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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 - comparative: slightly larger than California Land boundaries: Climate: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
Country name: Government type: constitutional monarchy National capital: Stockholm Independence: 6 June 1523, Gustav VASA was elected king; 6 June 1809, a constitutional monarchy was established National holiday: Day of the Swedish Flag, 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
Economy - overview: Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole twentieth 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. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 2% of GDP and 2% of the jobs. In recent years, however, this extraordinarily favorable picture has been clouded by budgetary difficulties, inflation, growing unemployment, and a gradual loss of competitiveness in international markets. To curb the budget deficit and bolster confidence in the economy, the government adopted an adjustment program in November 1994 that aims to eliminate the government budget deficit and to stabilize the debt to GDP ratio. Sweden has harmonized its economic policies with those of the EU, which it joined at the start of 1995. GDP - composition by sector: Inflation rate - consumer price index: 0.2% (September 1996) Labor force: Unemployment rate: 8% (September 1996) plus about 6% in training programs Industries: iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles Agriculture - products: grains, sugar beets, potatoes; meat, milk Debt - external: $66.5 billion (1994) Economic aid: donor: ODA, $1.769 billion (1993) Currency: 1 Swedish krona (SKr) = 100 oere Exchange rates: Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1 - 7.0671 (January 1997), 6.7060 (1996), 7.1333 (1995), 7.7160 (1994), 7.7834 (1993), 5.8238 (1992) Fiscal year: 1 January - 31 December (Sweden changed its fiscal year from 1 July - 30 June in 1995) |
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Population: 8,865,051 (July 1997 est.) Population growth rate: 0.23% (1997 est.) Infant mortality rate: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.) Life expectancy at birth: Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1997 est.) Nationality: noun : Swede(s) adjective: Swedish Ethnic groups: white, Lapp (Sami), foreign-born or first-generation immigrants 12% (Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks) Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 94%, Roman Catholic 1.5%, Pentecostal 1%, other 3.5% (1987) Languages: Swedish Literacy: Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west Natural resources: zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower potential Land use: Irrigated land: 1,150 sq km (1993 est.) Natural hazards: ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic Environment - current issues: acid rain damaging soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea |
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