Sweden - Swed. Sverige, officially Kingdom of Sweden, constitutional monarchy (1995 est. pop. 8,822,000), 173,648 sq mi (449,750 sq km), N Europe, occupying the eastern part of the Scandinavian peninsula. It borders on Norway in the west, on Finland in the northeast, on the Gulf of Bothnia in the east, on the Baltic Sea in the south, and on the Øresund (The Sound), the Kattegat, and the Skagerrak in the southwest. The country includes several islands, notably
Gotland and
Öland, in the Baltic.
Stockholm is Sweden's capital and largest city.
Land, People, and Society Sweden falls into two main geographical regions: the north (Norrland), comprising about two thirds of the country, which is mountainous (except for a narrow strip of lowland along the Gulf of Bothnia); and the south (Svealand and Götaland), which is mostly low-lying and where most of the population lives. About 65% of Sweden's land area is forested, and less than 10% is arable. The country has several large rivers, which generally flow in a southeastward direction; these include the Götaälv, the Dalälven, the Indalsälven, the Ångermanälven, the Umeälv, the Skellefteälven, the Luleälv, and the Torneälv. There are also a number of large lakes, including lakes Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren, Storsjön, Hjälmaren, Siljan, and Uddjaur. The highest point in Sweden is Kebnekaise (6,965 ft/2,123 m), located in the Kölen (Kjölen) Mts. in
Lapland. The country is divided into 24 provinces (län). The great majority of the nation's population speaks Swedish and is descended from Scandinavian tribes (see
Germans); there is a sizable Finnish-speaking minority and a small Lapp-speaking minority. About 12% of the population is foreign born. Most Swedes belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church; the metropolitan see is at
Uppsala. It was long the official state church, but it was disestablished in 2000. The educational and cultural level in Sweden is high, and the school system is outstanding. There are universities at Göteborg, Karlstad, Linköping, Lund, Örebro, Stockholm, Umeå, Uppsala, and Växjö. The Nobel Prizes (except the Peace Prize) are awarded annually in Sweden. Social welfare legislation has long been advanced and comprehensive, providing for pensions, maternity benefits, health insurance, and allowances for all children. Economy Sweden is a highly industrialized country and has one of the highest living standards in the world. Since 1940 there has been a great movement of workers from farms to cities; nevertheless, agricultural output has increased considerably with the application of scientific farming methods. In the 1990s manufacturing contributed about 20% of the annual national income and agriculture about 2%. Transportation, communication, and trade are also important. Farming is concentrated in the southern part of the country; the leading commodities produced are dairy products, grain (including fodder crops), sugar beets, and potatoes. Large numbers of poultry, hogs, and cattle are raised. Sweden is one of the world's leading producers of iron ore; important mines are at
Kiruna and Gällivare. Copper, lead, and zinc ores and pyrite are also extracted. The country's chief industrial centers are Stockholm,
Göteborg,
Malmö, Uppsala,
Västerås,
Helsingborg, and
Norrköping. The leading manufactures include iron and steel, machinery, precision equipment, forest products, processed food, chemicals, refined petroleum, construction materials, and motor vehicles. Sweden is known for its decorative and folk arts, fine glassware (made especially at
Orrefors), and high-quality steel cutlery and blades. Much hydroelectric power is generated. The country's beautiful scenery and handsome towns and cities attract large numbers of tourists. Sweden carries on a large foreign trade, and the value of exports usually slightly exceeds that of imports. The main imports are machinery, manufactured goods, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, and chemicals; the chief exports are machinery, manufactured goods, iron ore, iron and steel, motor vehicles, chemicals, and forest products. The principal trade partners are Germany, Great Britain, Denmark, France, Norway, Finland, and the United States. Sweden was a member of the European Free Trade Association from 1960 to 1994; in 1995 it joined the
European Union. Government Under the constitution of 1975, which replaced that of 1809, the king is head of state but has little power. Legislative power is vested in the unicameral Riksdag, made up of 349 members elected by a system of proportional representation to four-year terms. The country's executive is the cabinet, headed by the prime minister, which must have the confidence of the Riksdag. Public administration is to a large extent decentralized, so that elected county and municipal governments play a major role in running the country. History Origins of Sweden In early historic times, Svealand was inhabited by the Svear (mentioned as the Suiones by Tacitus in the late 1st cent. a.d.). They engaged in wars with their southern neighbors, who inhabited Götaland and who according to an unproved tradition were the ancestors of the Goths. By the 6th cent. a.d. the Svear had conquered the Götar, with whom they merged. The early Swedes were combined and confused with other Scandinavians (e.g., the piratical
Vikings and
Norsemen). The Swedes alone, known as
Varangians in Russia, extended (10th cent.) their influence to the Black Sea. The Swedish kings warred for centuries with their Danish and Norwegian neighbors. St. Ansgar introduced Christianity c.829, but paganism was fully eradicated only in the 12th cent. by
Eric IX, who also conquered Finland. The royal authority was weakened before the 13th cent. by the rise of an independent feudal class. The Swedish cities also began to acquire wide rights at that time and were strongly influenced by German merchants of the
Hanseatic League, active especially at
Visby. In 1319, Sweden and Norway were united under
Magnus VII, and in 1397 Queen
Margaret I effected the personal union of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark through the
Kalmar Union. However, Margaret's successors, whose rule was centered in Denmark, were unable to control the Swedes. Real power was held for long periods by regents (notably those of the
Sture family) chosen by the Swedish diet.
Christian II, who asserted his claim to Sweden by force of arms, ordered a massacre (1520) of Swedish nobles at Stockholm. This "Stockholm Blood Bath" stirred the Swedes to new resistance; at
Strängnäs, in 1523, they made Gustavus Vasa their king as
Gustavus I. Growth of the Swedish State The founder of the modern Swedish state, Gustavus eliminated the influence of the Hanseatic League in Sweden, strengthened the central authority, made (1544) the kingship hereditary in the
Vasa dynasty, and made Lutheranism the state religion. However, he was unable to regain the southern provinces, held by Denmark. His successor,
Eric XIV (reigned 1560–68), began the Swedish conquest of
Livonia by taking (1561) its northern section (Estonia). Swedish interests in E Europe were further enhanced by the marriage of John III (reigned 1569–92), Eric's successor, to the sister of Sigismund II of Poland. Their son,
Sigismund III of Poland, was a Roman Catholic; his accession (1592) to the Swedish throne was deeply resented by the Protestant Swedes. He was deposed in 1599, and his uncle became regent and then king of Sweden as
Charles IX (reigned 1607–11). Charles's son,
Gustavus II (Gustavus Adolphus; reigned 1611–32), made Sweden a great European power. Through a war with Russia, he acquired (1617) Ingermanland and Karelia; from Poland he took nearly all of Livonia. By his victories at Breitenfeld (1631) and Lützen (1632) in the
Thirty Years War, Gustavus made Sweden the dominant Protestant power of continental Europe. Axel
Oxenstierna, appointed chancellor by Gustavus in 1612, was highly influential during Gustavus's reign and the first half of the reign of Queen
Christina (1632–54). In the 17th cent. Swedish colonial aspirations in North America (see
New Sweden) proved short-lived. The Peace of Westphalia (1648; see
Westphalia, Peace of), which ended the Thirty Years War, gave W
Pomerania,
Wismar, and the archbishopric of
Bremen to Sweden, making the Swedish kings princes of the Holy Roman Empire.
Charles X, who became king on the abdication (1654) of Christina, successfully led wars against Poland and Denmark. The southern provinces of Sweden were definitively recovered from Denmark in 1660. Under
Charles XI (reigned 1660–97), Sweden became an absolute monarchy, and the great nobles lost their independence. In the
Northern War (1700–1721), which broke out shortly after the accession of
Charles XII (reigned 1697–1718), Sweden was crushed after gaining its greatest military triumphs (e.g., at
Narva and in Livonia). Under the treaties of Stockholm (1720) and Nystad (1721), Sweden ceded the archbishopric of Bremen to Hanover, part of Pomerania to Prussia, and Livonia, Ingermanland, and Karelia to Russia. Internally, Sweden was torn in the 18th cent. by political intrigue and civil discord. Ulrica Eleonora (d.1741) succeeded her brother, Charles XII, in 1718, but abdicated (1720) in favor of her husband, Frederick I (d. 1751), a prince of Hesse-Kassel. The constitution of 1720 gave increased powers to the Riksdag (diet) and the political scene was dominated (1738–65) by the faction known as the Hats, who favored an aggressive anti-Russian policy in alliance with France and who represented the nobility and the bureaucracy. They were |
