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SWEDISH DESIGN |
SWEDEN |
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Sweden is the third largest country in Western Europe and covers an area of 450.000 square km. It is situated in the north of Europe with Finland, Norway and Denmark as its direct neighbours. The capital of Sweden is Stockholm. The country has a very rich landscape, wildlife, flora and fauna. Swedish law stipulates that National Parks must represent the different forms of landscape which are to be preserved in their natural state, as well as areas of unique natural beauty that provide profound experiences of nature. The idea is also to provide people with the opportunity of getting out in the forests and countryside. Most National Parks have hiking trails and some include information centres. Some also offer overnight accommodation. The first Swedish National Parks date from 1909, and today there are 28 . Sarek and Padjelanta in Lapland are Sweden's two largest National Parks with 200,000 hectares each. The National Parks represent a variety of forms of nature such as mountains, forest, marshlands, archipelago and cultural heritage landscapes. Characteristic landscapes are to be preserved for future generations. Today visitors are able to enjoy the tranquillity and natural surroundings. Mountains cover almost 90% of the parks' total area. In total, a little over 8% of Sweden is nature conservation land. Sweden has a moderate climate because of the Gulf Stream, with average temperatures ranging from -16°C in January to +16.8 °C in July. There 's usually less rain and more sunshine in the summer compared to Belgium. Winter temperatures are rather lower than they are in the rest of Western Europe, but it is a "dry" pleasant cold.
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The flag is blue with a golden yellow cross extending to the edges. The vertical part of the flag is situated more to the left side, similar to the Danish flag.
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The form of government is a constitutional monarchy. The Swedish monarchs are familiar faces in magazines, tabloids and tv-shows. King Carl XVI Gustaf was crowned in 1973. He is married to Queen Silvia and they have three children namely, Crown Princess Victoria, born in 1977; Prince Carl Philip, born in 1979; and Princess Madeleine, born in 1982.
Sweden is a parliamentary democracy. The parliament is called 'The Riksdag' and has 349 members in one chamber. Although Sweden has always had a solid market economy, the Social Democratic governments in power throughout the 20th century borrowed many ideas from socialism. Sweden had been a model state for other 'welfare states' in Europe. In recent decades, the country's steady and high economic growth declined. The Swedish welfare state has been under heavy pressure. Today the country's economic security systems are financially burdened and struggling with serious structural problems, which is typical for many EU countries. |
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Sweden has 9 million inhabitants. The overall majority speaks Swedish, but there are some recognized minority languages, such as Sami, Finnish, Yiddish and Romani Chib. Sweden has two minority groups of native inhabitants in the north, the Finnish-speaking people of the northeast and the Sami population. Like other industrialized countries, Sweden has a low birth rate. It rose during the 1980s and early 1990s but is now in decline. Life expectancy is high, about 76 years for men and 82 for women. Since the 1940s, immigration, mostly from other Scandinavian countries, has accounted for over 40% of the population growth. 87% Attend the Lutheran church. |
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The educational system is similar to the rest of Western Europe. Schools start their summer holidays at the beginning or middle of June and start back again in the middle or end of August. This varies, however, as each municipality determines its own holiday period. The general industrial holiday covers the month of July. Children have a one-week's skiing holiday in March (weeks 7-10) and one week at Easter. In the autumn there is a one-week break (usually week 44) and two weeks are free over the Christmas/New Year period, with schools recommencing around January 10. |
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An important part of Swedish culture is naturally based on tradition. The extreme variety in the geography of the country has meant that customs and traditions differ from place to place within Sweden. To some extent the culture has been influenced by other countries. On the Thursday before Easter, young girls paint their faces, put on scarves and long skirts, then go from house to house collecting candy. On the hillsides, people light little fires to scare off the evil spirits. The Swedish symbol of Easter is a birch twig decorated with coloured feathers, and as the holiday approaches these colourful charms fill the markets, along with candy Easter eggs. Following Easter comes another tradition based on an ancient belief, Walpurgis Night. Every April 30th, crowds of Swedish men and women gather on hilltops around little fires. They sing songs applauding spring's arrival. Originally, the fires were meant to scare off witches, but today they remind distant watchers of a warmth soon to come. Midsummer celebrations are on the Friday closest to June 24, the "official" Midsummer's Day. The Swedes raise a "Midsummer pole," or a maypole, which is decorated with leaves and flowers, flags and magic symbols and people sing and dance around the pole.
Autumn is a time to visit the woods or the parks and experience the changing of the leaves. Many people go out to pick mushrooms and berries. Elk and deer hunting are other popular autumn activities.
Sweden's last major autumn tradition is the eating of goose in the most southern province of Skåne on November 10, St. Martin's Day. This is the time when geese are at their fattest. The meal is accompanied by a heavily spiced "black soup" made from goose blood along with apple pie or an impressive meringue tower called a spettkaka (a cake made of egg yolks and sugar).
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Clicking on the links below, will reveal maps of Sweden http://www.bmbd.lu.se/map_sweden.htm map with the most important cities of Sweden and the neighbouring countries. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mapshells/europe/sweden/sweden.htm this map shows Sweden with its main natural parks and lakes. |
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offers general information on Sweden http://www.sweden.se/young_swedes six Swedish teenagers give their personal view of their country |
This red horse is a typical ambassador for Sweden. The story goes that a long time ago, Swedish men were away from home for a few months each year. They went deep in the Swedish forest to cut trees. At night they would sit around the fire and curve these small horses to bring back home and give to their children.