SWEDEN GEOGRAPHY Total area: 449,964 km2; land area: 410,928 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than California Land boundaries: 2,205 km total; Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km Coastline: 3,218 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation; Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west Natural resources: zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower potential Land use: arable land 7%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and woodland 64%; other 27%; includes irrigated NEGL% Environment: water pollution; acid rain Note: strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas PEOPLE Population: 8,564,317 (July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991) Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 81 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Swede(s); adjective--Swedish Ethnic divisions: homogeneous white population; small Lappish minority; foreign born or first-generation immigrants (Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks) about 12% Religion: Evangelical Lutheran 94%, Roman Catholic 1.5%, Pentecostal 1%, other 3.5% (1987) Language: Swedish, small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities; immigrants speak native languages Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.) Labor force: 4,572,000 (October 1990); government services 37.4%, mining, manufacturing, electricity, and water service 23.1%, private services 22.2%, transportation and communications 7%, construction 6.3%, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting 3.8%, other 0.2% (1988) Organized labor: 80% of labor force (1990 est.) GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Kingdom of Sweden Type: constitutional monarchy Capital: Stockholm Administrative divisions: 24 provinces (lan, singular and plural); Alvsborgs Lan, Blekinge Lan, Gavleborgs Lan, Goteborgs och Bohus Lan, Gotlands Lan, Hallands Lan, Jamtlands Lan, Jonkopings Lan, Kalmar Lan, Kopparbergs Lan, Kristianstads Lan, Kronobergs Lan, Malmohus Lan, Norrbottens Lan, Orebro Lan, Ostergotlands Lan, Skaraborgs Lan, Sodermanlands Lan, Stockholms Lan, Uppsala Lan, Varmlands Lan, Vasterbottens Lan, Vasternorrlands Lan, Vastmanlands Lan Independence: 6 June 1809, constitutional monarchy established Constitution: 1 January 1975 Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations National holiday: Day of the Swedish Flag, 6 June Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Riksdag) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Hogsta Domstolen) Leaders: Chief of State--King CARL XVI Gustaf (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the King (born 14 July 1977); Head of Government--Prime Minister Carl BILDT (since 3 October 1991) Political parties and leaders: ruling four-party coalition consists of the Moderate Party (conservative), Carl BILDT; Liberal People's Party, Bengt WESTERBERG; Center Party, Olof JOHANSSON; and the Christian Democratic Party, Alf SVENSSON; Social Democratic Party, Ingvar CARLSSON; New Democracy Party, Count Ian WACHMEISTER; Left Party (VP; Communist), Lars WERNER; Swedish Communist Party (SKP), Rune PETTERSSON; Communist Workers' Party, Rolf HAGEL; Green Party, no formal leader Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: Riksdag--last held 15 September 1991 (next to be held September 1994); results--Social Democratic 37.6%, Moderate (conservative) 21.9%, Liberal People's Party 9.1%, Center Party 8.5%, Christian Democrats 7.1%, New Democracy 6.7%, Left Party (Communist) 4.5%, Green Party 3.4%, other 1.2%; seats--(349 total) Social Democratic 138, Moderate (conservative) 80, Liberal People's Party 33, Center Party 31, Christian Democrats 26, New Democracy 25, Left Party (Communist) 16; note: the Green Party leaves the Riksdag because it received less than the required 4% of the vote Communists: VP and SKP; VP, formerly the Left Party-Communists, is reported to have roughly 17,800 members and attracted 5.8% of the vote in the 1988 election; VP dropped the Communist label in 1990, but maintains a Marxist ideology Member of: AfDB, AG (observer) AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-6, G-8, G-9, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, INTELSAT, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Anders THUNBORG; Chancery at Suite 1200, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 944-5600; there are Swedish Consulates General in Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York; US--Ambassador Charles E. REDMAN; Embassy at Strandvagen 101, S-115 89 Stockholm; telephone 46 (8) 783-5300 Flag: blue with a yellow cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) ECONOMY Overview: Aided by a long period of peace and neutrality during World War I through World War II, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has essentially full employment, a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy that is heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. For some observers, the Swedish model has succeeded in making economic efficiency and social egalitarianism complementary, rather than competitive, goals. Others argue that the Swedish model is on the verge of collapsing by pointing to the serious economic problems Sweden faces in 1991: high inflation and absenteeism, growing unemployment and deficits, and declining international competitiveness. In 1990, to improve the economy, the government approved a mandate for Sweden to seek EC membership and an austerity and privatization package and implemented a major tax reform. These reforms may succeed in turning the economy around in 1992. GDP: $137.8 billion, per capita $16,200; real growth rate 0.3% (1990) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.9% (1990) Unemployment rate: 1.6% (1990) Budget: revenues $60.1 billion; expenditures $56.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY89) Exports: $57.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products; partners--EC 54.4%, (FRG 14.2%, UK 10.1%, Denmark 6.6%), US 8.6%, Norway 8.2% Imports: $54.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990); commodities--machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, iron and steel, clothing; partners--EC 55.3%, US 8.4% External debt: $14.1 billion (December 1990) Industrial production: growth rate - 2.0% (1990) Electricity: 39,716,000 kW capacity; 142,000 million kWh produced, 16,700 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles Agriculture: animal husbandry predominates, with milk and dairy products accounting for 37% of farm income; main crops--grains, sugar beets, potatoes; 100% self-sufficient in grains and potatoes, 85% self-sufficient in sugar beets Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $10.3 billion Currency: Swedish krona (plural--kronor); 1 Swedish krona (SKr) = 100 ore Exchange rates: Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1--5.6402 (January 1991), 5.9188 (1990), 6.4469 (1989), 6.1272 (1988), 6.3404 (1987), 7.1236 (1986), 8.6039 (1985) Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 12,000 km total; Swedish State Railways (SJ)--10,819 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 6,955 km electrified and 1,152 km double track; 182 km 0.891-meter gauge; 117 km rail ferry service; privately owned railways--511 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (332 km electrified); 371 km 0.891-meter gauge (all electrified) Highways: 97,400 km (51,899 km paved, 20,659 km gravel, 24,842 km unimproved earth) Inland waterways: 2,052 km navigable for small steamers and barges Pipelines: 84 km natural gas Ports: Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Kalmar, Malmo, Stockholm; numerous secondary and minor ports Merchant marine: 182 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,226,923 GRT/2,879,057 DWT; includes 9 short-sea passenger, 29 cargo, 3 container, 45 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 vehicle carrier, 2 railcar carrier, 28 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 27 chemical tanker, 6 specialized tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 8 combination ore/oil, 12 bulk, 1 combination bulk Civil air: 115 major transports Airports: 256 total, 254 usable; 137 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 92 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international facilities; 8,200,000 telephones; stations--4 AM, 56 (321 relays) FM, 111 (925 relays) TV; 5 submarine coaxial cables; communication satellite earth stations operating in the INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean) and EUTELSAT systems DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Swedish Army, Royal Swedish Navy, Royal Swedish Air Force Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,136,227; 1,865,645 fit for military service; 55,198 reach military age (19) annually Defense expenditures: $4.9 billion, 2.5% of GDP (FY90)