Geography
Sweden is one of a group of countries in Northern Europe including Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland, known collectively as Scandinavia. Sweden occupies the eastern half of a peninsula which forms the western boundary of the Baltic sea. Covering an area of 450,000 sq km / 173,745 sq miles, it has a rugged 7000km / 4300 mile coastline, much of it composed of long narrow sea inlets known as fjords. In the far northeast, Sweden shares a border with Finland but southwards is separated from its neighbour by the Gulf of Bothnia. To the west, Sweden is bordered for nearly three quarters of its 1900km / 1180 mile length by Norway, and it has a North Sea coastline for the remaining quarter. At the southern tip of Sweden the town of Malmo is less than 25km / 15 miles across the sea from Copenhagen in Denmark and in July 2000 a toll bridge linking these two towns opened for traffic. To the north lies Norrland, a large expanse of forest, rivers and lakes. This region which accounts for almost 60% of Sweden’s land area is very sparsely populated. In the far north west of Norrland within the Arctic Circle and part of Lapland, is located Sweden's only mountain range providing a natural frontier with Norway. The range is quite modest compared to the mountains of its neighbour and Sweden's highest peak, the glacier-capped Kebnekaise is 2111m (6924ft).

Time Zone
The time in Sweden is GMT +1 hour.

Climate
Due to the influence of the Gulf Stream, Southern Sweden has a temperate maritime climate similar to more southerly countries in northern Europe, with average daytime temperatures in Stokholm as high as 22º C (70º F). The average temperature in the northernmost mountains at this time is about 11°C (52°F), but you should be prepared for occasional sub-zero temperatures and snow falls, even in summer. Sweden's northern latitude means that it never gets really dark between May and August and beyond the arctic circle is the land of the midnight sun.

History
The expansive Roman Empire ran out of steam before reaching Scandinavia and for a long time the civilized world was barely away of its existence. In 98 AD a civil servant named Cornelius Tacitus mentioned in his work on ‘Germania, annales and hoistoriae’ about the lands north of the northern boundaries of the Empire. 'And thereafter, out in the ocean comes Svionernas people, which are mighty not only in man power and weaponry but also by it's fleets'. He goes on to say that the land of Svionerna is at the end of the world and that the people there can see the horses that pull the cart by which the sun is taken across the sky. The known history of Sweden begins with the Vikings around the 8th century. The Swedish Vikings travelled extensively to the east and southeast, making their mark in Russia, as well as trading with (and pillaging) Byzantine territories. The Viking Kings became rich on this trade and plunder, which we can surmise from the findings of European goods and currency in Sweden. There are more ancient English coins found in Sweden than there are in England, and over 90% of all the ancient coinage found in Europe from Baghdad and surroundings have been found in Sweden. During the Viking period the Swedish state began to take form. At first the power structure in Scandinavia was built mainly on small chiefdoms, where local chiefs ruled over a limited area, often not more far-reaching than a large farm or a village. These chiefdoms became more extensive as time went by. In Sweden, two chiefdoms of "Göter" and "Svear" became the most influential and eventually these "states" merged and formed Sweden. The Vikings followed an ancient Nordic mythology where the gods lived in "Asgård", the humans in "Midgård, and the giants in "Jotunheim". These places were situated in the world tree, the ash tree "Yggdrasil". The most important god was "Oden", the lord of gods and humans. Perhaps most famous among the gods is "Tor" the mightiest warrior of them all. He was the god of thunder and had a hammer called "Mjölner" which, like a boomerang, returned to his hand after he had thrown it. By the 11th Century the Viking age was at an end and Chritianity had taken root in Sweden. The Swedish Middle Ages was a turbulent time. Power struggles amongst high families and Great Men (Stormännen) caused politically unstable situations. The throne was not inherited but rather the king was elected by members of a council of these aristocrats. In 1397, Sweden, Norway and Denmark formed the Kalmar Union to counterbalance the increasing political and economic influence of the German Hanseatic League. The countries in the union agreed to elect a common king from Denmark. This led to serious antagonism between Sweden and Denmark, initiating a bilateral struggle for power which ended in a bloody battle and brought a Swedish king, Gustav Vasa to the throne in 1521. Gustav organised the state raising high taxes, ruthlessly putting down rebellion, and administering his rule through a network of Sherifs. Like Henry VIII of England, Gustav sundered links with the Catholic Church and set himself up as the Head of the Church in Sweden. As a result, almost all connections with the Continent were cut off and Sweden entered a period of cultural isolation from the rest of Europe. Emerging from these ‘dark ages’, during the 17th and 18th centuries Sweden became a great power in the Baltic region striving for control of the lucrative trade with Russia and the East. It fought several wars and was very expansionist in outlook. In 1809, the unrestricted power vested in the monarch was undone by an aristocratic revolt, and Sweden became a constitutional monarchy. At the same time Finland was lost to Russia. In 1814 the military enforcement of the union with Norway was Sweden's last involvement with war. In 1827 land reform scattered the agricultural villages of much of Sweden's countryside. The growing industries of iron ore extraction and steel making, together with the industry surrounding the invention of the safety match, drove people away from the traditional work on the land. By 1900 almost one in four Swedes lived in cities. In 1917 a social democratic government took control for the first time. The social democrats dominated politics after 1932 introducing a welfare state and central control of industry. The support for social democracy first wavered, during the economic troubles of the seventies and eighties and then shifted to the right in 1991 when a Moderate-led coalition won power. Sweden became a member of the European Union at this time. The social democrats formed a minority government in 1994 but were dependant on the support of the Centre Right party or the Greens. The present Prime Minister is Göran Persson, a social democrat.

Currency
Though a member of the European Union, Sweden has yet to adopt the Euro. Sweden’s unit of currency is the Krona. As of February 2006, the exchange rates are:

£1 = 13.8 Krona
$1 = 7.9 Krona
€1 = 9.4 Krona

By far the easiest way to obtain cash is through ATMs using credit or debit cards. ATMs are found at most banks in cities and towns throughout Sweden. If you are bringing your travel money with you this can be carried in the form of cash or travellers cheques. Dollars and Sterling are readily exchanged. Credit cards can be used to purchase most goods and services and at larger restaurants throughout Sweden.

Visas
A valid passport is required. Nationals of member states of the European Union do not require visas. Citizens of the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand do not require a visa for stays not exceeded 90 days.

Vaccinations
You should visit your own doctor and dentist for a check-up prior to taking your trip to Sweden. The following is a ROUGH GUIDE for immunization. (We must stress that this is only a basic guide to the most commonly required vaccinations for travel worldwide. You must seek and abide by the specific advice of your local doctor/medical professional).

(a) Polio (normally you will just need a booster.)
(b) Tetanus.
(c) Typhoid. A full course requires 2 injections separated by an interval of 4-6 weeks.
(d) Hepatitis (A) and (B).

Given enough notice, your doctor will be able to administer all the above vaccinations.

Additional Sources of Information

Books
Frommer’s Sweden. Darwin Porter & Danforth Prince. Frommer
Sweden Insight Guide. Insight Guides
Lonely Planet Guide to Sweden. Lonely Planet
The Rough Guide to Sweden. Rough Guides
Scandinavian Mountains. Peter Lennon. West Col.
Sarek & Kabnekaise. Gundston
The History of Sweden. Byron J Nordstrom.
Sweden the Nation’s History. Franklin D Scott

Maps
Kebnekaise. Lantmäteriet (Sweden Survey). 1:20,000
Sweden – Lapland. Freytag & Bernt. 1:250,000

Our trip dossiers/itineraries give details of books and maps that are specific to a particular trip. Click here for details of book and map retailers.

Web
Lonely PLanet - www.lonelyplanet.com
Rough Guides - www.roughguides.com