Facts:

Area: 450,000 km² (174,000 sq. mi.), third largest country in Western Europe

Forests: 53%
Mountains: 11%
Cultivated land: 8%
Lakes and rivers: 9%
Longest north-south distance: 1,574 km (978 mi.)
Longest east-west distance: 499 km (310 mi.)

Capital: Stockholm
Population: 9 million inhabitants
Languages: Swedish; recognized minority languages: Sami (Lapp), Finnish, Meänkieli (Tornedalen Finnish), Yiddish, Romani Chib (a Gypsy language).

Form of government: Constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy.
Parliament: The Riksdag, with 349 members in one chamber.

Religion: 80% belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden.

Average life expectancy: men 78 years, women 82 years.

Most important export goods: Electrical and telecom equipment, machinery, passenger cars, paper, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel.
Most important imported goods: Electrical and telecom equipment, machinery, foodstuffs, crude oil, textile products, footwear, passenger cars.


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