SWEDEN By: Mackenzie Landsburg

HISTORY Swedish history dates back 10,000 years and starts after the last glacial period. When the land became warmer and inhabitable the first people started arriving and settling in the northern regions as well as the east and south. There is evidence that there was life in Sweden by 9000 BCE. About 14,000 years ago, some of the ice covering what is now Sweden started melting. Evidence has been found that there was human life in Sweden by 9000 BCE. The inhabitants were generally hunters and fishers, until about 550-800 CE when Sweden's inhabitants settled and became a primarily agricultural society. For next 250 years, they went through a period of expansion (the "Viking Age’). . Around the year 1000, Sweden’s provinces combined to form one country. Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries Sweden continued to grow, taking over Finland. Near the same time Gustav Vasa was elected Kind and for the next 140 years, he led them to battle and in turn, took over many places in the Baltic. At this point in history, Sweden was considered a major powerhouse in Europe. As the years continued, Russia took over Finland and the other places Sweden had dominated were won back leaving Sweden as it is today, neutral and peaceful. In 1772 the new king, Gustav III began a reform to strengthen the power of the king which developed an absolute monarchy in Sweden. After being murdered in 1792 he was replaced by Gustav IV who was dethroned after the loss of Finland to Russia in a war between the two during the years 1808-1809. When the war ended a new constitution was created that divided the power between the king the parliament and the courts and this constitution remained until 1974

LANGUAGE The official language of Sweden is Swedish. However Sweden has never been homogeneous when it comes to language. Many language minorities are present in Sweden. An example is Saami which is spoken largely I in northern Sweden. There are also many people who speak Romani which has been spoken in Sweden since the 17th century. The Swedish language had been influenced by other languages including latin, German, and Danish. It is estimated that there are around 120 different languages used in Sweden. CULTURE Swedish culture has had many foreign influences. The culture in Sweden has been primarily influenced by Denmark, Norway and England as well as Germany and France most recently along with the English speaking North American world.             Since Sweden is divided into 25 provinces and each has its own history, therefore resulting in many different cultures in Sweden. However aside from the provincial specific cultures there are many things that define Sweden as a country, therefore playing a major role in Swedish culture.             Traditional Swedish meals and food is apart of the culture. A typical old fashioned meal includes boiled potatoes, accompanied by some type of meat or fish with sauce and vegetables. Along with food comes drinks. Swedes are the second heaviest coffee drinkers in the world after Finland and also consume a large amount of beer.             Sweden is also largely known for its national film industries. Ingmar Bergan, who is one of the most influential film makers of the 20th century has brought much attention to Sweden with the success of his films.

Sweden and its provinces RELIGION There is freedom of religion in Sweden however the main religion of its citizens is Lutheran. It had been predominately Lutheran since the 1530’s. The Church of Sweden became the main church in the country until the 1860’s and before  this time it was illegal to be apart of any other religious group. In 1951 Sweden declared a freedom of religion law but 78% of Swedes still remain faithful to The Church of Sweden. What is The Church of Sweden? The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden and professes Lutheran Faith. It is also the largest Lutheran church in the world. In Sweden it is open to everyone in the country regardless of nationality.   Sweden and its provinces

GEOGRAPHY AND LOCATION Latitude/Longitude (Absolute Location) Sweden’s Capital city Stockholm sits at: 59º 20' N, 18º 05' E The Relative Location can be described as located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in far northern Europe. Sweden is located in both the northern and eastern hemispheres.   Sweden is bordered by the countries of Finland and Norway, and by the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat Bay and the Skagerrak Strait. It is separated from Denmark by the Oresund Strait.

CLIMATE Sweden has a temperate climate because of the Gulf Stream Waters, despite its northern location. The winters are very cold but summers are warm and pleasant. It has a much milder climate than other regions of the world that also lie in the north. The Gulf stream is a warn ocean stream, flowing off the west coast of Norway. Along with this stream, Sweden also had many lakes and gulfs that influence and give Sweden its generally mild climate. Summers in Sweden average temperatures from 13 to 17 degrees C. Northern Sweden has continuous daylight for part of the summer and the number of days for this occurrence greatens as you go north. Southern Sweden averages some days with 19 hours of daylight. The opposite thing happens in the winter. In the very north areas during the winter, the sun never rises above the horizon for two months. The coldest time of the year is February when temperatures can reach a low of minus 22. In the most northern regions of Sweden temperatures can drop to below 30 degrees. There is snowfall in Sweden starting in December all the way until April and some sporadic snowfalls often even begin in October.

SWEDISH POLITICAL SYSTEM Sweden is a parliamentary democracy. All public power decends from the people in the Swedish Parliament which is the official representation of the people. This style of governemnt runs the country. This political system emerged in Sweden early in the 20th century. The official year that parliamentarism was introduced was 1917 and since then the King has not had the offiicial power in the country. FAMOUS SWEDES ABBA Abba was a Swedish pop group that formed in 1972. The band included Anni-Fridd, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Faltskog and became one of the most successful groups in the history of music. Selling over 375 million records led them to becoming the fourth best selling music artists ever in the history of recorded music. Although they are no longer together, they still continue to sell between two and three million records every year. Abba was the first non-english group to top the charts in English speaking countries. During the years of the band, Agnetha and Bjorn were married and Anni and Benny were as well. As the group grew to be more and more popular, it put strains on the two relationships which in turn, ended in divorce. After the separation of the band, all four of the members moved on to succeed in solo careers, Andersson and Ulvaeus as music writers and the two women in their own solo singing careers

Swedish inventor. Invented dynamite and founder of the Nobel Prize. Ingrid Bergman One of Sweden’s most famous actresses. Known worldly for her beauty and talent . FAMOUS SWEDES Greta Garbo Throughout her career, this Sweden born actress starred in 27 motion pictures and was a four time nominee for the Oscar of Best Actress. Although she never won, she was awarded an Academy Award. Alfred Nobel Swedish inventor. Invented dynamite and founder of the Nobel Prize. Bjorn Rune Borg A number one tennis player who to this day, remains as a top champion of this sport.

geography.about.com/od/swedenmaps/Sweden_Maps_ BIBLIOGRAPHY Wikipedia inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_seat_belts.htm www.climatetemp.info/sweden www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/Sweden/Climate www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/smorgasbord/.../history www.archaeolink.com/sweden_history.htm geography.about.com/od/swedenmaps/Sweden_Maps_ www.abbasite.com www.abba-world.net

Time Log November 15th 2 hrs researching. November 17th 45 mins researching and deciding layout. November 18th 30 mins researched ABBA November 21st 1 hr typing up information on climate and geography November 25th 2 hrs finished all famous Swede information, history, language and culture November 26th 1 hr finished typing up climate and location November 27th 30 mins getting all my graphics for the project December 2nd 2 hrs putting powerpoint together and finishing bibliography. December 3rd 2hrs doing travelers brochure December 4-5 2 hrs planning and questioning my dad for the interview along with typing it up and sending the complete project #1 to my teacher, finished as scheduled. Total time spent 13 hours and 45 minutes.