Sweden borders the Kattegat, the states of Norway and Finland as well as the Baltic Sea and the easternmost part of the North Sea; since the opening of the Öresund Bridge in 2000, there is also a direct land connection to Denmark. Sweden has about 221,800 islands, Gotland (2994 km²) and Öland (1347 km², both in the Baltic Sea) and Orust (346 km², north of Gothenburg) are the three largest. The longest extension from north to south is 1572 km, from east to west 499 km. The land border with Norway is 1619 km long, that with Finland 586 km.
While large parts of the country are flat to hilly, along the Norwegian border the mountain massifs of the Skanden rise to over 2000 m altitude. The highest peak is the Kebnekaise with about 2100 m. There are 30 national parks throughout the country. The largest in terms of area are located in the northwest of the country.
Topography
Southern and central Sweden (Götaland and Svealand), which comprises only two-fifths of Sweden, is divided into three major landscapes from south to north; northern Sweden (Norrland), which comprises the remaining three-fifths, is divided into three landscapes from west to east.
The longest rivers in Sweden are Klarälven, Torne älv, Dalälven, Ume älv and Ångermanälven. The largest lakes are Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren and Hjälmaren.
South and Central Sweden
The southernmost part, the historic province of Skåne, is a continuation of the lowlands of northern Germany and Denmark. Skåne is home to Sweden's lowest point (excluding waters) at 2.4 metres below sea level and Sweden's southernmost point, Smygehuk. North of this is the Southern Swedish Highlands, a plateau surrounded by a hilly landscape with a large number of elongated lakes formed by glacial erosion. The third major landscape is the Central Swedish Depression, a flat, rugged landscape with large plains, horsts, mesas, fjords and a number of lakes.
Northern Sweden
The west of northern Sweden is characterised by the Scandinavian Mountains, which form the border with Norway. The mountain range - whose mountain tundra is called fell in Sweden - has heights between 1000 and 2000 meters above sea level. Sweden's highest mountain, the 2100 m high Kebnekaise, is also located in the Scandinavian Mountains. Sweden's northernmost point, Treriksröset, is located in the border triangle of Norway/Sweden/Finland.
To the east lies the foothills, Sweden's most extensive large landscape. Along the mountains there are large upland plains at an altitude of 600 to 700 metres above sea level, which merge into undulating hill country that slopes down towards the east. This landscape also contains the great ore deposits (iron, copper, zinc, lead) of Sweden. Sweden's major rivers, which originate in the Scandinavian Mountains, flow almost parallel in deep valleys towards the Baltic Sea.
The flat coastal landscape stretches along the Baltic Sea coast, interrupted between Härnösand and Örnsköldsvik by a foothill reaching to the Baltic Sea coast (Höga Kusten, National Park).
Geology
The Proterozoic basement crystalline of Sweden is part of the Baltic Shield and is built up of metamorphic rocks (e.g. gneiss) and plutonites (e.g. granite). In Jämtland and parts of central and southern Sweden, as well as on the islands of Öland and Gotland, Paleozoic series composed of shales, limestones and sandstones are also encountered.
The Scandinavian peninsula was at times completely covered by ice during the ice ages. The pressure and movement of the ice masses has significantly shaped the landscape in many parts. The great Scandinavian glacier of the last ice age (soft-sea ice age) created the present landscape of Sweden with its numerous lakes, rivers (see also list of rivers in Sweden) and waterfalls (see also list of waterfalls in Sweden). The accompanying grinding and hollowing has left behind, in addition to the moraines, the characteristic deposits of pebbles and round stones, which in Sweden are called åsar (Engl. Os).
A factor that is still important today is postglacial land uplift. The melting of the ice masses that had depressed the earth's crust has resulted in land uplift of 800 m since the last ice age (about 10,000 BC). Today, land uplift is up to 10-11 mm per year in Höga Kusten, and about 6 mm per year in the Stockholm area.
Climate
Sweden's climate is quite mild for its geographical location. It is mainly determined by the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean with the warm Gulf Stream. Large parts of Sweden therefore have a humid climate with abundant precipitation and relatively low temperature differences between summer and winter. Continental influenced climate with lower precipitation and higher temperature differences is found in the interior of the southern Swedish highlands and in some parts of the foothills of the Scandinavian Mountains. Polar climate occurs only in the northern high mountains. The average temperature for January is 0 °C to -2 °C in the south and -12 °C to -14 °C in the north (excluding the high mountains), and the average temperature for July is 16 °C to 18 °C in the south and 12 °C to 14 °C in the north. Cold records were set on 2 February 1966 in Vuoggatjålme, Arjeplog municipality, with -52.6 °C, and on 13 December 1941 in Malgovik, Vilhelmina municipality, with -53 °C.
As Sweden stretches between latitudes 55 and 69 degrees and part of it lies north of the Arctic Circle, the difference between the long daylight in summer and the long darkness in winter is considerable.
flora and fauna
In northern Sweden, the vast borealconiferous forests dominate the landscape. From south to north, the tree silhouettes become increasingly narrow as a result of adaptation to the longer winters. In addition, the proportion of birch trees increases, forming the transition to the treeless fells of the Skanden and the far north. The further south you go, the more often there are mixed forests. Pure deciduous forests only occur in southern Sweden. However, many of them have had to make way for agriculture or have been replaced by coniferous forests because of their faster growth. The so-called limes norrlandicus is a striking border area for flora and fauna.
The islands of Gotland and Öland have a particularly rich flora due to the climate and geological conditions. There is a unique mixture here, including plants that are otherwise found in Europe only in the Balkan region. Particularly worthy of mention are the numerous orchid species.
The wild boar is now widespread again in southern Sweden, although it had been completely eradicated in the 18th century. However, it was able to re-establish a viable wild population in the 1970s following escapes of wild boar from game pens established in the 1940s, which now numbers around 80,000-100,000 animals. The population has grown by 13% annually since the 1990s and continues to increase today. In addition, the wild boar continues to spread northwards, and today it can be found as far as Dalarna and Hälsingland. In the meantime, around 25,000 wild boar are shot annually in Sweden.
Like the wild boar, the red deer is distributed in Sweden mainly in the southern half of the country. It is mainly found in Götaland, but there are also isolated populations in Dalarna, Jämtland and even Västerbotten. Most populations are based on deliberate releases, only in Skåne is there still an original population. The roe deer is somewhat more widespread than the red deer and is found in large numbers northwards to Dalarna. Areas further north are only sparsely populated by roe deer.
Sweden is particularly known for having the largest number of moose in Europe. They are quite a danger on the roads - 4,957 road accidents involving moose were recorded in 2006. The moose also cause great damage to forest plantations. During the autumn hunting season, up to a quarter of the moose population is killed. The population is not endangered due to the high reproduction rate.
Predators such as brown bears, wolves, lynxes and wolverines have been on the rise again in recent years thanks to strict environmental regulations. The many lakes and long coastlines provide plenty of habitat for aquatic animals: freshwater and saltwater fish are abundant, and beavers, otters and seals are also common.
A total of 52 freshwater fish species are found in Sweden, with water temperature limiting their natural distribution. The Swedish river and lake environment is internationally renowned for its excellent salmonid population. The predominant species are brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, salmon, sea trout, brown trout and Arctic char. The Mörrum in southern Sweden has an internationally renowned reputation as one of the best salmon rivers in Europe. Furthermore, the oxygen-rich and fast-flowing forest rivers of central Sweden are home to numerous European grayling and Arctic grayling. Predatory fish such as pike, perch, pike-perch and asp are the most popular among sport fishermen, who practise a popular sport in Sweden. With its 90,000 lakes, numerous streams, rivers and 3,200 kilometres of coastline, the country is considered an "angler's paradise". Pike (gäddar in Swedish) grow to heavy weights in the archipelago of the Baltic Sea. Smelt seek out river mouths in large numbers on their spawning migration. Large shoals of vendace can be found in the larger lakes such as Lake Vänern. Peaceful fish such as carp, tench, bream, roach, rudd and aland are mainly found in southern Sweden, depending on their warmth requirements.
Sweden was the first country in Europe to establish national parks in 1909. Today, almost 15% of the country is protected by nature reserves and 30 national parks. If it is decided to establish eleven new national parks and expand seven existing ones, the proportion of protected area would rise to 15.5 %.
