TERMS & NAMESRiksdagombudsmanarmed neutralityhydroelectricityacid rainskerry

Sweden offers its people a highstandard of living, although it alsofaces environmental problems.

Modern Sweden is dealing withenvironmental issues that affectmany countries around the world.

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, DECEMBER 4, 2001—This week in Stockholm, Sweden’s capital, hundreds of past winners of the Nobel Prize gather to celebrate the centennial, or 100th anniversary, of this award. Concerts, lectures, and banquets lead up to the award ceremony in Stockholm City Hall on December 10.

The first Nobel Prize ceremony was held inStockholm in 1901. Since then, awards in physics, chemistry, economics, medicine,literature, and peace have gone tomore than 700 people, represent-ing every inhabited continent.Besides achieving worldwide honor and fame, the winnersreceive a medal and a cash prize. Theaward was established at the request ofAlfred Nobel (1833–1896), a Swedish chemistand millionaire who invented dynamite.

Sweden

Place • Stockholm, Sweden, hosts events celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize. �

Sweden

TAKING NOTES

UnitedKingdom

Sweden

Country GovernmentPhysical

Geography

Use your chart to take notes about Europe today.

178 CHAPTER 7

Sweden’s GovernmentHome of the Nobel Prize, Sweden shares the ScandinavianPeninsula with Norway in Northern Europe (see the map onpage 179). The country is a constitutional monarchy; the Swedishmonarch has only ceremonial powers and cannot make laws.Instead, the people elect representatives to four-year terms in theSwedish parliament, called the Riksdag (REEKS•DAHG).

The Riksdag The 349 members of the Riksdag nominateSweden’s prime minister. They also appoint ombudsmen.Ombudsmen are officials who protect citizens’ rights and makesure that the Swedish courts and civil service follow the law.

Swedish citizens vote to de-termine how many membersof each political party serve inthe Riksdag. Before 1976, theSocial Democratic LabourParty had been in power fornearly 44 years. Today, theSwedish government includesfour other parties.

Foreign Policy Since World War I,Sweden’s foreign policy has been oneof armed neutrality. This meansthat in times of war, the country hasits own military forces but does nottake sides in other nations’ conflicts.

Even during peacetime, theSwedish government tries not toform military alliances. UnlessSweden is directly attacked, it willnot become involved in war. Thecountry is a strong supporter of theUnited Nations.

The Economy and the EnvironmentPrivately owned businesses andinternational trade are importantto Sweden’s economy. It exportsmany goods, including metals,minerals, and wood. Engineeringand communications are majorindustries. The automobile indus-try also provides many jobs.

Europe Today 179

Umeälven

Torneälven

Ljusnan

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o th

ni a

BA

LT

I CS

EA

NorwegianSea

Gotland

Öland

Göteborg

Malmö

Uppsala

HalmstadVäxjö

Kalmar

Helsingborg

Karlstad

Gävle

Visby

Falun

Örebro

Sundsvall

Kiruna

Stockholm

NORWAY

S W E D E N

F I N L A N D

DENMARK

LATVIA

ESTONIA

LITHUANIA

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Arctic Circle

65°N

60°N

National boundary

National capital

Other city

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0 100 kilometers

100 miles

Sweden Today

GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER:Interpreting a Map1. Location • Which country shares the

Scandinavian Peninsula with Sweden?2. Region • What is the national capital of

Sweden?

Region •Women areactive inSwedish government. �

A. SynthesizingHow does Sweden’sneutrality affect itsforeign relations?

Image not available for useon this CD-ROM. Pleaserefer to the image in thetextbook.

The Swedish Labor Force AfterWorld War II, many Swedes lefttheir towns and villages to findwork in the large cities in thesouth. Today, more than 80 percentof the population lives in theseurban areas. Much of Sweden’slabor force is highly educated andenjoys a high standard of living.

Power Sources Hydroelectricity, orpower generated by water, is the main source of electrical power inSweden. Nuclear power is also widely used. The Swedish govern-ment is looking into other, safer sources of energy, which include solar-and wind-powered energy.

Acid Rain Sweden and its neighboring countries share similarenvironmental problems. One of the most severe problems isacid rain. Acid rain occurs when air pollutants come back toEarth in the form of precipitation. These pollutants may soonpoison many trees throughout the region. Sweden and neigh-boring countries are working to clean up the environment by try-ing to control air pollutants produced by cars and factories.

Daily Life and CultureCulturally and ethnically, Sweden is primarilya homogeneous country. Ninety percent ofthe population are native to Sweden and aremembers of the Lutheran Church of Sweden.The majority of people speak Swedish.

Since World War II, immigrants fromTurkey, Greece, and other countries havebrought some cultural diversity to Sweden’spopulation. Today, about one in nine peopleliving in Sweden is an immigrant or the childof an immigrant.

Recreation Workers in Sweden have manybenefits, including long vacations. The Swedeslove taking time to enjoy both winter and sum-mer sports. Sweden, with its cold weather andmany hills and mountains, is a great place forcross-country and downhill skiing. Skating,hockey, and ice fishing are also popular.

180 CHAPTER 7

Vocabulary

homogeneous:the same throughout

Place • Many inSweden’s highly educated labor force work in thehigh-tech and engineering industries. �

Region •December 13 isSt. Lucia’s Day,one of Sweden’smost important Christian holidays. �

B. ClarifyingWhat causes acid rain?

Reread the “Dateline” feature at the beginning of this section. Write a shortdescription of which category you would like to earn a Nobel Prize in and why.

SECTION ASSESSMENT

Using Graphics2. Use a spider map like this one

to outline the major aspects ofSweden’s government, economy,and culture.

Main Ideas3. (a) On which European peninsula

is Sweden located? What othercountry shares this peninsula?

(b) What happened to the Swedishlabor force after World War II?

(c) How has immigration sinceWorld War II changed the pop-ulation of Sweden?

Critical Thinking4. Evaluating Decisions

What do you think might be theadvantages and disadvantages ofarmed neutrality for Sweden?

Think About◆ Sweden’s location◆ the damage and expense of war◆ the benefits of alliances

Terms & Names1. Explain the significance of: (a) Riksdag (b) ombudsman (c) armed neutrality

(d) hydroelectricity (e) acid rain ( f ) skerry

ModernSweden

GovernmentEco

nomy

Culture

Europe Today 181

Many small islands, called skerries, dot the Swedish coast. Inthe summer, many people visit these islands to hike, camp, andfish. Tennis, soccer, and outdoor performances such as concertsare popular as well.

Contributions to World Culture Sweden is well-known for itscontributions to drama, literature, and film. The late 19th-centuryand early 20th-century plays of August Strindberg are producedall over the world. Astrid Lindgren’s children’s books, includingPippi Longstocking (1945), still delight readers everywhere. IngmarBergman is famous for the many great films he directed.

0454

Place • Sweden’scold winters havemade downhilland cross-countryskiing popular. �