Sweden, the full name of the kingdom of Sweden, is a country located in Scandinavia, one of the five Nordic countries, with Stockholm as its capital. It is bordered by Norway in the west, Finland in the northeast, Skaglac Strait and Kattegat Strait in the southwest, and the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia in the East. Sweden is across the sea from Denmark, Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, it has a coastline of 7,624 kilometers and a total area of approximately 450,000 square kilometers, it is the largest country in Northern Europe.
Around 1100 A.D., Sweden began to form a state. From 1397, it was a member of the Kalmar Union controlled by Denmark and regained its independence in 1523. From 1611 to 1718, it was one of the European powers and declared neutrality in both world wars, it is a permanent neutral country. Due to the cold climate, the proportion of agriculture is small. Sweden has its own aviation industry, nuclear industry, automobile manufacturing industry, advanced military industry, as well as the world's leading telecommunications and pharmaceutical research capabilities. Sweden also leads the world in software development, microelectronics, telecommunications and photonics. Sweden is the largest exporter of iron ore in Europe. In proportion to its population, Sweden has the largest number of multinational companies in the world.
Sweden is a highly developed capitalist country, one of the member states of the European Union, which is considered to have the tendency of social liberalism and the pursuit of equality. It has set up many social welfare systems, and usually ranks first in the human development index of the United Nations Development Programme. It has 15 world cultural heritages with a forest coverage of 54%, the main scenic spots in Sweden are the Nobel Memorial Hall and the Swedish Royal Palace.
