SWEDEN : General Information

face="Arial Sweden is a country rich in opportunities; from the Arctic beauty of the North with its midnight sun, to the castles of the southernmost province Skåne with its more continental flavor. Nearly 100,000 lakes dot the countryside, which is relatively flat. A long mountain chain in the northwest reaches heights of up to 2.111 m. There are thousands of islands along the jagged coast. The warm Gulf Stream in the Atlantic gives Sweden a milder climate than other areas equally far north.   Stockholm, the beautiful capital of Sweden, has been labeled "Beauty on water"or "The Venice of the North", but it is also a modern trendy city for fashion and desi

Sweden was settled later than most countries; yet its national government has relatively old roots. By the 16th century Sweden had evolved into a strongly centralized nation, with Stockholm as its capital. The size of the country has changed over the centuries: Finland was part of Sweden until 1809. What is now southern and western Sweden was conquered in 1658 from the then Danish-Norwegian union. During certain periods Sweden also had provinces on the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea , and even colonies in North America and the West Indies . In 1905, a nearly century-old union with Norway was dissolved, but since 1812 Sweden s borders have been unchanged and the country has been spared from war since 1814. Foreign policy concerns in the 1930s centered on Soviet and German expansionism, which stimulated abortive efforts at Nordic defense cooperation. Sweden followed a policy of armed neutrality during World War II and currently remains nonaligned. Sweden became a member of the European Union in 1995, but was one of three EU countries not to join the single European currency. In the first referendum on membership after the euro's introduction in 12 of 15 EU countries, Swedish voters rejected it by a clear majority in September 2003.

Sweden has a population of 8.9 million, with about 85% living in the southern half of the country. Around 85% belong to the Church of Sweden, which is Lutheran. Swedish is a Germanic language.   The Social Democrats have been in government for most of the last 70 years and developed "the Swedish model" - a mixed economy founded on public-private partnership. It traditionally featured centralised wage negotiations and a heavily tax-subsidised social security network.

Sweden is known throughout the world for its neutrality. This policy has led to a number of Swedish politicians taking on international roles, often mediating between conflicting groups or ideologies. Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade