SwedenSweden is a prosperous industrial nation in northern Europe. The people of Sweden have developed highly prosperous industries based on their country's three most important natural resources--timber, which makes up about a fifth of the country's exports, a very high grade iron ore, and water power. Since the devaluation of the Swedish crown, Sweden has become quite affordable, and the simple joys of fresh air, landscape and culture are free. Its forests are starkly beautiful, its lakes giant. Stockholm, the country's capital, is a progressive city with pockets that maintain a village feel...More Information on Sweden.Also Read: Special insight on background of Sweden Full country name: Kingdom of Sweden History of SwedenDuring the seventh and eighth centuries, the Swedes were merchant seamen well known for their far-reaching trade. In the ninth century, Nordic Vikings raided and ravaged the European Continent as far as the Black and Caspian Seas. During the 11th and 12th centuries, Sweden gradually became a unified Christian kingdom that later included Finland. Queen Margaret of Denmark united all the Nordic lands in the “Kalmar Union” in 1397. Continual tension within the countries and within the union gradually led to open conflict between the Swedes and the Danes in the 15th century. The union's final disintegration in the early 16th century brought on a long-lived rivalry between Norway and Denmark on one side and Sweden and Finland on the other...more on history of Sweden. Overview of Sweden's EconomyGDP: US$230.7 billion Also read: An insight into the economy of Sweden Political System of Sweden- Political Conditions in Sweden Climate, Vegetation and FaunaAlpine and arctic vegetation prevail in northern Sweden. The highest mountain areas are barren of vegetation; the next highest regions are moorlands with various kinds of mosses and lichens. Below the moorlands is a zone of birch and willow trees, often dwarfed and stunted. The next lower, and largest, zone is covered with coniferous forests, primarily of spruce and Scotch pine. In the south, deciduous trees, including oak and beech, are found.Roe deer and elk are plentiful in Sweden's forests. Reindeer are common in the north, where they are herded by the Saami. Bears, lynx, and wolves are now quite rare. Lemmings are extensive in the upland moorlands. Various wild birds are plentiful, with many rare species protected in nature preserves. People: Sweden's population is composed principally of Scandinavians of Germanic descent and a comparatively small number of ethnic Finns...more on people living in Sweden. Culture: The genuine rural folk traditions are disappearing with increasing settlement in urban areas...Culture Of Sweden. Education: In 1842 education in Sweden was made free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 14...more on education in Sweden. Languages: Swedish Language, language of Sweden and of Swedish settlers in other parts of the world, notably in Finland...languages spoken in Sweden. Life and Lifestyle: The principal cities of Sweden include Stockholm, the capital and largest city, with a population (1998 estimate) of 736,113; Göteborg (459,593), an industrial center and seaport; and Malmö (254,904), a commercial center and seaport. Other major cities include Uppsala, Linköping, Örebro, Norrköping, and Västerås. Facts for the TravelerVisas: Stays of up to 90 days (unlimited for Nordic citizens) are usually visa free, but South Africans, Hong Kong residents with Chinese passports and residents of many African, Asian, South American and some Eastern European countries should check requirements with Swedish embassies.
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1 Dialling Code: 46 Electricity: 230V ,50Hz Weights & measures: Metric Also Read: Money and Cost Required | Transportation and Traveling in Sweden When to Go to SwedenIf you want sunshine, visit between late May and late July, bearing in mind that August can be both hot and wet. Many youth hostels, camping grounds and attractions open only in summer, from late June to mid-August. Summer in Sweden can be hot, sunny and beautiful, but travel in winter should be better planned and restricted. Big cities are in full swing all year-round. Also Read: Getting Around Sweden | Sweden: Getting There and Away What to See in SwedenMajor Tourist Attractions in Sweden Other Tourist Attractions in Sweden
Events in SwedenMidsummer, held at summer solstice, is Sweden's most enthusiastically celebrated festival. Pagan rites such as maypole dancing mingle with public holiday tie-loosening and liberal helpings of schnapps. The Lucia Festival (13 December) has only been celebrated for about 60 years but has become very popular. As well as commemorating the martyrdom of a pious Sicilian girl, Lucia celebrates the coming of Christmas with processions of robed youngsters, plenty of glögg (a hot alcoholic fruit punch) for the grownups, and singing. Christmas trees are decorated with straw animals and stars, cookie baking begins, and Santa Claus makes his final assessments of children's behaviour and does the last-minute shopping. Santa obviously favours Swedish kids, as he delivers presents in person rather than just chucking them down the chimney. Most households serve up ham at Christmas time, and many families still partake in the tradition of ‘dipping in the pot', soaking slices of bread in ham juices. New Year's Eve is a highly social time when friends get together, often setting off fireworks. Easter in Sweden incorporates the pagan belief that witches hang out with the devil in hell for the duration. Kids dressed up as witches door-knock houses in their neighbourhood, scamming lollies in exchange for drawings. Walpurgis Night (30 April) is a pagan festival celebrating the end of winter with bonfires and fireworks. May Day (1 May) is observed by marches and labour movement events.
Cluj-Napoca : Romania
Cluj-Napoca (Hungarian: Kolozsvar; German: Klausenburg; Latin: Claudiopolis), the seat of Cluj county, is one of the most important academic, cultural and industrial centers in Romania. Regarded as the historic capital of Transylvania, the city is located in northwestern Romania, and is approximately 480 km (200 miles) northwest of Bucharest in the Somesul Mic [...]
Cultural Activity in Europe
Europe has a long tradition of excellence in literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and dance. In the late 20th century Paris, Rome, London, Madrid, and Moscow were particularly famous as cultural centers, but many other cities also supported important museums, musical and theatrical groups, and other cultural institutions. Most European countries had [...]
Religion of Europe
In the early 2000s the great majority of Europeans were Christians. The largest single religious group, Roman Catholics, lived mainly in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, southern Germany, and Poland. Another large group was composed of followers of Protestant faiths, concentrated in countries of northern and central Europe such as England, Scotland, [...]
Languages of Europe
Europeans speak a wide variety of languages. The principal linguistic groups are the Slavic, which includes Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Polish, Slovenian, Macedonian, and Serbo-Croatian; the Germanic, which includes English, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic; and the Romance, which includes Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. These languages have [...]
Demography of Europe
The distribution of the European population has not been stable over long periods, but has shifted, both through differential birth and death rates and by migration. At the beginning of the Christian era, the most densely populated part of Europe bordered the Mediterranean Sea. At the beginning of the 21st century Europe had [...]
Ethnologyof Europe
Europe includes a large number of ethnic groupsâ€ persons associated by a common culture, especially language. European nations are generally composed of one dominant group, such as the Germans of Germany and the French of France. Several countries, particularly in south central Europe, have large minorities, and most countries contain smaller groups, such as the [...]
People of Europe
Indo-European languages (see The Indo-European Family of Languages, table) predominate in Europe; others spoken include Basque, Maltese, and the languages classified as Finno-Ugric, Samoyedic, Bulgaric, and Turkic. Roman Catholicism is the chief religion of S and W Europe and the southern part of central Europe; Protestantism is dominant in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, [...]
Biodiversity of Europe
Having lived side-by-side with agricultural and industrial civilisations for millennia, Europe’s animals and plants have been profoundly affected by the presence and activities of man. With the exception of Scandinavia and northern Russia, few areas of untouched wilderness are today to be found in Europe, except for different natural parks.
The main natural vegetation [...]
Physical features of Europe
In terms of shape, Europe is a collection of connected peninsulas. The two largest of these are “mainland” Europe and Scandinavia to the north, divided from each other by the Baltic Sea. Three smaller peninsulasâ€ Iberia, Italy and the Balkansâ€ emerge from the southern margin of the mainland into the Mediterranean Sea, which separates [...]
Regions of Europe
Europe can be divided into five geographic regions: Scandinavia (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark); the British Isles (United Kingdom and Ireland); W Europe (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Monaco); S Europe (Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta, San Marino, and Vatican City); Central Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, [...]
Travel Mantra: Europe Destination Guide
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First Time in Europe: Travel Planner
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