India Festivals Destinations
Check this space for forthcoming Festivals and celebrations in India. View Details
Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige , is
a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It has
borders with Norway (west and north) and Finland (northeast). It has been a
member of the European Union since January 1, 1995. Its capital city is
Stockholm.
At 449,964 km² (173,720 square miles), Sweden is the third largest country
by area in Western Europe and fifth in all of Europe. Sweden has a low
population density of 20 people per square kilometre, except in its
metropolitan areas; 84% of the population lives in urban areas, which
comprise only 1.3% of the country's total land area so that's about 1,300
people per square kilometre (3,400 per square mile) in urban areas. The
inhabitants of Sweden enjoy a high standard of living, and the country is
generally perceived as modern and liberal, with an organisational and
corporate culture that is non-hierarchical and collectivist compared to its
Anglo-Saxon counterparts. Nature conservation, environmental protection
and energy efficiency are generally prioritized in policy making and
embraced by the general public in Sweden.
Sweden has long been a major exporter of iron, copper and timber. Improved
transportation and communication has allowed for the large scale utilization
of remote natural assets, most notably timber and iron ore. In the 1890s,
universal schooling and industrialization enabled the country to develop a
successful manufacturing industry and by the twentieth century, Sweden
emerged as a welfare state, consistently achieving high positions among the
top-ranking countries in the UN Human Development Index (HDI). Sweden has a
rich supply of water power, but lacks significant oil and coal deposits.
Modern Sweden emerged out of the Kalmar Union formed in 1397, and by the
unification of the country by King Gustav Vasa in the 16th century. In the
17th century the country expanded its territories to form the Swedish
empire. Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian
Peninsula, were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The historically
integrated eastern half of Sweden, Finland, was lost to Russia in 1809. The
last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by
military means forced Norway into a personal union with Sweden, a union
which lasted until 1905. Since 1814, Sweden has been at peace, adopting a
non-aligned foreign policy in peacetime and neutrality in wartime.
.
Check this space for forthcoming Festivals and celebrations in India. View Details
Check this space for forthcoming Sports Events in India. View Details