Introduction
Birthplace of Volvo cars and IKEA products, Sweden is widely known for its meatballs, Viking heritage and the 1970s pop group ABBA. Located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in northern Europe, bordered by Finland and Norway, Sweden is also connected to Denmark by the Øresund strait. The third-largest country in the European Union by geographical size, Sweden is a spacious land of pastoral beauty, striking blue lakes and charming cosmopolitan cities.
The largest concentration of Sweden’s cities are found within the southern region of the country where the capital city, Stockholm, chiefly sprawls over fourteen beautiful islands, offering an abundance of attractions such as medieval architecture, museums and fabulous choices for dining, shopping and nightlife. Nearby, the numerous islands of the Stockholm archipelago offer picturesque canals, bridges and charming villages. Not far from the capital city is Uppsala, an old but pretty university town, and Jönköping, a pictorial city surrounded by stunning lakes. West of Stockholm is Gothenburg, home to Volvo automobiles. At the southern tip of the country is lovely Malmö, linking Sweden to Denmark across the Öresund Bridge.
Encompassing more than half of Sweden’s total area, the northern region is the country’s natural playground, featuring an abundance of wilderness, forests, rivers and lakes, which all provide a wide variety of outdoor recreation and adventure. Located inside the Arctic Circle, the far north region is home to reindeer, the Sámi indigenous people, Sweden’s northernmost city, Kiruna, and the phenomenas of the midnight sun and the aurora borealis.