Pestel of Sweden

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INTRODUCTION

Sweden officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in

Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland, and is connected to Denmark by a

bridge-tunnel across the resund.

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 9.4 million. Sweden has a low

population density of 21 inhabitants per square kilometre (54 /sq mi) with the population mostly

concentrated to the southern half of the country. About 85% of the population live in urban areas.Sweden's capital is Stockholm, which is also the largest city.

Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages. In the 17th

century, the country expanded its territories to form the Swedish Empire. The empire grew to be

one of the great powers of Europe in the 17th and early 18th century. Most of the conquered

territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The

eastern half of Sweden, present-day Finland, was lost to Russia in 1809. The last war in which

Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military means forced Norway intoa personal union. Since then, Sweden has been at peace, adopting a non-aligned foreign policy in

peacetime and neutrality in wartime.

Today, Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy of government and

a highly developed economy. In 2010, it ranked fourth in the world in The Economist's

Democracy Index and ninth in the United Nations' Human Development Index. In 2010, the

World Economic Forum ranked Sweden as the second most competitive country in the world,

after Switzerland.[14]Sweden has the lowest Gini coefficient of all countries (0.23) which makes

Sweden the most equal country on earth in terms of economic division. Sweden has been a

member of the European Union since 1 January 1995 and is a member of the OECD.
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POLITICSSweden's government is a limited constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system.

Constitutional monarchy (or limited monarchy) is a form ofgovernment in which a monarch acts

as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified, or

blended constitution. This form of government differs from absolute monarchy in which an

absolute monarch serves as the source of power in the state and is not legally bound by any

constitution and has the powers to regulate his or her respective government. All power comes

from the people is the foundation of Swedens parliamentary democracy. Everyone has the same

rights and a chance to have their say, and everyone is free to scrutinize how politicians and

public agencies exercise their power. Swedish governance as a whole is built on decentralization.

On a local and regional level, municipalities and county councils are autonomous political bodies

with clearly defined areas of responsibility. Municipalities deal with city planning and schools,

for example, while county councils are in charge of areas such as healthcare and infrastructure.

Popular government in Sweden rests upon ancient tradition. The Swedish Parliament (Riksdag)

stems from tribal courts (Ting) and the election of kings during the Viking era. It became apermanent institution in the 15th century. . Executive power is exercised by the government, led

by the Prime Minister of Sweden. Legislative power is vested in both the government and

parliament, elected within a multi-party system. The Judiciary is independent, appointed by the

government and employed until retirement. The executive authority of the government is vested

in the cabinet, which consists of a Prime Minister and roughly 22 Ministers who run the

government departments. The Ministers are appointed by the Prime Minister without any

confirmation of the Parliament. The Prime Minister is first appointed by the Speaker of

Parliament and then confirmed by Parliament. The monarch plays no part in this process

Sweden has three levels of government: national, regional, and local. In addition, there is a

European level, which has acquired increasing importance following Sweden's entry into the EU
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and the EUs adoption of the Lisbon Treaty. Parliamentary, municipal, and county council

elections are held every 4 years. Ordinary general elections to the Swedish Parliament are heldevery fourth year on the third Sunday in September. County council and municipal council

elections take place at the same time. A party must receive at least 4% of the votes in the entire

country or 12% in a single electoral district to qualify for any seats in Parliament.

The most recent elections were held on September 19, 2010. The Alliance for Sweden (a

coalition of four center-right parties--the Moderate Party, the Liberal Party, the Christian

Democrats, and the Center Party) won 173 of the 349 seats, securing Moderate Fredrik Reinfeldt

the position of Prime Minister.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has a base of blue-collar workers and public sector

employees. It derives much of its power from strong links with the National Swedish

Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), which represents blue-collar workers. The party program

combines a commitment to social welfare programs and government direction of the economy..

The Moderate Party emphasizes personal freedom, free enterprise, and reduction of the public-

sector growth rate, while still supporting most of the social benefits introduced since the 1930s.

The party also supports a strong military and Sweden's membership in the EU. Its voter base is

urban business people and professionals, but the party also attracts young voters, main-street

shop owners, and, some blue-collar workers.

The Green Party is a left-leaning, environmentalist party that attracts young people. The Greens

strongly support greater public transportation and environmental taxation, and replacing nuclear

energy in Sweden with alternative, environmentally friendly energy sources.

The Liberal Party's platform is "social responsibility without socialism," which includes a

commitment to a free-market economy combined with comprehensive Swedish social welfare

programs. Foreign aid, education, and women's equality also are popular issues. The Liberal

Party base is mainly centered in educated, middle-class voters, and is pro-EU.


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The Center Party maintains close ties to rural Sweden. The main priorities of the party include

providing a sound economic climate for business and job creation, rural development, climatechange and environmental concerns, and health and welfare issues.

The Sweden Democrats gained representation in Parliament for the first time in 2010. It is a

nationalist, right-wing party. Its main priority is to protect Swedish culture and values, mostly by

reducing immigration to Sweden. In the 2010 elections, the Sweden Democrats were particularly

successful in getting votes from the unemployed, laborers, men, and those between 18 and 30

years.

The Left Party, formerly the Communist Party, focuses on feminist issues, employment in the

public sector, and the environment. It opposes privatization, cuts in public expenditure, Swedish

participation in NATO activities, and EU membership. Its voter base consists mainly of young

people, public sector employees, feminists, journalists, and former social democrats.

The Christian Democrat Party is conservative and value-oriented. Its voter base is primarily

among members of conservative churches and rural populations. Christian Democrats seek

government support for families and better ethical practices to improve care for the elderly.


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ECONOMICS

The Swedish economy emerged from the financial crisis as one of the strongest in Europe. A

high-tech local economy and a comprehensive system of welfare benefits allow Sweden to enjoy

one of the highest standards of living in the world. Sweden has one of the most globalized and

competitive economies today.

From the early 1990s until 2008, Sweden enjoyed a sustained economic upswing fueled by

strong exports and rising domestic demand. In the fourth quarter of 2008, Sweden entered a

recession. Heavily dependent on exports of autos, telecommunications, construction equipment,and other investment goods, Sweden was hit hard by the contraction in external demand due to

the global financial and economic crisis. As a result, GDP fell 4.9% in 2009.

GDP grew by 5.5% in 2010, beating expectations. It is expected to grow 4.2% in 2011. The

Swedish economy bounced back more quickly than other similar economies due to strong public

sector finances and a reliable export-driven economy. Main Swedish exports include machinery

and transport equipment, chemical and rubber products, food, clothing, textiles and furniture, and

wood products. Exports and investments are rapidly increasing, and the Swedish export market is

expected to grow by 8% each year through 2013.

Central Bank policy is guided by inflation targeting to keep the Consumer Price Index (CPI) at or

around 2% on an annual basis. To meet the monetary policy target, the Central Bank recently

raised the main steering rate to 2%.

One of Swedens tools in maintaining solid public figure finances is a budget process that calls

for Parliamentary-designated spending ceilings. The ceilings are set for SEK 1.024 trillion (U.S.

$144.7 billion) in 2010, SEK 1.063 trillion (U.S. $150.3 billion) in 2011, SEK 1.083 trillion

(U.S. $153.1 billion) in 2012, and SEK 1.093 trillion (U.S. $154.5 billion) in 2013. While

spending ceilings can technically be surpassed, they represent a promise the government makes

to the people and they are adhered to.


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Sweden entered the financial crisis with a budget surplus due to prior economic growth and

conservative fiscal policy. This was a key factor that allowed Sweden to ride out the crisis betterthan most other economies. In 2008, Sweden had a surplus of SEK 58 billion (U.S. $8.2 billion).

By 2009, the surplus dipped into a deficit of SEK 176 billion (U.S. $24.8 billion). The budget

showed only a slight deficit for 2010, and the budget will go back into surplus again for the full

year 2011. The Swedish Government released a conservative budget for 2011 aimed at

reestablishing a surplus and consolidating the economic recovery. The budget contains new

spending aimed at job creation, maintaining the welfare state, promoting exports and tackling

climate change. A series of additional reforms, such as lowering taxes on low and middle income

earners, may be implemented if economic conditions allow.

One of the ways Sweden stimulates growth and raises revenue is through the sale of public

assets. The government set a goal of selling some $31 billion in state assets between 2007 and

2010. Major sales have included selling V&S (Vin & Sprit AB) to French Pernod Ricard for

some $8.3 billion, and the Swedish OMX stock exchange to Borse Dubai/Nasdaq for $318

million. Additionally, the government sold most of its 946 apoteket (pharmacy) stores and

eliminated its monopoly on pharmacies. The government has also approved the sale of Svensk

Bilprovning (the Swedish Motor Vehicle Inspection Company).

The Swedish banking sector is highly concentrated, with the four large banking groups (Nordea,

Svenska Handelsbanken, Swedbank, and SEB) accounting for roughly 80% of sector assets.

Swedish banks are heavily invested in the Baltic states, some of the countries hardest hit during

the financial crisis. Swedish banks suffered considerably as a result, forcing authorities to

respond with a bank support package in 2008. The package included guarantees for new debt

insurance, increased deposit insurance, and a fund that would provide up to $6 billion in equityinjection to systemically important institutions. In August 2010, the government revoked the

license of the embattled HQ Bank, as risky securities deals and an over-valued trading portfolio

threatened its survival. The bank was subsequently purchased by investment bank Carnegie.


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Despite this, the Swedish banking industry is strong. All Swedish banks passed summer 2010 EU

stress tests with wide margins.

Profit returned to the Baltic states in the third quarter of 2010, as the economies stabilized and

funding costs to Swedish banks in the Baltic region decreased. Swedbank, one of the Swedish

banks most heavily invested in the Baltics, showed a net interest income rise in the third quarter

of 2010, the same time that the Baltic market began to turn. This was the first such rise in six

quarters and growth has continued.

Unemployment is slowly falling and was at 7.9% as of May 2011. Continued decline is expected,to an estimated 7.2% in 2012 and 6.4% in 2013. Youth unemployment is disproportionately high

at around 28% for those between 15 and 24. The 2011 budget includes programs designed to

better prepare young people to enter the work force and bring the economy into full employment.

In contrast with most other European countries, Sweden maintained an unemployment rate

around 2% or 3% of the work force throughout the 1980s. This was, however, accompanied by

high and accelerating inflation. It became evident that such low unemployment rates were not

sustainable, and in the severe crisis of the early 1990s the rate increased to more than 8%. In

1996 the government set out a goal of reducing unemployment to 4% by 2000. During 2000

employment rose by 90,000 people, the greatest increase in 40 years, and the goal was reached in

the autumn of 2000. The same autumn the government set out its new target: that 80% of the

working age population will have a regular job by 2004. Some have expressed concern that

meeting the employment target may come at a cost of too high a rate of wage increases hence

increasing inflation. However, as of August 2006, roughly 5% of working age Swedes were

unemployed, over the government-established goal. However, some of the people who cannot

find work are put away in so-called "labour market political activities", referred to as "AMS-tgrder".According to Swedish Statistics, unemployment in May 2011 was 7.9% in the general

population and 25.9% amongst 15-25 year olds.

Over 70% of the Swedish labor force is unionized; however, membership is decreasing. For most

unions there is a counterpart employers' organization for businesses. The unions and employer
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organizations are independent of both the government and political parties, although the largest

federation of unions, the National Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), always hasmaintained close links to the largest political party, the Social Democrats. There is no national

minimum wage. Instead, wages are set by collective bargaining.

The World Bank ranked Sweden 18th in ease of doing business and 43rd in ease of starting a

business in 2010. Starting a business in Sweden takes 15 days and costs 0.57% of GNI per

capita. The World Bank ranking data set included 183 economies worldwide, including 27

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) high-income economies. As

of 2009, there were 1,100 American companies operating in Sweden. American companies inSweden employed 101,700 Swedes in 2008--the largest number of employees of all foreign

countries doing business in Sweden. The majority of employees in Swedish-controlled affiliates

abroad are in Europe and America, although the number of employees in America was

decreasing as of 2008.

As of 2009, the total population of Sweden was estimated to be 9,325,429. The population

exceeded 9 million for the first time on approximately 12 August 2004 according to Statistics

Sweden. The population density is 20.6 people per km (53.3 per square mile) and it is

substantially higher in the south than in the north. About 85% of the population live in urban

areas.[12]The capital city Stockholm has a population of about 800,000 (with 1.3 million in the

urban area and 2 million in the metropolitan area). The second and third largest cities are

Gothenburg and Malm.

Between 1820 and 1930, approximately 1.3 million Swedes, a third of the country's population,

emigrated to North America, and most of them to the United States. There are more than 4.4

million Swedish Americans according to a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimate. In Canada, the

community ofSwedish ancestry is 330,000 strong.

Sweden is an export-oriented mixed economy featuring a modern distribution system, excellent

internal and external communications, and a skilled labour force. Timber, hydropower and iron
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ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Sweden's

engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Telecommunications, the automotiveindustry and the pharmaceutical industries are also of great importance. Agriculture accounts for

2% ofGDP and employment. Income is relatively flatly distributed, Sweden has the lowest Gini

coefficient (0.23) of any country.The largest trade flows are with Germany, United States,

Norway, United Kingdom, Denmark and Finland.

In terms of structure, the Swedish economy is characterised by a large, knowledge-intensive and

export-oriented manufacturing sector, an increasing, but comparatively small, business service

sector, and by international standards, a large public service sector. Large organisations both inmanufacturing and services dominate the Swedish economy.

The 20 largest (by turnover in 2007) companies registered in Sweden are Volvo, Ericsson,

Vattenfall, Skanska, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, Svenska Cellulosa

Aktiebolaget, Electrolux, Volvo Personvagnar, TeliaSonera, Sandvik, Scania, ICA, Hennes &

Mauritz, IKEA, Nordea, Preem, Atlas Copco, Securitas, Nordstjernan and SKF. Sweden's

industry is overwhelmingly in private control; unlike some other industrialised Western

countries, such as Austria and Italy, publicly owned enterprises have always been of minor

importance.

ECONOMIC CRISIS OF 1990

Sweden has had a unique economic model in the post-World War II era, characterized by close

cooperation between the government, labour unions and corporations. The Swedish economy has

extensive and universal social benefits funded by high taxes, close to 50% of GDP. In the 1980s,

a real estate and financial bubble formed, driven by a rapid increase in lending. A restructuring

of the tax system, in order to emphasize low inflation combined with an international economic

slowdown in the early 1990s, caused the bubble to burst. Between 1990 and 1993 GDP went

down by 5% and unemployment skyrocketed, causing the worst economic crisis in Sweden since

the 1930s. According to an analysis by George Berglund published in Computer Sweden in
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1992, the investment level decreased drastically for information technology and computing

equipment, except in the financial and banking sector, the part of the industry that created thecrisis. The investment levels for IT and computers were restored as early as 1993. In 1992 there

was a run on the currency, the central bank briefly jacking up interest to 500% in an unsuccessful

effort to defend the currency's fixed exchange rate. Total employment fell by almost 10% during

the crisis.

A real estate boom ended in a bust. The government took over nearly a quarter of banking assets

at a cost of about 4% of the nation's GDP. This was known colloquially as the "Stockholm

Solution". The United States Federal Reserve remarked in 2007, that "In the early 1970s,Sweden had one of the highest income levels in Europe; today, its lead has all but disappeared...

So, even well-managed financial crises don't really have a happy ending.

The welfare system that had been growing rapidly since the 1970s could not be sustained with a

falling GDP, lower employment and larger welfare payments. In 1994 the government budget

deficit exceeded 15% of GDP. The response of the government was to cut spending and institute

a multitude of reforms to improve Sweden's competitiveness. When the international economic

outlook improved combined with a rapid growth in the IT sector, which Sweden was well

positioned to capitalize on, the country was able to emerge from the crisis.

The crisis of the 1990s was by some viewed as the end of the much buzzed welfare model called

"Svenska modellen", literally "The Swedish Model", as it proved that governmental spending at

the levels previously experienced in Sweden was not long term sustainable in a global open

economy. Much of the Swedish Model's acclaimed advantages actually had to be viewed as a

result of the post WWII special situation, which left Sweden untouched when competitors'

economies were comparatively weak.

However, the reforms enacted during the 1990s seem to have created a model in which extensive

welfare benefits can be maintained in a global economy.
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SOCIO-CULTURAL

Sweden has one of the world's longest life expectancies and lowest birth rates. The country

counts at least 20,000 indigenous Sami among its population. About one in every five Swedes is

an immigrant or has at least one foreign-born parent. The largest immigrant groups are from

Finland, Iraq, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Somalia, Iran, Norway, Denmark,

and Poland. This reflects Nordic immigration, earlier periods of labor immigration, and more

recent refugee and family immigration.

Swedish is a Germanic language related to Danish and Norwegian but different in pronunciation

and orthography. English is widely spoken, particularly by Swedes under the age of 50.

Sweden has an extensive child-care system that guarantees a place for all young children ages

two through six in a public day-care facility. From ages seven to 16, children participate in

compulsory education. After completing the ninth grade, 90% attend upper secondary school for

either academic or technical education.

Swedes benefit from an extensive social welfare system, which provides childcare and maternity

and paternity leave, a ceiling on health care costs, old-age pensions, and sick leave, among other

benefits. Parents are entitled to a total of 480 days' paid leave at 80% of a government-

determined salary cap between birth and the child's eighth birthday. The parents may split those

days however they wish, but 60 of the days are reserved specifically for the father. The parents

may also take an additional 5 months of unpaid leave.

Sweden was Christianized from Norse paganism in the 11th century. Since the 16th century

Sweden has been predominantly Lutheran. From the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s until

2000, the Lutheran Church of Sweden was the state church. As of 2010, about 70% of Swedes

are members of the Church of Sweden, compared to over 95% in 1970, and 83% in 2000.
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The history of the Jews in Sweden can be traced back to the 17th century. Due to immigration in

the later 20th century, there is today a sizeable minority of Muslims (5% of population) andRoman Catholics (2%).

Swedish culture has been described as Lutheranism, trade unionism, and self-reliance, aspects

that have been associated with Swedish mentality.

Sweden did not formally abolish slavery until the middle of the 14th century, but it did not have

serfdom in the Middle Ages; peasant freeholders constituted about 40% of the population, and

were one of four estates (together with nobles, clergy, and burghers) in the Diet.

One of the key characteristics of Swedish culture is that Swedes are egalitarian in nature, humble

and find boasting absolutely unacceptable. In many ways, Swedes prefer to listen to others as

opposed to ensuring that their own voice is heard. When speaking, Swedes speak softly and

calmly. It is rare that you were witness a Swede demonstrating anger or strong emotion in

public. In terms, Swedes rarely take hospitality or kindness for granted and as such, they

will give often give thanks. Failing to say thank you for something is perceived negatively

in Sweden. Behaviours in Sweden are strongly balanced towards lagom or, everything in

moderation. Excess, flashiness and boasting are abhorred in Sweden and individuals strive

towards the middle way. As an example, work hard and play hard are not common concepts in

Sweden. People work hard but not too hard, they go out and enjoy themselves, but without

participating in anything extreme. Due to the strong leaning towards egalitarianism in Sweden,

competition is not encouraged and children are not raised to believe that they are any more

special than any other child. The family in Sweden is extremely important and as such, the rights

of children are well protected. The rights afforded to Swedish families to ensure that they are

able to adquately care for their children are some of the best rights in the world. An overview ofthese rights is as follows:

Either the mother or father is entitled to be absent from work until their child reaches 18months old.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheranismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-reliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riksdag_of_the_Estateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riksdag_of_the_Estateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-reliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheranismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Sweden


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. Either parent has the right to reduce their workload by 25% until their child reaches 8years old (and is formally ready for school).

A parental allowance is paid for 480 days, which is intended for both parents. Sixty ofthese days must be used by the minority parents. For this reason, this element of the

allowance is often known as Daddys months.

You have the right to up to 60 days off per year to care for a sick child.Anyone travelling to Sweden will notice the family friendly environment of most resturants

and other such establishments. Even trains have a toy and play area!

Singing is popular in Sweden, and of its 9 million inhabitants, 600,000 belong to various choirs.

Two of the world's leading songwriters, Jrgen Elofsson and Max Martin, live in Sweden.In

popular music, the group ABBA became the essence of Swedish music during the 1970s and

early 1980s. Later Roxette emerged, mostly performing joyful songs in the late 1980s and early

1990s. This band was also successful in the USA. Europe, Ace of Base and The Cardigans are

Swedish pop groups that have been popular internationally. Pop star Britney Spears had at least

one of her early albums produced in Sweden, as did Bon Jovi and the Backstreet Boys. Pop

promo director Jonas kerlund is from Sweden. He is perhaps best known for The Prodigy'sSmack My Bitch Up video.

Indie pop/rock is very big in Sweden. Gothenburg especially has spawned a great number of

prominent bands and artists, thanks to labels such as Sincerely Yours, Service, and Luxury.

Notable Swedish indie bands and artists include Jens Lekman, The Knife, Love Is All, The

Concretes, Broder Daniel, The Tough Alliance, Peter, Bjorn and John, Fever Ray, Popsicle,

Studio, The Embassy, The Honeydrips, Brainpool, Air France, jj, Joel Alme, Pacific!, etc.

In contrast with its large pop music scene, Sweden also boasts one of the most prolific death

metal scenes in the world. Gothenburg is famed in the scene for the "melodic death metal"

sound. Many of these bands such as In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, At the Gates, The Haunted, as

well as Stockholm's Amon Amarth and Opeth have seen growing commercial success

throughout Europe and the United States. Melodic death metal is quite a broad genre with many
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choirshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6rgen_Elofssonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Martinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABBAhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxettehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe_%28band%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_of_Basehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cardiganshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britney_Spearshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Jovihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_%C3%85kerlundhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prodigyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smack_My_Bitch_Uphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothenburghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sincerely_Yours_%28record_label%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_%28record_label%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luxury_%28record_label%29&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jens_Lekmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Is_Allhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Concreteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Concreteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broder_Danielhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tough_Alliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter,_Bjorn_and_Johnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fever_Rayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popsiclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Embassyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Honeydripshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainpoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jjhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Almehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific%21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothenburghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodic_death_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flameshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Tranquillityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_Gateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hauntedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amon_Amarthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opethhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opethhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amon_Amarthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hauntedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_Gateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Tranquillityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flameshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodic_death_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothenburghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific%21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Almehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jjhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainpoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Honeydripshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Embassyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popsiclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fever_Rayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter,_Bjorn_and_Johnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tough_Alliancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broder_Danielhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Concreteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Concreteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Is_Allhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jens_Lekmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luxury_%28record_label%29&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_%28record_label%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sincerely_Yours_%28record_label%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothenburghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smack_My_Bitch_Uphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prodigyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_%C3%85kerlundhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Jovihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britney_Spearshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cardiganshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_of_Basehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe_%28band%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxettehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABBAhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Martinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6rgen_Elofssonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choirs


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variations, but with its more obvious roots in traditional death metal, black metal and classic

metal such as Iron Maiden. Still, many bands are influenced by genres as broad as Swedish folkmusic, alternative music, electronica, gothic music, progressive music and even neo-classical

music. Sweden is known in the extreme metal community for its famous late 80s-early 90s death

metal scene, spawning important bands such as Entombed, Dismember, Grave and Unleashed as

well as more obscure, brutal bands as God Macabre, Obscurity, Treblinka (later Tiamat) and

Grotesque. Highly influential band Bathory also had a huge impact on the then-to-come black

metal scene of Norway and the 1990s, with albums Bathory (1984), The Return (1985), and

Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987), as well as being the first Viking metal band.

There is a notable Swedish hip hop scene. This culture has spawned a new sociolect or dialect,

Rinkeby Swedish, so named after the Rinkeby subur. Sweden has produced several notable opera

singers. In the 1850s, Jenny Lind (a.k.a. the Swedish Nightingale) toured the United States, and

the price of admission for her performances was at a rate never before seen. In the 1950s, Jussi

Bjrling was one of few non-Italian opera singers, and he is to this day a household name in

opera circles.

Other Swedish bands and artists who seem to manage the international crowd better than othersare Dungen, Jos Gonzlez, Mando Diao, The Sounds, The Hives, Neverstore, Sahara Hotnights,

Robyn, Tages, The Mascots, The Shanes, etc. However, there are a lot of other bands and artists

who dominate the national music scene, such as Kent, Hkan Hellstrm and Lars Winnerbck.

Swedish literature is vibrant and active. Sweden jointly ranks fifth in the list of countries with

most Nobel Prize laureates in literature. Famous Swedish writers and poets are Astrid Lindgren,

Selma Lagerlf, August Strindberg, Hjalmar Sderberg,Tomas Transtrmer, Karin Boye,Stieg

Larsson, Henning Mankell, etc.

Before the 13th century, most buildings were made of brick. Around that time, a shift began

towards stone. The early Swedish stone buildings are Romanesque churches on the countryside.

Many of them were built in Scania, and are thus stylistically like Danish churches. This includes

the magnificent Lund Cathedral from the 11th century, and the somewhat younger church in
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Maidenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-classical_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-classical_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entombed_%28band%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiamat_%28band%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathory_%28album%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_hip_hophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinkeby_Swedishhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinkebyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Lindhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jussi_Bj%C3%B6rlinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jussi_Bj%C3%B6rlinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Gonz%C3%A1lezhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mando_Diaohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soundshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hiveshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverstorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahara_Hotnightshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robynhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Mascots&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shaneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_%28band%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A5kan_Hellstr%C3%B6mhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_Winnerb%C3%A4ckhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prizehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_in_Literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrid_Lindgrenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_Lagerl%C3%B6fhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Strindberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hjalmar_S%C3%B6derberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomas_Transtr%C3%B6merhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_Boyehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stieg_Larssonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stieg_Larssonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henning_Mankellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brickhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesque_architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lund_Cathedralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lund_Cathedralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesque_architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brickhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henning_Mankellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stieg_Larssonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stieg_Larssonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_Boyehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomas_Transtr%C3%B6merhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hjalmar_S%C3%B6derberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Strindberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_Lagerl%C3%B6fhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrid_Lindgrenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_in_Literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prizehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_Winnerb%C3%A4ckhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A5kan_Hellstr%C3%B6mhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_%28band%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shaneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Mascots&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robynhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahara_Hotnightshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverstorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hiveshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soundshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mando_Diaohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Gonz%C3%A1lezhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jussi_Bj%C3%B6rlinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jussi_Bj%C3%B6rlinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Lindhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinkebyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinkeby_Swedishhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_hip_hophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathory_%28album%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiamat_%28band%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entombed_%28band%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-classical_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-classical_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Maidenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_metalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_metal


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Dalby, but also many early Gothic churches built through the influence of the Hanseatic League,

such as in Ystad, Malm and Helsingborg.

Cathedrals in other parts of Sweden were also built as seats of Sweden's bishops. The Skara

Cathedral is of bricks from the 14th century, and the Uppsala Cathedral in the 15th. In 1230, the

foundations of the Linkping Cathedral were laid; the material used was limestone, and the

building took some 250 years to finish.

Older Iron Age and medieval structures also include some significant fortresses, and other

historical buildings such as Borgholm Castle,Eketorp fortress (both on land) and the Visby

city wall.

In the 1520s, Sweden emerged from the Middle Ages and once again asserted her independence

under King Gustav Vasa. The king initiated a building program of grand mansions and

fortresses, both for defense and to represent the new monarchy; much of this was continued by

his sons in the latter half of the century. The more imposing ones include the castles of Kalmar,

Gripsholm and Vadstena.

In the next two centuries, Sweden was the site of Baroque architecture and later the rococo.Notable projects from that time include the city Karlskrona, which has been declared a World

Heritage Site, the Drottningholm Palace, and Stockholm Palace, still the official seat of the

monarchy.

Modern clothing is very internationally influenced, but traditional Swedish national costumes are

sometimes worn on special occasions, such as Midsummer.

Sweden has in recent years taken an interest in the fashion industry, headquartering famous

brands like Hennes & Mauritz (operating as H&M), J. Lindeberg (operating as JL), Gina Tricot,

Tiger of Sweden, Acne Jeans, and Filippa K within its borders. These companies, however, are

made up largely of buyers who import fashionable goods from places throughout Europe and the

Americas, continuing the trend of Swedish business toward multinational economic dependency,

like many of Sweden's neighbours.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalbyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_%28architecture%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_Leaguehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ystadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malm%C3%B6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsingborghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skara_Cathedralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skara_Cathedralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uppsala_Cathedralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link%C3%B6pinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borgholm_Castlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eketorphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96landhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visbyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Agehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Vasahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gripsholm_Castlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadstenahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque_architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rococohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlskronahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drottningholm_Palacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Palacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_costumehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%26Mhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Lindeberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_of_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acne_Jeanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippa_Khttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippa_Khttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acne_Jeanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_of_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Lindeberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%26Mhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_costumehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Palacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drottningholm_Palacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlskronahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rococohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque_architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadstenahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gripsholm_Castlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Vasahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Agehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visbyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96landhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eketorphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borgholm_Castlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link%C3%B6pinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uppsala_Cathedralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skara_Cathedralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skara_Cathedralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsingborghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malm%C3%B6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ystadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_Leaguehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_%28architecture%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalby


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A new breed of smaller Swedish fashion labels like Diana Orving, So Last Season, Odd molly,

WESC, Whyred, Hope, Nakkna, Velour, Carin Wester, Ida Sjstedt, Unwind Clothing, FifthAvenue Shoe Repair, Acne, Cheap Monday, Nudie Jeans, and The Local Firm are emerging and

getting recognition.

The oldest remains of Swedish art are found in the churches: frescos, altar pieces, and baptismal

founts. The motifs represent religious beliefs, focused on purgatory, the devil, Jesus Christ, and

the Virgin Mary

In the 19th century, the painter Carl Larsson (18531919) shaped the image of the idyllic

countryside home with his nave picturesque illustrations.

The Swedish cinema is one of the most widely-known national film industries in the world. The

silent period saw the flourish of the gifted visionaries Mauritz Stiller and Victor Sjstrm, who

brought international attention to Swedish filmmaking and its particular vision of the world.

Ingmar Bergman, regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th Century,

emerged as a prominent figure in world cinema during the 1950s, with his existential epic The

Seventh Seal, which he followed with a host of critically revered psychological dramas. Two ofhis films in particular, Persona and Cries and Whispers, received unparalleled critical adoration,

and put Sweden on the map as one of the most progressive cinematic entities. The revered

naturalist Jan Troell, as well as the socially conscious Bo Widerberg, would quickly follow

Bergman as the country's foremost visual artists.

Famous actresses and actors include Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Max von Sydow, Alexander

Skarsgrd, Stellan Skarsgrd, Ingrid Thulin, Lena Olin, Dolph Lundgren Malin kerman and

Peter Stormare.

Swedish food has traditionally been practical and sustaining. A typical old-fashioned meal

consists of boiled potatoes, some kind of meat or fish, a sauce, and some vegetables. Fish has

historically been very important. Swedes are among the heaviest coffee drinkers in the world,

second only to natives of Finland. Brewed coffee is predominant. For meals, cider, beer, milk,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diana_Orving&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=So_Last_Season&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd_mollyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WESChttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whyred&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakknahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velourhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carin_Wester&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ida_Sj%C3%B6stedt&action=edit&redlink=1http://www.unwindclothing.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Avenue_Shoe_Repairhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Avenue_Shoe_Repairhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acnehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheap_Mondayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudie_Jeanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Local_Firm&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frescohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Maryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Larssonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritz_Stillerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Sj%C3%B6str%C3%B6mhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingmar_Bergmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seventh_Sealhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seventh_Sealhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona_%28film%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cries_and_Whispershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Troellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Widerberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Bergmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Garbohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_von_Sydowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Skarsg%C3%A5rdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Skarsg%C3%A5rdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellan_Skarsg%C3%A5rdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Thulinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Olinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolph_Lundgrenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malin_%C3%85kermanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Stormarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potatoeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffeehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffeehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potatoeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Stormarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malin_%C3%85kermanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolph_Lundgrenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Olinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Thulinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellan_Skarsg%C3%A5rdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Skarsg%C3%A5rdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Skarsg%C3%A5rdhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_von_Sydowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Garbohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Bergmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Widerberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Troellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cries_and_Whispershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona_%28film%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seventh_Sealhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seventh_Sealhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingmar_Bergmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Sj%C3%B6str%C3%B6mhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritz_Stillerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Larssonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Maryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Christhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frescohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Local_Firm&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudie_Jeanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheap_Mondayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acnehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Avenue_Shoe_Repairhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Avenue_Shoe_Repairhttp://www.unwindclothing.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ida_Sj%C3%B6stedt&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carin_Wester&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velourhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakknahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whyred&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WESChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd_mollyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=So_Last_Season&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diana_Orving&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden


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juice, or water is standard. Swedish cider is sweeter and fruitier than foreign ciders, and is

enjoyed in almost as large quantities as beer is. However, the consumption of alcohol is less thanin many other European countries, owing to the state monopoly on alcoholic beverages, except at

restaurants and bars.

Swedes like straight forward meals, mainly prepared from the freshest ingredients. As a

seafaring country with many freshwater lakes, fish dishes are popular on hotel or restaurant

menus. Smrgsbord, which is a Scandinavian cold table, is traditional. 1st pickled herring with

boiled potatoes, then perhaps a couple more fish courses, anchovies or smoked salmon, followed

by sliced beef, cold meat, pt, stuffed veal or smoked reindeer. The hot dishes come after this,for instance, small meatballs (kttbullar), another herring dish, or an omelette. A fruit salad and

cheese with crisp breads generally round off the meal.

Other dishes popular with travellers are smoked reindeer from Lapland, gravlax, salmon that has

been specially prepared and marinated, wild strawberries, and cloudberries, which are unique to

Scandinavia.Numerous restaurants all over Sweden offer a special dish of the day at a reduced

price, which includes a main course, salad, a soft drink and a coffee. Waiter service is ordinary,

however there are many self service snack bars. Snapps is the collective name for aquavit orbrnnvin, and is a Swedish liqueur which is customarily drunk chilled with smrgsbord. It is

made under a variety of brand names with flavors varying from virtually tasteless to sweetly

spiced.Swedish beers are lager and pilsner type brews and come in 4 strengths.

Wine, beer and spirits are sold through the state owned monopoly, Systembolaget, with are open

during normal shopping hours. Alcohol cannot be bought in bars, cafes or restaurants before 1.00

pm on Sundays. After midnight alcohol can only be bought in nightclubs that stay open until

between 2.00 am and 5.00 am. In restaurants and nightclubs the minimum age for buying

alcoholic beverages is 18 and stiff penalties are enforced for drinking and driving.

The minimum age for buying alcohol is 20, however alcohol can be consumed in bars from

restaurants from 18 onwards.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice


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The official language of Sweden is Swedish, a North Germanic language, related and very

similar to Danish and Norwegian, but differing in pronunciation and orthography. Norwegianshave little difficulty understanding Swedish, and Danes can also understand it, with slightly more

difficulty than the Norwegians. The dialects spoken in Scania, the southernmost part of the

country, are influenced by Danish because the region traditionally was a part of Denmark and is

nowadays situated closely to it. Sweden Finns are Sweden's largest linguistic minority,

comprising about 5% of Sweden's population, and Finnish is recognized as a minority language.

Along with Finnish, four other minority languages are also recognized: Menkieli, Sami, Romani

and Yiddish. Swedish became Sweden's official language on 1 July 2009, when a new languagelaw was implemented. The issue of whether Swedish should be declared the official language

has been raised in the past, and the parliament voted on the matter in 2005, but the proposal

narrowly failed.

In varying degrees, depending largely on frequency of interaction with English, a majority of

Swedes, especially those born after World War II, understand and speak English due to trade

links, the popularity of overseas travel, a strong Anglo-American influence and the tradition of

subtitling rather than dubbing foreign television shows and films, and the relative similarity of

the two languages which makes learning English easier. In a 2005 survey by Eurobarometer,

89% of Swedes reported the ability to speak English.

English became a compulsory subject for secondary school students studying natural sciences as

early as 1849, and has been a compulsory subject for all Swedish students since the late

1940s.[135]Depending on the local school authorities, English is currently a compulsory subject

between first grade and ninth grade, with all students continuing in secondary school studying

English for at least another year. Most students also study one and sometimes two additional

languages. These include (but are not limited to) German, French and Spanish. Some Danish and

Norwegian is at times also taught as part of Swedish courses for native speakers.
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The official language of Sweden is Swedish and it is spoken by the majority of individuals living

in Sweden. One of two key minority languages is Saami, which is spoken in the Northern regionsof Sweden and finally Finnish. There are also a number of Romanies in Sweden who speak in

Romani.

Swedish is not only the official language of Sweden. It is also one of the official languages of

Finland. nfluences on the Swedish language have come primarily from Latin, German and

Danish.

Sports activities are a national movement with half of the population actively participatingin.organized sporting activities. The two main spectator sports are football and ice hockey.

Second to football, horse sports have the highest number of practitioners, mostly women.

Thereafter follow golf, athletics, and the team sports ofhandball, floorball, basketball and bandy.

Swedish ice hockey team Tre Kronor is regarded as one of the best in the world. The team has

won the World Championships eight times, placing them third in the all-time medal count. Tre

Kronor also won Olympic gold medals in 1994 and 2006. In 2006, Tre Kronor became the first

national hockey team to win both the Olympic and world championships in the same year. The

Swedish national football team has seen some success at the World Cup in the past, finishing

second when they hosted the tournament in 1958, and third twice, in 1950 and 1994. Athletics

has enjoyed a surge in popularity due to several successful athletes in recent years

Sweden hosted the 1912 Summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in 1958. Other big sports

events held here include 1992 UEFA European Football Championship,FIFA Women's World

Cup 1995, and several championships ofice hockey, curling, athletics, skiing, bandy.

The Swedish lifestyle brings together a love of nature, good housing, environmental thinking and

lots of cultureall tied up with awareness of health and a strong sense of equality. Efficiency is

combined with a laid-back attitude, and old traditions blended with openness for new

technologies. Swedes in general work hard but treasure their free time and enjoy long relaxing

holidays.
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The Swedish lifestyle varies greatly with the seasons. During the darker winter months, there are

lights in the windows, evenings in the cinema, and winter sports during the day. In spring andsummer, life is lived outdoors: music festivals, outdoor theatres and open-air museums are

popular. Not only are the flowers blooming, the Swedes themselves are too.

Traditions such as Junes Midsummer and Decembers Lucia are of great importance to Swedes

and are celebrated just as enthusiastically today as they have been for generations. This sense of

heritage is mixed with an open-mindedness for other cultures, due to the facts that one-fifth of

the population has roots in other countries, that Swedes travel a great deal, and that they speak

other languages. The most innovative country in the world, as highlighted by numerous reports,is not only the home of inventors and entrepreneurs but also a creative hub for fashion, music

and food.

Sweden remains one of the most egalitarian countries in terms of income distribution, and has

one of the worlds lowest levels of poverty. Its no surprise that Sweden consistently appears

near the top of the Human Development Index, which ranks countries according to life

expectancy, education and standard of living. While Swedes pay high taxes to maintain their

prized social welfare system, they are no longer the highest-taxed people in the world.

Sweden has succeeded in creating a balance between social equality and economic success.

Education is free (except for nursery schools and higher education, which are partly funded by

the government), healthcare is cheap, childcare is universal and the streets are cleanbut there is

still the opportunity to control your own economic destiny.

The driving forces behind the Swedish model were the Social Democratic Party and the trade

unions, although it has its roots in the 19th century when poor relief laws were passed. The

Swedish model is still alive, if not as all-encompassing as it once was. There is greater

privatization in the healthcare sector and the number of private schools is growing rapidly. But

not even parties on the right of the political spectrum talk of dismantling the welfare state, as

Swedens voters would simply not stand for it.


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TECHNOLOGY

Swedish inventions are novel ideas and machines that have been pioneered in Sweden. In the

18th century Sweden's scientific revolution took off. Previously, technical progress had mainly

come from professionals who had immigrated from mainland Europe. In 1739, the Royal

Swedish Academy of Sciences was founded, with people such as Carolus Linnaeus and Anders

Celsius as early members.

Sweden has a total of 33523 patents as of 2007 according to the United States Patent and

Trademark Office, and only ten other countries have more patents than Sweden. Modernresearch at Swedish universities and companies have resulted in a number of successful

inventions. Some examples are: the computer mouse, Bluetooth for internet mobility, the

pacemaker, the AXE telephone exchange, the Tetra Pak beverage packaging system, the dialysis

machine, the Brnemark System (osseointegration) and the Leksell Gamma knife (surgery).

In 1881, Lars Magnus Ericsson the founder of Ericsson released the worlds first telephone

handset to the market. Four years later the Swedish capital of Stockholm had the worlds highest

density of telephones, in terms of both the number of apparatuses and telephones per inhabitants.In the early 1980s, the Swedish telecom company Ericsson launched the first NMT-system,

which was a breakthrough for modern mobile telephony. Ericsson has since then played an

essential role in the development of mobile telephony globally.

Some other examples of Swedish inventions are the Celsius thermometer, the safety match, the

ship propeller, dynamite, the cream separator, the adjustable wrench, the ball bearing, the

unmanned lighthouse and the steam turbine.

These Swedish inventions have become well known and used internationally, and constitute the

foundation for many of the major Swedish international export companies.

The modern telephone was constructed by a Swede with the name Lars Magnus Ericsson. At that

time, telephones had the mouthpiece built in, while the speaker was connected to the telephone
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by a flex. Ericsson's new idea was to combine the two into a single receiver. In 1876 he founded

the Ericsson company in Stockholm.

The automatic exchange was invented in the 1940's by a man called Axel Hultman, together with

a team of engineers from the Ericsson company. Since then, over one million exchanges of the

500 type have been manufactured and sold.

The computerized AXE exchange is also a Swedish invention. It was introduced in the mid 70's

as the result of a cooperation between Ericsson and Telia, the major Swedish telecom operator.

The AXE technology offers several new services, such as three-part communication and

automatic wake-up calls. It is now installed in most parts of Sweden and has also been

introduced on foreign markets.

The traditional engineering industry is still a major source of Swedish inventions, but

pharmaceuticals, electronics and other high-tech industries are gaining ground. A large portion of

the Swedish economy is to this day based on the export of technical inventions, and many large

multinational corporations from Sweden have their origins in the ingenuity of Swedish inventors.

In conclusion, Sweden has long been at the forefront of research in natural science, starting with

Carl Linnaeus and Anders Celsius 300 years ago. Still today Sweden is a country where

innovation and entrepreneurship run deep.
http://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/smorgasbord/industry/com/ericsson.htmlhttp://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/smorgasbord/industry/com/ericsson.htmlhttp://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/smorgasbord/industry/com/ericsson.htmlhttp://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/smorgasbord/industry/com/telia.htmlhttp://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/smorgasbord/industry/com/telia.htmlhttp://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/smorgasbord/industry/com/ericsson.htmlhttp://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/smorgasbord/industry/com/ericsson.htmlhttp://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/smorgasbord/industry/com/ericsson.html


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LEGAL ANALYSIS

Judicial system of Sweden

The judicial system of Sweden consists of the law of Sweden and a number of government

agencies tasked with upholding security and rule of law within the country.[1]The activities of

these agencies include police and law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and prisons and other

correctional services.

The courts are divided into two parallel and separate systems, general courts for criminal and

civil cases, and general administrative courts for administrative cases.[4]Each of these systems

has three tiers, where the top tier court of the respective system typically only will hear cases that

may become precedent.

General courts:

The Supreme Court of Sweden 6 courts of appeals 53 district courts

General administrative courts:

The Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden . 4 administrative courts of appeals. 12 administrative courts .

The Supreme Court of Sweden is the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases inSweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained,

and with few exceptions, leave to appeal can be granted only when the case is of interest as a

precedent. The Supreme Court consists of 16 Councillors of Justice or justitierd which are
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appointed by the government, but the court as an institution is independent of the Riksdag, and

the government is not able to interfere with the decisions of the court.

Law enforcement in Sweden is carried out by several government entities. The Swedish Police

Service is a Government agency concerned with police matters. The National Task Force is a

national SWAT unit within the National Criminal Investigation Department. Swedish Security

Service's responsibilities are counter-espionage, anti-terrorist activities, protection of the

constitution and protection of sensitive objects and people.

According to a victimization survey of 1,201 residents in 2005, Sweden has above average crimerates compared to other EU countries. Sweden has high or above average levels of assaults,

sexual assaults, hate crimes, and consumer fraud. Sweden has low levels of burglary, car theft

and drug problems. Bribe seeking is rare.

Sweden has a penal law system and a civil law system with laws created by the Parliament of

Sweden. However, Sweden also has an extensive system of "droit administratif". The role of

judicial review of legislation is not practiced by the courts; instead the Council on Legislation

gives non-binding opinions on legality. There is no stare decisis in that courts are not bound byprecedent, although it is influential.

The main body for law enforcement in Sweden is the Swedish Police Service (Polisen). The

entire police service is under the national government; since January 1, 1965, there is no

municipal police in Sweden.

Intellectual property rights

Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind - inventions, literary and artistic works,

symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce. They are protected against

infringement through IP regulations.
http://wiki/Government_of_Swedenhttp://wiki/Parliament_of_Swedenhttp://wiki/Law_enforcement_in_Swedenhttp://wiki/Swedish_Police_Servicehttp://wiki/Swedish_Police_Servicehttp://wiki/Government_agencies_in_Swedenhttp://wiki/Policehttp://wiki/National_Task_Forcehttp://wiki/SWAThttp://w/index.phphttp://wiki/Swedish_Security_Servicehttp://wiki/Swedish_Security_Servicehttp://wiki/Counter-espionagehttp://wiki/Terrorismhttp://wiki/Constitutionhttp://wiki/Crime_ratehttp://wiki/Crime_ratehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_law_%28legal_system%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_systems_of_the_worldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_reviewhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_on_Legislation_%28Sweden%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stare_decisishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precedenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Police_Servicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Police_Servicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precedenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stare_decisishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_on_Legislation_%28Sweden%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_reviewhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_systems_of_the_worldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_law_%28legal_system%29http://wiki/Crime_ratehttp://wiki/Crime_ratehttp://wiki/Constitutionhttp://wiki/Terrorismhttp://wiki/Counter-espionagehttp://wiki/Swedish_Security_Servicehttp://wiki/Swedish_Security_Servicehttp://w/index.phphttp://wiki/SWAThttp://wiki/National_Task_Forcehttp://wiki/Policehttp://wiki/Government_agencies_in_Swedenhttp://wiki/Swedish_Police_Servicehttp://wiki/Swedish_Police_Servicehttp://wiki/Law_enforcement_in_Swedenhttp://wiki/Parliament_of_Swedenhttp://wiki/Government_of_Sweden


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PESTEL ANALYSIS

SWEDEN

RAHUL

Page 25

The main Swedish IP laws are as follows:

Copyright Act Patent Act Trademark Act

The Swedish Patent and Registration Office (Swedish: Patent- och registreringsverket or PRV) is

a Swedish government agency based in Stockholm and Sderhamn. The agency is in charge of

patents, trademarks and industrial designs. The Office acts as Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

authority, i.e. International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary ExaminingAuthority (IPEA). Susanne s Sivborg is the current Director General of the Office.

Copyright law protects the rights of writers, composers, painters and other creative persons to

control the use of what they have created. Copyright is governed by the provisions in the Act on

Copyright in Literary and Artistic Works (Swedish Code of Statutes, SFS 1960:729) - the

Copyright Act. Additional provisions are contained in the Copyright Regulation (1993:1212) and

the International Copyright Regulation (1994:193).Compositions in speech or in writing,

computer programmes, databases, musical and stage works, works of pictorial art, architecturalart, applied art - as well as all types of spiritual creation of a literary or artistic work - are

protected by copyright law. The law gives artists, authors, composers or other creative persons

the right to decide how their literary or artistic works are to be used

A trademark may consist of any sign capable of being represented graphically, in particular,

words, including personal names, as well as designs, letters, numerals or the shape or the

ornamental aspects of goods or their packages, provided that such signs are capable of

distinguishing goods which are made available in one business activity from those which are

made available in another one. The provisions of this Act in respect of goods apply also to

services. Special provisions appl

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