Sweden is a north European country situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula. Its ancient name is Svithiod.
It is a beautiful country, with a rich cultural history, friendly people, a strong sense of community, and a long, fascinating history. Its natural beauty is renowned, with its residents enjoying some of the best sunshine in the world.
Its cities have an unusually high quality of life, boasting excellent restaurants, a fun night out, and many museums, theatres, and galleries.
You can barely find a country with such a beautiful natural environment as Sweden. The coastline is as wild as can be, the mountains are beautiful, and the forests are full of wildlife. But, of course, mountains, waterfalls, and forests are only one part of Sweden.
It’s also a country with a rich cultural heritage, a long history, and a growing economy.
The country was a sovereign state for 1,000 years. Now, it is a constitutional monarchy that has a parliamentary democracy.
Its capital city, Stockholm, is itself a famous attraction. It houses 14 islands and has more than 50 bridges. Other places that are a must-visit are Gothenburg, Malmo, and the medieval town of Gamla Stan.
Geography
Sweden, geologically is one of the oldest and most stable parts of the Earth’s crust.
The country is situated southwest of Finland. Its eastern border is made by a long coastline that extends along the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea. The Sound (a narrow strait) separates the country from Denmark in the south.
Another short coastline along the Kattegat and Skagerrak straits forms a border to the southwest of Sweden. Norway is located in the west of Sweden.
Sweden is divided into three regions: Norrland and its mountain and forest region in the north, Svealand and its lowland in the east and highland in the west, and Gotaland and its Smaland highlands and rich plains of Skane in the south.
Out of these three regions, Norrland is the largest yet sparsely populated of them all.
Sweden’s highest peaks are located at the far northern edge. These peaks are Mount Kebne (6,926 feet) and Mount Sarek (6,854 feet).
The country’s coastlines are rocky with small wooded islands. Such coasts are called Skarsgard, and they are found on both east and west sides of the country.
Climate
Sweden has a favorable climate like all of the northwestern European countries.
Since the country’s 15% lies within the Arctic Circle, it gets sunlight around the clock from late May to mid-July in the north of the Arctic Circle and far south of Stockholm.
Nights occur for only a few hours, that too with only semidarkness.
During mid-December, Stockholm only gets 5.5 hours of sunlight and 19 to 20 hours of total darkness.
The North Atlantic Current warms up the Atlantic low-pressure winds, which make the weather mild. However, the continental high pressures to the east create sunny weather making the summer season hot and winters cold.
The country gets irregular snowfall and has temperatures as low as -5 degrees Celsius.
Rainfall occurs during the late summer and autumn seasons.
Nature and Wildlife
The country’s vegetation is dominated by fir, birch, and pine trees. The country’s southern parts have mixed forests, whereas the far south has deciduous trees such as beech, linden, oak, elm, ash, and maple.
You can also find berries and mushrooms in the forests, which you can pick while hiking.
The higher elevations have coniferous trees.
In terms of animals, you will find bears, wolves, and lynx in the northern forests whereas, moose, foxes, roe deer, and hares can be found throughout the country.
You will also find a large herd of domesticated reindeer on the northern mountains and forests.
Visiting the country during the summer will show you several migratory birds like cranes and wild geese, flying from southern Europe and Africa.
