Overview
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east, and shares a maritime border with Denmark to the south. At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the fifth-largest country in Europe and the largest and most populous Nordic country.
The capital and largest city is Stockholm. With a population of 10.6 million and a population density of 25.5 inhabitants per square kilometre, Sweden is notable for its high urbanization rate—88% of Swedes reside in urban areas, mostly in the southern and central portions of the country. Despite this, urban areas together cover only 1.5% of Sweden's land area. The country has a diverse climate owing to its length, which ranges from 55°N to 69°N.
Government and Society
Sweden is a highly developed country and a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. Legislative power is vested in the 349-member unicameral Riksdag. The country is organized as a unitary state, divided into 21 counties and 290 municipalities.
Sweden maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens. The country ranks fifth in the Human Development Index and very highly in quality of life, health, education, protection of civil liberties, economic competitiveness, income equality, gender equality, and prosperity. It has the world's 14th highest GDP per capita.
International Relations
Sweden joined the European Union in 1995. In response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden joined NATO in 2024. The country is also a member of the United Nations, the Schengen Area, the Council of Europe, the Nordic Council, the World Trade Organization, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Etymology
The name for Sweden is generally agreed to derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *s(w)e, meaning "one's own," referring to one's own tribe from the tribal period. The native Swedish name, Sverige, is a compound of the words Svea and rike, and translates as "realm of the Swedes." The contemporary English variation was derived in the 17th century from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German.
History
Prehistory and Early History
Sweden has been inhabited since prehistoric times around 12,000 BC during the Allerød oscillation, a warm period characterized by Late Palaeolithic reindeer-hunting camps of the Bromme culture. The inhabitants emerged as the Geats (Swedish: Götar) and Swedes (Svear), who formed part of the seafaring peoples known as the Norsemen.
Sweden and its people were first described by the Roman historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus in his work Germania (98 AD), which mentions the Swedes (Suiones) as a powerful tribe with distinctive longships. The runic script was in use among the south Scandinavian elite by at least the second century AD. In the sixth century, the Byzantine historian Jordanes names two tribes living in Scandza, the Suetidi and Suehans, now considered synonymous with the Swedes.
Viking Age
The Swedish Viking Age lasted roughly from the eighth century to the 11th century. Swedish Vikings and Gutar mainly travelled east and south, reaching Finland, Estonia, the Baltic countries, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the Black Sea, and even Baghdad. Their routes passed through the Dnieper south to Constantinople, where they carried out numerous raids. The Swedish Vikings, called Rus, are believed to be the founders of Kievan Rus'. The actions of these Swedish Vikings are commemorated on many runestones in Sweden, such as the Greece runestones and the Varangian runestones.
During the early stages of the Viking Age, a centre of trade developed at Birka on the island of Björkö, near where Stockholm was later constructed. Birka was founded around 750 AD as a trading port and served as the Baltic link in the Dnieper trade route to the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate. It was abandoned around 975, at about the same time Sigtuna was founded 35 km to the northeast. Archaeological finds indicate that Birka remained wealthy in the 9th and 10th centuries, with thousands of graves, coins, jewellery, and other luxury items discovered there.
Kingdom of Sweden
A unified Swedish state was established during the late 10th century. Historians typically date the beginning of the Swedish kingdom from when Svealand and Götaland were ruled under the same king, namely Erik the Victorious and his son Olof Skötkonung in the tenth century. Saint Ansgar is traditionally credited with introducing Christianity to Sweden in 829, but the new religion did not fully replace paganism until the 12th century. During the 12th century, Sweden underwent dynastic struggles between the Erik and Sverker clans, which ended when a third clan married into the Erik clan, founding the Bjälbo dynasty.
Empire and Recent History
In 1397, Sweden joined Norway and Denmark to form the Scandinavian Kalmar Union, which Sweden left in 1523. When Sweden became involved in the Thirty Years' War on the Protestant side, an expansion of its territories began, forming the Swedish Empire, which remained one of the great powers of Europe until the early 18th century. During this era Sweden controlled much of the Baltic Sea.
Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The eastern half of Sweden, present-day Finland, was lost to Imperial 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, a union which lasted until 1905.