Sweden

Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a <a href="/facts/Nordic_countries/uaqX7z81">Nordic country</a> located on the <a href="/facts/Scandinavian_Peninsula/7cv16h6P">Scandinavian Peninsula</a> in <a href="/facts/Northern_Europe/u77t0yJI">Northern Europe</a>. It borders <a href="/facts/Norway/wlDRKRTR">Norway</a> to the west and north, and <a href="/facts/Finland/G5Ak6T91">Finland</a> to the east. At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the largest Nordic country by both area and population, and is the <a href="/facts/List_of_European_countries_by_area/6jTfv2P5">fifth-largest country in Europe</a>. Its capital and largest city is <a href="/facts/Stockholm/sD74W4Pm">Stockholm</a>. Sweden has a population of 10.6 million, and a low population density of 25.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (66/sq mi); 88% of <a href="/facts/Swedes/gAeGfw2N">Swedes</a> reside in urban areas. They are mostly in the central and southern half of the country. Sweden's urban areas together cover 1.5% of its land area. Sweden has a diverse <a href="/facts/Climate_of_Sweden/u3qC7lyj">climate</a> owing to the length of the country, which ranges from <a href="/facts/55th_parallel_north/h0JDm96W">55°N</a> to <a href="/facts/69th_parallel_north/5AMzSrX6">69°N</a>.
Sweden has been inhabited since <a href="/facts/Prehistoric_Sweden/5gBSukg4">prehistoric times</a> around 12,000 BC. The inhabitants emerged as the <a href="/facts/Geats/hBEK65vq">Geats</a> (Swedish: Götar) and <a href="/facts/Swedes_(tribe)/DYHsfQYx">Swedes</a> (Svear), who formed part of the sea-faring peoples known as the <a href="/facts/Norsemen/sXH813Vv">Norsemen</a>. A unified Swedish state was established during the late 10th century. In 1397, Sweden joined Norway and Denmark to form the Scandinavian <a href="/facts/Kalmar_Union/oSIzwng4">Kalmar Union</a>, which Sweden left in 1523. When Sweden became involved in the <a href="/facts/Thirty_Years%2527_War/7bgcxoxf">Thirty Years' War</a> on the Protestant side, an expansion of its territories began, forming the <a href="/facts/Swedish_Empire/BxlrttWF">Swedish Empire</a>, which remained one of the <a href="/facts/Great_power/KBtjXLun">great powers</a> of Europe until the early 18th century. During this era Sweden <a href="/facts/Dominium_maris_baltici/cyCpNyVw">controlled much of the Baltic Sea</a>. 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 <a href="/facts/Russian_Empire/hg1g5SpV">Imperial Russia</a> in 1809. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military means forced Norway into a <a href="/facts/Personal_union/cBjL324v">personal union</a>, a union which lasted until 1905.
Sweden is a highly developed country ranked fifth in the <a href="/facts/Human_Development_Index/hQpz064I">Human Development Index</a>. It is a <a href="/facts/Constitutional_monarchy/C0TtVRq8">constitutional monarchy</a> and a <a href="/facts/Parliamentary_system/HAsnSsRz">parliamentary</a> democracy, with <a href="/facts/Legislature/ycUCe91S">legislative power</a> vested in the 349-member <a href="/facts/Unicameral/Uv6VUhG4">unicameral</a> <a href="/facts/Riksdag/uarwUozH">Riksdag</a>. It is a <a href="/facts/Unitary_state/HAxK1eMM">unitary state</a>, divided into <a href="/facts/Counties_of_Sweden/AuXtPdgK">21 counties</a> and <a href="/facts/Municipalities_of_Sweden/xXS2H4Ba">290 municipalities</a>. Sweden maintains a <a href="/facts/Nordic_model/kbg4raRK">Nordic social welfare system</a> that provides <a href="/facts/Universal_health_care/pT6kLbAW">universal health care</a> and <a href="/facts/Tertiary_education/WMN5RpeC">tertiary education</a> for its citizens. It has the <a href="/facts/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita/CKNIxpFU">world's 14th highest GDP per capita</a> and <a href="/facts/International_rankings_of_Sweden/wvyYAdwa">ranks very highly</a> in <a href="/facts/Quality_of_life/37ljmgAH">quality of life</a>, <a href="/facts/Health_in_Sweden/Sd00RS9H">health</a>, <a href="/facts/Education_Index/yu8eru6L">education</a>, protection of <a href="/facts/Freedom_in_the_World/vmKy4dPA">civil liberties</a>, economic competitiveness, <a href="/facts/Gini_coefficient/HledImpA">income equality</a>, <a href="/facts/Gender_equality/8StWa3Sn">gender equality</a> and <a href="/facts/Legatum_Prosperity_Index/44MnwfDr">prosperity</a>. Sweden joined the <a href="/facts/European_Union/6GYcR8qM">European Union</a> on 1 January 1995 and <a href="/facts/NATO/dCeTddMY">NATO</a> on 7 March 2024. It is also a <a href="/facts/Member_states_of_the_United_Nations/rpx3f10b">member</a> of the <a href="/facts/United_Nations/fgXLnmgT">United Nations</a>, the <a href="/facts/Schengen_Area/3x2jdc8H">Schengen Area</a>, the <a href="/facts/Council_of_Europe/51I3TyDg">Council of Europe</a>, the <a href="/facts/Nordic_Council/y1Kd1xKP">Nordic Council</a>, the <a href="/facts/World_Trade_Organization/p7hgb1lP">World Trade Organization</a> and the <a href="/facts/Organisation_for_Economic_Co-operation_and_Development/CI9W2zGv">Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development</a> (OECD).

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Sweden