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In Sweden the Education System is split into three stages. The first is the Grundskola which starts children off with 3 main subjects which are reading, writing, and arithmetic, above is a picture of a traditional Grundskola classroom. As children progress through the Grundskola more and more subjects become available. The Gymnasium is much like an American high school. Both stages use traditional tests, group work, and normal school activities. However, you will rarely see extracurricular activities at a Swedish school. The final step in Swedish education is higher education like college.

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Sweden’s economy and workforce is mostly industrialized when it comes to labor. In fact, 2% of Swedes work in agriculture, 12% work in industrial jobs, and 86% work as service workers like police, firefighters, and paramedics. When Sweden joined the EU or European Union the refused to accept using the Euro like most of the countries in the EU. Instead, the Swedish government kept their current currency the Krona, which is pictured below. Kronor is the plural of Krona, one Krona is worth .12 of the US Dollar or in other words 12¢. That means that 100 Kronor like the note above is worth $12.00

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In Sweden there are several religious holidays including some of the ones that we celebrate here. In Sweden Easter is celebrated over multiple days the first day is the day before Good Friday. On this day Kids go into their neighborhood dressed like witches handing out cards and collecting candy as shown above. On Easter Sunday they dye eggs, fill egg shaped containers with candy, decorate their homes with twigs, colored feathers, and lilies. On Christmas they celebrate by giving gifts, dancing, singing, and watch ing Kalle Ankas Jul: a Disney Christmas Cartoon. They also have a special buffet and spend time with family. On Christmas Day they just relax and rest before tomorrow’s festivities which is visiting with friends and family.

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Sports are very important to Swedes because they like to stay active and healthy lives. Some traditional sports include soccer, tennis, ice hockey, and bandy a sport similar to hockey. Non team sports include ice skating, swimming, golf, skiing, and horseback riding. Orienteering racing is when people traverse an area with only a compass which is shown above. Some winter sports that Swedes enjoy are Cross country skiing and downhill skiing. In February some schools close for a week for a “sports vacation.” During Sports vacation most ski resorts are all booked and full. Fitness is very important for Swedes which is why towns in sweden have made paths for people to walk or jog in the summer and ski in the winter. Gyms are popular for people who like yoga and aerobics.

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In Sweden the Lutheran Church has the highest membership of all of the religions in Sweden. Despite this there are multiple religions because of the freedom of religion. In fact, a total separation of church and state happened in the year 2000. Judaism, Muslim, and Roman Catholic memberships have risen because of immigration. The picture below is a cross, the symbol of the christian faith, which is what most Swedes are part of.

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In the Swedish government there are three branches all of which is run by the prime minister, each branch is elected by the people of Sweden (excluding the constitutional committee which is elected by the Riksdag) then the county commission elect the committees. Then the Riksdag elects the state ministers which then elect the cabinet. This information is shown in the picture above. Much like most democracies the swedish government has multiple political parties which are the Social Democratic Party which are like the American Democrats and the Moderate party which is like the Republicans. In Sweden you have the freedom of the press, speech, and religion. There is also an act in the Riksdag that tells who will succeed or replace current monarch. The Riksdag is the swedish constitution.

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Sweden exports many different renewable resources, natural non-renewable resources, and manufactured goods as you can see in the chart above. Some manufactured goods include car parts, cars, medicaments, and phones. Their natural resources includes iron ore, refined petroleum which is a fossil fuel, silver, zinc, and copper. Their most prominent renewable resource is lumber, more specifically tree pulp which makes paper.

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Some Swedish art can only be viewed or heard in Sweden or during special events, but some you can view or hear around the world. Swedish architecture is known for being simple yet amazing like Victoria’s Tower which is shown above. This tower is special because you can only see outside of the windows but not in, this is due to the fact that the windows are made of cast steel and glass. Another example are the ferry terminal buildings in Stockholm, Sweden which are made of copper plates. Other worldwide Swedish arts is music, more specifically musicians. Some famous Swedish artists include Avicii who is a dance music artist born in Stockholm, Sweden, Yngwie Malmsteen is a metal artist from sweden, and Lykke Li is a Pop artist who was born in Ystad, Sweden.

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In Sweden Art takes many forms including visual and auditory. Music in sweden can be any genre from folk to pop or dance. Sweden’s most favorited types of classic instruments were wind instruments like the flute and the fiddle, they also play the accordion and the nyckelharpa which is a keyed fiddle. More traditional arts like crafts have been made popular because of community centers which have been holding events where you can make crafts and art. These crafts include wood carvings, ceramics, textile, and stainless steel statues. These crafts are most popular with young women.

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One of Sweden’s most influential wars was the North War which took place in the 16th and 17th century. In this war Sweden fought Poland, Russia, and Denmark. During the Napoleonic wars in the 1800s Sweden gained power over Denmark but later in that century their power ended. Finland was a part of Sweden for a time, but then Finland decided to join Russia instead. Olof Skötkonung whose statue is pictured below, was famous for spreading Christianity throughout Sweden. Although Olof was the man who spread christianity, a more famous and legendary Swedish man named Rurik was rumored to have founded Russia. Originally Sweden was inhabited by Germans. Before 1435 Sweden was an absolute monarchy but that changed when they wrote their constitution. Sweden joined the EU after the cold war, However they did not join the EMU or European Monetary Union.

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Sweden’s military strength is very important for defense and if they join a war, although they have stayed mostly neutral for the past century. Sweden’s manpower is how many men they have in the military, so there are 21,875 currently serving and 110,000 people healthy and of military age available. Air force power is how many planes and helicopters sweden has. Sweden has 198 crafts in the air force 72 of them are fighter crafts. There are 49 helicopters, but none of them are attack helicopters. Naval power is how many vessels are in the Swedish navy. They have no aircraft carriers, frigates, or destroyers, but a total of 63 naval crafts. They have 9 corvettes which one of is shown above, 5 submarines, 15 patrollers, and 8 mine warfare vessels.

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In Sweden food has been a part of their culture for many years. Let’s start at the most important meal of the day: breakfast. Breakfast foods are fil, a type of yogurt, Crispy bread with margarine, and oat porridge with honey or syrup. Many Swedes drink coffee with breakfast too. Lunch and Dinner foods are pretty much the same, which includes köttbullar which are meatballs in a brown sauce but you may know them as Swedish Meatballs. They also eat salmon in lemon juice with a side of spinach. Another popular food is Pytt i panna which is a potato base with meat, onions, all topped off with a fried egg and a side of pickled beets. During special dinners Swedes will eat a buffet called a Smörgåsbord like the one shown in the picture which is not eaten for everyday meals instead for holidays like Christmas. Christmas even has it’s own type of Smörgåsbord.

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One Swedish Celebration is their National Day which was originally called Swedish Flag Day. It celebrates the day when Sweden became an independent state and King Gustaf Vasa was crowned king. Midsommar celebrates the longest days of the year and is usually celebrated near the Summer Solstice. On this day they celebrate with eating foods like fish, potatoes, and strawberries. They also dance, play songs, and bring drinks to picnics and barbecues. Lucia celebrates the beginning of the Christmas season. One girl in a community like a family, town, or school, will dress in a white dress and candle crown to become St. Lucia later that night she will lead a parade of people with candles to bring light to the darkest time of the year as shown in the picture.

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King Gustaf XVI is the current king of Sweden, but he does not hold ultimate power like a medieval king. Instead his duties are almost all ceremonial. The people that make the governmental decisions are those who are in Parliament. The leader of the Swedish Parliament is named Stefan Lofven he is like the President, which means that he and the members of Parliament are elected in one popular vote from the citizens of Sweden

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In Sweden many activities could be in nature, relaxation, or by watching performances. Many nature activities include hiking, fishing, and bird watching. People in Sweden love going outdoors Yesand the Swedish mountains are popular spots for recreation. Some relaxation activities include reading, watching TV, playing video games, browsing the internet, and watching plays or operas. Plays and opera are mostly popular with older audiences a classic looking opera house is shown below. Now popular activities include things like hip hop and break dancing. Food activities and Cooking have become popular too. Choir used to be popular, but now choir memberships have taken a decline.

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Like most militaries, Sweden’s military is split into ranks and some have power over the others. One rank is the brigadegeneral, this rank used to replace the rank of Colonel 1st class and Takes up the work of planning, education, and staffing. Despite their name they do not do anything to command a brigade. Next up is the Rustmastare, which was an under officer rank that took care of the munitions, however this rank was removed and replaced with the rank of fanjunkare. The final rank I will share is the Lojnant rank which is a conscripted military rank below the kapten or captain rank. It is obtained after two years of the rank of fänrik, and this rank is similar to the rank of lieutenant. All military ranks are shown in the chart below.