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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Anti Sweden http://www.antisweden.no/ (via @soymalau)
206L (Sylvain Theyssens) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:52:21 -0000
Anti Sweden http://www.antisweden.no/ (via @soymalau)
@berrics Great collection of this past month guys! Thnx from Sweden
DelleDee (Delle) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:51:31 -0000
@berrics Great collection of this past month guys! Thnx from Sweden
Staplers made in Sweden will be in Japanese market soon! ス生まれのステープラー日本で発売。こういうの、いいね。http://bizmakoto.jp/bizid/articles/0911/02/news083.html
lagomalmo (lagomalmo) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:50:38 -0000
Staplers made in Sweden will be in Japanese market soon! ス生まれのステープラー日本で発売。こういうの、いいね。http://bizmakoto.jp/bizid/articles/0911/02/news083.html
I heart Sweden. And my million Swedish cousins.
stinastud (Stina Agustsdottir) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:49:01 -0000
I heart Sweden. And my million Swedish cousins.
Sweden, Finland OK Baltic Sea gas pipeline project - AP http://icio.us/wzdlav
PlaneteNAUSICAA (Planète NAUSICAÄ) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:48:40 -0000
Sweden, Finland OK Baltic Sea gas pipeline project - AP http://icio.us/wzdlav
From berserker Vikings to Nobel Prize in just a few centuries... http://budurl.com/xdkx Get to know Sweden
scandihooligan (ScandiHooligan) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:44:05 -0000
From berserker Vikings to Nobel Prize in just a few centuries... http://budurl.com/xdkx Get to know Sweden

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