Date & Time

In Sweden you write a date YYYY-MM-DD, for example 1999-04-03. You could also write 3/4 1999.

So 3/4 1999 means April 3, 1999. In the US we use MM/DD/YY, for example 4/3/99. Swedish people will interpret that to mean March 4, 1999.

In Sweden you use the 24-hour clock. The time 9.00 means 9 o’clock in the morning but 21.00 means 9 o’clock in the evening.
The expressions with AM or PM do not mean much to them. So if you write 9 PM most people would be confused and wonder if you mean 9 o’clock in the morning or in the evening.

In the Swedish language they have a word for a 24-hour period called dygn. There are 7 "dygn" in a week. In English we would say "day and night".

The metric system

As most countries in the world, Sweden uses the metric system. The metric system is a decimal system.

For distance you use kilometers (km), meters (m), decimeters (dm), centimeters (cm) and millimeters (mm).
1 km = 10,000 m. 1 m = 10 dm = 100 cm = 1000 mm.

(Decimal point is used above)

Decimal point/decimal comma

In Sweden they use decimal comma, not decimal point. So 13,457 m means in 13 meters and 457 millimeters.
13.457 m means 13457 meters.

Currency

The currency of Sweden is called krona (crown). The currency code is: SEK.
There are 100 öre in one krona. (1 krona but 2 kronor.)

They are not using the Euro at this time.

A brief History information about Sweden

10000-6000 BC: Groups of stoneage hunters and gatherer spreads over Sweden.
4000 BC: Farming makes its entry in southern Sweden.
800-1050 AD: Vikings goes on crusades mostly in Russia and Eastroman empire.
The end of 1300-century:  The island of Gotland becomes part of Sweden.
ca 1300-1809: Finland belongs to Sweden.
1320: Skåne, Northhalland and Blekinge is conquered from Denmark.
ca 1357: Denmark conqueres the previous danish areas and Gotland.
1389-1521: The Kalmarunion (Danish-norwegian-swedish union which Sweden broke
out several times).
1561: Swedish troops occupies Reval and large parts of Estonia.
1611-1718: Great power era, Sweden reaches it's largest size.
1617: At the peace in Stolbova Sweden gets to keep Kexholms county and Ingermanlad.
1629: At the peace in Altmark Sweden gets to keep Livland, Riga and the
areas at Njemens and Weichels mouth.
1645: At the peace in Brömsebro Sweden got from Denmark-Norway Jämtland,
Härjedalen, Gotland, Ösel and (for 30 years) Halland.
1648: At the westfalian peace Sweden gets the areas around the mouth of Oder
and Weser.
1658: At the peace in Roskilde Sweden got from Denmark-Norway Skåne,
Blekinge, Halland and Bohuslän.
1721: At the peace in Nystad Sweden lost the baltic provinses and parts of
the Karelén to Rusia.
1772: Gustav III coup d'état. Part of the new constitution is freedom of
speech and religion.
1809: The Rusians conquers Finland.
1814-1905: Swedish-norwegian union.
1901: Compulsory military service.
1905: Men get general right to vote.
1921: Women's suffrage.
1950-talet: Large immigration of finns.
1995: Sweden joins EU.

Thanks Anders,
Jerry Longstrom

Population: estimated 1998 population 8,890,000 with only 19 persons per sq. km (12 persons per sq. mile)
Chief products: Apriculture--barley, beef cattle, milk and other dairy products, oats, potatoes, pigs, rye, sugar beet, wheat. Forestry-birch, pine, spruce. Manufacturing-agricultural, aircraft, ball bearings, cars, diesel motors, electrical equipment, explosives, fertilizers, furniture, glass, matches, mobile telephones, paper and cardboard, plastics, plywood, precision tools, prefabricated houses, ships, steel, steelware, telecommunication systems, textiles, wood pulp. Mining - copper, gold, iron ore, lead, zinc.
National anthem: "Du gamla, du fria, du fjallhoga nord (Thou Ancient, Thou Free, Thou Mountain-Crowned North").
National holiday: Flag Day, June 6.
Money: krona (SEK), 100 ore = 1 SEK (January 1999: 1 USD = 8,20 krona, 1 Euro = 8,45 krona).
Armed forces: Swedish men between the ages of 18 and 47 are required to serve from 7 to 15 months in the country's armed forces.
GDP: $ 251,3 bn USD (1998)
GDP per head: $ 28,312 USD (1998)
GDP growth: 2,9%, Inflation: 1,9% (1998)

Sweden is one of the five Nordic countries. its area of approx. 450 000 square kilometers, Sweden is the fourth largest country in Europe. Sweden is a little larger than California.

The population is 8.8 millions, 80 % of whom live in small urban districts, towns and cities; geographically located in the southern 1/4 of the country.

The biggest cities are Stockholm, the capital city with approx. 1. 5 million inhabitants including the whole region; Gothenburg with 700 000 and Malmö with 450 000 inhabitants. Linköping is the fifth biggest city in Sweden.

Sweden has many lakes and water-courses, and a total coastal length of 2,700 kilometers (1,680 miles).

The official language is Swedish, but most Swedes speak English fairly well. The Swedish language is related to the other Nordic languages, with the exception of Finnish, and belongs to the Germanic family of languages.

There is freedom of religion in Sweden. Most inhabitants, approx. 90 %, of the population are non-active members of the Lutheran Protestant State Church.

The population of Sweden is ethnically homogeneous. Immigration, however, has increased considerably within the last few years. At present, approximately 15 % of the population is considered to be of foreign origin, that is immigrants of the first and second generation. Swedish society is becoming gradually more multi-cultural.

As Sweden is a sparsely populated country, with the exception of the metropolitan areas, relatively unspoiled countryside is within easy reach.

Swedish Right of Common Access ensures all citizens and visitors the right to stroll freely and to pick berries and mushrooms in woods and fields, taken for granted that they show due consideration.

Sweden has a population of 8.8 million, with about 85% living in the southern half of the country. Around 90% belong to the Church of Sweden, which is Lutheran. Swedish is a Germanic language.

Like other industrialized countries, Sweden has a low birth rate. It rose during the 1980s and early 1990s but is now in decline again. Life expectancy is high—about 76 years for men and 81 for women. Since the 1940s, immigration—mostly from neighboring Scandinavian countries but also from elsewhere in the world—has accounted for over 40% of the population growth. Sweden has two minority groups of native inhabitants in the north: the Finnish-speaking people of the northeast and the Sami (Lapp) population.

Education

Nine years of schooling are compulsory for all children from the age of 6 or 7. About 95% go on to the upper secondary school, which offers both vocational and academic programs. Schools are run by municipalities and provide free instruction, books and lunches. A separate municipal adult education system enables adults with inadequate schooling to reach the same level of education as young people.

Altogether there are about forty institutions of higher education in Sweden, operated mainly by the State and providing free instruction. About half the students are women, and a large number are people over 25 taking advantage of special admission rules for those with work experience. Almost one fourth of adult Swedes have a higher education.

Private, government-subsidized adult education associations arrange study circles for more than 2.5 million course participants a year.

Natural Resources

Sweden has rich natural supplies of coniferous forest, water power, iron ore, uranium and other minerals but lacks significant oil and coal deposits. The only iron ore mines are situated in the far north. Their production is mainly exported.

Sweden’s vast forests of spruce, pine and other softwoods supply a highly developed sawmill, pulp, paper and finished wood product industry. Despite high domestic consumption, Sweden exports about 60% of its forest products.

Cheap hydro power was a major factor in Sweden’s industrial development. Today around 15% of the country’s energy supply comes from its hydroelectric plants, many of them on the main northern rivers. Over 40% of energy consumed in Sweden comes from imported oil, 7% from imported coal and coke. Sweden’s twelve nuclear reactors provide over 15% of total energy or almost 50% of electrical energy. The rest of the energy supply comes from biofuels, peat, waste heat, etc. After an advisory referendum in 1980, Parliament decided that the use of nuclear power should be phased out by 2010. That does not appear to be the end of the matter, however, for the subject is one which

English version words with Swedish version

Average income 1994
(gross monthly salary in SEK - Swedish Krowns - Krona)

The salaries above are exclusive of holiday pay, which amounts to 12 % of the gross salary. 
No overtime costs are included.

Pensions
The general old age pension consists of a basic retirement pension and a general earnings related supplementary pension ATP. The supplementary pension, ATP, is based on income from employment. Only income earned between the age of 16 - 64 is taken into account.
Everyone, regardless of citizenship, who is living in Sweden and has been doing so for at least three years or has three years of ATP points, has the right to a basic retirement pension. In order to get a full basic retirement pension,one should have been living in Sweden for 40 years or have 30 years worth of ATP-points. The time of domicile in Sweden will be counted from the year of reaching the age of 16 and, at the most, until the year of reaching the age of 64. The old age pension is paid from the year of reaching 65, but it is also possible to retire earlier or later. Earlier retirement with an old age pension is possible from the age of 60, at the earliest. Persons who have permanently reduced work capability, due to illness or some other reason, may be granted an early retirement pension. Such cases are always subject to a very careful medical examination before any decisions are made. Apart from the general national social insurance scheme, there are options for everyone to improve his/her insurance protection through the private insurance agencies and the banks. This is particularly common with regard to pensions.

At present there is a lively debate going on in the Swedish Riksdag (Parliament) about the future of the ATP- system . Due to the relatively low rate of economic growth in Sweden today, and the increasing percentage of retired persons, it will be difficult in the future to rely on the general national social insurance scheme.

MODERN HISTORY - WWII TO 1993:

In 1953 Sweden was a founding member of the Nordic Council and in 1959 Sweden and six other nations founded the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). In 1969 Olof Palme succeeded Tage Erlander as Prime Minister and leader of the Social Democrats (SD). In 1973 Carl XVI Gustav succeeded his grandfather as King and in 1975 Sweden adopted a new constitution that reduced the role of the King to a ceremonial one. In 1976 the Social Democrats were replaced by a conservative non-socialist coalition government with Thorbjorn Falldin as Prime Minister until their collapse in 1978. In 1979 Falldin formed another conservative coalition. In 1982 the Social Democrats formed a minority government and were re-elected in 1985. In Feb. 1986 Prime Minister Palme was killed by an unknown assassin and was succeeded by Ingvar Carlsson. In 1988 the Social Democrats formed another minority government. In Dec. 1990 the Parliament (Riksdag) gave Carlsson a mandate to seek EU membership. In 1991 the Riksdag reached an agreement to construct a road and rail link between Sweden and Denmark. On July 1, 1991 Sweden formally applied for EU membership. In Sept. 1991 following general elections the Moderate Party formed a coalition government with Carl Bildt as Prime Minister, virtually ending almost 63 years of socialist government domination. On Oct. 13, 1991 the EU and EFTA reached an agreement on the establishment of a 19-member European Economic Area (EEA). On Nov. 6, 1991 the government announced austerity measures in an attempt to strengthen the economy and reduce government expenditure, and on Dec. 5, 1991 the central bank lifted official interest rates to 17.5%. Also in 1991 two new political parties entered Parliament for the first time, the Christian Democrats and the New Democracy (ND) which held the balance of power and whose support enabled the Moderate Party's coalition to hold a majority. In 1992 Prime Minister Bildt's coalition government and the opposition Social Democrats reached agreement on cuts in government expenditure programs and tax increases. In Sept. 1992 the Krona came under international pressure to be devaluated and on Nov. 19, 1992 the government allowed the Krona to float downward. Also in 1992 economic difficulties worsened with unemployment rising, a slump in economic and industrial growth, and an increasing number of bankruptcies. As a result, the government provided guarantees to support the country's financial system and banks with taxpayers' money. In 1993 the country's economic recession and rising unemployment led the government to abandon its tax-cutting plans and to adopt a cost-cutting plan to reduce the budget by SKr 81 billion over five years. In Feb. 1993 Sweden began negotiations with the EU hoping it would gain agricultural and alcohol concessions. In Dec. 1993 the economic conditions led to Volvo A.B canceling its plans to merge its operations with France's Renault S.A. Also in 1993 the government narrowly averted a vote of no confidence after offering concessions to the ND following disagreements over the government's budge

Traditions in Sweden

Birthday
This is the day when you lie in bed and pretend to be asleep even though you've
been awake for ages. And you wonder whether the family is ever going to come
with your birthday cake and presents.

Valborg   (Walpurgis night)
When the darkness falls on the last day of April, people in most parts of Sweden
light bonfires. They celebrate the return of the sun and the warm weather with
speeches and songs. Traditionally this is a particularly festive time for students.
Birgitta Nilsson

Easter
At Easter children dress up like old witches with brooms. They go from house
to house collecting some coins or sweets. This custom goes back to the days
when people believed that there were witches who rode on broomsticks to Blakulla
mountain to meet the Devil.

In olden days people believed that women could turn into witches at Easter. On Maundy Thursday all evil powers were at play. All witches were starting out for "Blåkulla" where the Devil was inviting them to a feast. All brooms, rakes and other conceivable means of transportation were locked up to prevent them from going! On Many Thursdag or Easter Eve, children dress up as Easter-hags and walk around the town or village wishing Happy Easter.
Sometimes they distribute Easter letters that they have made themselves. The subject is often an Easter-hag accompanied but a humorous verse about the "blåkulla-ride. In Swedish: (påskkäringar) Eggs used to be popular gifts at Easter, Maids and farm-hands were given eggs  by their master and mistress. Young people used to give each other beautifully painted souvenir-eggs with name and date.
During Easter, people used to amuse themselves with various egg-games,
particularly in Skåne. The children got one hard-boiled egg each, of different colors. They put a roofing-tile aslant and then rolled their eggs by turn down the tile and out onto the floor. If you hit another egg you could keep it.  We also color our eggs, with onion-scales or coffee grounds or egg-colors.  BUT - the twigs with feathers in them are not for Easter, but for Lent! My family use to have twigs with eggs (not real ones) and easter-hags in it. But for Lent we have the one with feathers.

We have 4 days off work this week if we are lucky! It's because of
Kristi Himmelsfärds dag or Ascension Day, which is celebrated, according
to the ecclestical calendar, on Thursday of the 6th week after Easter.
Maybe you celebrate this with a "gök-otta" - you get up early in the
morning (around 3 or 4 a.m.) and meet in a forest glen to hear the birds
sing at sunrise. Gök-otta means "early cuckoo morning" as this is the
time of year one can hear the cuckoo call.
It's also Temperance Day and is celebrated by the various temperance
organizations throughout the country.
Friday is a normal weekday, but many take a day off from work. With the
weekend this means 4 free days!

End Of School Year
School ends at the beginning of June. Everyone wears their best clothes for the
last day and there are flowers in the classroom. The children have school holidays
for two and a half months and when they meet again in the autumn they advance
to the next class.

Midsummer
When summer is at its lightest at the end of June the sun only sets for a few hours
every night in southern Sweden and not at all up in the north. This is when people
celebrate midsummer. You pick flowers and leaves and decorate a maypole
with them and dance around it and you can stay up all night.

Midsummer Eve is the great festival of summer in Sweden. Nature is at its
fairest and there is dancing around the "majstång" (Maypole), the symbol of
Swedish Midsummer celebrating.
To decorate with sprays of foliage or to "may" (Sw. maja) has been common in Sweden from of old. Young birches were put at the porch steps and the cottages were decorated with leafy branches in-door, too. Formerly the maypole was common to the whole village, and it was erected in the center of the village. The young people saw to it that the maypole was decorated and erected, and then the dancing went on all night long.