Sweden:
Geography

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Background	Definition A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in 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 by the global economic downturn, 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.

Location	Definition Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
Geographic coordinates	Definition 62 00 N, 15 00 E
Map references	Definition Europe
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 449,964 sq km land: 410,934 sq km water: 39,030 sq km
Area - comparative	Definition slightly larger than California
Land boundaries	Definition total: 2,233 km border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km
Coastline	Definition 3,218 km
Maritime claims	Definition territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas) exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate	Definition temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
Terrain	Definition mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.41 m highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m
Natural resources	Definition iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 5.93% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 94.06% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition 1,150 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	Definition 179 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	Definition total: 2.68 cu km/yr (37%/54%/9%) per capita: 296 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards	Definition ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic
Environment - current issues	Definition acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
Environment - international agreements	Definition party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	Definition strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas