About Sweden

Stats about Sweden

Sweden is located in the northern part of Europe and is the biggest of the Nordic countries which also includes Norway, Denmark and Finland.

The population reached 9 million in 2004.

Sweden is a very long country measuring 2000 km from north to south. The capital is Stockholm, which also is the largest city with a population of approximately 1 million people. Stockholm is located on the east-coast about 600 km driving distance from Malmö.

Gothenburg is the second largest city, with a population of 650 000, located on the west coast about 300 km driving distance north of Malmö.

Malmö, located on the west coast in the southern part of Sweden is the third largest city having a population of 450 000. Malmö is connected to Copenhagen and Denmark through the Oresund bridge.

What's true and what's not

There are no ice-bears walking the streets.

Not all women are blonds and called Inga (even though there are many blonds).

Sweden is NOT famous for any coo-coo clocks (that's Switzerland).

Sweden is famous for its industries like Ericsson, Volvo, SAAB, ABB and IKEA.

Sweden is one of the world's leading countries in terms of computer and internet usage.
Almost 6 millon people have access to the internet.

Currency

Although Sweden is a member of the European Union, the Swedish people voted against the euro currency in 2003. Sweden therefore still use "Krona" as its currency (plural: "Kronor").

The official abbreviation for "Swedish Krona" used by currency exchange offices and banks is SEK, but usually Swedes use "kr" in written text.

1 SEK = 100 öre
1 EUR (€) ~ 9.20 SEK (september 2004)
1 USD ($) ~ 7.60 SEK (september 2004)

To the left, all valid bills: 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 kronor.
To the right all valid coins: 50 öre (two types), 1 krona (two types), 5 kronor and 10 kronor (two types)