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Geography of Sweden

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Sweden
Continent Europe
Subregion Scandinavia
Geographic coordinates 62°00′N 15°00′E / 62.000°N 15.000°E / 62.000; 15.000
Area
 - total
 - water 		Ranked 55th
450,295 km²
39,960- km² (8.69%)
Coastline 3,218 km (2,000 mi)
Land boundaries 2,333 km (1,550 mi)
Countries bordered Norway 1,619 km
Finland 614 km
Highest point Kebnekaise, 2,111 m / 6,926 ft
Lowest point Kristianstad, -2.41 m
Longest river Klarälven-Göta älv, 720 km (447.4 mi)
Largest inland body of water Vänern 5,648 km² (3,510 sq mi)
Land use
 - Arable land

 - Permanent
   crops

 - Other
5.93 %

0.01 %

94.06 % (2005 est.)
Irrigated land 1,150 km² (2003)
Climate: Temperate to subarctic
Terrain: Flat lowlands, mountains
Natural resources Iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower
Natural hazards Ice flow
Environmental issues Acid rains, eutrophication

Sweden is a country in Northern Europe on the Scandinavian Peninsula. Its borders are Norway to the west; Finland to the northeast; and the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia to the east and south.

Sweden has a long coastline on the eastern side and the Scandinavian mountain chain (Skanderna) on the western border, a range that separates Sweden from Norway. It has maritime borders with Denmark, Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and it is also linked to Denmark (southwest) by the Öresund Bridge. At 450,295 km2 (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the 55th largest country in the world. It is the 5th largest in Europe, and the largest in Northern Europe.

Terrain

Map of Sweden.

Much of Sweden is heavily forested, with 78% of the country being forest and woodland, while farmland constitutes only 1% of land use. Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, with increasing forest coverage northward. Mountains and hills are dominant in the west. About 15% of Sweden lies north of the Arctic Circle.

The lowest elevation in Sweden is in the bay of Lake Hammarsjön, near Kristianstad at
−2.41 m (−7.91 ft) below sea level. The highest point is Kebnekaise at 2,111 m (6,926 ft) above sea level.

The highest population density is in the Öresund region in southern Sweden and in the valley of lake Mälaren near to Stockholm. Gotland and Öland are Sweden's largest islands; Vänern and Vättern are its largest lakes. Vänern is the third largest in Europe, after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in Russia.

Sweden consists of 39,960 km² of water area, constituting around 95,700 lakes.[1] The lakes are sometimes used for water power plants, especially the large northern rivers and lakes. The two largest islands are Gotland and Öland in the southeast. They each have their own culture, most notably Gotland with the old, largely intact and heritage-filled city Visby.

Political divisions

Provinces

Main articles: Provinces of Sweden and Lands of Sweden

Sweden has 25 provinces or landskap (landscapes), based on culture, geography and history: Bohuslän, Blekinge, Dalarna, Dalsland, Gotland, Gästrikland, Halland, Hälsingland, Härjedalen, Jämtland, Lapland, Medelpad, Norrbotten, Närke, Skåne, Småland, Södermanland, Uppland, Värmland, Västmanland, Västerbotten, Västergötland, Ångermanland, Öland and Östergötland.

While these provinces serve no political or administrative purpose, they play an important role for people's self-identification. The provinces are usually grouped together in three large lands (landsdelar): the northern Norrland, the central Svealand and southern Götaland. The sparsely populated Norrland encompasses almost 60% of the country.

Counties

Main article: Counties of Sweden

Administratively Sweden is divided into 21 counties or län. In each county there is a County Administrative Board or länsstyrelse which is appointed by the government.

In each county there is also a separate County Council or landsting, which is the municipal representation appointed by the county electorate.

The letters shown were on the vehicle registration plates until 1973 .

Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Sweden
Lapporten mountain pass in Lapland.

Each county is further divided into municipalities or kommuner, ranging from only one (in Gotland County) to forty-nine (in Västra Götaland County). The total number of municipalities is 290.

The northern municipalities are often large in size, but have small populations – the largest municipality is Kiruna with an area as large as the three southern provinces in Sweden (Scania, Blekinge and Halland) combined, but it only has a population of 25,000, and its density is about 1 / km².

Population density in the counties of Sweden.
people/km²
  0-9.9
  10-24.9
  25-49.9
  50-99.9
  100-199.9
  200+


Population

Sweden has a population of about 9 million. The north is less populated than the southern and central parts, mostly because of its colder climate.

Cities

Main articles: Cities in Sweden and Urban areas in Sweden

Cities and towns in Sweden are not political or administrative entities but localities or urban areas, independent of the municipal subdivision. The largest city, in terms of population, is the capital Stockholm, in the east, the dominant city for culture and media, with a population of 1,250,000. The second largest city is Gothenburg, with 510,500, in the west. The third largest is Malmö in the south, with 258,000. The largest city in the north is Umeå with 76,000 inhabitants.

Natural resources

Sweden's natural resources include copper, hydropower, iron ore, lead, silver, timber, uranium, and zinc.

Environment

Acid rain has become an issue because it is damaging soils and lakes and polluting the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The HBV hydrology transport model has been used to analyze nutrient discharge to the Baltic from tributary watersheds.

See also

In this true-color scene on March 15, 2002, much of Sweden can be seen covered by snow.

References

Notes

  1. ^ [1]

Sources

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