Sneak Preview

Sweden is the country of the Nobel Prize; Greta Garbo and Ingmar Bergman; Electrolux and Ericsson. A country which is close enough to continental Europe to be very much a part of the mainstream, yet far enough north to actually jut into the Arctic Circle. Sweden is known for its lovely lakes (a staggering 100,000 of them!), its mountains, its forests and the sheer beauty of the countryside. It is also known for the fact that it has managed to preserve a strictly neutral foreign policy despite two World Wars.

Long shunned by travellers on a shoestring budget, Sweden is now somewhat more affordable- although not yet exactly cheap. But paying the odd kronor or two extra, just to be able to feast your eyes on the beautiful countryside, swig some of the excellent aquavit and party all night in Stockholm’s nightclubs is all quite worth it, as you will see!

Sweden is a safe place for travellers- as long as you keep a watch out for moose who love to take a stroll on the highway!

Historically Speaking

Although human settlements had appeared in Sweden pretty early, `civilisation’- accompanied, most prominently, by widespread trade - came only in the Bronze Age, when the Indo-Europeans arrived in the land. The Vikings had established their dominion over the area by the 9th century, and spent the next two hundred years plundering, looting and trading with countries as far away as Byzantium. By the 11th century, Christianity had come to Sweden; in the 300 years that followed, the country was wracked by a series of internal conflicts, resolved only towards the end of the 1300s, when Sweden joined Denmark and Norway in the Union of Kalmar. This too came to an end in 1523, when Swedish nationalists crowned Gustaf Vasa king.

The centuries to come- at least till 1814- saw Sweden expand considerably, with Swedish rule spreading over the Baltic States and Finland. In 1809, in the wake of an aristocratic revolt, Finland was ceded to Russia; and five years later, in 1814, the military suppression of anti-Swedish revolts in Norway became the country’s last military action; from then on, the state declared itself a neutral country.

Extensive developments in trade and industry marked the 19th and 20th centuries; but during the First World War (despite Sweden’s neutral stand), the effects of war were palpable. Eventually, a social democratic government was established and a welfare state set up in the 1920s. Since then, Sweden’s economic progress has continued more or less uninterrupted, but political, racial and social tensions have created problems in the country over the past few years. Moreover, Sweden became a member of the EU in the year 1995.

Habitat

Part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Sweden is one of the northern most countries in Europe. It stretches about 1575 km from north to south, with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast; on the east extending along the Baltic Sea, lies a coastline heavily indented with fjords (further inland lie around 100,000 lakes- which is, by any standards, rather a lot of water).

Geologically, Sweden consists of ancient bedrock - a part of the greater Eurasian landmass, and one of the most stable parts of the earth’s crust. The terrain of the country is quite diverse: the southern areas, known as Skåne (Scania) consist of fertile plains, interspersed with hills, lakes and islands; to the north lies a densely forested zone known as the Småland. The northernmost three-fifths of the country (Norrland) comprises of wooded mountains, with river valleys and vast deposits of iron and other ores. Norrland, which makes up a large part of Sweden, is largely covered with coniferous forests; however, in more southern latitudes, the conifers are mixed with deciduous trees, including birch, linden, ash, elm and maple. Among the main mammal species still found in Sweden are bears, lynxes, roe deer and moose; wolves, at one time plentiful, have disappeared. The country still has plenty of bird life, and the coastal waters abound in marine life.

Sweden realised the importance of wildlife conservation pretty early on; it has the distinction of being the first European country to establish national parks (in 1910). And it is largely through the efforts of the Swedish conservationists that a number of species have started to reappear in what was once their natural habitat.