Nationality: Swedish

Religion

Sweden is one of the least religious countries in the world. The major religion in Sweden today remains the Church of Sweden and it is the largest Christian church in Sweden. A high percentage are atheists (they do not believe in a God). Other religions are present like Islam and Judaism.

Culture and tourist attractions

Sweden has so many beautiful places to visit. The most popular tourist destinations are Stockholm Palace (the royal palace), Kalmar Castle and the Icehotel in the Swedish town of Jukkasjärvi. The Icehotel is the world’s first hotel made of ice and snow, it has to be rebuilt every year because it melts in the spring. Everything in the hotel is made from ice: beds, chairs, decorations and even the drinking glasses. Each room is different and the hotel has a different design each year. Guests from all over the world travel there. How would you like spending a night there?

If you visit Sweden during December you will get the chance to see a Swedish tradition called Lucia. It is a candlelit procession celebrated on 13 December. Children wear white gowns and sing together. One child from the towns and villages is chosen to play the role of “Lucia”. The chosen girl wears a crown of lights or candles and leads the procession. There is a Lucia song and people eat saffron flavoured buns shaped like curled up cats with raisin eyes. They are called 'lussekatter'.

When it comes to sports, football and ice hockey are two of the main ones. The country has won many Olympic medals in cross country skiing.

Traditional foods include Swedish meatballs served with gravy, boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam. 

Famous people

Sweden has many famous inventions and companies like Spotify and Skype. Do you know the game Minecraft? It was developed in Sweden by Markus Persson, he wanted to create a building and exploring game instead of a fighting game, and he did a great job at it!

See if you recognise some of these other famous people:

ABBA - a famous pop group. One of their biggest hits was “Mamma mia”, you will probably recognise some of their songs.  

Anders Celsius - was a scientist and astronomer and invented the Celsius temperature scale.

Alfred Nobel - a scientist who invented dynamite. The Nobel Prize is named after him.

Astrid Lindgren - author of the book Pippi Longstocking.

Did you know?

• Sweden is the largest country in Scandinavia (which also includes Denmark and Norway).
• Sweden was the first European country to create a National Park.
• The Sami people who live in the far north of the country are famous for herding reindeer.

• Sweden has over 97,500 lakes.
• Around 20% of the Swedish population is under the age of 18.
• Next time you put your seatbelt on in the car, thank Nils Ivar Bohlin, he’s from Sweden! He invented the three-point safety belt that has saved many lives.
• Sweden's Arctic north has been called the "land of the midnight sun" because the sun doesn’t set during the summer months.