Name:  Konungariket Sverige

Telephone area code:   46

Area:       449.964 km² / 173.629 sq mi.
 [ thereof: 237.000 km² designated for reindeer herding ]

Land boundaries:  Norway, Finland

Terrain:  mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands;
          blunt mountains in north and west;
          large archipelagos on the eastern coast.

Highest mountain:  Kebnekaise, 2,111 m (6,926 ft)

Natural resources:  iron ore, zinc, lead, copper, silver,
                    timber, uranium, hydropower

Population:  8.835.000 (1996)

Population density:  19 persons / km².

Distribution:  83% urban, 17% rural. (1990)

Life expectancy:  males: 76, females: 81  (1995)

Capital:  Stockholm       (pop.   693,000;
          Stockholm's län pop. 1,686,000  [ the metropolitan area])

Other major towns:   Göteborg (Gothenburg 450,000),
                     Malmö (240,000),
                     Uppsala (180,000),
                     Linköping (130,000),
                     Norrköping (120,000)

Flag:  a yellow Nordic cross on blue background.

Type:  constitutional monarchy

Head of state:  King Carl XVI Gustaf

National anthem:  Du gamla, Du fria

Royal anthem:  Kungssången

Languages:  Swedish.
            (Finnish, Romani and Sámi languages
            are acknoledged minority languages.)

Currency:  krona (Swedish crown, SEK)
           for the current exchange rate,
           see the URL <http://www.dna.lth.se/cgi-bin/kurt/rates>


Climate:   temperate in south with cold winters; sub-arctic in north.
           Temp. in Stockholm: -5°C  -  +1°C in Feb.,
                              +14°C  - +22°C in July.

Religion:  Evangelic-Lutheran (91%) (official state-religion),
           Lutheran free churches (3%),
           Islam (2%),
           Roman Catholic (1.5%),
           Orthodox (0.7%)

Exports:    machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood,
            iron and steel products, chemicals, electronics