SWEDEN - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 508

SWEDEN
Sweden is about the same size as the state of California or the country of Spain. It is
half-covered by forests, dotted with nearly 100,000 lakes, and thousands of islands
line its coastline. It is one of the largest and most prosperous countries in Europe
and supports a large and efficient industrial complex. With a population of only 8.7
million inhabitants, however, it is not crowded, and its citizens enjoy a superb quality
of life and one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Although Swedish, a Germanic language, is the language of the majority, Finland
was a part of Sweden until 1809, and Finnish-speaking natives still occupy the
northeastern area along with another minority group, the Sami (Lapp). Fortunately
for English-speaking tourists, English is spoken by most Swedes who are involved
in tourism, transportation, and international business.
From 1846 to 1930, approximately 1.3 million Swedes emigrated to North Amer-
ica. Thousands of visitors, including North Americans, trace their Swedish ancestry
at the Swedish Emigrant Institute in Växjö, which houses and records memorabilia
from that time period.
It is difficult to realize that only about a century ago, Sweden was one of the
most backward countries in Europe. Today, Sweden is forward thinking—spending
a large percentage of national output on industrial research and development. Since
1995, Sweden has played an important role as a member of the European Union.
Sweden's strategic geographic location between the North Atlantic and Russia has
affected its foreign policies and security strategies for all of Europe.
For more information about Sweden, visit www.visitsweden.com , E-mail:
[e-mail], or contact the Swedish Travel and Tourism Council:
New York: 655 Third Ave., Suite 1810, New York, NY 10017; Tel: (212)
885-9700; Fax: [phone]
Banking
Currency: Swedish Krona (SEK)
Exchange rate at press time: SEK 6.50 = U.S. $1.00