| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden
conventional short form: Sweden
local long form: Konungariket Sverige
local short form: Sverige |
| Capital: |
Stockholm |
| Location: |
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
62 00 N, 15 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 449,964 sq km
land: 410,934 sq km
water: 39,030 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly larger than California |
| Land
Boundaries: |
total: 2,233 km
border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km |
| Coastline: |
3,218 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas)
exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate: |
temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north |
| Terrain: |
mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.41 m
highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
constitutional monarchy |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarnas, Gavleborgs, Gotlands, Hallands, Jamtlands, Jonkopings, Kalmar, Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Orebro, Ostergotlands, Skane, Sodermanlands, Stockholms, Uppsala, Varmlands, Vasterbottens, Vasternorrlands, Vastmanlands, Vastra Gotalands |
| Independence |
6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king) |
| National
Holiday: |
Flag Day, 6 June |
| Constitution: |
1 January 1975 |
| Legal
System; |
civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977)
head of government: Prime Minister Goran PERSSON (since 21 March 1996)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the prime minister is elected by the parliament; election last held 15 September 2002 (next to be held NA September 2006)
election results: Goran PERSSON reelected prime minister with 131 out of 349 votes |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 September 2002 (next to be held September 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 39.8%, Moderates 15.2%, Liberal Party 13.3%, Christian Democrats 9.1%, Left Party 8.3%, Center Party 6.1%, Greens 4.6%; seats by party - Social Democrats 144, Moderates 55, Liberal Party 48, Christian Democrats 33, Left Party 30, Center Party 22, Greens 17 |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet) |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
Center Party [Maud OLOFSSON]; Christian Democratic Party [Goran HAGGLUND]; Green Party [no formal leader but party spokespersons are Maria WETTERSTRAND and Peter ERIKSSON]; Left Party or V (formerly Communist) [Lars OHLY]; Liberal People's Party [Lars LEIJONBORG]; Moderate Party (conservative) [Fredrik REINFELDT]; Social Democratic Party [Goran PERSSON] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
9,001,774 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 17.1% (male 791,215/female 747,621)
15-64 years: 65.5% (male 2,990,436/female 2,904,873)
65 years and over: 17.4% (male 677,161/female 890,468) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 40.6 years
male: 39.49 years
female: 41.75 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Swede(s)
adjective: Swedish |
| Ethnic groups: |
indigenous population: Swedes and Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks |
| Religions: |
Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist |
| Languages: |
Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
6,579,200 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
7.949 million (2002) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: excellent domestic and international facilities; automatic system
domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some additional telephone channels
international: country code - 46; 5 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 1, FM 265, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
169 (plus 1,299 repeaters) (1995) |
| Internet country
code: |
.se |
| Internet hosts: |
945,221 (2004) |
| Internet users: |
5.125 million (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 11,481 km
standard gauge: 11,481 km 1.435-m gauge (7,527 km electrified) (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 213,237 km
paved: 167,604 km (including 1,542 km of expressways)
unpaved: 45,633 km (2002) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
gas 798 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: |
Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Hudiksvall, Kalmar, Karlshamn, Lulea, Malmo, Solvesborg, Stockholm, Sundsvall |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 205 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,702,763 GRT/1,884,570 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 33, chemical tanker 51, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 37, petroleum tanker 14, roll on/roll off 37, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 22
foreign-owned: 42 (Belgium 2, Denmark 4, Finland 11, Germany 6, Italy 7, Japan 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 9)
registered in other countries: 155 (2005) |
| Airports: |
254 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 154
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 82
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 35 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 100
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 90 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
2 (2004 est.) |
|
