SWEDEN

Hello my country is Sweden, called Sverige in Swedish!

My country is a member of the European Union.

The nationality of its inhabitants is Swedish. But the country has at least 17 000 indigenous Samis among its population – a community that derives most of its income from reindeer. Sweden is also home to a small number of ethnic Finns.

The dominant national language is Swedish, but it does not appear as the official language of the country. Other languages spoken in this country are Finnish, Danish and English.

Sweden is a Constitutional monarchy. It became part of the European Union in 1995. In 1971 the Riksdag became a single-chamber Parliament. Its 349 members are elected on the basis of proportional representation for a four-year term.

Sweden has a population of 9.2 million and a total area of 449 964 km².

Sweden has the largest population of the Nordic countries. It is separated in the west and north from Norway by the Scandinavian Alps. In the east is Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia with Baltic sea. And in the southwest, it is separated from Denmark by the Straits of Oresund, Kattegat and Skagerrak. It has the island of Gotland and Oland in the Baltic Sea.

Although it belongs to the European Union, they do not use the Euro, but they have their own currency, the krona.

Sweden's cities are famous for their beauty, organization and sustainable urban fabric. The Capital city is Stockholm and it is the largest city in the country. The most important area of Stockholm is the core area of medieval times. The other important districts in this city are Gamla Stan, with the Drottningholm Palace, the residence of the Royal Family of Sweden. Other important cities are Uppsala, Gothenburg , Kalmar, Malmö. Gotland is considered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Sweden is the country of origin of the Germanic ethnicity and culture. in the 9^th and 10^th centuries Swedish Vikings invaded and settled in parts of Eastern Europe as far as Caspian Sea. They founded the first kingdom of Russia. In 2006 Sweden was ranked second in the European Union and fifth in the world, at the Human Development Index. Since 2006, Sweden has won 27 Nobel prizes among them 5 awards for peace.

Sweden played a pioneering role of the early days of cinema. Leading the way were Mauritz Stiller and Victor Sjöström. Later on, directors like Ingmar Bergman and actresses such as Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman and Anita Ekberg made careers abroad. Sweden has given the world some of the best pop groups and singers such as Abba, The Cardigans, Teens, King Diamond... The '70s pop group.

Swedish cuisine is known by the smorgåsbord (buffet varied and abundant), Baltic herring, pea soup and Pannkaka with ärtsoppa. Sweden is part of the vodka belt and historically distilled beverages such as brännvin and snaps.

I would love to live there because it is a beautiful and joyful country! The Swedish people are very polite and clean. They look after their country. The protection of nature is a priority for governments. People can walk or cycle peacefully. There are many green areas and public transportation is very timely. The public transportation system is effective, timely, comfortable and clean. I love skiing, I would love to ski in the Scandinavian Alps!

On the other hand I would not like to live there, because life is more expensive and there are fewer holidays than in Spain; and in addition, Spanish food is the best!