàn shàng wǎng shū yuè zhuān zhìér shòu jiào chéng jiào de rén kàn diàn shìtīng guǎng yuè wǎn bào
   ruì diǎn de jiàqī zhù yào shì tiān zhù jiào jié chuán tǒng jié zhòng xià jié( Midsummer) 'ěr ( WalpurgisNight)。 de jié tóng shí shì guó jiā jiā huì guà guó ruì diǎn rén huì gēn míng guà guó 。 6 yuè 6 shì ruì diǎn de guó qìng dàn réng wèi shì zhèng shì de jiàqī
   ruì diǎn tōng xùn shè (TidningarnasTelegrambyra--TT) shì ruì diǎn zuì de tōng xùn shèchuàng jiàn 1921 nián shì ruì diǎn bào zhǐ guǎng diàn tái zuò suǒ yòu de fèn gōng rèn shì xiàng ruì diǎn140 duō jiā bào zhǐ guǎng diàn tái diàn shì tái gōng guó nèi wài xīn wénzǒng shè shè zài 'ěr zài 'ěr bǎosōng 'ěr 'ōu yán xuě píng chéng shì shè yòu fēn shèruì tōng shè shè yòu guó nèiguó shè yǐng huìjīng láo gōng shì chǎng biān ji zǒng shè yòu yuán jìn180 rén zhōng zhě yuē150 rénzài fāng gōng zuò de zhě gòng yuē400 rénruì tōng shè de guó nèi xīn wén yuē zhàn3, guó xīn wén fēn shì yóu gāi shè zhù wài zhě gōng fēn shì zhuǎn tòu shè xīn shè xīn shè děng tōng xùn shè de xiāo měi yuē jiē shōu shàng shù tōng xùn shè12 wàn de xīn wéngāi shè bāo kuò xīn huá shè zài nèi de20 duō jiā tōng xùn shè yòu zuò guān ruì tōng shè zài tōng xùn shù fāng miàn jiào xiān jìn。1954 nián zuò wéi jiā 'ōu zhōu tōng xùn shè kāi shǐ shǐ yòng diàn chuán gǎoruì tōng shè hái yīn fāng shì sòng diàn huà xīn wénzhǐ yào dìng de diàn huà hào suí shí dōukě shōu tīng dào gāi shè de zuì xīn jiǎn míng xiāo
  
   xué (http://www.uu.se)
   lóng xué (http://www.lu.se)
   bǎo xué (http://www.gu.se)
   'ěr xué (http://www.su.se)
   'ào xué (http://www.uu.se)
   lín xuě píng xué (http://www.liu.se)
   ruì diǎn lán xué
   huáng jiā gōng xué yuàn (http://www.kth.se)
   chá 'ěr gōng xué yuàn (http://www.chalmers.se)
   luò lín xué yuàn (http://www.ki.se)
   'ěr jīng xué yuàn (http://www.sse.se)
  
   jūn shì
   ruì diǎn xiàn yòu zǒng bīng yuē6.5 wàn rénwén zhí rén yuán yuēwàn rénzhàn shí dòng yuán85 wàn rén。2004 niányuèruì diǎn guó fáng chén yuē lóng biǎo shēng míng shuōruì diǎn guò fáng fàn lái qián lián tuán de qīn dāng zuò guó jiā fáng de zhòng diǎnér zhè wēi xié xiàn zài jīng cún zàixiàn zài de zhòng diǎn shì duì guó wēi hàn wèi guó jiā lǐng wán zhěng
  
   míng shèng
   nuò bèi 'ěr (Nobel'sHouse) zuò luò zài ruì diǎn zhōng 'ěr jiā shì de bái huà shān zhuāng 'ěr 200 duō gōng zhè shì zuò bái de 'èr céng lóu fánglóu fáng qián de cǎo píng zhōu de bái huà lín jiāo xiāng huī yìnghuán jìng qīng yōu。1894 nián 'ā 'ěr léi · nuò bèi 'ěr jié shù liǎo hǎi wài piāo shēng huí dào guó dìng zài zhè guò liǎo shēng mìng zuì hòu liǎng nián zhōng de fēn shí guāngyóu dāng nián zài 'ěr chū shēng de jiù jīn jīng chù gāo lóu shàbái huà shān zhuāng jiù chéng liǎo jīn tiān wéi bǎo cún wán zhěng de nuò bèi 'ěr
   1975 nián jiàn niàn guǎn láizhè chéng wéi yóu lǎn shèng nuò bèi 'ěr xué shù huó dòng de zhōng xīnměi nián zài zhè xíng nuò bèi 'ěr xué shù tǎo lùn huìlái shì jiè de zhù míng xué jiā jǐjǐ tánggòng tóng tàn tǎo xué lǐng xīn nuò bèi 'ěrzào rén lèide xué shù xiǎng niàn guǎn bǎo liú zhe nuò bèi 'ěr shēng qián huó dòng de zhào piàn huò de zhǒng shù míng zhuān zhèng shūjīn zhì jiǎng zhāng zhǔnuò bèi 'ěr de shì chén shè shí fēn jiǎn dānzhǐ yòu chuángzhuō guì děng jiàn zuì yào de jiā ér shí yàn shì de zhǒng shè bèi lín láng mǎn nuò bèi 'ěr1833 nián10 yuè21 shēng yīn míng xiāo huà gān yóu yǐn bào léi guǎnxiāo huà gān yóu zhà yào jiāo zhuàng zhà yào děngróng yīngzhà yào wángde míng shēng。1896 nián12 yuè10 shì cháng zhōng nián63 suìgēn de zhǔ zhé wéi920 wàn měi yuán de fēn chǎnzuò wéi jiǎng zào rén lèi de xué gōng zuò zhě de jīn zhè jīn de fēn shè huà xuéshēng huò yàowén xué píngzhǒng jiǎng jīnměi nián zài nuò bèi 'ěr de shì shì bān chēng nuò bèi 'ěr jiǎng jīn
  
   ruì diǎn huáng gōng shì guó wáng bàn gōng xíng qìng diǎn de fāng 'ěr zhù yào yóu jǐng diǎnzuò luò zài 'ěr shì zhōng xīnjiàn 17 shì shì ruì diǎn zhù míng jiàn zhù xué jiā 'ěr de zuò pǐnzhèng mén yóu liǎng zhǐ shí diāo shī fēn liǎng bàngliǎng míng tóu dài hóng yīng jūn màoshēn chuān zhōng shì zhuāng de wèi shì chí qiāng 'ér xiǎn shí fēn wēi sēn yánhuáng gōng yòu duō jīng měi de diāozhōng jiān shì hěn de chángyuànnán bàn jué de wáng gōng jiào táng guó jiā tīng běi bàn jué de yàn huì tīng zhì jīn bǎo chí zhe yuán yòu chén shèduì gōng zhòng kāi fànghuáng gōng huá de tīng shàng guà zhe de dài guó wáng huáng hòu de xiào xiàng huàqióng dǐng shì yòu mái diāo xuàn de huì huà shuō duō chū 17 shì guó měi shù jiā zhī shǒuyòu de shì nèi hái chén shè zhe dài de zhàn chē bīng zhū bǎo shì jīn yín mǐn shǒu chí cháng máoquán shēn guà zhe tóng kuī tiě jiá de zhōng shì shì de shí xíngwáng gōng wèi duì měi tiān zhōng 'àn lǎo chuán tǒng xíng lóng zhòng de huàn gǎng shì yǐn yóu
  
   shǐ míng rén
   ā 'ěr léi · bèi 'ēn hǎdé · nuò bèi 'ěr (AlfredBernhardNobel,1833.10.21~1896.12.10), ruì diǎn zhù míng huà xué jiāxiāo huà gān yóu zhà yào míng rén。1833 nián shēng ruì diǎn de 'ěr shēng zhì zhà yào de yán jiūzài xiāo huà gān yóu de yán jiū fāng miàn liǎo zhòng chéng jiù。1896 nián12 yuè10 nuò bèi 'ěr zài shì shìshì shì de qián nián zài zhǔ zhōng chūjiāng fēn chǎn(920 wàn měi yuánzuò wéi jīn fēn shè huà xuéshēng huò xuéwén xué píngzhǒng jiǎng jīnshòu shì jiè guó zài zhè xiē lǐng duì rén lèi zuò chū zhòng gòng xiàn de xué zhě。1900 niányuè ruì diǎn zhèng zhǔn chéng nuò bèi 'ěr jīn huìbìng nián nuò bèi 'ěr shì shìzhōu nián niàn 1901 nián12 yuè10 shǒu bān nuò bèi 'ěr jiǎng。1968 nián ruì diǎn zhōng yāng yínháng jiàn xíng300 zhōu nián zhī gōng jīn zēng shè nuò bèi 'ěr jīng jiǎngquán chēng wéi " ruì diǎn zhōng yāng yínháng niàn 'ā 'ěr léi · 'ēn · nuò bèi 'ěr jīng xué jiǎng jīn ", chēng " niàn nuò bèi 'ěr jīng xué jiǎng "), bìng 1969 nián kāi shǐ xiàng jiǎng tóng shí bān nuò bèi 'ěr jiǎng >>>
  
   ào luò · 'ěr méi( OlofPalme, 1927.1.30~1986.2.28), ruì diǎn shǒuxiàng。1927 niányuè30 shēng 'ěr zǎo nián 'ěr jìn de xué xiào xué hòu bīng 'èr shì jiè zhàn hòu měi guó 'é hài 'é zhōu kǎi 'ēn xué yuàn,1948 nián huò wén xué shì xué wèihuí guó hòu 'ěr xué,1951 nián huò xué shì xué wèi。1950 cān jiā shè huì mín zhù dǎng。1953 nián rèn ruì diǎn shǒuxiàng bié wèn。1958 nián dāng xuǎn wéi yuán。1963 nián zài zhèng zhōng rèn zhí。1969 nián rèn shè huì mín zhù dǎng zhù 。1969 nián、1982 nián liǎng chū rèn shǒuxiàng。1976 nián11 yuè dāng xuǎn wéi shè huì dǎng guó zhù 。1980 niányuèzài chàng xià chéng liǎoguān cái jūn 'ān quán wèn wěi yuán huì”( chēng 'ěr méi wěi yuán huì”), rèn zhù 。1980 nián11 yuè zuò wéi lián guó shū cháng de shǐ tiáotíng liǎng zhàn zhēng。1986 niányuè28 zài 'ěr shēn wáng
  
   wài jiāo
   fèng xíng píng shí jūn shì jié méng qiú lín jìn shēng zhàn zhēng shí shǒu zhōng de wài jiāo zhèng zài lín jìn ōu zhōu shì jiè shì sān céng miàn cānyù guó zuòrèn wéi zuò 'ān quánlín jìn shì shēn de 'ān quán chǔōu méng zài 'ōu 'ān shì zhōng huī zhe yuè lái yuè zhòng yào de zuò yòngchéng rèn běi yuē zài 'ōu 'ān shì zhōng de zhù dǎo wèishì cānyù lián guó shì wéi wài jiāo shí zhī 。1994 niányuèjiā běi yuē píng huǒ bàn guān ”。1995 niányuè chéng wéi 'ōu méng zhèng shì chéng yuán guóruì diǎn hái zhù zhāng huī lián guó zuò yòng jìn huǎn cái jūnruì diǎn shì 'ōu zhōu wěi yuán huìběi 'ōu shì huìōu zhōu yóu mào lián méng chéng yuán guó
  
   zhōng guó guān ruì diǎn 1950 niányuè14 chéng rèn xīn zhōng guó,1950 niányuèruì diǎn zhōng guó jiàn jiāoshì zhōng guó jiàn jiāo de fāng guó jiā。2006 niányuè 'ěr shí liù shì guó wáng duì zhōng guó jìn xíng guó shì fǎng wèn。2007 niányuè jǐn tāo zhù duì ruì diǎn jìn xíng guó shì fǎng wèn jǐn tāo zài 'ěr chū ruì zhōng mào wěi yuán huì xíng de huān yíng wǎn yàn bìng biǎo zhòng yào jiǎng huà
  
   ruì diǎn zhù yào gǎng kǒu gài kuàng
   'ěr
   gǎng kǒu míng chēng ( zhōng wén ): 'ěr
   gǎng kǒu míng chēng ( yīng wén ): STOCKHOLM
   háng xiànběi 'ōu
   guó jiāruì diǎn
   shí
  
   gǎng kǒu qíng kuàng miáo shù
   gǎng kǒu xìng zhì hǎi gǎng yóu gǎng
   jīng wěi , 59 20 fēn N, 018 03 fēn E
   háng xiànběi 'ōu
   wèi ruì diǎnquán chēngruì diǎn wáng guó THEKINGDOMOrSWEDEN) dōng nán yán hǎi méi lún( MALAREN) de chū hǎi kǒu chùbīn lín luó de( BALTIC) hǎi de běi shì ruì diǎn 'èr gǎng shì luó de hǎi de zhù yào gǎng zhī shì ruì diǎn de shǒu quán guó zhèng zhìjīng wén huà jiāo tōng de zhōng xīnyòu shì zuò yòu míng de guó chéng shìhěn duō shì jiè xìng huì dōuzài zhào kāishì yóu xiǎo 14 dǎo 70 duō zuò qiáo liáng chéng yòuběi fāng wēi zhī chēngzhù yào gōng yòu gāng tiězào chuán zhì zàoshí pǐnhuà xuéliàn yóu fǎng zhì děnggǎng kǒu fēn lán de 'ěr xīn 。 (HELSINKI) gǎng yuē 240nmi1e。 chǎng yuē 40km, yòu zhèng guī háng bān
   gāi gǎng shǔ běi wēn dài xìng hòushèng xíng nán fēngnián píng jūn wēn zuì gāo yuē 29 zuì 16℃。 měi nián jié bīng 14 tiānyòu bīng chuán xié zhù kāi hángquán nián píng jūn jiàng liàng 60Omm。 cháo chā xiǎn zhù
   zhuāng xiè shè bèi yòu zhǒng 'àn diào shì diào chē diào diàojuǎnyáng chētuō chē gǔn zhuāng shè shī děng zhōng diào zuì zhòng néng 260 dūnhái yòu zhí jìng wéi 152.4 508mm de shū yóu guǎn gōng zhuāng xiè shí yóu shǐ yòngyóu tóu kào 6.5 wàn zài zhòng dūn de yóu chuánzhuāng xiè xiàolǜ liáng měi xiǎo shí wéi 120 dūnliáng róng 7 wàn dūn chuán máo shuǐ shēn zài 60m shàngběn gǎng yóu gǎng yòu 3 cháng tóu, 2 duǎn tóugǎng miàn 38 wàn píng fāng , huò chǎng miàn yuē 9 wàn píng fāng liáng róng wéi 1.6 wàn dūngǎngkǒu zhù yào chū kǒu huò wéi cáizhǐ zhānggāng tiě xièzhǐ jiāng shí pǐn děngjìn kǒu huò zhù yào yòu méi tànshí yóujīn shǔ huà gōng pǐn děng。 1992 nián zhuāng xiāng tūn liàng wéi 2.4 wàn TEU, nián huò tūn néng yuē 2500 wàn dūnzài jié jiǎ zhōng jiā bānshōu fèi jiā bèi
   èr 'ěr xīn bǎo
   gǎng kǒu míng chēng ( zhōng wén ): 'ěr xīn bǎo
   gǎng kǒu míng chēng ( yīng wén ): Helsinborg
   háng xiànběi 'ōu
   guó jiāruì diǎn
   shí : -7
   gǎng kǒu qíng kuàng miáo shù
   gǎng kǒu xìng zhìhǎi wān gǎngshè yòu yóu mào běn gǎng( M)
   jīng wěi : 60 10 fēn N, 024 57 fēn E
   háng xiànběi 'ōu
   wèi fēn lánquán chēngfēn lán gòng guó THEREPUBLICOFFINLAND) nán yán hǎi fēn lán( FINLAND) wān de běi 'ànshì fēn lán zuì de gǎng kǒushǐ jiàn 1640 niándào 1812 nián chéng wéi fēn lán de shǒu xiàn wéi quán guó zhèng zhìwén huàjīng jiāo tōng zhōng xīn shì quán guó zuì de gōng zhōng xīn jǐn shì quán guó zhì zào gōng zào chuán gōng zhōng xīnhái shì yìn shuà gōng zhuāng gōng de zhōng xīn wàihái yòu jīnhuà xuéshí pǐn fǎng zhì děng gōng 'ěr xīn yòu shì quán guó zuì de wài mào kǒu 'àn dān zhe fēn lán duì wài mào huò yùn liàng de 50% zuǒ yòu gǎng de xià bié cháng tiān zhōngyáng guāng zhào de shí jiān 20 xiǎo shíyīn rén men 'ěr xīn jiào zuòtài yáng luò dedōu chéng”。 gǎng kǒu chǎng yuē 25km, měi tiān yòu dìng háng bān fēi wǎng shì jiè 'é luó shèng bǎo( ST.PETERSBURG) gǎng yuē 170nmile。
   gāi gǎng běi wēn dài xìng hòushèng xíng nán héng dōng nán fēngnián píng jūn wēn dōng yuē -7 shè shì zuì céng -24 shè shì xià yuē 22 shè shì zuì gāo céng 29 shè shì měi nián 12 yuè xià xún zhì nián de 4 yuè zhōng xún wéi bīng dòng dàn yòu bīng chuán xié zhù kāi hángquán nián píng jūn jiàng liàng yuē 600mm。 píng jūn cháo chā shèn xiǎoběn gǎng gǎng wài yòu xiǎo dǎo zuò píng zhàngshì tiān rán liáng gǎng
   zhuāng xiè shè bèi yòu zhǒng 'àn diàomén diào zhuāng xiāng diàoduō gōng néng diào yáng zhuān yòng qiáo shì zhòng gǔn zhuāng shè shī děng huò tóu yòu zuì zhòng néng 150 dūn de dìng zhòng yóu tóu yòu diàn chí zhuāng xiāng tóu yuē zhàn 20 wàn píng fāng gǎng kǒu cāng zǒng miàn 52 wàn píng fāng tiān duī chǎng miàn 120 wàn píng fāng gāi gǎng gǎng wéi zuì lái wǎng ruì diǎnnuó wēidān mài guó lán guó yīng guó de zhuāng xiāng guà chē bān lún de zhuāng xiè wéi háng chéng gèng yuǎn de huò bān lún jìn xíng zhuāng xièsài 'ěr nán gǎng shì lái wǎng luó de hǎi gǎng shí lán yīng guó zhù yào guà chē de dìng háng yùn zhōng xīn shì fēn lán jìn chū shuǐ guǒ shū cài de zhōng xīnyōng yòu guī de xiān huò cāng hái yòu jìn kǒu shí yóu de zhuān yòng tóubìng gōng wēi xiǎn pǐn rán huà xué pǐn cāng běn gǎng yóu mào de miàn 10 wàn píng fāng zhù yào shì cāng chǔ shè shīzài gǎng yòu 2 wàn píng fāng de yóu mào jìn gāi de huò shòu hǎi guān kòng zhì xiàn shòu xiàn zhìdài huò yùn zǒu shízài shuì jiāo fèizài sài 'ěr nán gǎng yòu 8 wàn píng fāng de yóu mào zhù yào yòng tíng fàng jìn kǒu de chē děng dài jiāo huòzhù yào jìn kǒu huò wéi méishí yóuliáng shuǐ guǒ chē děngchū kǒu huò zhù yào yòu cáizhǐ zhāngzhǐ jiāng zhì pǐn děng。 1994 nián zhuāng xiāng tūn liàng wéi 47.3 wàn TEU( chū kǒu 22.2 wànjìn kǒu 25.1 wàn), zhuāng xiāng yùn liàng zhàn zhěng fēn lán yuē 74%, chē guà chē yùn liàng yuē 46%。 nián huò tūn néng yuē 1500 wàn dūnzài jié jiǎ zhōng guǒ yào jiā bān zài 24 xiǎo shí qián chū shēn qǐngjīng zhǔn hòu 'ān pái zuò dàn yìng jiā bān fèi
   sān bǎo
   gǎng kǒu míng chēng ( zhōng wén ): bǎo
   gǎng kǒu míng chēng ( yīng wén ): Gothenburg
   háng xiànběi 'ōu
   guó jiāruì diǎn
   shí : -7
   gǎng kǒu qíng kuàng miáo shù
   gǎng kǒu xìng zhìhǎi xiá kǒu gǎng yóu gǎng běn gǎng( M)
   jīng wěi : 57 42 fēn N, 011 58 fēn E
   háng xiànběi 'ōu
   wèi ruì diǎnquán chēngruì diǎn wáng guó THEKINGDOMOFSWEDEN) nán yán hǎi yuē ( GOTA) kǒubīn lín jiā ( KATTEGAT) hǎi xiá de dōng běi dān mài de féi liè( FREDERIKSHAVN) gǎng xiá xiāng wàngxiāng jǐn 50nmile, shì ruì diǎn de zuì gǎng kǒu 18 shì chūsuí zhe ruì diǎn hǎi yùn de zhǎn fán róng 'ér zhú jiàn chéng wéi quán guó gǎng yòu shì ruì diǎn de gōng zhōng xīnzhù yào gōng yòu zào chuánliàn yóu chē xiè cái jiā gōng shí pǐn děngyòu quán guó guī zuì de zào chuán chǎng liàn yóu chǎnggǎng kǒu chǎng yuē 30km。
   gāi gǎng shǔ běi wēn dài hǎi yáng xìng hòuquán nián duō nán - fēng。 3~5 yuè duō 。 12~2 yuè hǎi miàn yòu bīngdàn fēng gǎngnián píng jūn wēn dōng yuē -11 shè shì xià yuē 28 shè shì quán nián píng jūn jiàng liàng yuē 550mm。 cháo chā xiǎn zhù bān wéi 0.25m。 gǎng fēn zài yuē nán běi liǎng 'àn kǒu běi de hǎi xiá yán 'àn 'ěr zhī jiān yòu tiáo yùn xiāng lián gǎng shì ruì diǎn jìn chū yáng zuì jìn de gǎng kǒu
   zhuāng xiè shè bèi yòu zhǒng 'àn diàomén diàojuǎnyáng chuán sòng dài zhuāng xiāng diào diào gǔn zhuāng shè shī děng zhōng zhuāng xiāng diào zuì zhòng néng wéi 60 dūn diào zuì zhòng néng 260 dūnhái yòu zhí jìng wéi 203.2~406.4mm de shū yóu guǎn gōng zhuāng xiè shí yóu shǐ yòng zhuāng xiāng tóu kào 3.5 wàn zài zhòng dūn de chuán yóu tóu zuì 25 wàn zài zhòng dūn de xíng yóu chuánhuò péng cāng miàn 88 wàn píng fāng tiān duī chǎng miàn 180 wàn píng fāng gǎng kǒu yòu yùn tiě tōng 'ěr gǎngběn gǎng yóu gǎng de miàn 30 wàn píng fāng bǎo xīn yǐn jìn liǎo tiáo dòng huà shù jiǎn tǒng héng DICAMOS tǒngshù shè xiàng jiān kòng tǒng), ān zhuāng zài tóu mén de jìn chū kǒu tōng dàoměi tiáo tōng dào yòu dìng de shè xiàng tōng guò mén de tuō chē zhuāng xiāng qíng kuàngjǐn yòng 20 miǎo zhōng jiāng shì pín xìn hào de jiǎn tǒng xià láibìng jiāng xiàng chǔ cún zài pán shàngměi pán cún 500 dūn liàng tuō chē de xìn měi liàng tuō chē yòu 14 jìng tóuzhè xiē pán bèi bǎo liú xià lái biàn zài néng shēng de huò yùn shū guò chéng mǒu huán jié zhōng jiū fēn shí zhī yònggǎng kǒu zhù yào jìn kǒu huò wéi méijiāo tàn xièxiǎo chēkuàng yóujīn shǔtiěmián huāyáng máo zhì pǐn shí pǐnshuǐ guǒ huà gōng pǐn děngchū kǒu huò zhù yào yòu zhǐ jiāng zhì pǐnzhǐ zhānggāng tiězhǐ bǎnhuà gōng chǎn pǐn chē xiè shí yóu chǎn pǐn děng。 1993 nián huò tūn liàng wéi 2710 wàn dūn 1992 nián zēngzhǎng 6%, 1993 nián zhuāng xiāng tūn liàng 37 wàn TEU, 1992 nián zēngzhǎng 3%。 zài jié jiǎ zhōng jiā bān yào gōng rén yuànzài yuán dàn shèng dàn jié chú děng jié jiā bān
  
   ruì diǎn de bié chēng:“ sēn lín wáng guó”“ húpō wáng guó”“ ōu zhōu chǎng”“ běi 'ōu xuě guó”“ jìn jiǔ wáng guó


  Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige (help·info) [ˈko:.nɵ.ŋa.ˌri:.kət ˈsvær:.jə]), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway and Finland, and is connected to Denmark by the Oresund Bridge. It has been a member of the European Union since January 1, 1995. Its capital city is Stockholm.
  
  At 449.964 km² (173.732 sq mi), Sweden is the third largest country by area in Western Europe and fourth in all of Europe. With a total population slightly over 9 million, Sweden has a low population density of 20 people per km² (52 per sq. mi). About 84% of the population live in urban areas.
  
  Modern Sweden emerged out of the Kalmar Union formed in 1397, and by the unification of the country by King Gustav Vasa in the 16th century. In the 17th century the country expanded its territories to form the Swedish empire. Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The eastern half of Sweden constituted by the eastern half of Norrland and Österland was lost to Russia in 1809. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military means forced Norway into a personal union with Sweden, a union which lasted until 1905. Since 1814, Sweden has been at peace, adopting a non-aligned foreign policy in peacetime and neutrality in wartime. Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a strong tradition of parliamentary democracy.
  
  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). The Swedish name Sverige literally means "Realm of the Swedes", excluding the Geats in Götaland.
  
  The etymology of Swedes, and thus Sweden, is generally not agreed upon but suggestively deriving from Proto-Germanic *Swihoniz meaning "one's own", referring to one's own Germanic tribe.
  
  History
  
  Prehistory
  
  Sweden's prehistory begins in the Allerød warm period c. 12,000 BCE with Late Palaeolithic reindeer-hunting camps of the Bromme culture at the edge of the ice in what is now the country's southernmost province. This period was characterised by small bands of hunter-gatherer-fishers using flint technology.
  
  Rock carvings from Tanum, Bohuslän. Rock carvings (petroglyphs) are common all over Scandinavia and several thousands have been found in Sweden alone.Farming and animal husbandry, along with monumental burial, polished flint axes and decorated pottery, arrived from the Continent with the Funnel-beaker Culture in c. 4,000 BCE. Sweden's southern third was part of the stock-keeping and agricultural Nordic Bronze Age Culture's area, most of it being peripheral to the culture's Danish centre. The period began in c. 1700 with the start of bronze imports from Europe. Copper mining was never tried locally during this period, and Scandinavia has no tin deposits, so all metal had to be imported though it was largely cast into local designs on arrival.
  
  The Nordic Bronze Age was entirely pre-urban, with people living in hamlets and on farmsteads with single-story wooden long-houses.
  
  In the absence of any Roman occupation, Sweden's Iron Age is reckoned up to the introduction of stone architecture and monastic orders about 1100 CE. Much of the period is proto-historical, that is, there are written sources but most hold a very low source-critical quality. The scraps of written matter are either much later than the period in question, written in areas far away, or local and coeval but extremely brief.
  
  A rock painted moose from Jämtland. Rock paintings (pictographs) have been fairly limited to northern Scandinavia.The climate took a turn for the worse, forcing farmers to keep cattle indoors over the winters, leading to an annual build-up of manure that could now for the first time be used systematically for soil improvement.
  
  A Roman attempt to move the Imperial border forward from the Rhine to the Elbe was aborted in AD 9 when Germans under Roman-trained leadership defeated the legions of Varus by ambush in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. About this time, a major shift in the material culture of Scandinavia occurred, reflecting increased contact with the Romans.
  
  Starting in the 2nd century CE, much of southern Sweden's agricultural land was parcelled up with low stone walls. They divided the land into permanent infields and meadows for winter fodder on one side of the wall, and wooded outland where the cattle was grazed on the other side. This principle of landscape organization survived into the 19th century. The Roman Period also saw the first large-scale expansion of agricultural settlement up the Baltic coast of the country's northern two thirds.
  
  Sweden enters proto-history with the Germania of Tacitus in 98 CE. Whether any of the brief information he reports about this distant barbaric area was well-founded is uncertain, but he does mention tribal names that correspond to the Swedes (Suiones) and the Sami (Fenni) of later centuries. As for literacy in Sweden itself, the runic script was invented among the south Scandinavian elite in the 2nd century, but all that has come down to the present from the Roman Period is curt inscriptions on artefacts, mainly of male names, demonstrating that the people of south Scandinavia spoke Proto-Norse at the time, a language ancestral to Swedish and other North Germanic languages.
  
  Panoramic view of Ale's Stones in Scania, southern Sweden. This ship setting is a Vendel Period burial monument, most likely dating from the 7th century CE.
  Viking and Middle ages
  See also: Early Swedish history and Foundation of Modern Sweden
  The Swedish Viking Age lasted roughly between the eighth and eleventh centuries CE. During this period, it is believed that the Swedes expanded from eastern Sweden and incorporated the Geats to the south. While Vikings from what is today Norway, Denmark and the west coast and south of Sweden travelled south and west, Swedish vikings and Gutar travelled east and south, going to Finland, the Baltic countries, Russia, the Mediterranean and further as far as Baghdad. Their routes passed the rivers of Russia down south to Constantinople (Byzantine Empire) (present-day Istanbul, Turkey) on which they did numerous raids. The Byzantine Emperor Theophilos noticed their great skills in war, and invited them to serve as his personal bodyguard, these were called the varangian guard. The Swedish vikings Template:Early Swedish history. The Swedish vikings (Rus) are, according to the most popular theory, believed to have to have founded Russia. The adventures of these Swedish Vikings are commemorated on many runestones in Sweden, such as the Greece Runestones and the Varangian Runestones. There was also considerable participation in expeditions westwards, which are commorated on stones such as the England Runestones. The last major Swedish Viking expedition appears to have been the ill-fated expedition of Ingvar the Far-Travelled to Serkland, the region south-east of the Caspian Sea. Its members are commemorated on the Ingvar Runestones, none of which mentions any survivor. What happened to the crew is unknown, but it is believed that they died of sickness.
  
  It is not known when and how the kingdom of Sweden was born, but the list of Swedish monarchs is drawn from the first kings who ruled Svealand (Sweden) and Götaland (Gothia) as one with Erik the Victorious. Sweden and Gothia were two separate nations long before that. It is not known how long they existed, Beowulf described semi-legendary Swedish-Geatish wars in the sixth century CE.
  
  Visby, a medieval city on Gotland.During the early stages of the Scandinavian Viking Age, Ystad in Scania and Paviken on Gotland, 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 CE. 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.
  
  St. Ansgar introduced Christianity around 829, but the new religion did not begin to fully replace paganism until the twelfth century and onward. During the 11th century, Christianity became the most prevalent religion, and from the 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 Finland, creating conflicts with the Rus.
  
  In the 14th century, Sweden was struck by the Black Death (the Plague). During this period the Swedish cities also began to acquire greater rights and were strongly influenced by German merchants of the Hanseatic League, active especially at Visby. In 1319, Sweden and Norway were united under King Magnus Eriksson and in 1397 Queen Margaret I of Denmark effected the personal union of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark through the Kalmar Union. 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 Sture family) chosen by the Swedish parliament. King Christian II of Denmark, 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 “Stockholm blood bath” and stirred the Swedish nobility to new resistance and, on 6 June (now Sweden's national holiday) in 1523, they made Gustav Vasa their king. This is sometimes considered as the foundation of modern Sweden. Shortly afterwards he rejected Catholicism and led Sweden into the Protestant Reformation. Gustav Vasa is considered to be Sweden's "Father of the Nation".
  
  Swedish Empire
  
  Sweden was during Imperial times the most powerful country of northern Europe and the Baltic Sea. Sweden's Imperial status took its start with Gustav II Adolph as king, who made Sweden the third biggest nation in Europe by area after Russia and Spain, 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 Gustav I's major changes on the Swedish economy in the mid-1500s, and his introduction of Protestantism (Lutheran).
  
  The mid 1600s and the early 1700s were Sweden's most successful years as a great power. Sweden reached its largest territorial extent as an empire during the rule of Charles X (1622–1660) after the treaty of Roskilde in 1658. However, Sweden's largest territorial extent lasted from 1319 to 1343 with Magnus Eriksson ruling all of the traditional lands of Sweden and Norway. 17th century saw Sweden engaged in warfare with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with both sides competing for territories of today's Baltic states, with the disastrous Battle of Kircholm being one of the highlights. This period also saw the Deluge - the Swedish invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. After more than a half century of almost constant warfare the Swedish economy had deteriorated. It would become the lifetime task of Charles' son, Charles XI (1655-1697), to rebuild the economy and refit the army. His legacy to his son, the coming ruler of Sweden Charles XII, 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. After the Battle of Narva in 1700, one of the first battles of the Great Northern War, the Russian army was so severely injured, that Sweden had an open chance to invade Russia. Instead, however, Charles XII invaded Poland and changed their king to a more Swedish friendly one. However after the crushing defeat at poltava the old king quickly took his throne back. This gave the Russian Tsar time to rebuild and modernise his army. After the success of invading Poland Charles decided to make an invasion attempt of Russia, which however, ended in a decisive Russian victory at the Battle of Poltava in 1709. The campaign had a successful opening for Sweden, which came to occupy Poland and change their rule into a more Swedish friendly king. But after a long march exposed by cossack raids, the Russian Tsar Peter the Great's scorched-earth techniques and the cold Russian climate, 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.
  
  After building up a new army Charles XII attempted to invade Norway 1716, however he was shot at Fredriksten fortress in 1718. The Swedish military was not defeated at Fredriksten. However, when Karl died the whole structure and organisation of the Norwegian campaign fell apart and the army withdrew back home. However this led to defeat, the Swedish head of state signed the Treaty of Nystad 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 empire, and become one of Europe's dominant nations.
  
  In the 18th 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 eastern part to Russia: forming the semi-autonomous (Duchy) of Finland of Imperial Russia.
  
  After Denmark-Norway was defeated in the Napoleonic Wars, Norway was ceded to the king of Sweden on 14 January 1814, at the Treaty of Kiel. The Norwegian attempts to keep their status as a sovereign state were rejected by the Swedish king, Charles XIII. He launched a military campaign against Norway on July 27, 1814, ending in the Convention of Moss, which forced Norway into a personal union 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 18th and 19th centuries saw a significant population increase, which the writer Esaias Tegnér in 1833 famously attributed to "the peace, the (smallpox) vaccine, and the potatoes". 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 percent 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 United States. In the early 20th century, more Swedes lived in Chicago than in Gothenburg (Sweden's second largest city). Most Swedish immigrants moved to the Midwestern United States, with a large population in Minnesota. Some Swedes moved to Delaware. Some also moved to Canada and others in smaller numbers to Argentina.
  
  A map of Sweden with largest cities and lakes and most important roads and railroads, from a printed CIA World Factbook. (See also: Atlas of Sweden)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 enclosure, 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.
  
  Strong grassroots movements sprung up in Sweden during the latter half of the nineteenth century (trade 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 World War I. As the Industrial Revolution progressed during the twentieth century, people gradually began moving into cities to work in factories, and became involved in socialist unions. A socialist revolution was avoided in 1917, following the re-introduction of parliamentarism, and the country was democratized.
  
  World Wars
  
  Sweden remained officially neutral during World War I and World War II, 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 therefore collaborated with Hitler. Swedish volunteers in Nazi SS units were among the first to invade the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa. Sweden also supplied steel and machined parts to Germany throughout the war. Toward the end of the war however, when the defeat of Germany 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 Norden and the Baltic states. Nevertheless, internal and external critics have argued that Sweden could have done more to resist the Nazi war effort, even if risking occupation.
  
  Cold War
  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 Marshall Plan and participated in the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 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, 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 roboticized. Prime Minister Olof Palme was murdered in 1986.
  
  Between 1970 and 1990 Sweden increased overall tax burden by over ten percentage points and the growth was very low compared to most other countries in Western Europe. Sweden steadily lost its position in rankings such as GDP per capita.
  
  Recent history
  
  A bursting real estate bubble caused by inadequate controls on lending combined with an international recession and a policy switch from anti-unemployment policies to anti-inflationary policies resulted in a fiscal crisis in the early 1990s. Sweden's GDP declined by around 5%. In 1992 there was a run on the currency, the central bank briefly jacking up interest to 500% in an unsuccessful effort to defend the currency's fixed exchange rate. Total employment fell by almost 10% during the crisis.
  
  The response of the government was to cut spending and institute a multitude of reforms to improve Sweden's competitiveness, among them reducing the welfare state and privatizing public services and goods. Much of the political establishment promoted EU membership, and the Swedish referendum passed by 52-48% in favour of joining the EU on 14 August 1994.
  
  Sweden joined the European Union on1 January 1995, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, Europe's non-aligned Western countries, except Ireland, had considered membership unwise, as the EU predecessor, the European Community, had been strongly associated with NATO countries. Following the end of the Cold War, however, Sweden, Austria and Finland joined, though in Sweden's case without adopting the Euro. Sweden remains non-aligned militarily, although it participates in some joint military exercises with NATO 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 military in Iraq. Sweden also has a long history of participating in international military operations, including most recently, Afghanistan, where Swedish troops are under NATO command, and in EU sponsored peacekeeping operations in UN protectorate Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Cyprus. Foreign minister Anna Lindh was murdered in 2003.
  
  Geography and climate
  
  Situated in Northern Europe, Sweden lies west of the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia, providing a long coastline, and forms the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. To the west is the Scandinavian mountain chain (Skanderna), a range that separates Sweden from Norway.
  
  Sweden is surrounded by Norway (west), Finland (northeast), the Skagerrak, Kattegat and Öresund straits (southwest) and the Baltic Sea (east). It has maritime borders with Denmark, Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, and it is also linked to Denmark (southwest) by the Öresund Bridge.
  
  The 25 provinces of SwedenAt 449,964 km² (173,732 sq mi), 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 U.S. state of California, with a population in 2006 of 9.1 million people.
  
  The lowest elevation in Sweden is in the bay of Lake Hammarsjön, near Kristianstad at -2.41 m (-7.91 ft) below sea level. The highest point is Kebnekaise at 2,111 m (6,926 ft) above sea level.
  
  Sweden has 25 provinces or landskap (landscapes), based on culture, geography and history; Bohuslän, Blekinge, Dalarna, Dalsland, Gotland, Gästrikland, Halland, Hälsingland, Härjedalen, Jämtland, Lapland, Medelpad, Norrbotten, Närke, Skåne, Småland, Södermanland, Uppland, Värmland, Västmanland, Västerbotten, Västergötland, Ångermanland, Öland and Östergötland. While these provinces serve no political or administrative purpose, they are common in everyday language. The provinces are usually grouped together in three large lands, parts, Norrland, Svealand and Götaland.
  
  About 15% of Sweden lies north of the Arctic Circle. Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, with increasing forest coverage northward. The highest population density is in the Öresund region in southern Sweden, and in the valley of lake Mälaren in central Sweden. Gotland and Öland are Sweden's largest islands; Vänern and Vättern are Sweden's largest lakes.
  
  Sweden has a temperate climate despite its northern latitude, mainly because of the Gulf Stream. In the mountains of northern Sweden a sub-Arctic climate predominates. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets for part of each summer, and in the winter, night is similarly unending.
  
  Common weather in the seasons (°C):
  
  Winter: Cold in the whole country, average temperature below 0°C.
  Spring: Chilly in north, and cool to mild in southern and central.
  Summer: Pleasantly warm in southern and central, cooler in north.
  Autumn: Cool to mild.
  
  Average precipitation is between 500 and 800 mm every year. In some parts though the average is between 1000 and 1700 mm/year.
  
  Administration and politics
  
  Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, in which King Carl XVI Gustaf is head of state, but royal power has long been limited to official and ceremonial functions. The Economist Intelligence Unit, while admitting that democracy is difficult to measure, lists Sweden in first place in its index of democracy assessing 167 countries. The nation's modern legislative body is the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament), with 349 members, which chooses the Prime Minister. Parliamentary elections are held every four years, on the third Sunday of September.
  
  Counties and municipalities
  
  Sweden is a unitary state, currently divided into twenty-one counties (län). Each county has a County Administrative Board 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 County Council or landsting, which is elected directly by the people.
  
  Each county further divides into a number of municipalities or kommuner, with a total of 290 municipalities in 2004. Municipal government in Sweden is similar to city commission government and cabinet-style council government. A legislative municipal assembly (kommunfullmäktige) of between 31 and 101 members (always an uneven number) is elected from party-list proportional representation at municipal elections, held every four years in conjunction with the national parliamentary elections.
  
  The municipalities are also divided into a total of 2,512 parishes, or församlingar (2000). These have traditionally been a subdivision of the Church of Sweden, but still have importance as districts for census and elections.
  
  There are also older historical divisions, primarily the twenty-five provinces and three lands, which still retain cultural significance. The Swedish government is investigating the possibilities of merging the current 21 counties into circa 9 larger regions along the lines of the current riksområden used for statistical purposes. If approved, these would come into effect around 2015.
  
  Political history
  
  Kingdoms of Svear (Swedish) and Götar (Geats) in the twelfth century.The actual age of the kingdom of Sweden is unknown. It depends mostly on whether Sweden should be considered a nation when the Svear (Swedes) ruled Svealand or if the emergence of the nation started with the Svear and the Götar (Geats) of Götaland being united under one ruler. In the first case, Sweden was first mentioned to have one single ruler in the year 98 by Tacitus, but it is almost impossible to know for how long it had been this way. However, historians usually start the line of Swedish monarchs from when Svealand and Götaland were ruled under the same king, namely Erik the Victorious and his son Olof Skötkonung in the 10th century. These events are often described as the consolidation of Sweden, although substantial areas were conquered and incorporated later.
  
  Earlier kings, for which no reliable historical sources exist can be read about in mythical kings of Sweden and semi-legendary kings of Sweden, many of these kings are only mentioned in various saga and blend with Norse mythology.
  
  The title Sveriges och Götes Konung was last used for Gustaf I of Sweden, after which the title became "King of Sweden, of the Goths and of the Wends" (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 present King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf 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 Gustav Vasa, representatives of all four estates of the realm (clergy, nobility, townsmen and peasants) 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 Privy Council until 1680, followed by the King's autocratic rule initiated by the common estates of the Parliament. As a reaction to the failed Great Northern War, a parliamentary system was introduced in 1719, followed by three different flavours of constitutional monarchy in 1772, 1789 and 1809, the latter granting several civil liberties. The monarch remains as the formal, but merely symbolic head of state with ceremonial duties.
  
  The Riksdag of the Estates consisted of two chambers. In 1866 Sweden became a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament, with the First Chamber indirectly elected by local governments, and the Second Chamber directly elected in national elections every four years. In 1971 the Riksdag became unicameral. Legislative power was (symbolically) shared between king and parliament until 1975. Swedish taxation is controlled by the Riksdag (parliament).
  
  Modern political system
  
  The Riksdag building, Stockholm.Constitutionally, the 349-member Riksdag (Parliament) holds supreme authority in modern Sweden. This Riksdag is responsible for choosing the prime minister, who then appoints the government (the ministers). The legislative power is then shared between the parliament and the Prime Minister led government. The executive power is exercised by the government, while the judiciary is independent. Sweden lacks compulsory judicial review, 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 cabinet or by members of Parliament. Members are elected on the basis of proportional representation for a four-year term. The Constitution of Sweden 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 Swedish Social Democratic Party has played a leading political role since 1917, after Reformists had confirmed their strength and the revolutionaries left the party. After 1932, the cabinets 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. 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 Fredrik Reinfeldt. The next elections will be held in September 2010
  
  The Riksdag following its 2006 renovation (picture of assembly hall).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 general election of 2002, 81.99 in general election of 2006). 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 neighbours.
  
  Some Swedish political figures that have become known worldwide include Raoul Wallenberg, Folke Bernadotte, former Secretary General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld, former Prime Minister Olof Palme, former Prime Minister and Foreign minister Carl Bildt, former President of the General Assembly of the United Nations Jan Eliasson, and former International Atomic Energy Agency Iraq inspector Hans Blix.
  
  Political movements
  Sweden has a history of strong political involvement by ordinary people through its "popular movements" (Folkrörelser), the most notable being trade unions, the independent Christian movement, the temperance movement, the women's movement 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 Feminist Initiative 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 equality 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.
  
  Law, law enforcement, and judicial system
  
  Swedish police car (Volvo V70).The Supreme Court of Sweden is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, and with few exceptions, leave to appeal can be granted only when the case is of interest as a precedent. The Supreme Court consists of 16 Councillors of Justice or justitieråd which are appointed by the government, but the court as an institution is independent of the Riksdag, and the government is not able to interfere with the decisions of the court.
  
  Law enforcement in Sweden is carried out by several government entities. The Swedish Police Service is a Government agency concerned with police matters in Sweden. The National Task Force is a national SWAT unit within the National Criminal Investigation Department. Swedish Security Service's responsibilities are counter-espionage, anti-terrorist activities, protection of the constitution and protection of sensitive objects and people.
  
  According to a victimization survey of 1,201 residents in 2005, Sweden has above average crime rates compared to other EU countries. Sweden has high or above average levels of assaults, sexual assaults, hate crimes, and consumer fraud. Sweden has low levels of burglary, car theft and drug problems. Bribe seeking was rare.
  
  Foreign policy
  Throughout the twentieth century, Swedish foreign policy was based on the principle of non-alignment in peacetime and neutrality 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 Swedish campaign against Norway in 1814. During World War II Sweden joined neither the allied nor axis 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 defence 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 DC-3 was shot down over the Baltic Sea by a Soviet MiG-15 jet fighter. Later investigations revealed that the plane was actually gathering information for NATO. Another plane, a Catalina search and rescue plane, 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.[citation needed]
  
  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 United Nations, and in support to the Third World. Since the murder of Olof Palme 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 Whiskey class submarine ran aground close to the Swedish naval base at Karlskrona 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 espionage 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 European Union, 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 Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces (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 Democratic Republic of Congo, Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
  
  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, Ireland and Estonia will also contribute. The Nordic Battle Group (NBG) is to have a 10-day deployment readiness during the first half of 2008 and, although Swedish led, will have its Operational Headquarters (OHQ) in Northwood, outside London.
  
  Economy
  
  Gross Regional Product (GRP) per capita in thousands of kronor (2004).
  Real GDP growth in Sweden, 1996-2006.Sweden is an export-oriented market economy featuring 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. Sweden's engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Telecommunications, the automotive industry and the pharmaceutical industries are also of great importance. Agriculture accounts for 2 percent of GDP and employment.
  
  The 20 largest Sweden-registed companies by turnover in 2007 were Volvo, Ericsson, Vattenfall, Skanska, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget, Electrolux, Volvo Personvagnar, TeliaSonera, Sandvik, Scania, ICA, Hennes & Mauritz, Nordea, Preem, Atlas Copco, Securitas, Nordstjernan, and SKF.
  
  Sweden has always provided solid support for free trade (except agriculture), free immigration, and strong property rights. Sweden was richer than almost all countries until, after World War II, governments increased tax burden and government consumption to very heavy levels. The model eventually led to slow growth, Sweden fell some 10 places in GDP per capita rankings, and Swedish households became relatively poor compared to households in less-taxed similar countries. Sweden started to move away from the model in the 1980s, and according to OECD and McKinsey, Sweden has recently been relatively fast in liberalization compared to countries such as France. Deregulation-induced competition helped Sweden to halt the economic decline and restore strong growth rates in the 2000s. 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. The current Swedish government, selected in 2006, is continuing the trend to pursue moderate reforms. Growth was over 3% in 2006, which is around double the growth in France or Germany.
  
  Swedes have rejected euro in a popular vote and Sweden maintains its own currency, the Swedish krona (SEK). The Swedish Riksbank—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%. According to Economic Survey of Sweden 2007 by OECD, the average inflation in Sweden has been one of the lowest among European countries since the mid-1990s, largely because of deregulation and quick utilization of globalization.
  
  Some 4.5 million residents are working, out of which around a third with tertiary education. According to OECD, deregulation, globalization, and technology sector growth have been key productivity drivers. GDP per hour worked is growing 2½ per cent a year for the economy as a whole and trade-terms-balanced productivity growth 2%. GDP per hour worked remains behind United States and GDP per capita gap is around 22%. Sweden is a world leader in privatized pensions and pension funding problems are relatively small compared to many other Western European countries. Although the labor market has become more flexible, Swedish labor market is still characterized by insiders and relatively excluded outsiders, and distorted prices, a contrast to the laissez-faire non-regulated labor market in Denmark. Also, taxes for all income groups are high: median income worker suffers from over 60% tax wedge. Inverted tax wedge - the amount going to the service worker's wallet - is approximately 15% compared to 10% in Belgium, 30% in Ireland and 50% in United States, often making services too expensive, or forcing people to the do-it-yourself economy or black market. The slowly declining overall taxation, 51.1% of GDP in 2007, is still nearly double of that in the United States or Ireland. Bureaucracy amounts to a third of Swedish workforce.
  
  The Index of Economic Freedom 2008 ranks Sweden the 27th most free out of 162 countries, or 14th out of 41 European countries. Sweden ranked 9th in the IMD Competitiveness Yearbook 2008, scoring high in private sector efficiency. According to the book, The Flight of the Creative Class, by the U.S. economist, Professor Richard Florida of George Mason University, 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 it claims is most useful to business — talent, technology and tolerance.
  
  The largest trade flows are with Germany, United States, Norway, United Kingdom, Denmark, and Finland.
  
  Education
  
  Swedish students with their student caps on.All young children from 1-5 years old are guaranteed a place in public day-care facility (förskola or dagis). Between ages 6-16, children attend compulsory comprehensive school, divided in three stages. Swedish 15-years-old pupils have the 22nd highest average score in the PISA assessments, being neither significantly higher nor lower than the OECD average.
  
  After completing the ninth grade, 90% continue with a three-year upper secondary school (gymnasium) leading sometimes to a vocational diploma and (depending on which program you've chosen) to qualifications for further studies at a university or university college (högskola). Both upper secondary school and university studies are financed by taxes. Some Swedes go straight to work after secondary school.
  
  There are universities and university colleges in Sweden. Only few countries except Canada, United States and Japan have higher levels of tertiary degree holders. 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.
  
  Uniquely, Sweden is known for being a leader in free-market revolution. While most pre-tertiary students are still enrolled in municipality-managed schools, Sweden introduced education vouchers in 1992, one of the first in the world after Netherlands. Anyone can establish a for-profit school and the municipality must pay new schools the same amount as municipal schools get. For instance, the biggest school chain, Kunskapsskolan, offers 30 schools and a web-based environment, teaches nearly 10,000 pupils, and makes decent profit. Over 10% of pupils were enrolled in private schools in 2008 and numbers are growing fast. The system is popular among voters and the consumer choice has helped to improve education.
  
  Energy
  
  Sweden's energy market is largely privatized. Nordic energy market is one of the first liberalized energy markets in Europe and it's traded in Nord Pool.
  
  The 1973 oil crisis strengthened Sweden's commitment to decrease dependence on imported fossil fuels. Since then, electricity has been generated mostly from hydropower and nuclear power. The use of nuclear power has been limited, however. Among other things, the accident of Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station (USA) prompted the Swedish parliament to hold a referendum 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.[citation needed]
  
  In 2006, out of a total electricity production of 139 TWh, electricity from hydropower accounted for 61 TWh (44%), and nuclear power delivered 65 TWh (47%). At the same time, the use of biofuels, peat 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. Biomass is mainly used to produce heat for district heating and central heating and industry processes.
  
  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 nuclear fission before 2020, although it is very unlikely that this will happen as the Government has decided to cancel the phase-out.[citation needed]
  
  In an effort to phase out the dependency on nuclear power and fossil fuels, the Swedish government has launched a multi-billion dollar program to promote renewable energy 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 carbon dioxide 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.
  
  Transport
  
  Sweden has 162,707 km paved road and 1,428 km of expressways. Motorways run through Sweden, Denmark and over the Öresund Bridge to Stockholm, Gothenburg, Uppsala and Uddevalla. The system of motorways is still under construction and a new motorway from Uppsala to Gävle is under construction. Rail transport is privatized and companies include SJ, Green Cargo, Tågkompaniet and a number of regional companies. The largest airport include Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (17.91 million passengers in 2007), Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport (4.3 million passengers in 2006), and Stockholm-Skavsta Airport (2.0 million passengers).
  
  Public policy
  See also: Nordic model and Swedish welfare
  Since the late 1960s, Sweden had the highest tax quota (as percentage of GDP) in the industrialized world, although today the gap has narrowed and Denmark has surpassed as the heaviest taxed country among developed countries. Sweden has a two step progressive tax 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 VAT 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. As of 2007, total tax revenue was 47.8% of GDP, the second highest tax burden among developed countries, down from 49.1% 2006. After increasing the tax burden after World War II, Sweden's GDP per capita ranking fell from the 4th to 14th place in a few decades. No new net jobs have been produced in the Swedish private sector since 1950. None of top 50 companies on the Stockholm stock exchange has been started since 1970.
  
  Public sector spending amounts to 53% of the GDP. State and municipal employees total around a third of the workforce, much more than in most Western countries. Only Denmark has larger bureaucracy (38% of Danish workforce). Spending on transfers is also high. In the 1990s, Sweden started to make reforms, such as education vouchers in 1992 and decentralization of some types of healthcare services to municipal control.
  
  Eighty percent 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.
  
  Swedish unemployment figures are highly contested in politics. The official number, defended by SDP before it lost elections, was around 4.5% in 2006. The official number does not 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. 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 becoming unemployed and a great national debt. Two remnants are an increase in socioeconomic segregation and a national debt of approximately 1 167 billion Swedish Kronor (approx. €124 billion, December 2007), 39% of the GDP.
  
  OECD notes, that while several sectors in the economy have been deregulated, the Swedish housing market remains distorted, hindering an optimal matching of supply and demand. Also, because of taxes and regulation, Swedish construction productivity is low. The rampant tax evasion has helped to keep prices a bit lower, but at the same time caused overly fragmented industry.
  
  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 12 August 2004 according to the Statistics Sweden. 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 emigration ending after World War I to a nation of immigration from World War II onwards. In 2006, immigration to Sweden reached its highest level since records began.
  
  The largest immigrant group living in Sweden as of 2005 consists of people born in Finland, followed by people born in Turkey, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Russia, Iran, Iraq and Former Yugoslavia.
  
  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.
  
  Language
  
  The primary language of Sweden is Swedish, a North Germanic language, related and very similar to Danish and Norwegian, but differing in pronunciation and orthography. Norwegians have little difficulty understanding Swedish, and Danes can also understand it, with slightly more difficulty than the Norwegians. The dominant language is Swedish, though it is not an official language. However, with the recognition of five minority languages of Sweden (Finnish, Meänkieli, Sami, Romani and Yiddish) the issue of whether Swedish should be declared the official language was raised. The parliament voted in 2005 but the proposal narrowly failed.
  
  In varying degrees, depending largely on frequency of interaction with English, a majority of Swedes, especially those born after World War II, understand and speak English thanks to trade links, the popularity of overseas travel, a strong Anglo-American influence and the tradition of subtitling rather than dubbing foreign television shows and films. English became a compulsory subject for secondary school students studying natural sciences 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 first grade and ninth grade, with all students continuing in secondary school studying English for at least another year. Most students also study one and sometimes two additional languages. These include (but are not limited to) German, French and Spanish. Some Danish and Norwegian is at times also taught as part of the Swedish course for native speakers.
  
  Sweden Finns are Sweden's largest linguistic minority. They make around 3 percent of Sweden's population. On the other hand, in neighboring Finland, Swedish is first language for about 5.5 percent (2007) of the population, the so called Swedish-speaking Finns. Swedish-speakers are found in rural and coastal municipalities. Swedish is an official language in these municipalities and holds the status of an official language of the state. There are mandatory Swedish courses in the secondary school.
  
  Religion
  Before the eleventh century, Swedes adhered to Norse paganism, worshiping Æsir gods, with its centre at the Temple in Uppsala. With Christianization in the 11th century, the laws of the country were changed, forbidding worship of other deities into the late nineteenth century.
  
  After the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s, a change significantly affected by Martin Luther's Swedish associate Olaus Petri, the Church and state were separated and the authority of Roman Catholic bishops abolished, allowing Lutheranism to prevail. This process was completed by the Uppsala Synod of 1593. During the era following the Reformation, usually known as the period of Lutheran Orthodoxy, small groups of non-Lutherans, especially Calvinist Dutchmen, the Moravian Church and Walloons or French Huguenots from Belgium, played a significant role in trade and industry, and were quietly tolerated as long as they kept a low religious profile. The Sami 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 Judaism and Roman Catholicism, allowed to openly live and work in Sweden, and it remained illegal until 1860 for Lutheran Swedes to convert to another religion. The 19th century saw the arrival of various evangelical free churches, and, towards the end of the century secularism, leading many to distance themselves from Church rituals. Leaving the Church of Sweden 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 Freedom of Religion in 1951.
  
  Today about 75% of Swedes belong to the Church of Sweden (Lutheran), 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 the parents was a member. Since 1996, all children that are christened become members. Some 275,000 Swedes are today members of various free churches (where congregation attendance is much higher), and, in addition, immigration has meant that there are now some 92,000 Roman Catholics and 100,000 Eastern Orthodox Christians living in Sweden. Because of immigration, Sweden also has a significant Muslim population. Almost 500,000 are Muslims by tradition, but approximately 5% (25,000) of these are practising Islam (in the sense of attending Friday prayer and praying five times a day). (See Islam in Sweden.)
  
  According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 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 France and Russia on having a large minority of its citizens who have no religion. Independent of these statistics, it is generally known that Swedish society, collectively, considers religiousness as a private affair separate from daily life.
  
  Health
  
  Healthcare in Sweden is developed. Sweden ranks in the top five countries with respect to low infant mortality. It also ranks high in life expectancy and in safe drinking water. World-class hospitals in Sweden include Lund University, Karolinska University Hospital, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Linköping University Hospital and Uppsala University Hospital.
  
  A person seeking care first contacts a clinic for a doctor's appointment, and may then be referred to a specialist by the clinic physician, who may in turn recommend either in-patient or out-patient treatment, or an elective care option. The health care is governed by the 21 Landsting (County councils) of Sweden, which act on general recommendations of the parliament, and delegate local government to the municipalities. Regulations, waiting times and patient fees vary in the different Landsting. The main criticism leveled at Swedish health care is that the waiting times are too long. Another criticism is that waiting times, quality of care and patient fees may vary in different counties, effectively meaning that patients may be treated better depending on where they live.
  
  Culture
  
  Sweden has many authors of worldwide recognition including August Strindberg, Astrid Lindgren, and Nobel Prize winners Selma Lagerlöf and Harry Martinson. In total seven Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded to Swedes. The nation's most well-known artists are painters such as Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn, and the sculptors Tobias Sergel and Carl Milles.
  
  Swedish twentieth-century culture is noted by pioneering works in the early days of cinema, with Mauritz Stiller and Victor Sjöström. In the 1920s–1980s, the filmmaker Ingmar Bergman and actors Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman became internationally noted people within cinema. More recently, the films of Lukas Moodysson and Lasse Hallström have received international recognition.
  
  Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Sweden was seen as an international leader in what is now referred to as the "sexual revolution", 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 I Am Curious (Yellow) (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 homosexuality, as is reflected in the popular acceptance of films such as Show Me Love, which is about two young lesbians in the small Swedish town of Åmål. In the absence of legislation on same-sex marriages, Sweden offers both registered partnerships and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. Cohabitation (sammanboende) by heterosexual couples of all ages, including teenagers as well as elderly couples, is widespread although in recent years it has become administratively problematical with regard to proof in claims of "spousal" social security. About half the children in the country are born out of wedlock. Presence of already obtained common-law offspring in newspaper photographs of marrying couples is commonplace.
  
  Music
  
  Sweden has a rich musical tradition, ranging from medieval folk ballads to hip hop music. 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 lur (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 folk-music scene, both in the traditional style as well as more modern interpretations which often mix in elements of rock and jazz. Väsen is more of a traditionalist group, using a unique traditional Swedish instrument called the nyckelharpa while Garmarna, Nordman, and Hedningarna have more modern elements. There is also Saami music, called the joik, 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 new age and ecologically or environmentally aware music, as well a large portion of pop and rock music have liberal and left-wing 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 9.1 million, it is estimated that five to six hundred thousand people sing in choirs.
  
  ABBA was one of the first internationally well-known popular music bands from Sweden, and still ranks among the most prominent bands 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. There have been many other internationally successful bands since, such as Roxette, Ace of Base, and the Cardigans to name some of the biggest, and recently there has been a surge of Swedish Indie pop bands such as Peter, Bjorn & John, The Hives and Mando Diao. Sweden has also become known for a large number of heavy metal (mostly death metal and melodic death metal which genre in fact was created with the Swedish melodic death metal band In Flames) as well as progressive- and power metal bands.
  
  Sweden is the 3rd largest music exporter in the world, with over 800 million dollars in revenue last year, surpassed only by the US and the UK.
  
  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.
  
  Media
  
  Swedes are among the greatest consumers of newspapers in the world, and nearly every town is served by a local paper. The country's main quality morning papers are Dagens Nyheter (liberal), Göteborgs-Posten (liberal), Svenska Dagbladet (liberal conservative) and Sydsvenska Dagbladet (liberal). The two largest evening tabloids are Aftonbladet (social democratic) and Expressen (liberal). The ad-financed, free international morning paper, Metro International, was originally founded in Stockholm, Sweden. The country's news is reported in English by, among others, The Local (liberal).
  
  The public broadcasting companies held a monopoly on radio and television for a 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, TV2, was launched in 1969. These two channels (operated by Sveriges Television since the late '70s) held a monopoly until the 1980s when cable and satellite television became available. The first Swedish language satellite service was TV3 which started broadcasting from London in 1987. It was followed by Kanal 5 in 1989 (then known as Nordic Channel) and TV4 in 1990.
  
  In 1991 the government announced it would begin taking applications from private television companies wishing to broadcast on the terrestrial network. 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. Digital terrestrial television in Sweden started in 1999 and the last analogue terrestrial broadcasts were terminated in 2007.
  
  Literature
  
  The first literary text from Sweden is the Rök Runestone, carved during the Viking Age circa 800 AD. With the conversion of the land to Christianity around 1100 AD, Sweden entered the Middle Ages, during which monastic writers preferred to use Latin. Therefore there are only a few texts in the Old Swedish from that period. Swedish literature only flourished when the Swedish language was standardized in the 16th century, a standardization largely due to the full translation of the Bible into Swedish in 1541. This translation is the so-called Gustav Vasa Bible.
  
  With improved education and the freedom brought by secularisation, the 17th century saw several notable authors develop the Swedish language further. Some key figures include Georg Stiernhielm (17th century), who was the first to write classical poetry in Swedish; Johan Henric Kellgren (18th century), the first to write fluent Swedish prose; Carl Michael Bellman (late 18th century), the first writer of burlesque ballads; and August Strindberg (late 19th century), a socio-realistic writer and playwright who won worldwide fame. The early 20th century continued to produce notable authors, such as Selma Lagerlöf, (Nobel laureate 1909), Verner von Heidenstam (Nobel laureate 1916) and Pär Lagerkvist (Nobel laureate 1951).
  
  In recent decades, a handful of Swedish writers have established themselves internationally, including the detective novelist Henning Mankell and the writer of spy fiction Jan Guillou. But the only Swedish writer to have made a significant mark on world literature is the children's book writer Astrid Lindgren, and her books about Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Maple Hills, and others.
  
  Inventions
  
  In the 18th century Sweden's scientific revolution took off. Previously, technical progress had mainly come from professionals who had immigrated from mainland Europe. In 1739, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was founded, with people such as Carolus Linnaeus and Anders Celsius 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. Gustaf Dalén founded AGA, and received the Nobel Prize for his sun valve. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite and instituted the Nobel Prizes. Lars Magnus Ericsson started the company bearing his name, Ericsson, still one of the largest telecom companies in the world. Jonas Wenström was an early pioneer in alternating current and is along with Serbian inventor Tesla 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. Tetra Pak is an invention for storing liquid foods, invented by Erik Wallenberg. Håkan Lans invented the Automatic Identification System, a worldwide standard for shipping and civil aviation navigation. Losec, an ulcer medicine, was the world's best-selling drug in the 1990s and was developed by AstraZeneca. 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 Christian holidays, Sweden also celebrates some unique holidays, some of a pre-Christian tradition. They include Midsummer celebrating the summer solstice; Walpurgis Night (Valborgsmässoafton) on 30 April lighting bonfires; and Labour Day or Mayday on 1 May is dedicated to socialist demonstrations. The day of giver-of-light Saint Lucia, 13 December, is widely acknowledged in elaborate celebrations which betoken its Italian origin and commence the month-long Christmas season. 6 June is the National Day of Sweden and, as of 2005, a public holiday. Furthermore, there are official flag day observances and a Namesdays in Sweden calendar. In August many Swedes have kräftskivor (crayfish dinner parties). Martin of Tours Eve is celebrated in Scania in November with Mårten Gås parties, where roast goose and svartsoppa ('black soup', made of goose stock, fruit, spices, spirits and goose blood) are served. The Sami, one of Sweden's indigenous minorities, have their holiday on February 6 and Scania celebrate their Scanian Flag day on the third Sunday in July.
  
  Cuisine
  
  Swedish cuisine, like that of the other Scandinavian countries (Denmark and Norway), was traditionally simple. Fish (particularly herring), meat and potatoes played prominent roles. Spices were sparse. Famous dishes include Swedish meatballs, traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam; pancakes, lutfisk, and Smörgåsbord, or lavish buffet. Akvavit is a popular alcoholic distilled beverage, and the drinking of snaps is of cultural importance. The traditional flat and dry crisp bread has developed into several contemporary variants. Regionally important foods are the surströmming (a fermented fish) in Northern Sweden and eel in Scania in Southern Sweden. However, Swedes have traditionally also been very open to foreign influences, ranging from the French cuisine during the eighteenth century, to the sushi and cafe latte of today.
  
  Film
  
  Swedes have been fairly prominent in the film area through the years, to several successful Swedish Hollywood actors can be mentioned: Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Max von Sydow, Dolph Lundgren, Lena Olin, Stellan Skarsgård, Peter Stormare, Izabella Scorupco, Pernilla August, Ann Margaret, Anita Ekberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Harriet Andersson, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin and Gunnar Björnstrand. Amongst several directors who have made internationally successful films can be mentioned: Ingmar Bergman and Lasse Hallström.
  
  Comics
  There are only a few well known comics in Sweden. One is Herman Hedning and back in the 40s a comic called Biffen och Bananen("The Beef and the Banana") was very popular. It's currently very rare. The comic strip Hälge, a story about a moose being hunted every year, is also well known. Also, American comic strip Beetle Bailey is very popular here.
  
  Fashion
  Sweden has in late years taken an interest in the fashion industry, through headquartering famous brands like Hennes & Mauritz (operating as H&M), J. Lindeberg (operating as JL), Gina Tricot, Tiger of Sweden and Filippa K 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 neighbours.
  
  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 association football and ice hockey. Second to football, horse sports have the highest number of practitioners, mostly women. Thereafter follow golf, athletics, and the team sports of handball, floorball, basketball and bandy.
  
  The Swedish ice hockey team Tre Kronor is regarded as one of the best in the world and has won the World Championships 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 Swedish national football team 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. Athletics has enjoyed a surge in popularity due to several successful athletes in recent years.
  
  In schools, on meadows and in parks, the game brännboll, a sport similar to baseball, is commonly played for fun. Other leisure sports are the historical game of kubb, and boules among the older generation.
  
  Sweden hosted the 1912 Summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in 1958. Other big sports events held here include 1992 UEFA European Football Championship, FIFA Women's World Cup 1995, and several championships of ice hockey, athletics, skiing, bandy, figure skating and swimming.
  
  International rankings
  Rankings Name Year Place Out of # Reference
  CIA World Factbook – GDP per capita (PPP) 2008 26th 229
  CIA World Factbook – Life expectancy at birth 2008 9th 223
  World Economic Forum – Enabling Trade Index ranking 2008 3rd 118
  Yale University / Columbia University - Environmental Performance Index 2008 3rd 149
  The Economist Intelligence Unit - E-readiness 2008 3rd 70
  The Economist Intelligence Unit - Global Peace Index 2008 13th 140
  Save the Children - Mother's Index Rank 2007 1st 141
  Save the Children - Women's Index Rank 2007 1st 141
  Save the Children - Children's Index Rank 2007 4th 141
  Wall Street Journal / The Heritage Foundation - Index of Economic Freedom 2007 27th 157
  United Nations - Human Development Index 2007 6th 177
  World Economic Forum - Global Competitiveness Report 2007-2008 2007 4th 131
  World Economic Forum - The Global Gender Gap Report 2007 2007 1st 128
  World Bank - Ease of Doing Business Index 2007 14th 178
  Reporters Without Borders - Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007 5th 169
  Transparency International - Corruption Perceptions Index 2007 4th 179
  The Economist Intelligence Unit - Index of Democracy 2007 1st 167
  NationMaster's index of civil and political liberties 13th 140
  NationMaster's index of asylum seekers (per capita) 4th 28
  NationMaster's index of economic aid (donor, per capita) 5th 24
  NationMaster's index of total tax wedge (single worker) 4th 29
  NationMaster's index of technological achievement 3rd 68
  NationMaster's index of marriage rate 27th 27
  NationMaster's index of drug offences 7th 46
  World Health Organization - suicide rates by country 31th 100
  Privacy International - Privacy index (EU and 11 other selected countries) 2006 28th 36
  New Economics Foundation - Happy Planet Index 2006 119th 178
  The Economist Intelligence Unit - Quality-of-life index 2005 5th 111
  Save the Children - % seats in the national government held by women 2004 1st (47%) 141
 

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