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Tourist Guide and Information about Sweden

 

 

 

 

Sweden (Konungariket Sverige) is the third largest country in Western Europe, and is governed by a constitutional parliamentary monarchy. It occupies the eastern side of the Scandinavian peninsula and bordered to the west and north with Norway, northeast with Finland; is washed by the Kattegat to the southwest, from the Baltic Sea to the southeast and the Gulf of Bothnia to the east. Among cities beyond the capital Stockholm are important Gothenburg and Malmö. The coasts are characterized by deep creeks, a mountain range, the Scandinavian Alps, acts as a border with Norway reaching the highest peak of the country with Mount Kebnekaise, 2117 meters, placed at the extreme north of the country near Kiruna. The northern regions are mountainous and covered with vast forests, while the southern regions are dominated by large plains. Most of the territory is made up of plateaus, partly covered by glaciers and lakes and by large coastal plains. The lakes cover 8,5% of the area and are located mainly in the center and south, the largest lake in Sweden is the Vänern, the third of Europe (5.585 sq. km). The main rivers are the Torne, Lule, Ume, Ångerma and Indals. In the Baltic Sea are the two main islands of Öland (1.344 sq. km) and Gotland (3.001 sq. km). 

Climate: The climate in Sweden is a cold climate, characterized by dark and long winters with minimum temperatures of -15°C/-20°C; in the north the ice persist from October to May and winter obstruct navigation in the Gulf of Bothnia. Summer is short, but with long days of light (in summer in most areas in the north of the country the sun never sets ever), with temperatures ranging between 15°C and 20°C. The rainfall is concentrated mainly in summer and autumn, the average is 800 to 1000 mm annually. The considerable length from north to south of the country involve in significant climatic differences between the extreme north and the extreme south. The average temperatures in Stockholm are -1°C in January, 12°C in May, 19°C in July, while in Kiruna, in the far north of the country, the average temperature is -8°C in January, 7°C in May and 15°C in July. 

 

Tourist Attractions: There are many attractions for tourists in Sweden, in the foreground of course the capital Stockholm, one of the most beautiful cities of Europe, but there are many picturesque towns throughout the country as Visby and Karlskrona; then there are the age of Bronze rock engravings, rune stones from the days of the Vikings, the frescoed medieval churches, the castles and royal palaces, the beautiful islands of Gotland and Öland. But it's the nature of Sweden the real attraction of the country, considered "the last wild frontier of Europe." With regard to nature conservation Sweden is leading the way in Europe, in the country today there are 28 national parks, the four parks in the Lapland are considered world heritage by UNESCO. In Stockholm was created the first national urban park in the world, Ekoparken. 

Unesco has inscribed 14 Swedish sites in the World Heritage List: Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland (2000), Birka and Hovgården (1993), Church Village of Gammelstad, Luleå (1996), Engelsberg Ironworks (1993), Hanseatic Town of Visby (1995), Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun (2001), Naval Port of Karlskrona (1998), Rock Carvings in Tanum (1994), Royal Domain of Drottningholm (1991), Skogskyrkogården (1994), Struve Geodetic Arc (2005), Varberg Radio Station (2004), Kvarken Archipelago / High Coast (2000), Laponian Area (1996). Among the properties submitted on the Tentative List are: The Orkesta and Markim area (1995) Farms of Hälsingland, Hälsingland countryside (2005).

Travel Documents: A valid passport entitles EU and North American citizens to a three-month stay in Sweden. Citizens of other countries should check with a Swedish diplomatic representative in their home country.

Health: Citizens from within EU/EEA countries and some other countries with which Sweden has a special agreement are entitled to the same medical services as the Swedes. Citizens from North America and other countries from outside the EU/EEA countries must pay for the medical treatment. Make sure that you are covered by your health insurance and bring necessary documents on your trip.

Shopping hours: Monday-Friday 9.30 am - 6 pm, Saturday 9.30 am - 2/4 pm. In larger towns, department stores remain open until 7.00 pm or longer. Some are also open on Sundays between 12 noon and 4.00 pm. Shops generally close early the day before a public holiday. Banking hours Monday-Friday 10.00 am – 3.00 pm, Thursday 10.00 am – 4.00/5.30 pm. In some cities banks may stay open until 6 pm. All banks are closed at weekends and on public holidays.

Cuisine: The Swedish cuisine has among its typical ingredients salmon, herring and other fish, game, mushrooms and berries. A particular delicacy are crustaceans, particularly lobster and oysters. SWEDEN CUISINE RECIPES.

Typical Products: The land of IKEA, is the realm of design, furniture, innovative and elegant glass objects, art objects, antiques and crafts.

 

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Maritime Transport: By sea, Sweden is connected by ferry with Denmark, Germany, Finland, Poland, Norway, Estonia and Latvia.

Airports and Flights: The main airport is that of Stockholm, there are intercontinental flights as well as flights within Europe. Most of the major air carriers offers services to Sweden. SAS Scandinavian Airlines is the national carrier. SAS operates connecting flights to major cities in Sweden via Stockholm. Finnair links Sweden to the rest of Europe via Helsinki.

Area: 449,000 sqkm

Population: 9,000,000

State Capital: Stockholm

Language: Swedish. Recognized minority languages: Sami (Lapp), Finnish, Meänkieli (Tornedalen Finnish), Yiddish, Romani Chib (a Gypsy language). Most Swedes speak English 

Religion: 82% belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden.

Currency: The monetary unit in Sweden is the krona (plural “kronor”) (SEK)

Time: Central European time.

The table below shows the dawn and sunset time during the year in Stockholm and Kiruna. 

Stockholm
Kiruna
Period
Sunrise
Sunset
Sunrise
Sunset
January
8:47 
14:55 
Darkness 24 hours
February
8:01
16:01
8:59
14:45
March
6:48
17:12
7:02
16:41
April
6:17 
19:26
5:52 
19:33
May
4:52 
20:37 
3:43
21:29
June
3:47 
21:44 
Sun does not set
July
3:40 
22:02 
Sun does not set
August
4:35 
21:13 
3:02 
22:29
September  
5:46 
19:50 
5:08 
20:10
October  
5:54 
17:21 
5:53 
17:04
November
7:08 
15:54 
7:50
14:55
December
8:19 
14:54 
10:14 
12:41

 

 

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