Landet Sverige (the country of Sweden): our walkthrough of chapter 1 of UHR’s Sverige i fokus

Where is Sweden?

Sweden is in northern Europe. It is one of the Nordic countries, together with Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway. Of these, Sweden has the largest area.

Sweden is a long country. It is about 1,600 kilometres from Treriksröset in the far north to Smygehuk in the far south. The northernmost part lies north of the Arctic Circle (polcirkeln), in the Arctic. Southern Sweden lies far south of the Arctic Circle.

Although Sweden lies so far north, its climate is fairly mild, and the country has the sea to thank for that. The Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Current bring warm water across the Atlantic. The warm sea makes the air milder before the wind reaches land.

Where do people live, and how is the country divided?

Most people in Sweden live in towns and cities. Many live in the south of the country and near the coasts, and far fewer live in the north. The three largest cities are Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö.

Sweden is divided into provinces (landskap). Long ago each province had its own laws. Many people still feel that they belong to their province, but today the provinces decide nothing.

Sweden is also divided into counties (län) and municipalities (kommuner). The municipalities and the regions (regioner) make their own decisions about much that affects people’s everyday lives.

Nature: shaped by the ice

Long ago, during the Ice Age, a thick layer of ice lay over all of Sweden. When the ice melted, it had shaped the land. It left behind lakes, plains and archipelagos (skärgårdar) with many islands.

Sweden’s three largest lakes are Vänern, Vättern and Mälaren. The two largest islands, Gotland and Öland, lie in the Baltic Sea (Östersjön).

More than half of the country is forest. In the north there is mostly spruce and pine. Further south there are more broadleaf trees.

On the border with Norway are the Scandinavian Mountains (Skanderna) and Sweden’s highest mountain, Kebnekaise. In the mountains (på fjället) it is cold and windy. No forest grows there, only grass and low plants.

Natural resources

Iron ore has been important to Sweden for a long time. The ore is mined above all in Norrbotten, and Kiruna and Malmberget are two of the mining towns.

Water is important too. We drink it, and farming and industry need it. There are power stations in the rivers that produce electricity.

The forest industry uses trees to make pulp, paper, cardboard and timber for houses. It is colder in the north, so most farmland is in southern Sweden.

The climate and the future

The Earth is getting warmer, mostly because of greenhouse gases that people release. The emissions come from, for example, cars, factories and farming. In Sweden a warmer climate can bring more heavy rain and flooding, but also more drought and more forest fires.

Solutions already exist, for example technology that produces more electricity from wind, water and the sun. Sweden works together with other countries so that they are put to use.

The chapter also explains sustainable development (hållbar utveckling). The idea is that what we do today should not make life worse for the people who live after us. It has three parts: the environment, society and the economy. Everyone can contribute in daily life, for example by sorting their rubbish, using less electricity and taking public transport instead of the car.