The Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: ) is a Nordic country in Scandinavia. It is bordered by Norway in the west, Finland in the northeast, the Skagerrak Strait and the Kattegat Strait in the southwest, and the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia in the east. Sweden has a low population density except in its Metropolitan areas of Sweden, with most of the inland consisting of forests. The country has large natural resources of water, timber, and iron ore. Its citizens enjoy a high standard of living in a country that is generally perceived as clean, modern, and liberal.

Following the end of the Viking Age, Sweden became part of the Kalmar Union together with Denmark and Norway (Finland at this time was a part of the Swedish kingdom). Sweden left the union in the beginning of the 16th century, and more or less constantly battled its neighbours for many years, especially Russia and the still united Denmark-Norway, which never completely accepted Sweden leaving the union. In the 17th and 18th centuries Sweden extended its territory through warfare and became a Great Power, twice its current size. By 1814 Sweden had lost its empire as well as Finland, previously an integral part of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1814, Sweden has been at peace, adopting a non-aligned foreign policy in peacetime and neutrality in wartime.

Sweden had been a major European exporter of iron, copper and timber since the middle ages. However, improved transportation and communication allowed it to utilize natural assets from different parts of the country on a far larger scale, most notably timber and iron ore. Economic liberalization as well as universal schooling contributed to the rapid industrialization and by the 1890s the country had begun to develop an advanced manufacturing industry. In the 20th century a welfare state began to emerge. Today, Sweden is a generally considered a modern post-industrial country dominated by social liberal political ideas.

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RT @Chrisdaddydave: RT @ChrisHiding: @Chrisdaddydave Second D'Angelo concert in Sweden sold out in a few minutes just now. First one sold out in 47 seconds!
TrutoneElectric (Phil Joly) Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:42:00 -0000
RT @Chrisdaddydave: RT @ChrisHiding: @Chrisdaddydave Second D'Angelo concert in Sweden sold out in a few minutes just now. First one sold out in 47 seconds!
RT @textually: Sweden races to beat US on mobile phone payments http://t.co/DiK3Hd3P
mobilolsen (John Olav Olsen) Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:41:58 -0000
RT @textually: Sweden races to beat US on mobile phone payments http://t.co/DiK3Hd3P
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