Sweden (2004) | Western Sahara (2006) | |
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Administrative divisions | 21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarnas, Gavleborgs, Gotlands, Hallands, Jamtlands, Jonkopings, Kalmar, Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Orebro, Ostergotlands, Skane, Sodermanlands, Stockholms, Uppsala, Varmlands, Vasterbottens, Vasternorrlands, Vastmanlands, Vastra Gotalands | none (under de facto control of Morocco) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 807,193; female 762,882)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 2,974,107; female 2,886,840) 65 years and over: 17.3% (male 668,719; female 886,659) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | barley, wheat, sugar beets; meat, milk | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish |
Airports | 255 (2003 est.) | 11 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 154
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 82 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 35 (2004 est.) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 100
914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 90 (2004 est.) |
total: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2006) |
Area | total: 449,964 sq km
land: 410,934 sq km water: 39,030 sq km |
total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than California | about the size of Colorado |
Background | A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 by the global economic downturn, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Indecision over the country's role in the political and economic integration of Europe delayed Sweden's entry into the EU until 1995, and waived the introduction of the euro in 1999. | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. |
Birth rate | 10.46 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | NA births/1,000 population |
Budget | revenues: $177.7 billion
expenditures: $176.9 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
Capital | Stockholm | none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew |
Coastline | 3,218 km | 1,110 km |
Constitution | 1 January 1975 | - |
Country name | conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden
conventional short form: Sweden local long form: Konungariket Sverige local short form: Sverige |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
Currency | Swedish krona (SEK) | - |
Death rate | 10.38 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | NA deaths/1,000 population |
Debt - external | $66.5 billion (1994) | $NA |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador M. Teel BIVINS
embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds VAG 31, SE-11589 Stockholm mailing address: American Embassy Stockholm, Department of State, 5750 Stockholm Place, Washington, DC 20521-5750 (pouch) telephone: [46] (08) 783 53 00 FAX: [46] (08) 661 19 64 |
none |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Jan ELIASSON
chancery: 1501 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1702 telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600 FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York |
none |
Disputes - international | none | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $1.7 billion (1997) | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
Economy - overview | Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 2% of GDP and 2% of the jobs. The government's commitment to fiscal discipline resulted in a substantial budgetary surplus in 2001, which was cut by more than half in 2002, due to the global economic slowdown, declining revenue, and increased spending. The Swedish central bank (the Riksbank) is focusing on price stability with its inflation target of 2%. Growth remained sluggish in 2003. On September 14, 2003, Swedish voters turned down entry into the euro system, concerned about the impact on democracy and sovereignty. | Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. |
Electricity - consumption | 134.9 billion kWh (2001) | 83.7 million kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | 18.45 billion kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | 11.14 billion kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | 152.9 billion kWh (2001) | 85 million kWh (2003) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.41 m
highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m |
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
Environment - current issues | acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea | sparse water and lack of arable land |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | indigenous population: Swedes and Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks | Arab, Berber |
Exchange rates | Swedish kronor per US dollar - 8.0853 (2003), 9.7371 (2002), 10.3291 (2001), 9.1622 (2000), 8.2624 (1999) | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001) |
Executive branch | chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977)
head of government: Prime Minister Goran PERSSON (since 21 March 1996) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the prime minister is elected by the Parliament; election last held 15 September 2002 (next to be held NA September 2006) election results: Goran PERSSON reelected prime minister with 131 out of 349 votes |
none |
Exports | 203,700 bbl/day (2001) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals | phosphates 62% |
Exports - partners | US 11.5%, Germany 10%, Norway 8.4%, UK 7.8%, Denmark 6.4%, Finland 5.7%, Netherlands 4.9%, France 4.9%, Belgium 4.5% (2003) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | blue with a golden yellow cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) | - |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $238.3 billion (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2%
industry: 29% services: 69% (2001) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40% |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $26,800 (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 1.7% (2003 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 62 00 N, 15 00 E | 24 30 N, 13 00 W |
Geography - note | strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas | the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas |
Heliports | 2 (2003 est.) | - |
Highways | total: 212,402 km
paved: 166,523 km (including 1,499 km of expressways) unpaved: 45,879 km (2000) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 20.1% (1992) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | 553,100 bbl/day (2001) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | Germany 18.7%, Denmark 9%, UK 8%, Norway 8%, Netherlands 6.8%, Finland 5.6%, France 5.5%, Belgium 4.2% (2003) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004) |
Independence | 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | 1.9% (2003 est.) | NA% |
Industries | iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles | phosphate mining, handicrafts |
Infant mortality rate | total: 2.77 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 2.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.9% (2003 est.) | NA% |
International organization participation | AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 6, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC | none |
Irrigated land | 1,150 sq km (1998 est.) | NA |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet) | - |
Labor force | 4.449 million (2003 est.) | 12,000 |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 2%, industry 24%, services 74% (2000 est.) | agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% |
Land boundaries | total: 2,233 km
border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km |
total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km |
Land use | arable land: 6.54%
permanent crops: 0.01% other: 93.45% (2001) |
arable land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005) |
Languages | Swedish
note: small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities |
Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic |
Legal system | civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | - |
Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 September 2002 (next to be held NA September 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 39.8%, Moderates 15.2%, Liberal Party 13.3%, Christian Democrats 9.1%, Left Party 8.3%, Center Party 6.1%, Greens 4.6%; seats by party - Social Democrats 144, Moderates 55, Liberal Party 48, Christian Democrats 33, Left Party 30, Center Party 22, Greens 17 |
- |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 80.3 years
male: 78.12 years female: 82.62 years (2004 est.) |
total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1979 est.) male: NA female: NA |
NA |
Location | Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco |
Map references | Europe | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas)
exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue |
Merchant marine | total: 178 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,702,763 GRT/1,884,570 DWT
by type: bulk 7, cargo 36, chemical tanker 31, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 39, short-sea/passenger 8, specialized tanker 7, vehicle carrier 23 foreign-owned: Denmark 12, Finland 10, Germany 3, Italy 7, Japan 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 12, Russia 1 registered in other countries: 154 (2004 est.) |
- |
Military branches | Army, Royal Navy, Air Force (Flygvapnet) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $4.395 billion (FY01) | $992.2 million |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.1% (FY01) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 2,082,776 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 1,821,394 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 56,859 (2004 est.) | - |
National holiday | Flag Day, 6 June | - |
Nationality | noun: Swede(s)
adjective: Swedish |
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
Natural hazards | ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility |
Natural resources | iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower | phosphates, iron ore |
Net migration rate | 1.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
Pipelines | gas 798 km (2004) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Center Party [Maud OLOFSSON]; Christian Democratic Party [Goran HAGGLUND]; Green Party [no formal leader but party spokespersons are Maria WETTERSTRAND and Peter ERIKSSON]; Left Party or V (formerly Communist) [Lars OHLY]; Liberal People's Party [Lars LEIJONBORG]; Moderate Party (conservative) [Fredrik REINFELDT]; Social Democratic Party [Goran PERSSON] | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 8,986,400 (July 2004 est.) | 273,008 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.18% (2004 est.) | NA |
Ports and harbors | Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Hudiksvall, Kalmar, Karlshamn, Lulea, Malmo, Solvesborg, Stockholm, Sundsvall | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 265, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | total: 11,481 km
standard gauge: 11,481 km 1.435-m gauge (7,527 km electrified) (2003) |
- |
Religions | Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist | Muslim |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
NA |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed |
Telephone system | general assessment: excellent domestic and international facilities; automatic system
domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some additional telephone channels international: country code - 46; 5 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway) |
general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
Telephones - main lines in use | 6,579,200 (2002) | about 2,000 (1999 est.) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 7.949 million (2002) | 0 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | 169 (plus 1,299 repeaters) (1995) | NA |
Terrain | mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast |
Total fertility rate | 1.66 children born/woman (2004 est.) | NA children born/woman |
Unemployment rate | 4.9% (2003 est.) | NA% |