![](http://www.worldofcultures.org/europe/europe maps/sweden.gif)
Sweden is a Scandinavian nation with thousands of coastal islands and inland lakes, along with vast boreal forests and glaciated mountains. Its principal cities, eastern capital Stockholm and southwestern Gothenburg and Malmö, are all coastal. Stockholm is built on 14 islands. It has more than 50 bridges, as well as the medieval old town, Gamla Stan, royal palaces and museums such as open-air Skansen.
Languages: Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Ethnic Groups:Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
Belief Systems: Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%
Demographics:
Population: 9.6 million people (World Rank: 90th) (2014 estimate)
Population Density: 60.6 people/mi^2 (People per Square Mile) (World Rank: 195th) (2014 estimate)
Population Growth: 0.531 %/yr (World Rank: 159th) (2013 estimate)
Life Expectancy: 81.8 years (World Rank: 12th) (2013 estimate)
Median Age: 40.7 years (World Rank: 16th) (2010 estimate)
Sites for More Information:
Map of Sweden
Worldatlas.com
Sweden
World Factbook
Sweden - General Information
Encyclopedia.com
Swedish Culture
Travel Info for Sweden
Travelnotes.org
Swedish Embassy
in Washington D.C.
Swedish Government Web Sites
by Gunnar Anzinger