in the political and
economic integration of Europe delayed Sweden's entry into the EU
until 1995, and waived the introduction of the euro in 1999.

Geography Sweden

Location:
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia,
Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway

Geographic coordinates:
62 00 N, 15 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 449,964 sq km
water: 39,030 sq km
land: 410,934 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:
total: 2,233 km
border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km

Coastline:
3,218 km

Maritime claims:
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:
temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly
cloudy summers; subarctic in north

Terrain:
mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad
-2.41 m
highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m

Natural resources:
iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium,
arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 6.54%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 93.45% (2001)

Irrigated land:
1,150 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of
Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic

Environment - current issues:
acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and
the Baltic Sea

Environment - international agreements:
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:
strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North
Seas