Flag of Sweden

Flag of Sweden

  • Officially » Kingdom of Sweden
  • Capital » Stockholm

Facts

  • Population » 10.4 million (2020)
  • Language » Swedish
  • Religion » Christianity
  • Life expectancy » 80 years (men), 84 years (women)
  • Joined the European Union in 1995
  • Currency » krona

Geography

  • Area » 449,964 sq km (173,732 sq miles)
  • Sweden is a Scandinavian country located in Northern Europe.
  • A Scandinavian nation with thousands of coastal islands and inland lakes
  • Land borders with Norway and Finland.
  • The country connects with Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund, a strait at the Swedish-Danish border.

Maps

Tourism

  • Canada in Sweden » Services for Canadians who are visiting, studying, working, or doing business in Sweden.
  • Sweden signed the Schengen agreement in 09 December 1996 and started implementing it later on 25 March 2001.
  • Since medieval times, Swedes have embraced a concept called allemansrätten (the right to roam) pertaining to the country’s great outdoors. Formally enshrined in the Swedish constitution in the 1990s, this veritable national law of wanderlust means that Swedes and foreign visitors alike can ski, cycle, skate, swim, camp and – yes – even pick-axe up frozen waterfalls anywhere in Sweden that isn’t on or near private property. (BBC)
  • 97% of the nation is uninhabited and very few trails or beaches are private
  • Two-thirds of the country is covered in forest; there are 30 national parks and more than 4,000 nature reserves; nearly 270,000 islands and thousands of kilometres of bike paths.
  • VisitSweden.com » official travel and tourism

Midnight Sun

  • Visible from June 5 to July 6 when travelling north of the Arctic Circle.

Climate

  • Best time to visit Sweden is from May to September, with June to August being peak season.
  • Nights can be cold. 3 season sleeping bag is recommended.

Camping

  • Camping is popular amongst Swedes.
  • It is mandatory that Swedes have 4 weeks of vacation. It is not uncommon for campgrounds to be booked solid with Swedish families during the month of July for this reason.
  • SDR, the Swedish Camping Association caters for family camping. Expect to pay a flat rate of about €30.
  • Camping Kartan lists independent, generally less expensive, and less crowded campgrounds. Basic, usually with a shower.

Food

  • Two major supermarkets chains across Sweden. Usually one or more in every town.
    • ICA
    • Coop
    • Handlar’n — More often found in Lapland and northern Sweden
  • In Lapland and northern Sweden, towns with a supermarket are often 100km apart.
  • Eating in restaurants, like in many other countries, can be expensive.

Connectivity

  • Telia have prepaid SIM cards.
  • Free WiFi is available at most campgrounds, hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets.

Water

  • Some of the cleanest in the world.
    • Fill water bottles with tap water at campgrounds, gas stations, supermarkets, churches.
      • Little reason to purchase bottled water.
    • Streams and lakes water, at higher elevations than farms, should be ok, but not a bad idea to filter.

Regions

Currency

  • Many establishments, including restaurants, buses, supermarkets no long accept cash. Payment by credit or debit card or the Swish payment app are preferred.

Roads

World Rankings

Notes

  • The second- and third-largest cities are Gothenburg and Malmö.
  • Unemployment is low and the economy strong.
  • The Swedes enjoy an advanced welfare system. Their standard of living and life expectancy are among the highest in the world.
  • Relative to its population size, Sweden has taken in more migrants than any other EU country since the beginning of the migration crisis in 2015.

Coffee Notes

  • Taking a break for a cup of coffee is known as Fika.
  • Enjoy everything from a cappuccino to a kaffee latte, but the classic black drip coffee is standard.
  • At home, Swedish people are known to make kokkaffe – or boiled coffee.

Amateur Radio

  • SSA – Sweden’s national amateur radio society
    • “Foreign radio amateurs with a CEPT HAREC (acc. T/R 61-01) license can, for a stay of up to three months, without a special permit operate amateur radio in Sweden.”

Safety and Security

  • Sweden is NOT a member of NATO but cooperates in peace and security operations
    • Updated 2022.05.17 » Along with Finland, Sweden is expected to make application for NATO membership within the next couple of days.

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This page was updated December 16, 2022