Country - Sweden
Sweden Country Information
Sweden is the dream destination for highly educated erudite scholars and scientists who are serious aspirants for the much coveted and internationally renowned Nobel Prizes given annually in various streams of academics given by different organs of Swedish Academy. An exception is that Nobel Prize for peace is awarded in the adjacent nation of Norway (in its capital Oslo) by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Sweden is also the homestead for the world famous music band ABBA which shook the earth by the numerous melodious and catchy tunes and left an everlasting impression in the hearts of music lovers during 1970s and 1980s. Hysterical fans hopped mad with unleashed delectation over the numbers unplugged by ABBA which characterized mainly pop, pop rock and disco styles. A minimum of 400 million copies must have been sold across the globe. The quartet of ABBA has been the inspiration to many legendary artists in the latter years. It is interesting to know the music group has made a comeback after a lengthy hiatus of 35 years.
Sweden is one of the Scandinavian countries like Norway and Finland in the Scandinavian Peninsula in the northern hemisphere in closer proximity to Arctic Circle. The trio of Scandinavian countries Sweden, Norway and Finland is a sub-group of the broader term “Nordic countries” which include Denmark, Iceland along with their associate territories Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland Islands. However, disagreement exists among geographers about the precise classification of Scandinavian and Nordic countries.
Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and also its largest city. It has been recorded as the highest populated city in the country. Sweden is bordered by Norway on the western and northern sides and by Finland in the northeast. Denmark and Sweden are connected by the 8.4 kilometer long rail-and-road bridge, known as Oresund Bridge that has a four kilometer Drodgen Tunnel en route. Swedish is the main official language spoken by about 90% of the population while the other local dialects too enjoy official status. As per the census of 2018, the total population was 10,215,250 with the average density of population of 23 people per square kilometer.
The main items exported by Sweden are industrial machinery, automobiles, paper products, iron and steel products, pulp, wood and chemicals. The country imports mainly machinery, petrol and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron, food stuff and clothing. The total exports amounted to US $147.3 billion and that of the total imports was US $134.9 billion with a trade surplus of US $12.4 billion in 2016.
Sweden has left no stone unturned in projecting itself as an entity with no comparable counterpart on the planet when it comes to the matter of international tourism. The capital city Stockholm itself stands out as an exclusive El Dorado in the northern hemisphere.
Ericsson Globe, originally known as Stockholm Globe Arena, is the world’s largest semi-spherical building on earth. A far-away view at the white globe gives an impression that moon has descended on earth. The enormity of the structure is so large that the surrounding skyscrapers look like flat wafer blades erected on the grass around a pure white football. The Ericsson Globe has a diameter of whopping 110 meters (361 feet) and reaches a height of more than 85 meters (279 feet). The inner space is big enough to accommodate 16,000 spectators for concerts and stage shows and 13,850 viewers for ice hockey which is the main regular event. There are two parallel vertical ridge-tracks on the outer surface of the globe for carrying glass spherical capsule elevators which can accommodate 16 passengers to let them have an unobstructed panoramic view of Stockholm. Each spherical glass elevator, called Sky-view, moves with a conveniently slow speed allowing the spectators to enjoy the scene leisurely. The global edifice looks even more attractive at night when laser beams focus on the external surface making it appear as a peeled orange with slices of different colours.
International tourists with a penchant to enjoy scenic landscapes find Sweden a right place. The country has several vast green grasslands, ponds of clear water and bungalows of brick-tiled roofs which collectively make a good collection of artist’s vision. Apart from scenic locations, Sweden has a lot to offer from its historical past and the present day sophisticated hi-fi life style.
Kulturhuset in Stockholm is a massive construction that houses various activities like cultural shows, photographic exhibitions, literary discourses, political debates and narrating fables for school kids.
You would be forced to pray to God, if you are an atheist, for a boon that bestows you millions of eyes to behold in its entirety the spectacular decoration in the amusement park of Liseberg situated in the city center of Gothenberg, the second most important city after Stockholm. More than five million tiny brilliant colourful electric bulbs fitted in a geometrical network embellish the buildings, shopping stalls, amusement equipment, trees and carefully pruned garden plants/bushes of different shapes in the festive season of Christmas every year. The park in the night would be a panoramic feast to the eyes that does not fade away from your mind for years. The child within you hops up silently in merriment at the sight of dazzling ambience.
Skansen is an open-air museum that has in its lap 160 historical buildings that feature various characteristics of Swedish culture. Skansen is located in the Museum Island which is a twenty minute ride from the city center of Stockholm. The Museum Island in local parlance is called “the Royal Island of Djurgarden”.
The Vasa Museum, Folkets Park in Malmo, Fyrishov holiday park in Uppsala, Salen ski resort at Dalarna, Swedish Lapland, National Marine Park at Koster Islands, Lund Cathedral, bizarre rock formations in Gotland, picturesque landscapes in Osterlen, the Icehotel in Jukkasjarvi, forest lands dotted by mansions in Skane, Kalmar Castle by the swan lake are some of the several spell-binding attractions a genuine traveller cannot afford to miss.