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Geography |
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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
Map references: Europe
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: 2,205 km
border countries: Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km
Coastline: 3,218 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or
midlines
territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to
return a portion of straits to high seas)
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m
Natural resources: zinc, iron ore, lead, copper,
silver, timber, uranium, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 68%
other: 24% (1993 est.)
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
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen
Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur
94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location along Danish
Straits linking Baltic and North Seas
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Background:
A
military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not
participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed
neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's
long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system
interlarded with substantial welfare elements has recently been
undermined by high unemployment, rising maintenance costs, and a
declining position in world markets. Indecision over the
country's role in the political and economic integration of
Europe caused Sweden not to join the EU until 1995, and to forgo
the introduction of the euro in 1999.
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People |
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Population: 8,873,052 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 837,358; female 794,774)
15-64 years: 64% (male 2,901,809; female
2,805,138)
65 years and over: 18% (male 648,865; female
885,108) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.02% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 10.01 births/1,000 population (2000
est.)
Death rate: 10.62 deaths/1,000 population (2000
est.)
Net migration rate: 0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.49 deaths/1,000 live births
(2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.58 years
male: 76.95 years
female: 82.37 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.53 children born/woman (2000
est.)
Nationality:
noun: Swede(s)
adjective: Swedish
Ethnic groups: indigenous population: Swedes and
Finnish and Lapp (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
note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1979 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
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Communications |
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Telephones - main lines in use: 6.017 million
(December 1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3.835 million (October
1998)
Telephone system: excellent domestic and
international facilities; automatic system
domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cable carry
most voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay
network carries some additional telephone channels
international: 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)
Radios: 8.25 million (1997)
Television
broadcast stations: 163 (1997)
Televisions: 4.6 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 29 (1999)
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Transportation |
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Railways:
total: 12,821 km (includes 3,594 km of
privately-owned railways)
standard gauge: 12,821 km 1.435-m gauge (7,918 km
electrified and 1,152 km double track) (1998)
Highways:
total: 210,907 km
paved: 163,453 km (including 1,439 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 47,454 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 2,052 km navigable for small steamers and
barges
Pipelines: natural gas 84 km
Ports and harbors: Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad,
Helsingborg, Hudiksvall, Kalmar, Karlshamn, Malmo,
Solvesborg, Stockholm, Sundsvall
Merchant marine:
total: 165 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
2,301,633 GRT/1,726,018 DWT
ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 26, chemical tanker 33,
combination ore/oil 4, liquified gas 1, petroleum tanker
23, rail car carrier 1, roll-on/roll-off 43, short-sea
passenger 4, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 18
(1999 est.)
Airports:
256 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 147
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 80
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 25 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 109
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 104 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.) |
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