Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Environment
Sweden is often listed among the world's most eco-friendly, sustainable
countries. Its scenic beauty and natural resources are a major part of what
make the place such a rewarding destination, and Swedes tend to cherish
what they have. Getting outdoors is a popular activity here and, relatedly,
'green' practices such as recycling and conservation are the norm. Even in
large cities, Swedes display a deep connection to and reverence for the nat-
ural world.
The Land
Sweden is a long, drawn-out 1574km from north to south, but averages only about 300km
in width.
Geography
Physically, Sweden is long and thin - about the size of California, with a surface area of
around 450,000 sq km. It's mostly forest (nearly 60% of the landscape) and is dotted with
about 100,000 inland lakes. This includes Vänern, Western Europe's largest lake, at 5585 sq
km. There's also 7000km of coastline, plus scads of islands - the Stockholm archipelago
alone has around 24,000 of them. The largest and most notable islands are Gotland and
Öland on the southeast coast.
From its position on the eastern side of the Scandinavian peninsula, Sweden borders Nor-
way, Finland and Denmark - the latter a mere 4km to the southwest of Sweden and joined
to it by a spectacular bridge and tunnel. The mountains along the border with Norway are
graced with alpine and Arctic flowers, including mountain avens (with large, white, eight-
petalled flowers), long-stalked mountain sorrel (an unusual source of vitamin C), glacier
crowfoot, alpine aster and various saxifrages. Orchids grow on Öland and Gotland. Up
north are forests of Scots pine, Norway spruce and firs; the southern part of the country is
now mostly farmland.
