Sweden. Sweden ( i/ˈswiːdən/ SWEE-dən; Swedish: Sverige [ˈsværjɛ] ( )), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige ), is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. Sweden borders Norway and Finland, and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Øresund. At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of about 9.7 million.[1] Sweden has a low population density of 21 inhabitants per square kilometre (54/sq mi), with the population mostly concentrated in the southern half of the country. About 85% of the population lives in urban areas.[10] Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, while the north is heavily forested. Etymology Main article: Name of Sweden The etymology of Swedes, and thus Sweden, is generally not agreed upon but may derive from Proto-Germanic Swihoniz meaning "one's own",[18] referring to one's own Germanic tribe.
History Prehistory Viking and Middle Ages St. History of Sweden. Modern Sweden started out of the Kalmar Union formed in 1397 and by the unification of the country by King Gustav Vasa in the 16th century. In the 17th century Sweden expanded its territories to form the Swedish empire. Most of these conquered territories had to be given up during the 18th century. In the early 19th century Finland and the remaining territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost. After its last war in 1814, Sweden entered into a personal union with Norway which lasted until 1905. Pre-historic age: 9,000 BC–AD 800[edit] Sweden, as well as the adjacent country Norway, has a high concentration of petroglyphs (hällristningar[2] in Swedish) throughout the country, with the highest concentration in the province of Bohuslän and around Gamleby and Västervik in northern county of Kalmar, also called "Tjust" (Peterson 2009).
Early Swedish history: 800–1500[edit] For centuries, the Swedes were merchant sea men well known for their far-reaching trade. Early Modern[edit] Sweden: An Illustrated History - Martina Sprague. Sweden, the Nation's History - Franklin Daniel Scott. A History of Swedish Literature. The Agrarian History of Sweden: From 4000 BC to AD 2000. Sweden: a short handbook on Sweden's history, industries, social systems ... - Swedish Tourist Traffic Society, Turisttrafikförbundet.