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Sweden: Countries
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Sweden is one of the world's leading producers of iron ore; important mines are at Kiruna and Gällivare. Copper, lead, and zinc ores and pyrite are ... extracted. The country's chief industrial centers are Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö, Uppsala, Västerås, Helsingborg, and Norrköping. The leading manufactures include iron and steel, machinery, precision equipment, forest products, processed food, chemicals, refined petroleum, construction materials, and motor vehicles. Sweden is known for its decorative and folk arts, fine glassware (made especially at Orrefors), and high-quality steel cutlery and blades. Much hydroelectric power is generated.
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Sweden is a constitutional monarchy governed under the constitution of 1975, which replaced that of 1809. The hereditary monarch is the head of state but has little power. The prime minister, who is the head of government, is elected by the Parliament. Legislative power is vested in the unicameral Parliament or Riksdag, whose 349 members are elected by a system of proportional representation to four-year terms. The country’s executive is the cabinet, headed by the prime minister, which must have the confidence of the Riksdag. Public administration is to a large extent decentralized, so that elected county and municipal governments play a major role in running the country.
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Sweden has one of the world's highest life expectancies and one of the lowest birth rates. The country counts at least 17,000 Sami among its population. About one-fifth of Sweden's population are immigrants or have at least one foreign-born parent. The largest immigrant groups are from Finland, Iraq, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Norway, Denmark, and Poland. This reflects Nordic immigration, earlier periods of labor immigration, and later decades of refugee and family immigration.
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Sweden has one of the most developed Internet and broadband markets in the EU. Almost 6.7 million Swedes are regular users of the Internet, making the country one of the most online nations in Europe. Sweden’s Internet market is migrating rapidly from dial-up to various modes of broadband access. Broadband penetration approached 15% in early 2005, with high levels of DSL, cable modem, satellite, and fixed wireless adoption. Metro Ethernet, fibre, WLAN and powerline communication (BPL) access technologies are ... available. In the mobile field, 3G services are available from four operators.
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Despite these shifts in power and constitutional balance, Sweden developed as a reasonably well run state. Beginning around 1620, an administrative system was adopted under which responsibilities were assigned to five "colleges," each headed by one of the "great officers" of state (chancellor, treasurer, steward, marshal, and admiral). This was most clearly spelled out in the 1634 Form of Government and was likely the collaborative work of Gustavus II Adolphus and his chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna. The country's court system went through several reforms in the seventeenth century and a new national law code was promulgated in 1734. The beginnings of a national bank were created in 1668. Regional government was organized around counties (län) headed by governors.
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Studying abroad in Sweden would not be complete without a look at the country's distinctive history. The Sami people were Sweden's first inhabitants, and their art and artifacts are displayed at the Ájtte Museum in Jokkmokk. History students will be fascinated by the remains of Sweden's first Viking city, Birka, as well as the Foteviken village. For nearly 200 years, Sweden has prided itself on diplomatic neutrality in Europe and throughout the world. It is famous for its social democratic welfare system, which history and economics students will find interesting as a phenomenon replicated in few other countries.
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