SWEDEN (Swedish, Sverige), a kingdom
of northern Europe comprising with
Norway and Lapland the whole of the
Scandinavian peninsula, of which it
forms the E., S., and most important
portion; having N. E. Russian Finland; E. and S. the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic; S. W. the Sound, Cattegat, and Skagerrack; and W. and N. Norway, from which it is for the most part divided by the great mountain chain of Scandinavia. Length N. to S. 950 miles; average breadth about 190 miles; area 173,035 square miles; pop. (1918) 5,813,850. Capital, Stockholm; pop. 408,456.
Topography—Sweden is divided into
three principal regions: Gœthland
(Gothia) in the S.; Sweden proper, occupying the center; and Norland (by far the largest part), comprising the remainder. These three regions are again subdivided into 24 lans, or districts. Sweden is mountainous in the W., but, in general, flat; and it is remarkable that along the whole road from Gottenburg in the W., to Stockholm in the E., there is not a single acclivity of consequence till within a few miles of the latter.
Climate—The climate is less severe
than might be expected in so high a
latitude. In Stockholm the average temperature
throughout the year is 4 degrees
higher than at St. Petersburg. The
summers are hot, and spring is almost
unknown. In the N., snow covers the
ground for 5 or 6 months in the
year; and the W. coasts are milder and
more humid than the E.
Rivers—The rivers are numerous. The
principal are the Dal and the Klar rising
in the mountains bordering on Norway, and flowing into the Gulf of Bothnia and the lake of Wener. The Angerman, the Umea, the Skeleftea, the Pitea, the Lulea, and the Tornea, are in Lapland.
Lakes—Nearly one-eighth of the country
is covered with lakes. The largest
are the Wener, Wetter, and the Malar, all in the S. provinces. In point of size Wener is the third lake in Europe.
Forests.—There are extensive forests. More than 3 parts of the country are under timber. The principal trees are
fir, birch, with oak, elm, and beech in the
more S. parts.
Zoölogy.—The domestic animals are
the same as those of Great Britain. The
others are hares and foxes, beavers, wolves and, in the cold provinces of the N., bears, the leming and the reindeer. Water fowl are abundant and the mosquitoes are as troublesome as they are in tropical countries.
Agriculture.—Sweden is essentially an
agricultural country. About 50 per cent. of the people are engaged in agricultural pursuits. There are about 450,000 farms under cultivation. The area and yield of the principal crops in 1919 was as follows: Wheat, 140,913 hectares, production 258,792 tons; rye, 372,068 hectares, production 586,689 tons; barley, 166,672 hectares, production 280,678 tons; oats, 712,372 hectares, production 1,111,730 tons; mixed corn, 260,782 hectares, production 475,749 tons; peas, beans, etc., 44,748 hectares, production 67,756 tons; potatoes, 168,689 hectares, production 2,111,213 tons; sugar beet and fodder roots, 127,650 hectares, production 3,838,372 tons; hay, 1,342,878 hectares, production 4,300,969 tons. There were in 1920 about 720,000 horses and about 2,600,000 head of cattle.
Industries.—The chief industries are
related to the mining and production of
minerals and metals, and to lumbering
and dairying. In the north are found the
chief iron ore mines and important
saw-mills. The production of iron and steel
is found chiefly in central Sweden, Among specialized products are the manufacture of cream separators, lighthouse apparatus, motors and electrical machinery. The manufacture of porcelain and glass is also important, as are timber and woodworking industries. Among the principal industries are the following, with the value of output in kroners: Bar iron and steel works, 500,850,759; mechanical workshops, 496,073,165; iron and steel goods factories, 191,488,782; flour and grain mills, 131,924,056; shoe factories, 112,340,571. There are about 300,000 men, about 60,000 women, about 40,000 boys, and about 15,000 girls employed in the factories of the country.