10 interesting facts about Sweden – the largest Scandinavian country

Sweden is a country of contented and happy people. So, in any case, almost the whole world thinks, and this opinion is not far from the truth. It operates the Nordic social security system, which provides universal health care and higher education for its citizens.

The country ranks eighth in the world in terms of per capita income, as well as ranking high in numerous comparisons of national indicators including quality of life, health, education, civil liberties, economic competitiveness, equity, prosperity, and human development.

In addition, the country has many beautiful places, unique sights and customs, and there is a lot to be said about it. We bring to your attention a list of 10 interesting facts about Sweden.

10 largest Scandinavian state

The total area of ​​Sweden is almost 450 km², which makes the country the largest in Scandinavia., but despite this, in terms of the number of inhabitants per square kilometer, it is only the fifth in Europe.

If we talk about the size of its territory on a global scale, then it is quite tiny – only the 58th position.

9. The name translates as “the state of the Svei”

The ancient Germanic tribe of the Svei once inhabited modern Sweden, so back in the Middle Ages light и Swedes were synonyms. Even the name of the country itself comes from this tribe – Sverige, that is, svea + rige in Swedish.

8. Europe’s leading exporter of iron ore

Considering that Sweden is the European leader in iron ore mining, its first place in the list of exporters is also quite understandable.. Much more interesting is that the country is so good at recycling waste that the Swedes have to import garbage from other countries and even make money on it.

For example, Sweden imports waste from Norway, where everything is also very good with recycling, but it still does not reach the level of its neighbors.

7. A country divided into 21 len

Swedish districts (Län) are regional administrative divisions. Now the country is divided into 21 districts, and this level of administrative division was first established in 1634 and replaced the historical provinces of Sweden (Swedish: landskap), introducing more efficient government.

6. Dancing license

It sounds strange but a bar or other establishment must be licensed in order for people to dance. Why did the government do it? Because they believe that dancing leads to confusion. They actually put it to a vote in 2015.

Bar owners, as well as customers, are very upset that they need to control themselves during the dance. The locals are not happy with this so they protest by dancing in the streets.

However, this law does not apply to tourists as aggressively as it does to locals, so if you are a tourist, do not be afraid that the police will put you in jail or fine you.

5. Since the 1960s, the church has ordained priests and women

If Catholics and Orthodox women are not allowed to serve the liturgy, then Lutheran Protestants are different. It is the latter belief that is predominant in Sweden, therefore there are a lot of women among the priests. At first it was exotic, but now it is not just normal, but even prestigious and in a certain sense fashionable.

4. Alfred Nobel and his prize

The Nobel Prize or “Nobel”, named after the inventor of dynamite (and not only) Alfred Nobel – this is not all that science in Sweden is rich in. Eric Wallenberg, for example, invented the tetra-pack, and Rune Elmqvist invented the pacemaker.

In addition, Sweden is the country with the highest number of patents per capita in Europe.

3. ABBA is the biggest music sales record holder

Since the release of the first album, the records of the legendary band were sold with a circulation of over 350 million copies, and so far no one can get close to these figures in all of Scandinavia.

Interestingly, a name competition for the group was held in a Gothenburg newspaper. The group was impressed by the names “Alibaba”, “FABB” and “Baba”, but eventually it was officially announced in the summer that the group should be called “ABBA”.

At one time, they became the first group from a non-English speaking country to achieve consistent chart success in English speaking countries.

2. The most popular sports are hockey and football

Many Swedes, especially men, like to talk about football.. Whenever you hear a Swede talking about football with someone from another country, you can count the seconds until he talks about Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Among Swedish football fans, Zlatan has achieved the status of a superstar: only ABBA has the same cult status among the Swedes.

Hockey comes second., which is not surprising when there are thousands of lakes scattered across the country and winters are long and cold. Nowadays, you can see a hockey center in almost every major city in Sweden. By the way, the Swedes just call the game hockey, since they don’t have field hockey.

If you’ve thought about playing hockey but tend to stumble while skating, or don’t like the idea of ​​wearing bulky gear and a helmet that ruins your stylish hair all the time, this might be for you. floorball, very popular with the Swedes.

No special equipment is required, just a room that looks like a gym and a plastic ball. Oh, and clubs, of course. Sweden regularly becomes the world champion in indoor hockey, which is not so difficult when no other nation has the slightest idea how to play it.

Also orienteering is very popular here, which is actually cross-country running. It’s about going through locations in nature, often through the forest, in search of control points marked on the map, and all this as quickly as possible.

A stamp must be obtained at each checkpoint to prove that the competitor has indeed passed all the checkpoints. Mobile phone with Google maps is not allowed: only map and compass are allowed.

1. Six victories at the Eurovision Song Contest

We all have our Eurovision favorites, but we can all agree that few artists are as iconic as ABBA in 1974. ABBA are not the only stars born at Eurovision, but they are definitely the brightest. Waterloo catapulted them to international prominence and they never looked back. Over 1500 songs have already been performed at the Eurovision Song Contest, but “Waterloo” is undoubtedly the most famous of all.

After the success Scandinavian Beatles five more victories will follow, including two this decade. The 2010s marked a golden era in Swedish Eurovision history with two wins and six top five finishes. Since Anna Bergendahl failed to qualify in 2010, Sweden has only missed the top 10 once.

Singer Loreen is undoubtedly the most famous winner of modern times. “Euphoria” was a huge success throughout Europe, topping the charts across the continent. Her success was not limited to Sweden: she sounded everywhere, taking first place in the west, up to Iceland and Ireland, and in the east to Russia and Hungary.