Swedish Geography
Learn more about the population, climates, landscapes, and wildlife of Sweden.
Sweden is a northern European nation of the Scandinavian Peninsula, part of the larger Fennoscandia region. The country shares land borders with Norway and Finland and borders Denmark via Øresund, or the Sound. Its total land area is 158,431 square miles or 410,335 square kilometers. Sweden’s largest city by far is its capital, Stockholm (approx. population 1.583 million). Other major cities include Gothenburg, Malmö, and Uppsala. As of 2017, the nation’s total population is an estimated 9,960,487 people.
Sweden’s landscape runs from north to south and experiences dramatic differences along the way. Its western border with Norway and northeastern border with Finland are defined by the Scandinavian Mountains. Its northern areas, which extend beyond the Arctic Circle, consist of icy plains and cold forests. Winter nights here can last for days at a time, and vice-versa in summer. The more heavily populated south sees milder climates and is more suitable for agriculture. Rolling hills and grasslands are broken up by forests and the nation’s many lakes and rivers. Common tree species include pine, spruce, birch, oak, aspen, and beech. Among the nation’s wildlife are brown bears, moose, wolves, reindeer, beavers, wolverines, Arctic foxes and lynx.
Learn More About Swedish Culture:
Cultural Overview | Geography | History | Daily Life | Society | Economy | Beliefs | Arts & Music
References
Kent, Neil. A Concise History of Sweden. Cambridge University Press. 2008.
Magnusson, Lars. An Economic History of Sweden. Routledge. 2002.
Myrdal, Janken and Mats Morell, eds. The Agrarian History of Sweden: 4000 BC to AD 2000. Nordic Academic Press. 2011.
Scott, Franklin Daniel. Sweden, the Nation's History. SIU Press. 1988.
Sprague, Martina. Sweden: An Illustrated History. Hippocrene Books. 2005.
“The World Factbook: Sweden.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 14 Aug. 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sw.html.
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