Geography
The Kingdom of Sweden is a state occupying the southern and eastern parts of the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The capital is Stockholm. See Sweden abbreviations.
In the west of the country lies the border with Norway, in the northeast – with Finland. The southern and eastern regions are washed by the waves of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia, in the southwest is the Kattegat strait, in the south are the Øresund and Skagerrak straits, which separate Sweden from Denmark. In addition to the mainland, Sweden also includes the islands nearby: Öland, Gotland and others.
The area of the country is 450 thousand square meters. km, while 15% of the entire territory lies beyond the Arctic Circle.
Scandinavian mountains lie in the north of Sweden, here is the highest point of the country – Mount Kebnekaise (2111 m). The relief of the central part is represented by plateaus and hilly plains, closer to the south they turn into lowlands. Most of the country’s territory is occupied by forests, only in the north, in Swedish Lapland, the tundra zone extends.
There are about 90 thousand reservoirs of various types in Sweden. The rivers here are mostly small, mountainous. There are many canals, the main one – the Geta Canal – connects lakes Vättern and Vänern, connects many cities (Stockholm, Jönköping, Gothenburg and others). Of the lakes, the largest are Vättern, Elmaren, Vänern and Mälaren. The coastline of the country is heavily indented.
In the north-east of Sweden, in Norbotten, there are reserves Sarek, Abisko, Sheffallet, Muddus, Palelanta and others.
Climate
According to 800zipcodes, Sweden is under the influence of a temperate climate, but due to its meridional extent, the weather conditions in different areas of the country are different from each other.
The northern, western and eastern parts of the country are protected from the Atlantic winds by the Scandinavian mountains. Winters in this area are colder and summers are short. In the area outside the Arctic Circle, the subtropical climate is more common. At the same time, the weather conditions in cities located in the south-west of the country and on the islands are warmer due to the influence of warm Atlantic winds – summer here lasts longer, but it is also more rainy.
Temperature conditions:
- In the north of Sweden,the average daytime temperature in winter is -13…-15 °C, at night -20…-22 °C. In summer, the air warms up to +15…+17 °С during the day and up to +5…+7 °С at night.
- In the eastern part of the country, the daytime temperature in summer stays at +18…+20 °С, at night it reaches +8…+10 °С. In the cold season, these figures are kept at -5 ° C during the day and -15 ° C at night.
- The warmest climate is in the west of the country and on the islands of the Baltic Sea. Winters here are warm (0 °С during the day and −3…−1 °С at night). In summer, the air warms up to +22 °С during the day, at night the thermometer shows +13 °С.
Sweden receives 500-2000 mm of precipitation per year. Most of them are in mountainous regions. A significant proportion of precipitation falls at the end of summer, with the driest season occurring between February and April.
The best time to visit Sweden is from May to August. At this time, the weather is clear and dry. The ski season lasts from late November to May.
Major cities: Stockholm, Malmö, Gothenburg.
Ski resorts: Sälen, Ore, Hydre.
Swedish Cuisine
Scandinavian folk traditions and natural conditions had a huge impact on the cuisine of Sweden. The choice of products for preparing national dishes was often determined by the possibility of winter storage. So the culture of food preservation became widespread: pickles, sauerkraut, dried, smoked and marinade.
Historically, fish (herring, salmon, eel, salmon, fish roe) is one of the staples of Swedish dishes. In addition, the Swedes eat vegetables (potatoes, onions), dairy products (milk, curdled milk, kefir, butter, cheese, yogurt), meat (pork, venison, game), eggs, mushrooms, cereal products (rye, wheat, barley), including bread of different varieties and processing methods.
The addition of spices and seasonings in Swedish cuisine has developed a cautious attitude.
Many people associate the concept of “buffet” with Swedish cuisine. “Buffet” is a tradition of serving meals, which is based on the principle of self-service for a sufficiently large number of guests. At the same time, food is taken standing or sitting at a distance from the table. The buffet is plentiful.
National dishes of Sweden:
- It is customary to start eating in the country with fish dishes. Popular fish dishes: salted herring, herring with mustard, onion, wine, grilled herring with lemon, herring steak “zilbular med korintzes”, salmon dishes, boiled pike “lutfisk”, fish fillet, sandwiches with fish.
- As a rule, vegetable dishes are served with fish dishes: potato salads, potato dumplings, vegetable casseroles, boiled vegetables. In addition to vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, cantereller mushrooms can be served.
- Traditional Swedish soups: beer soup “elebrod”, oyster soup “nasselsuppa-lid-egg”, noodle soup “tokmag”, bean soup.
- Meat dishes: Fraskrulader pork roll, renstek minced venison, spicy easterband pork sausage and other types of sausages, Christmas hams, fried elk meat “unstekt alg”, game meatballs, meat balls, ragout, chicken, baked in clay.
As desserts, jams from berries (lingonberry, strawberry, blueberry, cloudberry), sweet pastries, puddings, mousses, jelly are made in the country. Saffron, raisins, cinnamon, almonds, cottage cheese, apple filling, vanilla sauce, whipped cream are added to the pastries.
From soft drinks in Sweden, not very strong coffee and mineral water are popular.
Alcoholic drinks produced in the country are of high quality: whiskey, vodka, liqueurs, punch, grog and herbal and berry tinctures. The most famous brands of Swedish beer: Pripps Blai, Carnegie Poster, Falcon, Gammelbregd.
