Sweden and Related Topics

Baltic Sea

Åland between Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia

Cape Arkona on the island of Rügen in Germany, was a sacred site of the Rani tribe before Christianization.

Main trading routes of the Hanseatic League (Hanse).

In 1649 the settlement of the Latvian-speaking Kursenieki spanned from Klaipėda to Gdańsk along the coast of the Baltic Sea.

The naval Battle of the Sound took place on 8 November 1658 during the Dano-Swedish War.

The burning Cap Arcona shortly after the attacks, 3 May 1945. Only 350 survived of the 4,500 prisoners who had been aboard

Baltic drainage basins (catchment area), with depth, elevation, major rivers and lakes

Curonian Spit in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia

Regions and basins of the Baltic Sea:
1 = Bothnian Bay
2 = Bothnian Sea
1 + 2 = Gulf of Bothnia, partly also 3 & 4
3 = Archipelago Sea
4 = Åland Sea
5 = Gulf of Finland
6 = Northern Baltic Proper
7 = Western Gotland Basin
8 = Eastern Gotland Basin
9 = Gulf of Riga
10 = Bay of Gdańsk/Gdansk Basin
11 = Bornholm Basin and Hanö Bight
12 = Arkona Basin 6–12 = Baltic Proper
13 = Kattegat, not an integral part of the Baltic Sea
14 = Belt Sea (Little Belt and Great Belt)
15 = Öresund (The Sound) 14 + 15 = Danish Straits, not an integral part of the Baltic Sea

Satellite image of the Baltic Sea in a mild winter

On particularly cold winters, the coastal parts of the Baltic Sea freeze into ice thick enough to walk or ski on.

Piles of drift ice on the shore of Puhtulaid, near Virtsu, Estonia, in late April

Skerries form an integral and typical part of many of the archipelagos of the Baltic Sea, such as these in the archipelago of Åland, Finland.

Population density in the Baltic Sea catchment area

Vasilyevsky Island in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Satellite photo of the Baltic Sea surrounding Gotland, Sweden, with algae bloom (phytoplankton) swirling in the water

Svetlogorsk resort town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia

The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean, enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.

Scandinavia

Subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples.

Galdhøpiggen is the highest point in Scandinavia and is a part of the Scandinavian Mountains.

Scandinavia originally referred vaguely to Scania, a formerly Danish region that became Swedish in the seventeenth century.

The original areas inhabited (during the Bronze Age) by the peoples now known as Scandinavians included what is now Northern Germany (particularly Schleswig-Holstein), all of Denmark, southern Sweden, the southern coast of Norway and Åland in Finland while namesake Scania found itself in the centre.

Scandinavism—a Norwegian, a Dane and a Swede.

Historically verified distribution of the Sami languages ([[:File:Sami languages large 2.png|legend]])

In English usage, Scandinavia most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

The Kalmar Union (Danish, Norwegian, and Kalmarunionen; Finnish: Kalmarin unioni; Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then including most of present-day Finland), and Norway, together with Norway's overseas colonies (then including Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland).

Union between Sweden and Norway

Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of France, Crown Prince of Sweden in 1810 and Norway in 1814, and King of Sweden and Norway in 1818. Portrait by Joseph Nicolas Jouy, after François-Joseph Kinson

King Charles XIII (Charles II in Norway)

Christian Frederik, hereditary prince of Denmark and Norway, King of Norway May–October 1814, and King of Denmark (as Christian VIII) 1839–48. Portrait by Johan Ludwig Lund 1813

Count Johan Caspar Herman Wedel-Jarlsberg, who warned Christian Frederik

Oscar Wergeland: The Norwegian Constitutional Assembly in 1814

Christian Magnus Falsen, at 32, was credited as being the constitution's father.

Swedish Crown Prince Charles John (Bernadotte), who staunchly opposed Norwegian independence, only to offer generous terms of a union

Map of Norway and Sweden in 1847, by Peter Andreas Munch

King Charles XIV John (Charles III John in Norway). Portrait by Fredric Westin

Poster promoting Scandinavism between Norway, Sweden, and Denmark

Swedish and Norwegian flags in 1899, after the removal of the union badge from the merchant flag of Norway

The peace monument of Karlstad was erected on the city square in 1955, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the dissolution of the union.

Norwegian soldiers at the border in September 1905. Photo by Narve Skarpmoen

State flag and naval ensign of Sweden and Norway (1815–1844)

Union naval jack and diplomatic flag (1844–1905)

State flag and naval ensign of Sweden (1844–1905)

Naval ensign of Norway (1844–1905) and state flag (1844–1899)

Union and royal coat of arms (1844–1905)

Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway (Svensk-norska unionen; Den svensk-norske union(en)), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway under a common monarch and common foreign policy that lasted from 1814 until its peaceful dissolution in 1905.

A postcard from around the time of the Norwegian plebiscite. Ja, vi elsker dette landet ("Yes, we love this country") are the opening words of the Norwegian national anthem.

Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden

The Norwegian Storting passes the "revolutionary" resolution

The Norwegian flag, without the union mark, is raised at Akershus Fortress following the dissolution resolution

Peace monument in Karlstad, erected on the city square on the 50th anniversary of the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden

The new king Haakon VII arrives in Norway with Crown Prince Olav on his arm and is greeted on board the ship Heimdal by Prime Minister Christian Michelsen

The swearing in as king of Haakon VII in the Parliament of Norway Building

Statue of King Haakon VII in 7th of June Square, Oslo

The dissolution of the union (Unionsoppløysinga; Landsmål: Unionsoppløysingi; Unionsupplösningen) between the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden under the House of Bernadotte, was set in motion by a resolution of the Storting on 7 June 1905.

Unicameralism

Type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.

Sometimes, as in New Zealand and Denmark, unicameralism comes about through the abolition of one of two bicameral chambers, or, as in Sweden, through the merger of the two chambers into a single one, while in others a second chamber has never existed from the beginning.

Finland

Nordic country in Northern Europe.

Finland on a medieval map, which is part of the Carta marina (1539)

Reconstruction of Stone Age dwelling from Kierikki, Oulu

Stone Age bear head gavel found in Paltamo, Kainuu.

An ancient Finnish man's outfit according to the findings of the Tuukkala Cemetery in Mikkeli, interpretation of 1889. The cemetery dates from the late 13th century to the early 15th century.

The Swedish Empire following the Treaty of Roskilde of 1658.
Dark green: Sweden proper, as represented in the Riksdag of the Estates. Other greens: Swedish dominions and possessions

Now lying within Helsinki, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of an inhabited 18th-century sea fortress built on six islands. It is one of Finland's most popular tourist attractions.

Pioneers in Karelia (1900) by Pekka Halonen

White firing squad executing Red soldiers after the Battle of Länkipohja (1918)

Finnish military leader and statesman C. G. E. Mannerheim as general officer leading the White Victory Parade at the end of the Finnish Civil War in Helsinki, 1918

J. K. Paasikivi and P. E. Svinhufvud, both at the time future presidents of the Republic of Finland, discuss the Finnish monarchy project in 1918.

Finnish troops raise a flag on the cairn in April 1945 at the close of the World War II in Finland

Areas ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union after World War II. The Porkkala land lease was returned to Finland in 1956.

Urho Kekkonen, the eighth president of Finland (1956–1982)

Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007.

There are some 187,888 lakes in Finland larger than 500 square metres and 75,818 islands of over 0,5 km2 area, leading to the denomination "the land of a thousand lakes". Picture of Lake Pielinen in North Karelia.

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is Finland's national animal. It is also the largest carnivore in Finland.

Köppen climate classification types of Finland

The Parliament of Finland's main building along Mannerheimintie in Töölö, Helsinki

The Session Hall of the Parliament of Finland

Martti Ahtisaari receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008

Finnish Leopard 2A4 tank Ps 273–106 in a combat demonstration at Comprehensive security exhibition 2015 in Tampere.

Sisu Nasu NA-110 tracked transport vehicle of the Finnish Army. Most conscripts receive training for warfare in winter, and transport vehicles such as this give mobility in heavy snow.

People gathering at the Senate Square, Helsinki, right before the 2011 Helsinki Pride parade started.

Angry Birds Land, a theme park in the Särkänniemi amusement park, in Tampere, Pirkanmaa; the mobile phone game Angry Birds, developed in Finland, has become a commercial hit both domestically and internationally.

A treemap representing the exports of Finland in 2017

The two existing units of the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant. On the far left is a visualization of a third unit, which, when completed, will become Finland's fifth commercial nuclear reactor.

The Oasis of the Seas was built at the Perno shipyard in Turku.

Flags of the Nordic countries from left to right: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark

Medieval old town in Porvoo is one of the most popular tourist destinations in summers for those who are fascinated by the old look.

The historical Tavastia Castle (or Häme Castle) in Hämeenlinna, Tavastia Proper is located close to the Lake Vanajavesi.

The Evangelical Lutheran Helsinki Cathedral

The Meilahti Tower Hospital, part of the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) in Töölö, Helsinki

Development of life expectancy in Finland

Helsinki Central Library Oodi was chosen as the best new public library in the world in 2019

Pupils at the school of Torvinen in Sodankylä, Finland, in the 1920s

Auditorium in Aalto University's main building, designed by Alvar Aalto

The library of the University of Eastern Finland in Snellmania, the Kuopio campus of the university

The sauna is strongly associated with Finnish culture

Mikael Agricola (1510–1557), Bishop of Turku, a prominent Lutheran Protestant reformer and the father of the Finnish written language

Akseli Gallen-Kallela, The Defense of the Sampo, 1896, Turku Art Museum

The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was a significant figure in the history of classical music.

The Finnish filmmakers Edvin Laine and Matti Kassila in 1955

Linus Torvalds, the Finnish software engineer best known for creating the popular open-source kernel Linux

Karelian pasty (karjalanpiirakka) is a traditional Finnish dish made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (egg butter or munavoi), is spread over the hot pastries before eating.

Paavo Nurmi lights the 1952 Summer Olympics flame

Finland's men's national ice hockey team is ranked as one of the best in the world. The team has won four world championships (1995, 2011, 2019 and 2022) and one Olympic gold medal (2022)

Kankkunen on the Laajavuori stage of the 2010 Rally Finland

It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland across Estonia to the south.

The three constitutional monarchs of the Scandinavian kingdoms of Sweden, Norway & Denmark gathered in November 1917 in Oslo.
From left to right: Gustaf V, Haakon VII & Christian X.

Constitutional monarchy

Form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in deciding.

A meeting in the Japanese privy council in 1946 led by emperor Hirohito.

Constitutional monarchies range from countries such as Liechtenstein, Monaco, Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, where the constitution grants substantial discretionary powers to the sovereign, to countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Japan, where the monarch retains significantly less personal discretion in the exercise of their authority.

Swedish Empire

European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries .

The Swedish Empire at its height in 1658, with overseas possessions not shown

Sweden's coat of arms (with erroneous tinctures) on a wall of City Hall at Lützen in Germany

The development of Sweden and its empire from 1560 to 1815

Triumph of King Charles X Gustav over the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1655

Swedish possessions in 1658. The years in parentheses indicate when the possession was given up or lost.

Sweden is the only Nordic country to have ever reached the status of a military great power.

NATO

Intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two North American.

West Germany joined NATO in 1955, which led to the formation of the rival Warsaw Pact during the Cold War.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked a turning point in NATO's role in Europe, and a section of the wall is now displayed outside NATO Headquarters.

NATO planes engaging in aerial bombardments during Operation Deliberate Force after the Srebrenica massacre

German KFOR soldiers on patrol in southern Kosovo in 1999

KFOR-MSU Carabinieri Patrols in front of the Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica, Kosovo, 2019

The September 11 attacks in the United States caused NATO to invoke its collective defence article for the first time.

General Austin S. Miller (right) became commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan in September 2018 and oversaw the withdrawal until July 2021.

USS Farragut (DDG-99) destroying a Somali pirate skiff in March 2010

Libyan Army Palmaria howitzers destroyed by the French Air Force near Benghazi in March 2011

Partnership for Peace conducts multinational military exercises like Cooperative Archer, which took place in Tbilisi in July 2007 with 500 servicemen from four NATO members, eight PfP members, and Jordan, a Mediterranean Dialogue participant.

The North Atlantic Council convening in 2010 with a defence/foreign minister configuration

Protestors at a February 2022 rally against Russia's invasion of Ukraine march past the statue of Tsar Alexander II in Senate Square in Helsinki

NATO currently recognizes Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine as aspiring members, and is in talks with Finland and Sweden regarding their applications for membership.