include sugarcane, corn, and cotton.
Cattle and goats are the main livestock.
Swaziland’s industries make soft drinks,
clothing, wood pulp, and metal products.
Mines provide coal. Tourism and
other services are also important to the
economy.
The Swazi people did not set up a kingdom
until the 1800s. The Swazi king
soon asked the British in South Africa to
help defend the kingdom against the
Zulu people. Great Britain took control
of Swaziland in the early 1900s.
Swaziland gained independence in 1968.
A Swazi king ruled the country into the
21st century.
..More to explore
Mbabane
Girls from all over Swaziland take part in a
ceremony called the reed dance.
Facts About
SWAZILAND
Population
(2008 estimate)
1,018,000
Area
6,704 sq mi
(17,364 sq km)
Capitals
Mbabane
(administrative
and judicial),
Lozitha and Ludzidzini
(royal),
Lobamba
(legislative)
Form of
government
Monarchy
Major cities
Mbabane, Manzini,
Big Bend,
Mhlume,
Malkerns
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Swaziland 211
Sweden
The Kingdom of Sweden is a large
country in northern Europe. During the
1600s Sweden was one of the most powerful
countries in Europe. Today Sweden
is a peaceful, wealthy country. The capital
is Stockholm.
Geography
Sweden is the largest country in Scandinavia,
a region that also includes Norway
and Denmark. Norway lies along
Sweden’s long western border. Sweden
shares a shorter border with Finland in
the northeast. The Gulf of Bothnia and
the Baltic Sea lie off Sweden’s east coast.
Narrow bodies of water separate Sweden
from Denmark to the southwest.
A long range of mountains runs along
the western border of Sweden. In the
east there are low plains. Many small
rivers start in the mountains and run
toward the southeast. Lakes dot the
land.
Sweden generally has a mild climate
with cool summers and cold winters.
However, northern Sweden has very
cold, dark winters. In the north it can
snow for eight months a year. North of
the Arctic Circle, the sun hardly rises
during the winter.
Plants and Animals
Forests of fir, pine, and birch trees cover
much of the land. Many berries and
mushrooms grow in the forests.
Animals in the forests include hares,
weasels, squirrels, foxes, elk, and bears.
The Sami people (or Lapps) raise herds
of reindeer in the far north. Moose and
lynx also live in the north. Many fish
swim in Sweden’s lakes, rivers, and seas.
A castle is reflected in a water garden in
Kristianstad, Sweden.
212 Sweden BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
People
Most of the people of Sweden are
Swedes. Finns, Serbs, other Europeans,
and some Asians and Africans form
smaller groups. There are also several
thousand Sami in Sweden. The Sami live
in far northern Scandinavia.
Swedish is the country’s main language.
Most people belong to the Church of
Sweden, a branch of Lutheran Christianity.
Most of the people live in cities,
mainly in the south.
Economy
Services, including banking, health care,
and communications, are key parts of
Sweden’s economy. Manufacturing is
also important. Two of Sweden’s major
companies, Saab and Volvo, make cars.
Sweden also produces machinery, electronics,
paper, metals, food products,
and furniture. Mines provide iron, zinc,
copper, and other minerals. The country’s
forests provide wood.
Agriculture is a small part of the
economy. Farmers grow mainly sugar
beets, wheat, and barley. Pigs, cattle, and
sheep provide meat and dairy products.
Fishing is another source of food.
History
Humans have lived in what is now Sweden
for thousands of years. The Sami
were some of the earliest people in the
region.
Warriors known as Vikings lived in
Sweden and most of Scandinavia
beginning in the 800s. For the next 200
years the Swedish Vikings attacked
lands across northeastern Europe and
into Russia.
In the Middle Ages Sweden was divided
into a number of provinces, each with
its own laws. Powerful local kings
struggled for control of Sweden. The
provinces joined together to create a
unified kingdom by the 1200s. Sweden
took over Finland in 1323.
A Troubled Union
In 1397 a single king gained power over
Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. The
three kingdoms stayed together for
about 125 years. But there were many
conflicts between Sweden and the other
kingdoms. One of the worst battles hap-
A railway station lies nestled in the snow in
a small town in northern Sweden.
The picturesque lanes of Gamla Stan, or the
Old Town, of Stockholm, Sweden, are well
suited to strolling.
Facts About
SWEDEN
Population
(2008 estimate)
9,214,000
Area
173,860 sq mi
(450,295 sq km)
Capital
Stockholm
Form of
government
Constitutional
monarchy
Major cities
Stockholm, Goteborg,
Malmo,
Uppsala,
Linkoping,
Vasteras
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Sweden 213
pened in 1520. Danish armies invaded
Sweden and killed many people in an
event called the Stockholm Bloodbath.
Sweden broke away from the union in
1523.
A Great Power
In the 1600s Sweden became a great
power, led by King Gustav II Adolf.
Sweden conquered large parts of the
neighboring countries of Finland, Estonia,
Russia, and Poland. Gustav died in
battle in 1632. Nevertheless, Sweden
remained the most powerful country in
northern Europe for nearly another 100
years.
