Sweden - Useful information for your trip
Sweden is a country in Northern Europe with Stockholm as a capital city.
Sweden is a country in Northern Europe, in the Scandinavian peninsula. The climate of Sweden changes a lot: in the north there is a polar climate, in the centre of the country there is a subpolar and boreal climate while the southern and coastal regions have a continental cold climate.
It is thought that hunters and gatherer were the first to occupy Sweden, in the stone age, but the Vikings were the most important historical population in Sweden, during the 9th and 10th century. In 1397 Sweden with Denmark and Norway became part of the Kalmar's union, controlled by a single monarch. It was part of this union until 1523. After the Great north War, Russians divided the eastern half of Sweden, creating Finland as a Russian grand duchy. The recent history of Sweden has beeen peaceful, because it did not take part in the World Wars.
Sweden is today a constitutional monarchy. Stockholm, its capital city is also the biggest economic and cultural centre of the country. The economy is very much oriented to foreign trade and it is based on wood, hydroelectric power and iron minerals. The industrial sector is mostly based on engineering. In recent years tourism has increased a lot, especially in the capital.
Part of Sweden's culture are the ABBA in music, lots of actors and film directors like Ingmar Bergman and many winners of the Nobel prize for literature.
Apart from the capital Stockholm, other important and interesting places can be found in Lund, home of the most ancient and important Romanic church of the country. Nature also has an important role for the tourism. In the north of Sweden the landscape is characterized by alpine peaks and endless expanses of firs, polar plains, grasslands and glaciers.
