{"id":8954,"date":"2021-11-25T04:00:36","date_gmt":"2021-11-25T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=8954"},"modified":"2021-11-25T12:28:11","modified_gmt":"2021-11-25T20:28:11","slug":"sweden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/sweden\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

Sweden, officially the\u00a0Kingdom of Sweden, is a\u00a0Nordic country<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Northern Europe<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0It borders\u00a0Norway<\/a>\u00a0to the west and north,\u00a0Finland<\/a>\u00a0to the east, and is connected to\u00a0Denmark<\/a>\u00a0in the southwest by\u00a0a bridge-tunnel<\/a>\u00a0across the\u00a0\u00d6resund Strait<\/a>. At 450,295 square kilometers (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the largest country in Northern Europe, the third-largest country in the\u00a0European Union<\/a>, and the\u00a0fifth largest country<\/a>\u00a0in Europe. The\u00a0capital<\/a>\u00a0and largest city is\u00a0Stockholm<\/a>. Sweden has a total population of 10.4\u00a0million;<\/sup> and a low population density of 25 inhabitants per square kilometer (65\/sq\u00a0mi). 87% of Swedes live in urban areas, which cover 1.5% of the entire land area. The highest concentration is in the central and southern half of the country.<\/p>\n

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Sweden on the Globe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sweden is part of the geographical area of\u00a0Fennoscandia<\/a>. The\u00a0climate<\/a>\u00a0is in general mild for its northerly latitude due to significant maritime influence. In spite of the high latitude, Sweden often has warm continental summers, being located in between the\u00a0North Atlantic<\/a>, the\u00a0Baltic Sea<\/a>, and vast\u00a0Russia<\/a>. The general climate and environment vary significantly from the south and north due to the vast latitudal difference, and much of Sweden has reliably cold and snowy winters.\u00a0Southern Sweden<\/a>\u00a0is predominantly\u00a0agricultural<\/a>, while\u00a0the north<\/a>\u00a0is heavily forested and includes a portion of the\u00a0Scandinavian Mountains<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Germanic peoples<\/a>\u00a0have inhabited Sweden since\u00a0prehistoric times<\/a>, emerging into history as the\u00a0Geats<\/a>\u00a0(Swedish G\u00f6tar) and\u00a0Swedes<\/a>\u00a0(Svear) and constituting the sea peoples known as the\u00a0Norsemen<\/a>. An independent Swedish state emerged during the early 12th century. After the\u00a0Black Death<\/a>\u00a0in the middle of the 14th century killed about a third of the\u00a0Scandinavian<\/a> population,\u00a0the dominance of the\u00a0Hanseatic League<\/a>\u00a0in Northern Europe threatened Scandinavia economically and politically. This led to the forming of the Scandinavian\u00a0Kalmar Union<\/a>\u00a0in 1397,<\/sup>\u00a0which Sweden left in 1523. When Sweden became involved in the\u00a0Thirty Years War<\/a>\u00a0on the Protestant side, an expansion of its territories began and eventually the\u00a0Swedish Empire<\/a>\u00a0was formed. This became one of the\u00a0great powers<\/a>\u00a0of Europe until the early 18th century. Swedish territories outside the\u00a0Scandinavian Peninsula<\/a>\u00a0were gradually lost during the 18th and 19th centuries, ending with the annexation of present-day Finland by\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0in 1809. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814 when Norway was militarily forced into a\u00a0personal union<\/a>, which\u00a0peacefully dissolved<\/a>\u00a0in 1905. Since then, Sweden has been at peace, maintaining an official policy of\u00a0neutrality<\/a>\u00a0in foreign affairs.<\/sup>\u00a0In 2014, Sweden celebrated 200 years of peace, breaking even\u00a0Switzerland<\/a>‘s record for peace.<\/sup>\u00a0Sweden was formally neutral through both world wars and the\u00a0Cold War<\/a>, albeit Sweden has since 2009 openly moved towards cooperation with\u00a0NATO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Stockholm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sweden is a\u00a0constitutional monarchy<\/a>\u00a0and a\u00a0parliamentary<\/a>\u00a0democracy<\/a>, with\u00a0legislative power<\/a>\u00a0vested in the 349-member\u00a0unicameral<\/a>\u00a0Riksdag<\/a><\/i>. It is a\u00a0unitary state<\/a>, currently divided into\u00a021 counties<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0290 municipalities<\/a>. Sweden maintains a\u00a0Nordic social welfare system<\/a>\u00a0that provides\u00a0universal health care<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0tertiary education<\/a>\u00a0for its citizens. It has the\u00a0world’s eleventh-highest per capita income<\/a>\u00a0and ranks very highly in\u00a0quality of life<\/a>, health,\u00a0education<\/a>, protection of\u00a0civil liberties<\/a>, economic competitiveness,\u00a0income equality<\/a>,\u00a0gender equality<\/a>,\u00a0prosperity<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0human development<\/a>.\u00a0Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995, but has rejected NATO membership, as well as\u00a0Eurozone<\/a>\u00a0membership following a\u00a0referendum<\/a>. It is also a member of the\u00a0United Nations<\/a>, the\u00a0Nordic Council<\/a>, the\u00a0Council of Europe<\/a>, the\u00a0World Trade Organization<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development<\/a>\u00a0(OECD).<\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

Prehistory:<\/span><\/h3>\n
Sweden’s prehistory begins in the\u00a0Aller\u00f8d oscillation<\/a>, a warm period around 12,000 BC,[35]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0with Late\u00a0Palaeolithic<\/a>\u00a0reindeer<\/a>-hunting camps of the\u00a0Bromme culture<\/a>\u00a0at the edge of the ice in what is now the country’s southernmost province,\u00a0Scania<\/a>. This period was characterized by small bands of\u00a0hunter-gatherer-fishers<\/a>\u00a0using\u00a0flint<\/a>\u00a0technology.<\/sup><\/div>\n
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A Vendel-era helmet, at the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sweden is first described in a written source in\u00a0Germania<\/a><\/i>\u00a0by\u00a0Tacitus<\/a> in 98 AD.\u00a0In\u00a0Germania 44 and 45<\/a>\u00a0he mentions the Swedes (Suiones<\/i>) as a powerful tribe (distinguished not merely for their arms and men, but for their powerful fleets<\/i>) with ships that had a\u00a0prow<\/a>\u00a0at each end (longships<\/a>).<\/sup>\u00a0Which kings (kuningaz<\/i>) ruled these Suiones is unknown, but\u00a0Norse mythology<\/a>\u00a0presents a long line of legendary and semi-legendary kings going back to the last centuries BC. As for literacy in Sweden itself, the\u00a0runic script<\/a>\u00a0was in use among the south Scandinavian elite by at least the 2nd century AD, 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\u00a0Proto-Norse<\/a>\u00a0at the time, a language ancestral to Swedish and other\u00a0North Germanic languages<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Vikings:<\/span><\/h3>\n
The Swedish\u00a0Viking Age<\/a>\u00a0lasted roughly from the 8th century to the 11th century. It is believed that Swedish Vikings and\u00a0Gutar<\/a>\u00a0mainly travelled east and south, going to Finland, Estonia, the\u00a0Baltic countries<\/a>, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the\u00a0Black Sea<\/a>\u00a0and even as far as\u00a0Baghdad<\/a>. Their routes passed\u00a0through the Dnieper<\/a>\u00a0south to\u00a0Constantinople<\/a>, on which they carried out numerous raids. The\u00a0Byzantine Emperor<\/a>\u00a0Theophilos<\/a>\u00a0noticed their great skills in war, and invited them to serve as his personal bodyguard, known as the\u00a0Varangian Guard<\/a>. The Swedish Vikings, called\u00a0Rus<\/a>\u00a0are believed to be the founding fathers of\u00a0Kievan Rus’<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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Viking\u00a0expeditions (blue lines)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The actions of these\u00a0Swedish Vikings<\/a>\u00a0are commemorated on many\u00a0runestones<\/a>\u00a0in Sweden, such as the\u00a0Greece runestones<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Varangian runestones<\/a>. There was also considerable participation in expeditions westwards, which are commemorated on stones such as the\u00a0England runestones<\/a>. The last major Swedish Viking expedition appears to have been the ill-fated expedition of\u00a0Ingvar the Far-Travelled<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0Serkland<\/a>, the region south-east of the\u00a0Caspian Sea<\/a>. Its members are commemorated on the\u00a0Ingvar runestones<\/a>, none of which mentions any survivor. What happened to the crew is unknown, but it is believed that they died of sickness.<\/span><\/div>\n
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The Tj\u00e4ngvide image stone dating from 800 to 1099, example of Viking art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Kingdom of Sweden:<\/span><\/h3>\n

It is not known when and how the kingdom of Sweden was born, but the\u00a0list of Swedish monarchs<\/a>\u00a0is drawn from the first kings known to have ruled both\u00a0Svealand<\/a>\u00a0(Sweden) and G\u00f6taland (Gothia) as one province, beginning with\u00a0Eric the Victorious<\/a>. Sweden and Gothia were two separate nations long before that and since antiquity. It is not known how long they existed: the epic poem\u00a0Beowulf<\/i>\u00a0describes semi-legendary\u00a0Swedish-Geatish wars<\/a>\u00a0in the 6th century.\u00a0G\u00f6taland<\/i>\u00a0in this sense mainly includes the provinces of\u00a0\u00d6sterg\u00f6tland<\/a>\u00a0(East Gothia) and\u00a0V\u00e4sterg\u00f6tland<\/a>\u00a0(West Gothia). The island of\u00a0Gotland<\/a>\u00a0was disputed by other than Swedes, at this time (Danish, Hanseatic, and Gotland-domestic).\u00a0Sm\u00e5land<\/a>\u00a0was at that time of little interest to anyone due to the deep pine forests, and only the city of\u00a0Kalmar<\/a>\u00a0with its castle was of importance. The south-west parts of the Scandinavian peninsula consisted of three Danish provinces (Scania<\/a>,\u00a0Blekinge<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Halland<\/a>). North of Halland, Denmark had a direct border to Norway and its province\u00a0Bohusl\u00e4n<\/a>. But there were Swedish settlements along the southern coastline of\u00a0Norrland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala), a site of religious and political importance in the early days of Sweden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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During the early stages of the Scandinavian Viking Age,\u00a0Ystad<\/a>\u00a0in the\u00a0Danish<\/a>\u00a0province Scania and\u00a0Paviken<\/a> on Gotland were flourishing centers of trade, but they were not parts of the early Swedish Kingdom. Remains of what is believed to have been a large market dating from 600 to 700 CE have been found in Ystad.<\/sup> In Paviken, an important center of trade in the Baltic region during the 9th and 10th century, remains have been found of a large Viking Age harbor 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.<\/p>\n

St Ansgar<\/a>\u00a0is usually credited with introducing Christianity in 829, but the new religion did not begin to fully replace\u00a0paganism<\/a> until the 12th century. During the 11th century, Christianity became the prevalent religion, and from 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. In the years 1150\u20131293 according to the legend of\u00a0Eric IX<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Eric Chronicles<\/a><\/i>\u00a0Swedish kings made a\u00a0first<\/a>,\u00a0second<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0third crusade<\/a>\u00a0to pagan Finland against\u00a0Finns<\/a>,\u00a0Tavastians<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Karelians<\/a>\u00a0and started conflicts with the\u00a0Rus’<\/a> who no longer had any connection with Sweden.<\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0Swedish colonization<\/a> of the coastal areas of Finland started also during the 12th and 13th century. In the 14th century, the Swedish colonization of coastal areas of Finland began to be more organized and in the end of the century several of the coastal areas of Finland were inhabited mostly by Swedes.<\/p>\n

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Skog tapestry, made most probably during the late 13th century<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Except for the provinces of Scania, Blekinge and Halland in the south-west of the Scandinavian peninsula, which were parts of the Kingdom of Denmark during this time,\u00a0feudalism<\/a>\u00a0never developed in Sweden as it did in the rest of Europe.<\/sup>\u00a0The peasantry, therefore, remained largely a class of free farmers throughout most of Swedish history.\u00a0Slavery<\/a>\u00a0(also called\u00a0thralldom<\/a>) was not common in Sweden,<\/sup>\u00a0and what slavery there was tended to be driven out of existence thanks to the spread of Christianity as well as to the difficulty to obtain slaves from the lands east of the Baltic Sea, and by the development of cities before the 16th century.<\/sup>\u00a0Indeed, both slavery and\u00a0serfdom<\/a>\u00a0were abolished altogether by a decree of\u00a0King Magnus IV<\/a> in 1335. Former slaves tended to be absorbed into the peasantry, and some became laborers in the towns. Still, Sweden remained a poor and economically backward country in which barter was the primary means of exchange. For instance, the farmers of the province of Dalsland<\/a> would transport their butter to the mining districts of Sweden and exchange it there for iron, which they would then take to the coast and trade for fish, which they consumed, while the iron would be shipped abroad.<\/p>\n

In the middle of the 14th century, Sweden was struck by the\u00a0Black Death<\/a>.<\/sup> The population of Sweden and most of Europe was seriously decimated. The population did not reach the numbers of the year 1348 again until the beginning of the 19th century. One third of the population died in the triennium of 1349\u20131351. During this period, the Swedish cities began to acquire greater rights and were strongly influenced by German merchants of the Hanseatic League<\/a>, active especially at\u00a0Visby<\/a>. In 1319, Sweden and Norway were united under King Magnus Eriksson, and in 1397 Queen\u00a0Margaret I of Denmark<\/a>\u00a0effected the personal union of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark through the\u00a0Kalmar Union<\/a>. However, Margaret’s successors, whose rule was also centered in Denmark, were unable to control the Swedish nobility.<\/p>\n

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Gustav I<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0Many times the Swedish crown was inherited by children kings over the course of the kingdom’s existence; consequently, real power was held for long periods by regents (notably those of the\u00a0<\/span>Sture<\/a>\u00a0family) chosen by the Swedish parliament. King\u00a0<\/span>Christian II of Denmark<\/a>, who asserted his claim to Sweden by force of arms, ordered a massacre of Swedish nobles in Stockholm in 1520. This came to be known as the “<\/span>Stockholm blood bath<\/a>” and stirred the Swedish nobility to new resistance and, on 6 June (now Sweden’s national holiday) in 1523, they made\u00a0<\/span>Gustav Vasa<\/a>\u00a0their king.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0This is sometimes considered as the\u00a0<\/span>foundation of modern Sweden<\/a>. Shortly afterwards the new king rejected Catholicism and led Sweden into the\u00a0<\/span>Protestant Reformation<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Hanseatic League had been officially formed at\u00a0L\u00fcbeck<\/a>\u00a0on the Baltic coast of\u00a0Northern Germany<\/a>\u00a0in 1356. The League sought civil and commercial privileges from the princes and royalty of the countries and cities along the coasts of the Baltic Sea.<\/sup> In exchange, they offered a certain amount of protection to the joining cities. Having their own navy, the Hansa were able to sweep the Baltic Sea free of pirates. The privileges obtained by the Hansa included assurances that only Hansa citizens would be allowed to trade from the ports where they were located. They sought agreement to be free of all customs and taxes. With these concessions, L\u00fcbeck merchants flocked to Stockholm, where they soon came to dominate the city’s economic life and made the port city of Stockholm into the leading commercial and industrial city of Sweden.\u00a0Under the Hanseatic trade, two-thirds of Stockholm’s imports consisted of\u00a0textiles<\/a>, while the remaining third was\u00a0salt<\/a>. The main exports from Sweden were\u00a0iron<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0copper<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Christian II<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, the Swedes began to resent the monopoly trading position of the Hansa (mostly consisting of German citizens), and to resent the income they felt they lost to the Hansa. Consequently, when Gustav Vasa or\u00a0Gustav I<\/a>\u00a0broke the monopoly power of the Hanseatic League he was regarded as a hero by the Swedish people.<\/sup> History now views Gustav I as the father of the modern Swedish nation. The foundations laid by Gustav would take time to develop. Furthermore, when Sweden did develop, freed itself from the Hanseatic League, and entered its golden era, the fact that the peasantry had traditionally been free meant that more of the economic benefits flowed back to them rather than going to a feudal landowning class.<\/p>\n

The end of the 16th century was marked by a final phase of rivalry between the remaining Catholics and the new Protestant communities. In 1592, Gustav Vasa’s Catholic grandson and\u00a0king of Poland<\/a>,\u00a0Sigismund<\/a>, ascended the Swedish throne.<\/sup>\u00a0He pursued to strengthen\u00a0Rome<\/a>‘s influence by initiating\u00a0Counter-Reformation<\/a>\u00a0and created a dual monarchy, which temporarily became known as the\u00a0Polish-Swedish Union<\/a>. His despotic rule, strongly characterized by intolerance towards the Protestants, sparked a\u00a0civil war<\/a>\u00a0that plunged Sweden into poverty.<\/sup>\u00a0In opposition, Sigismund’s uncle and successor,\u00a0Charles Vasa<\/a>, summoned the\u00a0Uppsala Synod<\/a>\u00a0in 1593 which officially confirmed the modern\u00a0Church of Sweden<\/a>\u00a0as\u00a0Lutheran<\/a>. Following his\u00a0deposition<\/a>\u00a0in 1599, Sigismund attempted to reclaim the throne at every expense and hostilities between\u00a0Poland<\/a>\u00a0and Sweden continued for the next one hundred years.[61]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Swedish Empire:<\/span><\/h3>\n

During the 17th century, Sweden emerged as a European <\/span>great power<\/a>. Before the emergence of the Swedish Empire, Sweden was a poor and scarcely populated country on the fringe of European civilisation, with no significant power or reputation. Sweden rose to prominence on a continental scale during the tenure of king\u00a0<\/span>Gustavus Adolphus<\/a>, seizing territories from Russia and\u00a0<\/span>Poland\u2013Lithuania<\/a>\u00a0in multiple conflicts, including the\u00a0<\/span>Thirty Years’ War<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld in 1631<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

During the Thirty Years’ War, Sweden conquered approximately half of the Holy Roman states and defeated the Imperial army at the\u00a0Battle of Breitenfeld<\/a>\u00a0in 1631.<\/sup>\u00a0Gustav Adolphus planned to become the new\u00a0Holy Roman Emperor<\/a>, ruling over a united Scandinavia and the Holy Roman states, but he died at the\u00a0Battle of L\u00fctzen<\/a>\u00a0in 1632. After the\u00a0Battle of N\u00f6rdlingen<\/a>\u00a0in 1634, Sweden’s only significant military defeat of the war, pro-Swedish sentiment among the German states faded.<\/sup>\u00a0These German provinces excluded themselves from Swedish power one by one, leaving Sweden with only a few northern German territories:\u00a0Swedish Pomerania<\/a>,\u00a0Bremen-Verden<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Wismar<\/a>. From 1643 to 1645, during the last years of the war, Sweden and\u00a0Denmark-Norway<\/a>\u00a0fought the\u00a0Torstenson War<\/a>. The result of that conflict and the conclusion of the Thirty Years’ War helped establish postwar Sweden as a major force in Europe.<\/p>\n

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The Swedish Empire between 1611 and 1815, with its absolute peak between 1658 and 1660.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In the middle of the 17th century Sweden was the third-largest country in Europe by land area, surpassed by only Russia and Spain. Sweden reached its largest territorial extent under the rule of\u00a0Charles X<\/a>\u00a0after the\u00a0treaty of Roskilde<\/a>\u00a0in 1658, following Charles X’s risky but successful\u00a0crossing of the Danish Belts<\/a>.\u00a0The foundation of Sweden’s success during this period is credited to Gustav I’s major changes to the Swedish economy in the 16th century, and his introduction of\u00a0Protestantism<\/a>. In the 17th century, Sweden was engaged in many wars, for example with the Polish\u2013Lithuanian Commonwealth, with both sides competing for territories of today’s\u00a0Baltic states<\/a>, with the disastrous\u00a0Battle of Kircholm<\/a>\u00a0being one of the highlights.<\/sup>\u00a0One-third of the Finnish population died in the devastating\u00a0Great Famine of 1695\u20131697<\/a> that struck the country. Famine also hit Sweden, killing roughly 10% of Sweden’s population.<\/p>\n

The Swedes conducted a series of invasions into the Polish\u2013Lithuanian Commonwealth, known as the\u00a0Deluge<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0After more than half a century of almost constant warfare, the Swedish economy had deteriorated. It became the lifetime task of Charles X’s son,\u00a0Charles XI<\/a>, to rebuild the economy and refit the army.<\/sup>\u00a0His legacy to his son, the coming ruler of Sweden,\u00a0Charles XII<\/a>, was one of the finest arsenals in the world, a large standing army and a great fleet.<\/sup> Sweden’s largest threat at this time, Russia, had a larger army but was far behind in both equipment and training.<\/p>\n

After the\u00a0Battle of Narva<\/a>\u00a0in 1700, one of the first battles of the\u00a0Great Northern War<\/a>, the Russian army was so severely devastated that Sweden had an open chance to invade Russia. However, Charles XII did not pursue the Russian army, instead\u00a0turning against Poland\u2013Lithuania<\/a>\u00a0and defeating the Polish king,\u00a0Augustus II the Strong<\/a>, and his Saxon allies at the\u00a0Battle of Klisz\u00f3w<\/a>\u00a0in 1702.<\/sup> This gave Russia time to rebuild and modernize its army.<\/p>\n

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The Battle of Poltava in 1709<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
After the success of invading Poland, Charles XII decided to make an attempt at <\/span>invading Russia<\/a>, but this ended in a decisive Russian victory at the\u00a0<\/span>Battle of Poltava<\/a>\u00a0in 1709.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0After a long march exposed to\u00a0<\/span>Cossack<\/a>\u00a0raids, the Russian Tsar\u00a0<\/span>Peter the Great<\/a>‘s\u00a0<\/span>scorched-earth<\/a>\u00a0techniques and\u00a0<\/span>the extremely cold winter of 1709<\/a>, the Swedes stood weakened with a shattered morale and were enormously outnumbered against the Russian army at Poltava.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0The defeat meant the beginning of the end for the Swedish Empire. In addition,\u00a0<\/span>the plague raging in East Central Europe<\/a> devastated the Swedish dominions and reached Central Sweden in 1710.<\/span>\u00a0Returning to Sweden in 1715, Charles XII launched\u00a0<\/span>two campaigns against Norway<\/a>\u00a0on 1716 and 1718, respectively. During the second attempt, he was shot to death during the\u00a0<\/span>siege of<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>Fredriksten<\/a>\u00a0fortress.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0The Swedes were not militarily defeated at Fredriksten, but the whole structure and organization of the campaign fell apart with the king’s death, and the army withdrew.<\/div>\n
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Forced to cede large areas of land in the\u00a0Treaty of Nystad<\/a>\u00a0in 1721, Sweden also lost its place as an empire and as the dominant state on the Baltic Sea.<\/sup>\u00a0With Sweden’s lost influence, Russia emerged as an empire and became one of\u00a0Europe’s dominant nations<\/a>. As the war finally ended in 1721, Sweden had lost an estimated 200,000 men, 150,000 of those from the area of present-day Sweden and 50,000 from the\u00a0Finnish part of Sweden<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the 18th century, Sweden did not have enough resources to maintain its territories outside Scandinavia, and most of them were lost, culminating with\u00a0the loss in 1809<\/a>\u00a0of eastern Sweden to Russia, which became the highly autonomous\u00a0Grand Principality of Finland<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Imperial Russia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In interest of re-establishing Swedish dominance in the Baltic Sea, Sweden allied itself against its traditional ally and benefactor, France, in the\u00a0Napoleonic Wars<\/a>. However, in 1810, a French Marshal,\u00a0Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte<\/a>, was chosen as heir presumptive to the decrepit\u00a0Charles XIII<\/a>; in 1818, he established the\u00a0House of Bernadotte<\/a>, taking the\u00a0regnal name<\/a>\u00a0of Charles XIV. Sweden’s role in the\u00a0Battle of Leipzig<\/a>\u00a0gave it the authority to force Denmark\u2013Norway, an ally of France, to cede Norway to the King of Sweden on 14 January 1814 in exchange for the northern German provinces, at the\u00a0Treaty of Kiel<\/a>.\u00a0The Norwegian attempts to keep their status as a sovereign state were rejected by the Swedish king,\u00a0Charles XIII<\/a>. He launched a\u00a0military campaign against Norway<\/a>\u00a0on 27 July 1814, ending in the\u00a0Convention of Moss<\/a>, which forced Norway into a\u00a0personal union<\/a> with Sweden under the Swedish crown, which lasted until 1905. The 1814 campaign was the last time Sweden was at war.<\/p>\n

Modern History:<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Famine of 1867\u20131869<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The <\/span>Swedish East India Company<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Ostindiska Kompaniet<\/i>, began in 1731. The obvious choice of home port was\u00a0<\/span>Gothenburg<\/a>\u00a0at Sweden’s west coast, the mouth of\u00a0<\/span>G\u00f6ta\u00e4lv river<\/a>\u00a0is very wide and has the county’s largest and best harbor for high-seas journeys. The trade continued into the 19th century, and caused the little town to become Sweden’s second city.<\/sup>\u00a0There was a significant population increase during the 18th and 19th centuries, which the writer\u00a0<\/span>Esaias Tegn\u00e9r<\/a>\u00a0in 1833 attributed to “the peace, the\u00a0<\/span>smallpox vaccine<\/a>, and the potatoes”.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Between 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% of the population emigrated annually during the 1880s.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Nevertheless, Sweden remained poor, retaining a nearly entirely agricultural economy even as Denmark and Western European countries began to industrialize.<\/sup><\/sup><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"\"<\/a>
Swedish emigrants boarding ship in\u00a0Gothenburg\u00a0in 1905<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Many looked towards America for a better life during this time. It is thought that between 1850 and 1910 more than one million Swedes moved to the United States.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0In the early 20th century, more Swedes lived in Chicago than in\u00a0<\/span>Gothenburg<\/a>\u00a0(Sweden’s second largest city).<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Most Swedish\u00a0<\/span>immigrants<\/a>\u00a0moved to the\u00a0<\/span>Midwestern United States<\/a>, with a large population in\u00a0<\/span>Minnesota<\/a>, with a few others moving to other parts of the United States and Canada.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Despite the slow rate of industrialization into the 19th century, many important changes were taking place in the agrarian economy due to constant innovations and a rapid population growth.<\/sup> These innovations included government-sponsored programs of enclosure<\/a>, aggressive exploitation of agricultural lands, and the introduction of new crops such as the potato.<\/sup>\u00a0Because the Swedish peasantry had never been enserfed as elsewhere in Europe,<\/sup>\u00a0the Swedish farming culture began to take on a critical role in Swedish politics, which has continued through modern times with modern Agrarian party (now called the Centre Party).<\/sup> Between 1870 and 1914, Sweden began developing the industrialized economy that exists today.<\/p>\n

World War I and World War II:<\/span><\/h4>\n

Sweden was officially neutral during\u00a0World War I<\/a>, although, under German pressure, they did take steps which were detrimental to the\u00a0Allied powers<\/a>\u00a0including mining the\u00a0\u00d8resund<\/a>\u00a0channel, thus closing it to Allied shipping, and allowing the Germans to use Swedish facilities and the Swedish cipher to transmit secret messages to their overseas embassies.<\/sup>\u00a0Sweden also allowed volunteers to fight for the\u00a0White Guards<\/a>\u00a0alongside the Germans against the\u00a0Red Guards<\/a>\u00a0and Russians in the\u00a0Finnish Civil War<\/a>, and briefly occupied the\u00a0\u00c5land Islands<\/a>\u00a0in co-operation with Germany.<\/p>\n

\n
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\"\"<\/a>
A Swedish soldier during World War II<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

As in the First World War, Sweden remained officially neutral during <\/span>World War II<\/a>, although its neutrality during World War II has been disputed.<\/span><\/sup><\/sup> Sweden was under German influence for much of the war, as ties to the rest of the world were cut off through blockades. <\/span>The Swedish government felt that it was in no position to openly contest Germany,<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0and therefore made some concessions.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Sweden also supplied steel and machined parts to Germany throughout the war. The Swedish government unofficially supported Finland in the\u00a0<\/span>Winter War<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0<\/span>Continuation War<\/a>\u00a0by allowing volunteers and\u00a0<\/span>materiel<\/a>\u00a0to be shipped to Finland. However, Sweden supported Norwegian resistance against Germany, and in 1943 helped\u00a0<\/span>rescue Danish Jews<\/a>\u00a0from deportation to\u00a0<\/span>Nazi concentration camps<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Raoul Wallenberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

During the last year of the war, Sweden began to play a role in humanitarian efforts, and many refugees, among them several thousand Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe, were rescued thanks to the\u00a0Swedish rescue missions to internment camps<\/a>\u00a0and partly because Sweden served as a haven for refugees, primarily from the\u00a0Nordic countries<\/a> and the Baltic states.\u00a0The Swedish diplomat\u00a0Raoul Wallenberg<\/a> and his colleagues ensured the safety of tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews. Nevertheless, both Swedes and others have argued that Sweden could have done more to oppose the Nazis’ war efforts, even if it meant increasing the risk of occupation.<\/p>\n

Post-war era:<\/span><\/h4>\n

Sweden was officially a neutral country and remained outside\u00a0NATO<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Warsaw Pact<\/a>\u00a0membership during the\u00a0Cold War<\/a>, but privately Sweden’s leadership had strong ties with the United States and other western governments. 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.<\/sup>\u00a0Sweden received aid under the\u00a0Marshall Plan<\/a>\u00a0and participated in the OECD. During most of the post-war era, the country was governed by the\u00a0Swedish Social Democratic Party<\/a>\u00a0largely in co-operation with\u00a0trade unions<\/a>\u00a0and industry. The government actively pursued an internationally competitive manufacturing sector of primarily large corporations.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Tage Erlander\u00a0(left), Prime Minister under the ruling\u00a0Swedish Social Democratic Party\u00a0from 1946 to 1969.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
Sweden was one of the founding states of the <\/span>European Free Trade Area<\/a>\u00a0(EFTA). During the 1960s the EFTA countries were often referred to as the\u00a0<\/span>Outer Seven, as opposed to the\u00a0<\/span>Inner Six<\/a>\u00a0of the then-<\/span>European Economic Community<\/a> (EEC).<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sweden, like many industrialized countries, entered a period of economic decline and upheaval following the oil embargoes of 1973\u201374 and 1978\u201379.<\/sup> In the 1980s several key Swedish industries were significantly restructured. Shipbuilding was discontinued, wood pulp was integrated into modernized paper production, the steel industry was concentrated and specialised, and mechanical engineering was robotized.<\/p>\n

Recent history:<\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
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Sweden joined the European Union in 1995 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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.<\/sup>\u00a0Sweden’s GDP declined by around 5%. In 1992, a run on the currency caused the central bank to briefly increase interest rates to 500%.<\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n

The response of the government was to cut spending and institute a multitude of reforms to improve Sweden’s competitiveness, among them reducing the\u00a0welfare state<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0privatizing<\/a>\u00a0public services and goods. Much of the political establishment promoted EU membership, and\u00a0a referendum<\/a> passed with 52.3% in favor of joining the EU on 13 November 1994. Sweden joined the\u00a0European Union<\/a>\u00a0on 1 January 1995. In a 2003 referendum the Swedish electorate\u00a0voted against<\/a>\u00a0the country joining the\u00a0Euro<\/a>\u00a0currency. In\u00a02006<\/a> Sweden got its first majority government for decades as the center-right\u00a0Alliance<\/a>\u00a0defeated the incumbent Social Democrat government. Following the rapid growth of support for the anti-immigration\u00a0Sweden Democrats<\/a>, and their entrance to the Riksdag in\u00a02010<\/a>, the Alliance became a minority cabinet.<\/p>\n

Sweden remains non-aligned militarily, although it participates in some joint military exercises with NATO and some other countries, in addition to extensive co-operation with other European countries in the area of defense technology and defense industry. Among others, Swedish companies export weapons that were used by the American military in Iraq.<\/sup>\u00a0Sweden also has a long history of participating in international military operations, including\u00a0Afghanistan<\/a>, where Swedish troops are under NATO command, and in EU-sponsored\u00a0peacekeeping<\/a>\u00a0operations in\u00a0Kosovo<\/a>,\u00a0Bosnia and Herzegovina<\/a>, and\u00a0Cyprus<\/a>. Sweden also participated in\u00a0enforcing<\/a>\u00a0a\u00a0UN mandated no-fly zone<\/a>\u00a0over Libya during the\u00a0Arab Spring<\/a>. Sweden held the chair of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December 2009.<\/p>\n

\n
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Second day of the Stockholm Husby riots<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
In recent decades Sweden has become a more culturally diverse nation due to significant immigration; in 2013 it was estimated that 15 per cent of the population was foreign-born, and an additional 5 per cent of the population were born to two immigrant parents. The influx of immigrants has brought new social challenges. Violent incidents have <\/span>periodically occurred<\/a><\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0including the\u00a0<\/span>2013 Stockholm riots<\/a>\u00a0which broke out following the police shooting of an elderly Portuguese immigrant.<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0In response to these violent events, the\u00a0<\/span>anti-immigration<\/a>\u00a0opposition party, the\u00a0<\/span>Sweden Democrats<\/a>, promoted their anti-immigration policies, while the\u00a0<\/span>left-wing<\/a>\u00a0opposition blamed growing inequality caused by the\u00a0<\/span>center-right<\/a>\u00a0government’s socioeconomic policies.<\/span><\/sup><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sweden was heavily affected by the 2015 European migrant crisis<\/a>, eventually forcing the government to tighten regulations of entry to the country, as Sweden received thousands of asylum seekers and migrants predominantly from\u00a0Africa<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Middle East<\/a>\u00a0per week in autumn, overwhelming existing structures.<\/sup> Some of the asylum restrictions were relaxed again later.<\/sup><\/p>\n

Geography:<\/span><\/h2>\n

Situated in Northern Europe, Sweden lies west of the Baltic Sea<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Gulf of Bothnia<\/a>, providing a long coastline, and forms the eastern part of the\u00a0Scandinavian Peninsula<\/a>. To the west is the\u00a0Scandinavian mountain chain<\/a>\u00a0(Skanderna), a range that separates Sweden from\u00a0Norway<\/a>. Finland is located to its north-east. It has maritime borders with Denmark, Germany,\u00a0Poland<\/a>, Russia,\u00a0Lithuania<\/a>,\u00a0Latvia<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Estonia<\/a>, and it is also linked to Denmark (south-west) by the\u00a0\u00d6resund Bridge<\/a>. Its border with Norway (1,619 km<\/a>\u00a0long) is the longest uninterrupted border within Europe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Topographic Map of Scandinavia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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At 449,964 km<\/span>2<\/sup>\u00a0(173,732\u00a0sq\u00a0mi), Sweden is the 55th-largest country in the world,<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>fifth-largest country<\/a>\u00a0in Europe, and the largest country in Northern Europe. The lowest elevation in Sweden is in the bay of Lake Hammarsj\u00f6n, near\u00a0<\/span>Kristianstad<\/a>, at \u22122.41\u00a0m (\u22127.91\u00a0ft) below sea level. The highest point is\u00a0<\/span>Kebnekaise<\/a>\u00a0at 2,111\u00a0m (6,926\u00a0ft)\u00a0<\/span>above sea level<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sweden has 25\u00a0provinces<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0landskap<\/i>, based on culture, geography and history. While these provinces serve no political or administrative purpose, they play an important role in people’s\u00a0self-identity<\/a>. The provinces are usually grouped together in three large\u00a0lands<\/a><\/i>, parts, the northern Norrland, the central Svealand and southern G\u00f6taland. The sparsely populated Norrland encompasses almost 60% of the country. Sweden also has the\u00a0Vindelfj\u00e4llen Nature Reserve<\/a>, one of the largest protected areas in Europe, totaling 562,772 ha (approx. 5,628\u00a0km2<\/sup>).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
View of the Stora Sj\u00f6fallet National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About 15% of Sweden lies north of the\u00a0Arctic Circle<\/a>. Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, with increasing forest coverage northward. Around 65% of Sweden’s total land area is covered with forests. The highest population density is in the\u00a0\u00d6resund Region<\/a>\u00a0in southern Sweden, along the western coast up to central Bohusl\u00e4n, and in the valley of lake\u00a0M\u00e4laren<\/a>\u00a0and Stockholm. Gotland and\u00a0\u00d6land<\/a>\u00a0are Sweden’s largest\u00a0islands<\/a>;\u00a0V\u00e4nern<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0V\u00e4ttern<\/a>\u00a0are its largest lakes. V\u00e4nern is the third largest in Europe, after\u00a0Lake Ladoga<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Lake Onega<\/a>\u00a0in Russia. Combined with the third- and fourth-largest lakes M\u00e4laren and\u00a0Hj\u00e4lmaren<\/a>, these lakes take up a significant part of the southern Sweden’s area. Sweden’s extensive waterway availability throughout the south was exploited with the building of the\u00a0G\u00f6ta Canal<\/a>\u00a0in the 19th century, shortening the potential distance between the Baltic Sea south of\u00a0Norrk\u00f6ping<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Gothenburg<\/a>\u00a0by using the lake and river network to facilitate the canal.<\/sup><\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

Sweden is the sixteenth-richest country in the world in terms of GDP (gross domestic product) per capita and a high standard of living is experienced by its citizens. Sweden is an export-oriented\u00a0mixed economy<\/a>. Timber,\u00a0hydropower<\/a>\u00a0and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy with a heavy emphasis on\u00a0foreign trade<\/a>. Sweden’s engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports, while telecommunications, the automotive industry and the pharmaceutical industries are also of great importance. Sweden is the ninth-largest\u00a0arms exporter in the world<\/a>. Agriculture accounts for 2% of GDP and employment. The country ranks among the highest for telephone and Internet access penetration.<\/sup><\/p>\n

In terms of structure, the Swedish economy is characterized by a large, knowledge-intensive and export-oriented manufacturing sector; an increasing, but comparatively small, business service sector<\/a>; and by international standards, a large public service sector. Large organizations, both in manufacturing and services, dominate the Swedish economy<\/a>.<\/sup> High and medium-high technology manufacturing accounts for 9.9% of GDP.<\/p>\n

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Sweden Exports Treemap 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 20 largest (by turnover) registered Swedish companies in 2007 were\u00a0Volvo<\/a>,\u00a0Ericsson<\/a>,\u00a0Vattenfall<\/a>,\u00a0Skanska<\/a>,\u00a0Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB<\/a>,\u00a0Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget<\/a>,\u00a0Electrolux<\/a>,\u00a0Volvo Personvagnar<\/a>,\u00a0TeliaSonera<\/a>,\u00a0Sandvik<\/a>,\u00a0Scania<\/a>,\u00a0ICA<\/a>,\u00a0Hennes & Mauritz<\/a>,\u00a0IKEA<\/a>,\u00a0Nordea<\/a>,\u00a0Preem<\/a>,\u00a0Atlas Copco<\/a>,\u00a0Securitas<\/a>,\u00a0Nordstjernan<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0SKF<\/a>.<\/sup>\u00a0The vast majority of Sweden’s industry is\u00a0privately<\/a> controlled, unlike many other industrialized Western countries, and, in accordance with a historical standard, publicly owned enterprises are of minor importance.<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sweden maintains its own currency, the\u00a0Swedish krona<\/a>\u00a0(SEK), a result of the Swedes having rejected the\u00a0euro<\/a> in a referendum.\u00a0<\/sup><\/p>\n

The largest trade flows are with Germany, the United States, Norway, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Finland.<\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

Sweden has 162,707\u00a0km (101,101\u00a0mi) of paved road and 1,428\u00a0km (887\u00a0mi) of expressways.\u00a0Motorways<\/a>\u00a0run through Sweden and over the \u00d8resund Bridge to Denmark. New motorways are still under construction and a new motorway from Uppsala to\u00a0G\u00e4vle<\/a> was finished on 17 October 2007.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Stockholm metro<\/a> is the only underground system in Sweden and serves the city of Stockholm via 100 stations. The rail transport market is privatized, but while there are many privately owned enterprises, the largest operators are still owned by state. The counties have financing, ticket and marketing responsibility for local trains. For other trains the operators handle tickets and marketing themselves. Operators include\u00a0SJ<\/a>,\u00a0Veolia Transport<\/a>,\u00a0DSB<\/a>,\u00a0Green Cargo<\/a>,\u00a0T\u00e5gkompaniet<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Inlandsbanan<\/a>. Most of the railways are owned and operated by\u00a0Trafikverket<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Stockholm Central Station<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The largest airports include\u00a0Stockholm\u2013Arlanda Airport<\/a>\u00a0(16.1 million passengers in 2009) 40\u00a0km (25\u00a0mi) north of Stockholm,\u00a0G\u00f6teborg Landvetter Airport<\/a>\u00a0(4.3 million passengers in 2008), and\u00a0Stockholm\u2013Skavsta Airport<\/a>\u00a0(2.0 million passengers). Sweden hosts the two largest port companies in Scandinavia,\u00a0Port of G\u00f6teborg AB<\/a>\u00a0(Gothenburg) and the transnational company\u00a0Copenhagen Malm\u00f6 Port AB<\/a>. The most used airport for a large part of Southern Sweden is\u00a0Kastrup or Copenhagen Airport<\/a>\u00a0which is located only 12 minutes by train from the closest Swedish railway station,\u00a0Hyllie<\/a>. Copenhagen Airport also is the largest\u00a0international<\/i>\u00a0airport in Scandinavia and Finland.<\/p>\n

Sweden also has a number of car ferry connections to several neighboring countries.<\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n

Flag of Sweden:<\/h2>\n

The\u00a0flag of Sweden consists of a yellow or gold\u00a0Nordic cross<\/a>\u00a0(i.e. an asymmetrical horizontal cross, with the crossbar closer to the hoist than the fly, with the cross extending to the edges of the flag) on a field of light blue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Flag of Sweden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Nordic cross design traditionally represents\u00a0Christianity<\/a>.<\/sup><\/sup> The design and colors of the Swedish flag are believed to have been inspired by the present\u00a0coat of arms of Sweden<\/a>\u00a0of 1442, which is blue divided quarterly by a\u00a0cross patt\u00e9e<\/a>\u00a0of gold, and modelled on the\u00a0Danish fl<\/a>ag.<\/sup> Blue and yellow have been used as Swedish colors at least since\u00a0Magnus III’s<\/a>\u00a0royal coat of arms of 1275.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction: Sweden, officially the\u00a0Kingdom of Sweden, is a\u00a0Nordic country\u00a0in\u00a0Northern Europe.\u00a0It borders\u00a0Norway\u00a0to the west and north,\u00a0Finland\u00a0to the east, and is connected […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[89,59,26,5,6,7,60],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8954"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8954"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9539,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8954\/revisions\/9539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}