Europe

Sweden

Sweden is the largest of the Nordic countries by population and one of the largest countries in Europe by area. It lies on the eastern side of the Scandinavian Peninsula, between Norway and the Baltic Sea, with Finland to the north-east. About 10.5 million people live in Sweden, most of them in the south. The capital, Stockholm, is built across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic.

Sweden became a major power in northern Europe in the 1600s, ruling Finland and land around the Baltic. It has not fought a war since 1814 and long followed a policy of neutrality. Today it is a constitutional monarchy with a strong welfare state. Sweden joined the European Union in 1995 but kept its own currency, the krona, and it became a member of NATO in 2024.

The flag of Sweden

The flag is blue with a yellow Nordic cross, set towards the flagpole.

The colours come from the Swedish coat of arms, which shows three gold crowns on a blue field. A yellow cross on blue has been used since at least the 1500s, and the cross shape follows the Danish flag and the other Nordic flags. Sweden’s National Day, 6 June, is also its Flag Day. It marks the election of Gustav Vasa as king in 1523 and the adoption of a new constitution in 1809.

Landscape and geography

Forests cover around two thirds of Sweden, and the country has close to 100,000 lakes. Vänern, in the south-west, is the largest lake in the European Union. The mountains along the border with Norway rise highest in Lapland, where Kebnekaise reaches about 2,100 metres. The long coastline has huge archipelagos, especially around Stockholm, and the large Baltic islands of Gotland and Öland.

Northern Sweden lies above the Arctic Circle and is home to the Sámi, the Indigenous people of the region. Winters there are long and dark, while the south has a milder climate with rich farmland in Skåne.

Did you know?

The right of public access, allemansrätten, lets anyone walk, camp and pick berries on most land, as long as they respect nature and landowners.
The Nobel Prizes, except the Peace Prize, are awarded in Stockholm every December.
An ice hotel is rebuilt every winter in Jukkasjärvi, using ice from the Torne River.
Sweden has given the world companies such as IKEA, Volvo and Spotify.

Key facts

Capital: Stockholm
Continent: Europe
Population: About 11 million
Land neighbours: 2
Coast: Has a coastline
European Union: Member
NATO: Member
Language in GeoLingo: Swedish

Land neighbours

Say it in Swedish

GeoLingo shows these four phrases and asks which country they belong to.

Hello: Hej
Thank you: Tack
Yes: Ja
Goodbye: Hej då

Practise Sweden on Geodly

Flag Drawing: The flag of Sweden is in the Easy set. Draw it from memory and compare your drawing with the real design.
Border Clash: Draw the border between Sweden and Norway on a blank map.
Border Clash: Draw the border between Sweden and Finland on a blank map.
Geo Click: Find Sweden on the map, or locate its capital, Stockholm, in the capital modes.
Geo Chain: Link countries through shared land borders. Knowing the 2 neighbours of Sweden gives you more routes.
GeoLingo: Recognise Swedish from four short phrases and match it to Sweden.
Terra Tac Toe: Use Sweden as an answer when its facts fit both the row and the column of a square.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Sweden · CIA World Factbook: Sweden