State (also included is additional basic information): Sweden, a fairly small country, located in Northwestern Europe on the Scandinavian Peninsula, shares its borders with Norway on the right, and Finland on the left. The northern region of Sweden is within the artic circle whereas the south is more temperate with heavily cultivated fertile land. It is known for its cold winters and large forests. It is ranked 83rd in the world population with over 8.9 million people. It is a highly urbanized country with an 84.7 % urban population distribution (84.7 % of the people live in urban areas, cities, towns, etc.). The capitol of Sweden is Stockholm. Sweden is a homogeneous country with a small Sami minority (approximately 15,000 nomadic reindeer herding Lapps located in the north). Twelve percent of their population consists of immigrants form other European nations. The official language spoken is Swedish (with the Sami and Finnish populations retaining their own languages), although English is widely and fluently spoken in the cities. The dominant religion is Evangelical Lutheranism (94 %), but also includes those who practice Roman Catholicism (1.5 %) and Pentecostal (1 %), with the remaining 3.5 % practicing various religions.The climate in Sweden is generally milder then other countries located at the same parallel. Their average summer temperature is around sixty-four degrees, and their average winter temperature is around twenty-seven degrees. Daylight hours are short in the winter and almost continuous in the summer. Most of their rain occurs in the early spring and fall. Sweden, with 173,686 square miles, is comprised of 6.2 % cropland, 1.2 % permanent pastures, 62.3 % forests/woodlands and the remaining 30.3 % other (cities and other urban areas). With over 8.9 million people, Sweden has 52 people per square mile and only a .3 % per year population growth. Their Gross National Product is approximately $227,315,000...
