Sweden

Sweden is a country in northern Europe, occupying the eastern portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Slightly larger than the state of California and roughly similar in shape, Sweden is the largest and most populous nation of Scandinavia. The Swedes’ name for their country means “the land of the Sveas,” an ancient tribe of the region. Stockholm is the country’s capital and largest city.

In 1971 the Riksdag became a single-chamber Parliament. Its 349 members are elected on the basis of proportional representation for a four-year term.

The country has at least 17 000 indigenous Samis (or Lapps) among its population. It also has a minority of ethnic Finns.

Sweden exports cars, engineering products, steel, electronic devices, communications equipment and paper products.

Swedes played a pioneering role of the early days of cinema, with Mauritz Stiller and Victor Sjöström. Later on, directors like Ingmar Bergman and actresses such as Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman and Anita Ekberg made careers abroad. Swedish music is in many minds synonymous with ABBA.