Sweden in brief
Sweden in brief provides capsule introductions to Sweden by subject area and a collection of key facts and figures.
Facts about Sweden
- Area: 174,000 sq mi (450,000 km²), the third largest country in Western Europe
Forests: 53%
Mountains: 11%
Cultivated land: 8%
Lakes and rivers: 9%
Longest north-south distance: 978 mi (1,574 km)
Longest east-west distance: 310 mi (499 km)
- Capital: Stockholm
- Population: 9.4 million inhabitants
- Currency: Swedish krona (SEK)
- Languages: Swedish; recognized minority languages: Sami (Lapp), Finnish, Meänkieli (Tornedalen Finnish), Yiddish, Romani Chib
- Form of government: Constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy
- Parliament: The Riksdag, with 349 members in one chamber
- Religion: In practice, Sweden is very secularized. The Church of Sweden is Evangelical Lutheran; co-exists with many other beliefs
- Life expectancy: Men 79 years, women 83 years
- Most important export goods: Machinery, electronics and telecommunication, paper, pharmaceuticals, petroleum products, iron and steel, and foodstuffs
- Most important imported goods: Electronics and telecommunication, machinery, foodstuffs, crude oil, textiles and footwear, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and petroleum products
Average temperatures
|
JANUARY |
JULY |
| Malmö |
+31.6°F (-0.2°C) |
62.2°F (+16.8°C) |
| Stockholm |
+27.0°F (-2.8°C) |
63.0°F (+17.2°C) |
| Kiruna |
+3.2°F (-16.0°C) |
55.0°F (+12.8°C) |
Daylight
|
JANUARY 1 |
JULY 1 |
| Malmö |
7 hours |
17 hours |
| Stockholm |
6 hours |
18 hours |
| Kiruna |
0 hours |
24 hours |