1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
Coastline
3,218 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than California
Continental shelf
200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Environment
water pollution; acid rain
Exclusive fishing zone
200 nm;
Land boundaries
2,193 km total; Finland 536 km, Norway 1,657 km
Land use
7% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 2% meadows and pastures; 64% forest and woodland; 27% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Natural resources
zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower potential
Note
strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas
Terrain
mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
449,960 km2; land area: 411,620 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
13 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
homogeneous white population; small Lappish minority; about 12% foreign born or first-generation immigrants (Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks)
Infant mortality rate
6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
4,531,000 (1988); 32.8% private services, 30.0% government services, 22.0% mining and manufacturing, 5.9% construction, 5.0% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 0.9% electricity, gas, and waterworks (1986)
Language
Swedish, small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities; immigrants speak native languages
Life expectancy at birth
75 years male, 81 years female (1990)
Literacy
99%
Nationality
noun--Swede(s); adjective--Swedish
Net migration rate
3 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
90% of labor force (1985 est.)
Population
8,526,452 (July 1990), growth rate 0.5% (1990)
Religion
93.5% Evangelical Lutheran, 1.0% Roman Catholic, 5.5% other
Total fertility rate
1.9 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
24 provinces (lan, singular and plural); Alvsborgs Lan, Blekinge Lan, Gavleborgs Lan, Goteborgs och Bohus Lan, Gotlands Lan, Hallands Lan, Jamtlands Lan, Jonkopings Lan, Kalmar Lan, Kopparbergs Lan, Kristianstads Lan, Kronobergs Lan, Malmohus Lan, Norrbottens Lan, Orebro Lan, Ostergotlands Lan, Skaraborgs Lan, Sodermanlands Lan, Stockholms Lan, Uppsala Lan, Varmlands Lan, Vasterbottens Lan, Vasternorrlands Lan, Vastmanlands Lan
Capital
Stockholm
Communists
VPK and SKP; VPK, the major Communist party, is reported to have roughly 17,800 members; in the 1988 election, the VPK attracted 5.8% of the vote
Constitution
1 January 1975
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Anders THUNBORG; Chancery at Suite 1200, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 944-5600; there are Swedish Consulates General in Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York; US--Ambassador Charles E. REDMAN; Embassy at Strandvagen 101, S-115 27 Stockholm; telephone [46] (8) 7835300
Elections
Parliament--last held 18 September 1988 (next to be held September 1991); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(349 total) Social Democratic 156, Moderate (conservative) 66, Liberals 44, Center 42, Communists 21, Greens 20
Executive branch
monarch, prime minister, Cabinet
Flag
blue with a yellow cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
Independence
6 June 1809, constitutional monarchy established
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Hogsta Domstolen)
Leaders
Chief of State--King CARL XVI Gustaf (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the King (born 14 July 1977); Head of Government--Prime Minister Ingvar CARLSSON (since 12 March 1986); Deputy Prime Minister Kjell-Olof FELDT (since NA March 1986)
Legal system
civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament (Riksdag)
Long-form name
Kingdom of Sweden
Member of
ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EFTA, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, INTELSAT, IPU, ISO, ITU, IWC--International, Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, Nordic Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
National holiday
Day of the Swedish Flag, 6 June
Political parties and leaders
Moderate (conservative), Carl Bildt; Center, Olof Johansson; Liberal People's Party, Bengt Westerberg; Social Democratic, Ingvar Carlsson; Left Party-Communist (VPK), Lars Werner; Swedish Communist Party (SKP), Rune Pettersson; Communist Workers' Party, Rolf Hagel; Green Party, no formal leader
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
constitutional monarchy
Economy
Agriculture
animal husbandry predominates, with milk and dairy products accounting for 37% of farm income; main crops--grains, sugar beets, potatoes; 100% self-sufficient in grains and potatoes, 85% self-sufficient in sugar beets
Aid
donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $7.9 billion
Budget
revenues $58.0 billion; expenditures $57.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY89)
Currency
Swedish krona (plural--kronor); 1 Swedish krona (SKr) = 100 ore
Electricity
39,716,000 kW capacity; 200,315 million kWh produced, 23,840 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1--6.1798 (January 1990), 6.4469 (1989), 6.1272 (1988), 6.3404 (1987), 7.1236 (1986), 8.6039 (1985)
Exports
$52.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products; partners--EC 52.1%, (FRG 12.1%, UK 11.2%, Denmark 6.8%), US 9.8%, Norway 9.3%
External debt
$17.9 billion (1988)
Fiscal year
1 July-30 June
GDP
$132.7 billion, per capita $15,700; real growth rate 2.1%
Imports
$48.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities--machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, iron and steel, clothing; partners--EC 55.8% (FRG 21.2%, UK 8.6%, Denmark 6.6%), US 7.5%, Norway 6.0%
Industrial production
growth rate 3.3% (1989)
Industries
iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.7% (September 1989)
Overview
Aided by a long period of peace and neutrality during World War I through World War II, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has essentially full employment, a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled and intelligent labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy that is heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. As the 1990s open, however, Sweden faces serious economic problems: long waits for adequate housing, the decay of the work ethic, and a loss of competitive edge in international markets.
Unemployment rate
1.5% (1989)
Communications
Airports
259 total, 256 usable; 138 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 11 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 91 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
65 major transports
Highways
97,400 km (51,899 km paved, 20,659 km gravel, 24,842 km unimproved earth)
Inland waterways
2,052 km navigable for small steamers and barges
Merchant marine
173 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,856,217 GRT/2,215,659 DWT; includes 9 short-sea passenger, 29 cargo, 3 container, 42 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 vehicle carrier, 2 railcar carrier, 27 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 25 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 5 combination ore/oil, 6 specialized tanker, 12 bulk, 1 combination bulk
Pipelines
84 km natural gas
Ports
Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Kalmar, Malmo, Stockholm; numerous secondary and minor ports
Railroads
12,000 km total; Swedish State Railways (SJ)--10,819 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 6,955 km electrified and 1,152 km double track; 182 km 0.891-meter gauge; 117 km rail ferry service; privately owned railways--511 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (332 km electrified); 371 km 0.891-meter gauge (all electrified)
Telecommunications
excellent domestic and international facilities; 8,200,000 telephones; stations--4 AM, 56 (320 relays) FM, 110 (925 relays) TV; 5 submarine coaxial cables; communication satellite earth stations operating in the INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean) and EUTELSAT systems
Military and Security
Branches
Royal Swedish Army, Royal Swedish Air Force, Royal Swedish Navy
Defense expenditures
$4.5 billion (1989 est.)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 2,133,101; 1,865,526 fit for military service; 56,632 reach military age (19) annually