SWEDEN. Kingdom of Sweden
A country in Northern Europe, located in the western and southern parts of the Scandinavian Peninsula, on the islands of Gotland and Öland in the Baltic Sea. Area - 450,000 km². Capital - Stockholm (with suburbs - 1.7 million), largest cities: Gothenburg (with suburbs - 800,000), Malmö (500,000). Administratively, Sweden is divided into 21 counties (provinces). Population - 8.9 million (2003), about 87% are Swedes; 85% live in the central and southern parts of the country; in cities - over 80%. The indigenous national minority is the Sámi (Lapps). About 1.6 million are either immigrants or their descendants (in decreasing order of number - Finns, immigrants from the former Yugoslavia, Norwegians, Iranians, Germans, Turks, Chileans, Lebanese, etc.). The official language is Swedish (related to the Germanic language group).
The dominant religion is Lutheranism (95%). The Lutheran Church has been separated from the state since 2000. The currency is the crown = 100 öre.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on March 16, 1924).
National holiday - June 6 - Swedish Flag Day (on June 6, 1523, G. Eriksson, who led the struggle for liberation from Danish rule, was elected King of Sweden - Gustav I Vasa; on June 6, 1809, a constitution was adopted that remained in effect until January 1, 1975).
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy. The constitution came into force on January 1, 1975. The head of state is the king (since 1973 - Carl XVI Gustaf, born in 1946, from the House of Bernadotte, founded in 1810 by one of Napoleon's marshals, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, who ruled under the name Charles XIV John), endowed with purely representative functions and serving as a symbol of the Swedish state and nation. Legislative power is exercised by the Riksdag (parliament), founded in 1435. Since 1971, the Riksdag of Sweden has been unicameral, consisting of 349 deputies elected by universal direct and secret ballot every four years (on the third Sunday of September).
Following the 2002 elections, the Riksdag includes the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Sweden (SAP) - 144 mandates (39.8% of the votes), the Moderate Coalition Party (MCP) - 55 mandates (15.2% of the votes), the Left Party (LP) - 30 mandates (8.3% of the votes), the Christian Democratic Party (CDP) - 33 mandates (9.1% of the votes), the Centre Party (CP) - 22 mandates (6.1% of the votes), the People's Party - Liberals - 48 mandates (13.7%), the Environmental Protection Party (EPP) - 17 mandates (4.6% of the votes).
The executive power belongs to the government, headed by the Prime Minister (G. Persson).
Political parties: SAP - founded in 1889, the ruling and largest party in the country; chairman - G. Persson. MCP - founded in 1904 (until 1969 - the Right Party); chairman - F. Reinfeldt. CP - founded in 1910 (until 1957 - the Farmers' Union); chairman - M. Ulofsdotter. L - founded in 1895 (until 1990 - the People's Party); chairman - L. Lejonborg. LP - founded in 1917 from the left wing of SAP (until 1921 - the Social Democratic Left Party, renamed in 1921 to the Communist Party, since 1967 - the Left Party - Communists of Sweden, current name since 1990); chairman - L. Oli. EPP - founded in 1981, leadership is rotational. CDP - founded in 1964 (until 1987 - the Christian Democratic Union); chairman - G. Hägglund. There are also several small parties of various political orientations in Sweden.
The trade union movement in the country, which has its history since 1846, plays an important role in the social and political life of Sweden, uniting about 80% of the self-employed population of the country (50% of the total population). In some sectors of the economy, trade unions cover up to 95% of workers.
However, the specificity of the trade union movement in Sweden is that there is no single trade center in the country.
The Central Organization of Trade Unions of Sweden (LO) - the largest trade union association in Sweden, founded in 1898, unites about 1.2 million people, mainly employed in leading sectors of industry, the municipal sector, and the service industry. The Central Organization of Trade Unions for Employees (TCO) - established in 1944, unites employees from the private and public sectors (19 sectoral trade unions). The Central Organization of Trade Unions for Higher Education Workers and Civil Servants (SACO) - established in 1975, consists of 26 sectoral trade unions, the largest of which are the unions for secondary and higher education teachers, engineers, and doctors.
The centralized unified Swedish state (kingdom) emerged in the 11th century. In 1397, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark formed the Triple Union (Kalmar Union), which lasted until 1523. From the late 14th century until the early 16th century, Sweden was almost continuously at war and by the end of the 17th century had achieved virtually complete dominance over the Baltic Sea.
Defeats inflicted by Russia during the Great Northern War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Nystad (1721). Sweden lost most of the territories it had previously captured. In 1809, democratic reforms were carried out, and a constitution was adopted. Since 1814, it has not participated in wars. In World War I and World War II, it declared neutrality.
In foreign policy, Sweden follows the principle of non-participation in military-political alliances in peacetime to maintain neutrality in the event of war.
Sweden is a member of many international organizations (UN - since 1946, Council of Europe - since 1949, OECD - since 1960, Nordic Council - since 1952, etc., and since 1995 has observer status in the EEA). Since 1995, Sweden has been a member of the EU, and since 2001, it has been part of the Schengen Area; it actively participates in UN peacekeeping activities, European cooperation, the fight for human rights, disarmament, and environmental improvement. About 1% of Sweden's GDP is allocated for international aid purposes.
Sweden is among the 20 most developed countries in the world. It produces about 1% of global industrial output. The economy is characterized by a high level of concentration of production and capital. The 20 largest enterprises account for about 35% of all industrial workers and employees. Dominant positions in the Swedish economy belong to private capital (about 90% of industry). The foundation of the Swedish economy is industry. Industry employs 20% of the working population of the country. Leading sectors include machine engineering, pulp and paper, construction materials production, and telecommunications. In agriculture, about 3% of the population is employed, but due to high labor productivity, Sweden meets 80% of its agricultural product needs through domestic production. Most farms are family-owned. Production for export and foreign trade is a vital component of the Swedish economy. Sweden exports about 45% of its industrial output (about 95% of total exports). The main part of foreign trade (about 70%) is with developed countries, primarily EU member states.
Sweden is classified as a country with a high standard of living. It traditionally ranks among the advanced countries of the world in terms of income per capita. The standard working week is 40 hours (on average, 37 hours in practice), with 5 weeks of paid vacation. Sweden has a developed social protection system for its population. Child allowances are paid for children up to 16 years old, housing loans are provided, and there are a number of other benefits.
Sweden ranks first in the world in terms of housing per capita (there are 445 apartments for every thousand people). The Swedish healthcare system is highly developed (there are 25 doctors and 11 dentists for every 10,000 people, as well as 72 hospital beds). In case of illness, workers receive sick pay, which amounts to 65-90% of their salary. Currently, Sweden has a unified retirement age of 65 for both men and women. The main pension - for old age - is paid regardless of employment (the amount of this pension is the same for everyone). In addition, the government pays an additional pension for years of service (the amount depends on earnings). The average life expectancy is 75 years for men and 80 years for women.
The modern Swedish education system provides for a unified compulsory 9-year education, which children begin at the age of 7. More than 95% continue their education in gymnasiums, where they can choose theoretical or vocational training lines. There are more than 30 higher education institutions in Sweden, of which about 1/3 are universities. The oldest university in Sweden, located in Uppsala, was founded in 1477.
In terms of daily newspaper circulation, Sweden ranks among the leading countries in the world. There are about 100 newspapers published 4-7 times a week, and about 75 newspapers published 1-3 times a week. Among the leading daily newspapers are "Dagens Nyheter" (about 400,000 copies), "Svenska Dagbladet" (about 250,000), "Expressen" (500,000), "Aftonbladet" (300,000).
The Swedish Telegraph Agency - TT (a joint-stock company owned by Swedish newspapers) is the main source of current information about events in the country and abroad. The basis of radio and television broadcasting consists of 4 national companies.