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Source: CIA World Factbook
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Capital
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name: Stockholm
geographic coordinates: 59 20 N, 18 03 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
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Country Name
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conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden
conventional short form: Sweden
local long form: Konungariket Sverige
local short form: Sverige
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Dependency Status
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*
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Type of Government
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constitutional monarchy
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Background
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A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden"s long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 and 2009 by the global economic downturns, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.
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Branches
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Swedish Armed Forces (Forsvarsmakten): Army (Armen), Royal Swedish Navy (Marinen), Swedish Air Force (Svenska Flygvapnet) (2010)
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Age Structure
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0-14 years: 15.5% (male 725,864/female 684,459)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 2,994,552/female 2,920,481)
65 years and over: 19.3% (male 777,219/female 971,480) (2010 est.)
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Languages
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Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
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Population
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9,074,055 (July 2010 est.)
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Religions
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Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%
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Internet Users
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8.1 million (2008)
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Area - Comparative
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slightly larger than California
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Area
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total: 450,295 sq km
land: 410,335 sq km
water: 39,960 sq km
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Terrain
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mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
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Climate
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temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
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Natural Hazards
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ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic
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