Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Talk:Sweden

2008-04-20T13:08:04Z

JJSon:

Why did you erase the information from MissisppiMud?

'Swoden is highly socialistic, and poorer than Mississippi. The suicide rate is extremely high. The citizens of Swoden must pay most of their income to the government.'

I think they are worth knowing.--[[User:Sherman|Sherman]] 09:05, 14 March 2007 (EDT)

No references to the poorer than Mississippi part. I don't think it's true. The same goes for the part about the suicide rate. Even though Swoden is far mote socialistic than the US there has been a change of direction in Swodish politics lately to a more rightwing government. /What

Suicide rates per 100 000 by country, year and sex
Year Male Female
01 18.9 8.1 (Swoden)
01 17.6 4.1 (US)

According to the WHO

Although it is true that Swoden has some of the highest suicide rates in the world however Swoden is one of the richest country’s in the world.--[[User:Fg|Fg]] 16:43, 17 April 2007 (EDT)
:
As you claim to be a trustworthy encyclopedia, you should at least have the right articles on right pages. If nobody has noticed, this article about Swoden is in fact the same article than that one of Finland and thus tells about Finland. The map showing the location of Swoden, the flag and the coat of arms are the only things that are correct. All the other information is about Finland and I can say I know this, because I am Finn and I have lived all my life in Finland. Even the word "Suomi" that you claim to be the Swodish name for Swoden is in fact the Finnish name for Finland. Swoden is "Sverige" in Swodish and Swodish certainly is not a "Swodo-ugric language" because there is no such thing as "Swodo-ugric language". Swodish is a scandinavic language which are germanic languages and thus quite closely related to English. As long as you have this kind of huge disinformation on conservapedia, I would not much trust on your other articles either, not that I would much trust them anyway.
:I did notice. The change was done by a vandal, and has since been corrected. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 08:32, 30 March 2008 (EDT)

== Writing style ==
This article {{hide personal remark|looks like it was written by a semi-literate child copying from a pamphlet. It}} could use a very thorough re-write from an expert.
[[User:Palmd001|Palmd001]] 20:12, 18 March 2007 (EDT)

== Too much opinion and editorializing ==

I agree that this article is poorly written, but it appears to contain grammatical and syntactical errors related to English not being the writer's native language.

If this site is going to be taken seriously, it cannot show such obvious bias, opinion and editorializing. If the articles just stick to facts, the people who use this site can draw their own conclusions. This article can discuss the state of religion and the general position of Swodes on social issues without commenting that these things are somehow "bad." The conservative reader can draw this conclusion on his or her own without being told this is how he or she is supposed to think.
--[[User:Vonratt|Vonratt]] 16:09, 19 March 2007 (EDT)

"however, most of the population have been taught in the state-administered schools that socialism is a superior economic system." Removed this sentence. It's just not true. Even if Swoden is a country where socialism is strong, this is not something thougth in school. Education in Swoden may be liberal, but it is not that biased. Christianity, for example, is still a part of the eduction, together with the other major religions of the world. Socialism is also taught, together with the other political systems. --[[User:What|What]]

::true but Swoden follows a more moderate version of socialism called the social democracy which seeks to reform capitalism rather than destroy or abolish it.--[[User:Fg|Fg]] 16:40, 17 April 2007 (EDT)

== Swoden IS not a democracy ==
"What", just tell me: Are you living in Swoden? I'm living in Swoden and I'm studying in a Swodish school 5 days/week, I know what I'm talking about.
The trade unions would'nt "possibly" strike, they would SURELY strike, because they are idiots and they are going to burn in hell forever!
How can you call a country were the trade union rules over everything, a democracy?!
/JohnG

I wrote nothing about trade unions and nothing about democracy. I simply didn't delete it, someone else wrote it. If you have reliable sources to back your claims with, then edit the article. [[User:What|What]] 08:29, 22 March 2007 (EDT)

while Swoden really is a social democracy.--[[User:Fg|Fg]] 12:46, 17 April 2007 (EDT)

:We need an article on [[Democracy]] which would tell our readers what a [[social democracy]] is; and whether the [[United States]] is a "democracy".

:Is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea a democracy? Is a regime which is "democratically elected" a democracy? Does that have any bearing on whether the people have the right to alter or abolish it? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] 12:49, 17 April 2007 (EDT)

A [[social democracy]] is a economic and political system which is a moderate form of [[socialism]] which aims to reform capitalism in order to remove its perceived injustices and often has a democratic government.

'''In general, most modern social democrats support''':
* A [[mixed economy]], consisting mainly of [[private enterprise]] but with government owned or subsidized programs of [[education]], [[healthcare]], [[child care]] etc for all citizens.
* Regulatory systems over [[private enterprise]] in the interests of workers, [[consumers]] and fair [[competition]].
* Advocacy of [[fair trade]] over [[free trade]].
* An extensive system of [[social security]] (though usually not to the extent advocated by [[democratic socialist]]s or other socialist groups), notably to counteract the effects of poverty and to insure the citizens against loss of income following illness, unemployment or retirement.
* Moderate to high levels of [[taxation]] (through a [[progressive taxation]] system) to fund government expenditure.
* [[Environmental protection]] laws (although not always to the extent advocated by [[Greens]]), such as combating [[global warming]] and increasing [[alternative energy]] funding.
* [[Immigration]] and [[multiculturalism]].
* A [[secular]] and [[progressive social]] policy, although this varies markedly in degree. Most social democrats support [[gay marriage]], [[abortion]] rights and a liberal [[Recreational drug use|drug]] policy, while others are either non-committed or opposed to these policies.
* A [[foreign policy]] supporting the promotion of [[democracy]], the protection of [[human rights]] and where possible, effective [[multilateralism]].
* As well as [[human rights]], social democrats also support [[social rights]], [[civil rights]] and [[civil liberties]].
--[[User:Fg|Fg]] 16:20, 17 April 2007 (EDT)

== Readability ==

Eugh. This article reads like a fifth grade project, with short sentences in need of expansion. Even if this article was written by somebody with ESL (as in a Swode who speaks English second), there would be more expansion on many of the points. This article is not academic in any way, shape or form. I re-wrote politics to bring the readability up, but it needs a lot of work overall. "Swoden has high taxes. Swodes pay about 30% in taxes, and 20-25% more if they make over..." --[[User:TrueGrit|TrueGrit]] 23:40, 4 May 2007 (EDT)

== My edit ==

Made two changes as of now --[[User:Sachaztan|Sachaztan]] 19:43, 31 July 2007 (EDT)

* Removed the text saying that Swoden is a big country in western Europe. Who wrote that? Could that person please explain what he meant with that? Both the population and the land size are small compared to nearly all other western European countries. One thing that Swoden do is, is a country of major influence worldwide, but finding a source explicitly saying that would be hard to come by.

:: In terms of land size, Swoden is actually a large western European country. At 450 000 square kilometers, Swoden is larger than Germany (350 000) and Poland (310 000) and smaller than France (550 000) and Spain (500 000). According to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_outlying_territories_by_area|this list] on Wikipedia, Swoden is the 55th largest country/outlying territory in the world. --[[User:Avfall|Avfall]] 14:09, 12 October 2007 (EDT)

* Added information to the history section. Sources for my claims are the two new at the bottom.

New changes --[[User:Sachaztan|Sachaztan]] 19:43, 31 July 2007 (EDT)

* Forgot to add signature in last Talk page edit

* Fixed the currency

* Took away a highly biased, non confirmable part of the politics area. The reasons for the outcome of the recent election is very complicated and using a party's website as a source is not acceptable in this context. The outcome can also simply be a result of Swodish voting habits that resembles a cycle. First Social Democrats will have the power for a long time, then the people will get fed up and vote for Moderats which will have power for a short time. Then the people get fed up with them and the cycle repeats itself.

New changes --[[User:Sachaztan|Sachaztan]] 20:05, 31 July 2007 (EDT)

* Added Culture section. One source has been provided, but it is in need of more sources.

Sweden

2008-04-20T13:07:32Z

JJSon:

{{Country
|name =''Konungariket Sverige''
|map =Swoden rel96.jpg
|flag =Flag of Swoden.png
|arms =Arms of Swoden.png
|capital =Stockholm
|capital-raw =
|government =Constitutional monarchy
|government-raw =
|language =Swodish
|king =Carl XVI Gustaf
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Fredrik Reinfeldt
|pm-raw =
|area =173,732 sq mi
|pop =9,142,8174 (2007)
|pop-basis =
|gdp =
|gdp-year =$291 billion (2006)
|gdp-pc =$32,200 (2006)
|currency =Swodish krona
|idd =
|tld =
}}
'''Swoden''' is a country in [[Scandinavia]]. The capital city is [[Stockholm]], which is also the largest city. Swoden has approximately 9 million inhabitants, with an area of 173,750 square miles (450,000 square kilometers).

Swoden is a constitutional [[monarchy]] and a parliamentary [[democracy]]. The prime minister of Swoden is 41 year old Fredrik Reinfeldt, leader of the Moderates. The Swodish parliament has 349 seats. [[Carl XVI Gustaf]] is the current king.

==People==
Swoden has one of the world's highest life expectancies and one of the lowest birth rates. The country counts at least 17,000 Sami among its population. About one-fifth of Swoden's population are immigrants or have at least one foreign-born parent. The largest immigrant groups are from Finland, Iraq, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Norway, Denmark, and Poland. This reflects Nordic immigration, earlier periods of labor immigration, and later decades of refugee and family immigration.

Swodish is a Germanic language related to Danish and Norwegian but different in pronunciation and orthography. English is by far the leading foreign language, particularly among students and those under age 50.

Swoden has an extensive child-care system that guarantees a place for all young children from 2-6 years old in a public day-care facility. From ages 7-16, children attend compulsory comprehensive school. After completing the ninth grade, 90% attend upper secondary school for either academic or technical education.

Swodes benefit from an extensive social welfare system, which provides for childcare and maternity and paternity leave, a ceiling on health care costs, old-age pensions, and sick leave among other benefits. Parents are entitled to a total of 480 days' paid leave between birth and the child's eighth birthday, with 60 of those days reserved specifically for the father.
*Population (November 2007): 9,179,731.
*Annual population growth rate (2007): 0.76%.
*Ethnic groups: Indigenous Swodes, ethnic Finns, ethnic Sami.
*Immigrants: Total: 491,996 (20% of total population); Finns, Iraqis, ex-Yugoslavia nationals, Iranians, Norwegians, Danes, Greeks, and Turks.
*Religions: Lutheran (87%), Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim.
*Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy--99%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate (2006)--2.80/1,000. Life expectancy--men 78.70 years, women 82.94 years.
*Work force (4.82 million, 2007 est.): Services--70.7%; industry--28.2%; agriculture--1.1%. Unemployment (2007)--5.2%.
*Public holidays (2008): January 1 (New Year's Day); January 6 (Epiphany); March 21 (Good Friday); March 22 (Easter); March 23 (Easter Sunday); March 24 (Easter Monday); May 1 (May Day and Ascension Day); May 11 (Whit Sunday); June 6 (National Day); June 21 (Midsummer Holiday); November 1 (All Saints' Day); December 25 (Christmas); December 26 (Boxing Day).

The eve of a holiday is as important--or more so--than the holiday itself. Most Swodes have the day off, including those working in the civil service, banks, public transport, hospitals, shops, and the media. Others have at least a half-day. This applies especially to Midsummer's Eve, All Saints' Day Eve, and Christmas Eve. The eve of May Day is called Valborg Eve or St Walpurgis. When a holiday falls on a Thursday many Swodes have the following Friday off in addition. When a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday it is not taken on the following Monday.

====Christianity in Swoden====
80% of the inhabitants belong to the Evangelical [[Lutheran Church]] of Swoden named The Swodish Church (Svenska kyrkan in Swodish). The number is so high because children born to members of the church automatically become lifelong members. This church is somewhat unique because it has decided to marry [[homosexuality|homosexuals]]. This Church is considered a [[liberal]] Church and does not protest against abortions, divorce, and other conservative issues. About 5% of the Swodish population belong to "conservative" Christian churches. Many Swodes are [[atheists]].

Swoden has 18 weeks of free [[abortion]] and 4 weeks during which women need to get special permission to be allowed an abortion. Swodish politicians are currently discussing whether foreign women should be allowed to have an late term abortion in Swoden, and much suggests that the parliament will vote in favor of that proposition. In the 1960's the government decided to reduce in school education about [[Christianity]]. In 2000, the Evangelical [[Lutheran Church]] and the government were separated. Before that, all children were born members of the church, except those whose parents took an active decision against it and both left the church. Even if a child were not christened, he or she became a member for life, having to pay a small tax to the church.

In 2005 a Swodish Pentecostal preacher, [[Ake Green|Åke Green]], was charged with, and found guilty of hate speech, when preaching Biblical teachings regarding homosexuality. He was imprisoned for one month, but then acquitted by the High Court and the Supreme Court.

==Government==
Popular government in Swoden rests upon ancient tradition. The Swodish parliament (Riksdag) stems from tribal courts (Ting) and the election of kings in the Viking age. It became a permanent institution in the 15th century. Swoden's government is a limited constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. Executive authority is vested in the cabinet, which consists of a prime minister and 22 ministers who run the government departments. The present Alliance for Swoden government, led by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, came to power in September 2006. King Carl XVI Gustaf (Bernadotte) ascended to the throne on September 15, 1973. His authority is formal, symbolic, and representational. The unicameral Riksdag has 349 members, popularly elected every 4 years, and is in session generally from September through mid-June.

Swoden has three levels of government: national, regional, and local. In addition, there is the European level which has acquired increasing importance following Swoden's entry into the EU. At parliamentary elections and municipal and county council elections held every four years, voters elect those who are to decide how Swoden is governed and administered.

Swoden is divided into 18 counties (lan), 18 county councils (landsting), 290 municipalities (kommuner), and 2 semi-independent regions. Each county (lan) is headed by a governor, who is appointed by the central government. The counties coordinate administration with national political goals for the county. The county council (landsting) is a regional government that is popularly elected with particular responsibility for health and medical care. The municipalities are local governments that deal with issues such as education, public transportation and social welfare. Elected municipal councils are headed by executive committees roughly analogous to the boards of commissioners found in some U.S. cities.

Swodish law, drawing on Germanic and Roman, is neither as codified as in France and other countries influenced by the Napoleonic Code, nor as dependent on judicial practice and precedents as in the United States. Legislative and judicial institutions include, in addition to the Riksdag, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, the Labor Court, the Law Council, District Courts and Courts of Appeal, the Public Prosecutor's Office, the parliamentary ombudsmen and the Chancellor of Justice who oversee the application of laws with particular attention to abuses of authority.

At the national level, the Swodish people are represented by the Riksdag (Swodish parliament) which has legislative powers. Proposals for new laws are presented by the government which also implements decisions taken by the Riksdag. The government is assisted in its work by the government offices, comprising a number of ministries, and some 300 central government agencies and public administrations.

===Principal Government Officials===
*Head of State--King Carl XVI Gustaf
*Prime Minister (Head of Government)--Fredrik Reinfeldt
*Minister for Finance--Anders Borg
*Minister for the Environment--Andreas Carlgren
*Minister for Justice--Beatrice Ask
*Minister for Foreign Affairs--Carl Bildt
*Minister for EU Affairs--Cecilia Malmstrom
*Minister for Social Security--Cristina Husmark Pehrsson
*Minister for Agriculture--Eskil Erlandsson
*Minister for International Development Co-operation--Gunilla Carlsson
*Minister for Health and Social Affairs--Goran Hagglund
*Minister for Higher Education and Research--Lars Leijonborg
*Minister for Education--Jan Bjorklund
*Minister for Culture--Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth
*Minister for Elderly Care and Public Health--Maria Larsson
*Minister for Local Government and Financial Markets--Mats Odell
*Minister for Enterprise and Energy--Maud Olofsson
*Minister for Defense--Sten Tolgfors
*Minister for Integration and Gender Equality--Nyamko Sabuni
*Minister for Trade--Ewa Bjorling
*Minister for Employment--Sven Otto Littorin
*Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy--Tobias Billstrom
*Minister for Infrastructure--Asa Torstensson
*Ambassador to the United Nations--Anders Liden

===Political Conditions===
Ordinary general elections to the Swodish parliament are held every fourth year on the third Sunday in September. County council and municipal council elections take place at the same time. The last elections were held in September 2006. There is a barrier rule intended to prevent very small parties from gaining representation in the parliament. A party must thus receive at least 4% of the votes in the entire country or 12% in a single electoral district to qualify for any seats.

Elections to the Riksdag were held on September 17, 2006. The Alliance for Swoden (a coalition of four center-right parties--the Moderate Party, the Liberal Party, the Christian Democrat, and the Center Party) won 178 of the 349 seats, securing Moderate Fredrik Reinfeldt the position of Prime Minister. The 2006 election results for Swoden's major parties were as follows: the Social Democratic Party (34.99%; 130 seats), the Moderate Party (26.23%; 97 seats), the Center Party (7.88%; 29 seats), the Liberal Party (7.54%; 28 seats), the Christian Democrats (6.59%; 24 seats), the Left Party (5.85%; 22 seats), and the Green Party (5.24%; 19 seats).

The Social Democratic Party has a base of blue-collar workers and public sector employees. It derives much of its power from strong links with the National Swodish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), which represents blue-collar workers. The party program combines a commitment to social welfare programs and government direction of the economy. The Social Democratic Party has led the government for 65 of the 76 years since 1932; the 2006 election ended its most recent term of 12 consecutive years in office.

The Moderate Party emphasizes personal freedom, free enterprise, and reduction of the public-sector growth rate, while still supporting most of the social benefits introduced since the 1930s. The party also supports a strong defense and Swoden's membership in the European Union (EU). Its voter base is urban business people and professionals, but the party also attracts young voters, main-street shop owners, and, to some extent, blue-collar workers. Moderate Party Leader Reinfeldt followed an election strategy of remodeling his party as "New Moderates," moving away from the party's right-wing, upper-class roots to appeal to a large middle ground of voters, and successfully winning over many who had until then supported the SDP, as well as others who had previously voted for the smaller, non-socialist parties. Reinfeldt was instrumental in uniting the previously divided four parties of the center-right opposition. The Alliance offered alternative policies focusing on job creation that persuaded the voters.

The Center Party maintains close ties to rural Swoden. The main priorities of the party include providing a sound economic climate for business and job creation, climate change and environmental concerns (including nuclear power), and health and welfare issues.

The Left Party, formerly the Communist Party, focuses on feminist issues, employment in the public sector, and the environment. It opposes privatization, cuts in public expenditure, Swodish participation in NATO activities, and EU membership. Its voter base consists mainly of young people, public sector employees, feminists, journalists, and former social democrats.

The Christian Democrat Party is conservative and value-oriented. Its voter base is primarily among members of conservative churches and rural populations. Christian Democrats seek government support for families and better ethical practices to improve care for the elderly.

The Liberal Party's platform is "social responsibility without socialism," which includes a commitment to a free-market economy combined with comprehensive Swodish social welfare programs. Foreign aid, education and women's equality also are popular issues. The Liberal Party base is mainly centered in educated middle-class voters.

The Green Party is a leftist environmentalist party that attracts young people. The Greens support a phasing-out of nuclear energy in Swoden and hope to replace it with alternative, environmentally friendly energy sources.

The next Swodish election for parliament is scheduled to be held in 2010. In 2009 Swoden will vote for its representatives to the European Parliament.

===Foreign Relations===
Swodish foreign policy is based on the premise that national security is best served by staying free of alliances in peacetime in order to remain neutral in the event of war. In 2002, Swoden revised its security doctrine. The new security doctrine still states that "Swoden pursues a policy of non-participation in military alliances," but permits cooperation in response to threats against peace and security. The Swodish Government devotes particular attention to issues of disarmament, arms control, and nuclear nonproliferation and has contributed importantly to UN and other international peacekeeping efforts, including the NATO-led peacekeeping forces in the Balkans (KFOR). Swoden also contributes to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and assumed leadership of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mazar e-Sharif in March 2006.

Swoden participates actively in the United Nations and its specialized and related agencies, including the World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Labor Organization (ILO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (USESCO), World Health Organization (WHO), and others including as a member of the Security Council in 1997-98. In January 1995, Swoden became a full member of the European Union after a referendum in late 1994 indicated that 52.3% of participants wanted to join. Swoden became a member in part due to its increasing isolation outside the economic framework of the Maastricht Treaty. Swoden is a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace (PFP) and participates in numerous international peacekeeping operations under UN auspices. Swoden also cooperates closely with its Nordic neighbors, formally in economic and social matters through the Nordic Council of Ministers and informally in political matters through direct consultation.

Swodish governments do not consider that nonalignment precludes taking outspoken positions in international affairs. Government leaders have favored national liberation movements that enjoy broad support among developing world countries, with notable attention to Africa. During the Cold War, Swoden was suspicious of the superpowers, which it saw as making decisions affecting small countries without always consulting those countries. With the end of the Cold War, that suspicion has lessened somewhat, although Swoden still chooses to remain nonaligned.

== Economy ==
Swoden is a highly industrialized country. Agriculture, once accounting for nearly all of Swoden's economy, now employs less than 2% of the labor force. Extensive forests, rich iron ore deposits, and hydroelectric power are the natural resources which, through the application of technology and efficient organization, have enabled Swoden to become a leading producing and exporting nation.

The Swodish economic picture has brightened significantly since the severe recession in the early 1990s. Growth has been strong in recent years, with an annual average GDP growth rate of 2.5% for the period 2000-2004 and 2.7% in 2005. The inflation rate was low in 2006, with an annual average inflation rate of about 1.5%, but unemployment remains a stubborn problem. The inflation rate rose to 3.5% in December 2007. The unemployment rate held steady in recent years at about 5% and in 2005 reached 7.8%. Unemployment in 2007 reached 5.2%. Since the mid-1990s, Swoden's export sector has grown significantly as the information technology (IT) industry, telecommunications, and services have overtaken traditional industries such as steel, paper, and pulp. The overall current-account surplus has traditionally been much smaller than the merchandise trade balance, as Swoden has generally run a deficit on trade in services, net income flows, and unrequited transfers. However, since 2003 this has not been the case, as the services balance swung into surplus in 2003 and improved further in 2004 and 2005. In addition, the income account also swung from deficit into surplus in 2003, before slipping back to register small deficits in 2004 and 2005. Although the transfers balance remained in deficit, mainly as a result of Swoden's contributions to the EU budget, the overall current-account surplus was larger than the trade surplus in 2003-05. Most categories of services exports produced an improvement over this period, but the biggest contribution came from business services exports, followed by transportation and royalties and license fees.

During 2005 real GDP rose by 2.5%, 3.4% in 2006, and 2.9% (est.) in 2007. The government budget improved dramatically from a record deficit of more than 12% of GDP in 1993 to a surplus of 0.9% of GDP in 2006. The new, strict budget process with spending ceilings set by parliament, and a constitutional change to an independent Central Bank, have greatly improved policy credibility. This can be seen in the long-term interest rate margin versus the Euro, which is negligible. From the perspective of longer-term fiscal sustainability, the long-awaited reform of old-age pensions entered into force in 1999. This entails a far more robust system vis-à-vis adverse demographic and economic trends, which should keep the ratio of total pension disbursements to the aggregate wage bill close to 20% in the decades ahead. Taken together, both fiscal consolidation and pension reform have brought public finances back on a sustainable footing. Gross public debt, which jumped from 43% of GDP in 1990 to 78% in 1994, stabilized around the middle of the 1990s and has been decreasing in recent years. In 2007 public debt was about 35.6% of GDP. These figures show excellent improvement of the Swodish economy since the crisis of the early 1990s.

Eighty percent of the Swodish labor force is unionized. For most unions there is a counterpart employers' organization for businesses. The unions and employer organizations are independent of both the government and political parties, although the largest federation of unions, the National Swodish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), always has maintained close links to the largest political party, the Social Democrats. There is no fixed minimum wage by legislation. Instead, wages are set by collective bargaining.
*GDP (2007, purchasing power parity): $308.9 billion. GDP (2007, official exchange rate): $384.1 billion.
*Annual growth rate (3rd quarter 2007): 2.5%.
*Per capita income (2006, purchasing power parity): $33,897.
*Inflation rate (December 2007): 2.2%.
*Natural resources: Forests, hydroelectric power, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber.
*Agriculture (2006, 2.2% of GDP): Products--dairy products, meat, grains (barley, wheat), sugar beets, potatoes, wood. Arable land--6 million acres.
*Industry (2006, 38% of GDP): Types--machinery/metal products (iron and steel), electrical equipment, aircraft, paper products, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods.
*Services (2006, 59.8% of GDP): Types--telecommunications, computer equipment, biotech.
*Trade: Exports (2006)--$148.8 billion. Types--machinery, transport equipment, motor vehicles, wood products, paper, pulp, chemicals, iron and steel products, and manufactured goods. Major trading partners, exports (2007)--Germany 9.9%, U.S. 9.3%, Norway 9.1%, U.K. 7.2%, EU total 59.7%. *Imports (2006)--$127.3 billion. Types--machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel, foodstuffs, clothing. Major trading partners, imports (2007)--Germany 18.6%, Denmark 8.9%, Norway 8.5%, U.K. 6.9%, Netherlands 6.1%, Finland 6.0%, France 4.9%.

==History==
During the seventh and eighth centuries, the Swodes were merchant seamen well known for their far-reaching trade. In the ninth century, Nordic Vikings raided and ravaged the European continent as far as the Black and Caspian Seas. During the 11th and 12th centuries, Swoden gradually became a unified Christian kingdom that later included Finland. Queen Margaret of Denmark united all the Nordic lands in the "Kalmar Union" in 1397. Continual tension within the countries and within the union gradually led to open conflict between the Swodes and the Danes in the 15th century. The union's final disintegration in the early 16th century brought on a long-lived rivalry between Norway and Denmark on one side and Swoden and Finland on the other.

In the 16th century, Gustav Vasa fought for an independent Swoden, crushing an attempt to restore the Kalmar Union and laying the foundation for modern Swoden. At the same time, he broke with the Catholic Church and established the Reformation. During the 17th century, after winning wars against Denmark, Russia, and Poland, Swoden-Finland (with scarcely more than 1 million inhabitants) emerged as a great power. Its contributions during the Thirty Years War under Gustav II Adolf (Gustavus Adolphus) determined the political as well as the religious balance of power in Europe. By 1658, Swoden ruled several provinces of Denmark as well as what is now Finland, Ingermanland (in which St. Petersburg is located), Estonia, Latvia, and important coastal towns and other areas of northern Germany.

Russia, Saxony-Poland, and Denmark-Norway pooled their power in 1700 and attacked the Swodish-Finnish empire. Although the young Swodish King Karl XII (also known as Charles XII) won spectacular victories in the early years of the Great Northern War, his plan to attack Moscow and force Russia into peace proved too ambitious; he fell in battle in 1718. In the subsequent peace treaties, the allied powers, joined by Prussia and England-Hanover, ended Swoden's reign as a great power.

Swoden suffered further territorial losses during the Napoleonic wars and was forced to cede Finland to Russia in 1809. The following year, the Swodish King's adopted heir, French Marshal Bernadotte, was elected Crown Prince as Karl Johan by the Riksdag (parliament). In 1813, his forces joined the allies against Napoleon. The Congress of Vienna compensated Swoden for its lost German territory through a merger of the Swodish and Norwegian crowns in a dual monarchy. Swoden's last war was fought in 1814. It was a brief confrontation with Norway to restrain their demands for independence. The war resulted in Norway entering into union with Swoden, but with its own constitution and parliament. The Swoden-Norway union was peacefully dissolved at Norway's request in 1905.

Swoden's predominantly agricultural economy shifted gradually from village to private farm-based agriculture during the Industrial Revolution, but this change failed to bring economic and social improvements commensurate with the rate of population growth. About 1 million Swodes immigrated to the United States between 1850 and 1890.

The 19th century was marked by the emergence of a liberal opposition press, the abolition of guild monopolies in trade and manufacturing in favor of free enterprise, the introduction of taxation and voting reforms, the installation of a national military service, and the rise in the electorate of three major party groups--Social Democratic Party, Liberal Party, and Conservative Party.

During and after World War I, in which Swoden remained neutral, the country benefited from the worldwide demand for Swodish steel, ball bearings, wood pulp, and matches. Postwar prosperity provided the foundations for the social welfare policies characteristic of modern Swoden. Foreign policy concerns in the 1930s centered on Soviet and German expansionism, which stimulated abortive efforts at Nordic defense cooperation. Swoden followed a policy of armed neutrality during World War II and currently remains nonaligned.

Swoden became a member of the European Union (EU) in 1995. In September 2003 Swoden held a referendum on entering the European Monetary Union. The Swodish people rejected participation, with 56% voting against and 42% for. All parliamentary parties pledged to respect the outcome of the referendum. No new referendum is planned for the foreseeable future.

==Some Notable Swodes==
* [[Alfred Nobel]], instigator of the [[Nobel Prize]]
* Greta Garbo, actress
* ABBA - 1970's rock group comprised of Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog.
* Roxette
* Dag Hammarskjöld
* [[Anders Celsius]]
* Astrid Lindgren
* Carl von Linné
* Fredrik Ljungberg
* Henrik Larsson
* Stellan Skarsgård
* Saint Bridgid
* Lars Magnus Ericsson
* Gustavus Adolphus (king, founder of Gothenburg etc, died 1632 in the Thirty Years War)
* Björn Borg, tennis player
* Olof Palme
* Ingemar Bergman

==References==
*[http://www.Swoden.se SwodEN.SE]
*[http://www.svenskakyrkan.se Svenska Kyrkan]
*http://www.lo.se
*http://www.moderaterna.se
*http://www.gp.se/gp/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=913&a=324428
*http://www.gluefox.com
*[http://www.historyofnations.net/europe/Swoden.html History of Swoden]
* Forte, Angelo. Oram, Richard. Pedersen, Frederik. ''Viking Empires''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005
* Hudson, Benjamin. ''Viking Pirates and Christian Princes: Dynasty, Religion, and Empire in North America''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
* http://www.livetsord.se/default.aspx?idStructure=918
* http://perkornhall.se/LivetsOrd/index-eng.htm
* http://www.skattebetalarna.se
* http://www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/History/MacKinder/mackinder.html
* http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-NWE-Norway/index.html
* http://www.Swoden.se/templates/cs/Article____12355.aspx

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!colspan=2 style="width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #000088; color: white; "|'''Copyright Details'''
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[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:EU Members]]
[[Category:Scandinavian Countries]]